The Occam Defense Gas Pistons are the Rodney Dangerfield of AK parts-- “they get no respect”. This despite them being where the rubber meets the road with cycling the action. When they’re not made well, they force the gun builder to overgas the gun to make up for the variability, because gas blowby from undersized pistons robs energy that would otherwise be used to cycle the gun. When the piston is too small it can cause all kinds of funny failures to feed.
The OCCAM DEFENSE PISTONs are made in North Idaho, and are AKM spec in all important ways. They are cut from 416 stainless steel billet, then heat treated to AKM spec. 416 is an exceptionally corrosion resistant alloy, and provides superlative protection from dodgy ammunition. They are remarkably straight, eliminating the need for bending (coining) to shape. These are a great solution for 922R compliance on foreign builds when one desires to keep the original furniture and use foreign magazines. These pistons are not cross drilled, so as to allow for cutting to fit on surplus parts. Drill using a 3.5mm drill or similar using moderately heavy pressure and low RPM so as not to work-harden the stainless.
While technically for AKM kits, these pistons will work well in AK74s and other variants. Our KRINK length piston is likewise superb for making a KRINK gas length pistol from an AKM kit.
Specifications:
AKM diameter piston head (.548-.549”)
12.5X1.25mm threads (AKM)
5-13/16 in from shoulder to tip of piston (AKM)
6-⅜” overall (AKM)
416 Stainless heat treated to AKM spec
100% Made in USA