SKS gas piston sticking

[steelbuttplate]

What would make the gas piston stick after 80-100 rounds on an Yugo SKS ? Is that common to the 59/66 ?

[Junk Yard Dog]

Residue from old oils, and powder that wasn't removed during cleaning. Clean the gas as you would a Mosin with sticky bolt and see what happens.

[steelbuttplate]

This one is owned by by a friend that was an Air Cav weapons spec. in Vietnam. I'm certain its clean. Can they get bent or worn and cause this to happen ?

[qz2026]

Have you actually inspected the gas system? Have you worked it by hand to determine if there is any binding? When I had SKS's, I was sure to make sure the gas system was clean and dry. I'm thinking that it would be pretty difficult to bend the piston by firing it... Anything could happen but, if bent, I would suspect it was always bent or some how the system itself got dinged a little. The good news is that you can replace the gas piston cheaply to determine if you piston is bad. I saw in a search, a US made replacement piston for for Yugo's for under $20 at CNC Warrior. Would be a cheap and easy diagnostic tool anyway. But, I'd make sure that the gas system was clean and dry first with no obstacles in the system first. Kind of seems to me that this would happen if there were grease in the gas system that wasn't cleaned out and then fired a lot. This would cause build up. Are you certain this is a Vietnam era gun? One thing for sure is that the Yugoslavians greased these up significantly, perhaps even back then. But a Yugo SKS in Vietnam?

[Junk Yard Dog]

This one is owned by by a friend that was an Air Cav weapons spec. in Vietnam. I'm certain its clean. Can they get bent or worn and cause this to happen ?

Air Cav in Nam means he fought a war with first world weapons that used first world ammo, and metal preservatives when in storage. He's probably very familiar with the crap ammo issue the M16 had when first fielded, and mud or course. I bet he hasn't much experience dealing with a commie weapon that's been stored 50 years with the cheapest preservatives they could find. Things like preservatives that leave invisible layers of crap that need JB bore paste and steel wool to remove just aren't something first world soldiers have to put up with. In Vietnam cosmoline was the preservative we used, and solvents and heat easily removed it. How many times have people, many with some military experience, been on this board complaining about bolts that just stick tight after a magazine or two were fired through them? Between this board and the other I have answered that question several hundred times. Gas systems have heat and pressure, a lot of both, who knows what migrated there with the gasses from the fired commie rounds, and what the sub dollar store level lubricants and axle grease they used to store these rifles. I remember the mess my Yugo SKS was when I got it, brand new weapon with what looked like 1950's style hub bearing grease packed in it. I should remember it because it's still there, I stored that one away just like it was, I have a Soviet SKS that I shoot when I infrequently shoot them at all. Check for bent parts and scrub the living shit out of the gas system, use the JB bore paste, brushes, and oooo steel wool just like a Mosin chamber cleaning.

[steelbuttplate]

Have you actually inspected the gas system? Have you worked it by hand to determine if there is any binding? When I had SKS's, I was sure to make sure the gas system was clean and dry. I'm thinking that it would be pretty difficult to bend the piston by firing it... Anything could happen but, if bent, I would suspect it was always bent or some how the system itself got dinged a little. The good news is that you can replace the gas piston cheaply to determine if you piston is bad. I saw in a search, a US made replacement piston for for Yugo's for under $20 at CNC Warrior. Would be a cheap and easy diagnostic tool anyway. But, I'd make sure that the gas system was clean and dry first with no obstacles in the system first. Kind of seems to me that this would happen if there were grease in the gas system that wasn't cleaned out and then fired a lot. This would cause build up. Are you certain this is a Vietnam era gun? One thing for sure is that the Yugoslavians greased these up significantly, perhaps even back then. But a Yugo SKS in Vietnam?

No sorry the gun isn't Vietnam era, just the owner. He custom builds his AK's , carried one in Nam. This rifle is a 59/66 typical import like the ones we know. I'll see if he's tried roto-rooter w/ bore paste and give him CNC info thanks

[Buckhead]

I haven't been on here in awhile but I hope to get back pretty regularly again, like me my laptop is getting old and slow.
Here is a problem I had yesterday at the range with my Norinco SKS I have had it at the range in the past and have probably put 5 or 6 hundred rounds down range over time. I always clean it after i shoot it, but yesterday at the bange after only about firing 35 rounds the hand guard gas tube and rod flew out and over my head landing behind me. The rod was stuck in the back position and would not move. I put it away till I could get home and check it out. When I got back to my shop and upon further inspection it was seized up tight, After using every kind of chemical I had at hand that would break it loose I wound up using a led pig and a dead blow hammer to drive io out of the tube. I cleaned every thing real good end got it to work, but if I drop it in the tube it gets stuck right at the gas ports,not bad I can tap it on the bench and it will free up but some times when I drop it in it sticks about half way down, there again not real bad but not smooth like it suppose to go. Do you think the rod could have gotten bent? and what do you think could have caused the incident in the first place? One other thing, someone said the russian SKS gas rods will fit the Chinese SKS?