wasr welded gas piston

[.308]

Is there a legal reason why it's welded? I remember hearing the gas piston was an american part for 922. Does it have to be permenently attached or something? I would like to just pin it so it has a little give to smoothen out the action that last little bit to make it perfect.

 

[Sam1911]

No, no legal reason for it to be welded.

I wouldn't worry about it, though, unless you need to replace it for some reason. Remember that the gas piston is screwed into the front of the carrier before being pinned. Yes, you don't screw it down tight before you drill for the pin, but it doesn't have much play when you're done. I've seen some that have some almost imperceptible wiggle, but both of mine are completely rigid.

My humble opinion is that any "smoothing out" of the action due to that minute hinging effect is 101% imaginary. If it works, leave it alone.

 

[.308]

The action binds a little bit when the bolt is close to completely closed. It was worst originally because someone reblued the bolt carrier too heavy or blued over carbon. I smoothed it all out and that made things alot smoother but theres still the slightest binding.

 

[Ian]

The gas piston should not be welded on an AK. The proper way to assemble it is to screw it all the way into the bolt carrier, then back it out half a turn, drill, and hammer a rivet flush through the hole. I've been a party to at least a dozen builds, and every time I've seen a piston tightened all the way down it binds.

 

[Sam1911]

The action binds a little bit when the bolt is close to completely closed.

Do you know exactly what is binding? What did you smooth out? What parts touch each other or rub that aren't supposed to?

 

[MartinS]

Are there wear marks on the piston? Remove the recoil spring and the bolt. Cock the hammer and slide the carrier back and forth and look at how the piston enters the gas tube. Remove the gas tube and see how the piston enters the gas block. Not all welded Centry pistons scrape the tube.

 

[.308]

It is the piston, I smoothed out the finish on the end of the bolt carrier. It looked like someone just painted over heavy carbon and was very rough. I took a wire wheel to it and now it feels noticably better.

 

[Kurt_D]

I was going to add the Russians now screw in, then stake the gas pistons on their AKs. There is no play in them so I doubt that is/was the issue.

Looks like you got it solved.