AK47 gas piston/bolt carrier out of alignment

[Accident]

I just got in my new Saiga Izhmash and the gas piston is not aligned with the bolt carrier. It dips down just a hair. This causes the end of the bolt carrier to rub on the top of the gas cylinder just under the rear sight assembly. I read here not to bang it back into alignment. The whole assembly sticks when about 80% to the rear with the bolt open and has to be pushed to get over the 'hump'. Any suggestions? Purchased from Atlantic.
Havn't fired it yet. Looks like it will cycle and maybe get stuck open occasionally. Should I grind off a little of the bolt? Send it back?

Thanx in advance. Love the forums.

Accident

 

[heron]

Can you pull the bolt all the way back and have it slam home when released? Shoot it and enjoy it. That "hump" is the hammer. Oil it well first, and often for a while, and it will wear in. My Saiga may have a slight misalignment of the gas piston also -- or maybe not -- those things don't need to be precise, and they have a very sloppy fit in the gas tube.

Don't grind anything, just shoot it.

 

[Accident]

The bolt hangs up both on the way out and the way in on the gas cylinder. When I remove the reciever cover, spring and bolt body and reinstall the bolt carrier/gas piston assembly and try to slide it back and forth while pushing the hammer down out of the way, it still hangs up in the same place. It has already warn off the black coating on the top of the bolt where it rubs. It's very clearly hitting the top of the gas cylinder. There is no clearance between the bolt and the top of the cylinder.
I think you are right that I should just shoot it and see, but it's hard to charge on a new mag and also hard to pull back to get it off the bolt hold open. Gun wasn't advertised with a hold open mechanism and I had never seen one, but its' there by the trigger guard on the right.
Accident

 

[heron]

I just checked mine again. The gas piston is fixed to the bolt carrier such that it wiggles back and forth a little, so alignment is a non-issue with that. The piston will make an irregular wear pattern inside the gas tube; don't worry about it. Maybe, in a half-million rounds or something, it will wear clear through, and you can replace the gas tube and go on. Don't worry about the paint wearing off.

reinstall the bolt carrier/gas piston assembly and try to slide it back and forth while pushing the hammer down out of the way,

How are you holding the hammer down? Seems impossible to me.
You'll see on the bottom of the bolt carrier a feature that I will call the cocking ramp (don't know if it has a specific name). It rides over the hammer going both ways, and the hammer will try to force the bolt carrier up. Shooting it smooths off any roughness from the factory, but it won't quit trying.

it's hard to charge on a new mag and also hard to pull back to get it off the bolt hold open.

Mine came with a magazine that was hard to install at first, but worked in.

I have to ask, have you cleaned it yet? Start with that and some good oil (plus maybe some grease on the slides, if you like).

These are made to be worked hard and severely abused (for instance, by being in combat). Don't baby it. Yank the bolt back with authority and let it slam. Also, don't expect precision fit or finish; remember, these are disposable battle rifles, and there is virtually no craftsmanship in them. It's a genius design for cheap, simple manufacture, and made to survive awful conditions. Being a little sloppy in places (or more than a little) seems to help that.

More about Saiga:

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?act=idx

 

[Accident]

Thanx man. I have cleaned and lubed it. Going to shoot it this am and report back. I only wish I had paid the old 'disposable' price:banghead:

Accident

 

[Accident]

Emailed Atlantic and the manufacturer called me to say, "send it to us and we'll fix it". They also said they would adjust the front sight so it was in alignment. It tilts to the right a few degrees.

!A

 

[Atlantic Firearms]

Accident
We would be glad to cover any return ship cost up to $30 bucks please let us know and we will credit your card or send you a check so you are not out of pocket on return ship.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

Great Customer Service Atlantic!

And a good Ad too. You just reminded me to check your website.

 

[nalioth]

Makes one wonder how many perfectly good guns are sent back because the user doesn't realize what they're looking at.

It is quite common for a new Kalashnikov bolt carrier to "stick" at the rear of it's travel, if the user doesn't let it fly forward.

 

[Accident]

Yes, I was mistaken. My AMD 65 doesn't do that. The trigger is different. After looking at them both with ya'lls info, I realized there is not an issue. THanx to all and Atlantic. Gun shoots great.

Accident.

 

[CaptSkip]

Makes one wonder how many perfectly good guns are sent back because the user doesn't realize what they're looking at.

It is quite common for a new Kalashnikov bolt carrier to "stick" at the rear of it's travel, if the user doesn't let it fly forward.


In all areas of manufacturing and sales, there is a large percentage of products returned to the vendor/manufacturer that are absolutely functioning correctly.

Those items are often resold after being 'factory reconditioned'.

I just bought a sweeeet 'Factory Reconditioned' Ridgid R82007 Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill from Amazon that was complete and good-to-go for ~$89. New from Home Depot was ~$130.