The new Adams Arms gas block quickly mounted with hex screws and a new bolt carrier key, a couple springs and a bushing were all that was needed before adding the sleeved drive rod. Supplied front handguards mounted normally, and I was left going back over the installation manual, convinced that I must have missed something. It was that easy. Though it took me more than half an hour due to the troublesome factory gas block, this is certainly a task that can be accomplished by a moderately capable gun owner.

It is a well written review and worth reading.

This 3D animation shows how the piston system works verses the AR-15’s normal method of operation, direct gas impingement.

( If the animation is not playing, try this link: click here)

Wikipedia explains how the system works:

The AK-107 and AK-108 represent a significant change to the Kalashnikov operating system originally designed in the late 1940s. The new rifle features a balanced system that functions along the lines of Newton’s third law of motion, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This system uses a recoil-dampening countermass mechanism with two operating rods that move in opposite directions, thereby providing “balance”. One operating rod, the upper, has a gas piston facing forward while the bolt carrier also has a gas piston. The gas tube at the forward end of the handguard is double-ended to accommodate the two rods. The enlarged gas tube cover of the upper handguard guides both rods in their travel.

When the rifle is fired, gas is tapped from the gas port to enter the gas tube, driving the bolt carrier to the rear and the counter-recoil upper rail forward. The critical timing of the reciprocating parts is accomplished by a star-shaped sprocket that links and synchronizes both components, causing both to reach their maximum extension, or null point where forces are exactly equal, at exactly the same instant. The felt recoil is therefore eliminated, enhancing accuracy and assisting control during fully automatic fire. The travel distance of the AK-107 reciprocating parts is less than other Kalashnikov designs, so the cyclic rate is higher at 850–900 rounds/min rather than 600 rounds/min on other AK rifles. However, as the felt recoil is virtually eliminated, the manufacturer claims that accuracy is enhanced, especially during burst fire. An enhancement of 1.5 to 2 times has been reported.

The system was previously used on the prototype AL-7 and AEK-971 rifles in the 1970s.

Hat Tip: fuliginosus @ guns.reddit.com

The description:

This is an animation i made in blender of a colt 1911. all of the parts are modeled to blueprint specifications

it took me about 100 … all hours to model all of the pieces and about 10 to get the animation done. rendering was a multipass process, using yafray for a high quality GI render, then using blender for a post process DOF blur total rendering time was around 500 hours on a core 2 quad

I have a friend who can make some amazing models using blender. I have tried but I am not very skilled. I have always wanted to model one of those cut away animations of a rifle or pistol.

Hat Tip: Freedom Sight

(Below is just an image, click the link to watch the animation)

Watch it here.

Hat Tip: Sear and Hammer

This is just a screenshot. Click here to see the actual animation.

The animation, by STI International, shows a M1911 pistol firing a round. Various parts can be hidden such as the slide, frame, magazine etc. so you can easily see how it functions.

It is interesting to compare the multiple manual safety 1911 animation with the Glock animation.

Below is a screenshot of the animation. Click here to view the animation.

Some detailed diagrams showing how the 1911 operates can be found here.

Below is a screenshot (just an image. Click here to view it.):

Here is a very good animation showing the AK-47 internals and how it operates. To view the animation thumbnail below to watch it:

Warning, it is quite large (2.3mb)

Unfortunately I do not know who the author of this animation is.

View the animation here. Below is a screenshot.

Below is just a screenshot. Click here to view the animation.