Hello. I installed an AS Designs super safety in a DD PCC.
I note the following after installation:
1) Many install videos say cock hammer back, SS lever forward, leaning against the hammer, to close up the upper (rotating it closed while rear pin pulled). I noticed on the DD PCC that the upper will not close in that configuration. The SS lever touches the bolt carrier geometry just a little. However, if the hammer is forward, the SS lever then rotates forward just a bit more, and the upper closes up normally.
2) With the bolt charged, at first it felt like I couldn't move the button safety from safe to semi. If I pulled the charging handle back just a hair, that seemed to relieve pressure on the safety and then it moved easily. I oiled it just a bit, and worked it back and forth quite a few times, and now it seems to move pretty well when charged, though occasionally it still snags momentarily and seems to require a little extra effort to shove it from semi (full right) to safe (full left). Maybe it just needs to break in a bit more? But while messing with that, I just want to double check myself...is there anything about the SS geometry that I'm not remembering or comprehending where it's an intentional part of the design that the safety should not move when charged?
Those minor issues aside, the function testing all appears to be 100% A-OK. Safe, semi, super all seem to be functioning as expected. Safe mode is very solid, no trigger movement. Semi is totally normal semi. And Super appears to be working perfectly, with no perceivable friction or hangups when testing via the charging handle.
3) I haven't test fired it yet. The bolt on the DD PCC is pretty heavy duty, and it has the factory installed Kynshot hydraulic buffer and factory spring. I wonder if bolt bounce will be an issue? This is where I feel a little nervous about testing this out. I don't want to experience an out of battery discharge. Has anyone else tried it on the DD PCC? I saw the Micah Mayfield video where he ran the same DD PCC with an FRT. It seemed to run very well, but who knows how else they modified that gun in the video. Thoughts? Should I mess around with buffer weights or springs before testing?
4) Thoughts on "Centering blocks". In the DD PCC, the AS Designs lever geometry seems to be well suited to the lower. It doesn't appear that there's anywhere for the lever to get hung up if it drifts right or left. ASD sent a little 3D printed centering block with the kit, but it's useless. I noticed in a Redacted Arms youtube install video that he put a little rubber grommet (a repurposed earbud apparently) on the lever to aid keeping it centered. While that seems like it might work, I really don't like the "centering block" concept at all. I don't want a 3D printed part or rubber grommet disintegrating in my lower. It occurred to me that it would make more sense to put little shims into the cam/lever slot. The shims would obviously have to be custom, same shape as the the slot. But then an operator could slide however many shims are needed based on his lower geometry into the cam slot, ie, a couple to the left and a couple more to the right of the lever, to keep it perfectly centered within the geometry of the cam slot. They'd be better protected than a centering block, being in the slot, and not moving as much since they're near the rotational center, adding no mass towards the end of the lever. However, this would also require a "cap" on the right side of the cam, to hold the shims in. The cam would have to be a bit longer so it protruded to accommodate a cap, and then a cap could be threaded on, or maybe it could be a detent design to hold it in place. It would still be much smaller than the original lever safety, so I don't think such a design would get in the way, and the cap could even be decorative or branded, which might add a bit of flair and appeal to buyers. Maybe a manufacture would consider this?
Thoughts on any/all of the above? Particularly #3 - if anyone has tested the DD PCC and had any issues relating to bolt bounce or out of battery discharge, please let me know before I proceed. Hurry, please. I can't wait to try this thing out and mag dump 35 rounds at a time. 😁
