crucified 2 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 i am in the middle of my conversion and have hit a snag. the gas tube i purchased does not let the retaining lever to lock it in place close. should i just take a dremel to it and take off some of the surface area on the tube? also the gas tube itself is gray whereas the rest of the saiga is black. can i use that high temp engine block spray paint as a quick fix? i was also going to use it paint the bottom of the receiver (where the plate used to be). will this work? any recommendations on prep for paint? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Don't cut anything. Press down with your hand on the gas tube while wiggling the lever. It should fit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HEADHUNTER 0 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) The 500 degree semi gloss engine enamel seems to be a popular choice, you can get it at auto zone. I personally like the 1200 degree flat black, but you have to oven cure it. It's pretty tough afterward though. I bought pure acetone fingernail polish remover and used it to prep my painting surfaces. The dremmel to the gas tube will be one way to get it to fit I imagine, depends on how skilled you are at dremmel-fu. Go slowly taking a little off at a time and try to see if it fits pretty often. If you try to force it to fit it should deform a little in the areas that need to be grinded down. Edited February 23, 2008 by HEADHUNTER Quote Link to post Share on other sites
b2673ad 0 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello I went down the gas tube road tonight. The new AK gas tube is not beveled on the bottom like the Saiga gas tube. So do you just push down on it to get it to slide into place the first time? Plus the gas tube I bought has venting holes that are open all the way into the gas tube. Yes you look right inside the gas tube. Will this effect the operation of the rifle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Superhawk138 202 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello I went down the gas tube road tonight. The new AK gas tube is not beveled on the bottom like the Saiga gas tube. So do you just push down on it to get it to slide into place the first time? Plus the gas tube I bought has venting holes that are open all the way into the gas tube. Yes you look right inside the gas tube. Will this effect the operation of the rifle. Check ou this video that shows just how much the gas tube is used. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hello I went down the gas tube road tonight. The new AK gas tube is not beveled on the bottom like the Saiga gas tube. So do you just push down on it to get it to slide into place the first time? Plus the gas tube I bought has venting holes that are open all the way into the gas tube. Yes you look right inside the gas tube. Will this effect the operation of the rifle. Y'alls AKM gas tubes will work fine. Just press them in and wiggle the lever. The vent holes don't affect anything. All of the action happens in the gas block, so vent holes don't matter in their availability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgillaspy 24 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 If you look at the Saiga gas tube vs. the AK gas tube you will see the difference. I used a grinder and ground mine to fit. It only took a couple of minutes. Work slowly and check often! Make the AK tube look like the Saiga. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bvamp 604 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 ...a vented tube, what that does, is nothing from the cycle of the action, rearwards, but is less restrictive as the bolt carrier returns to battery (air pressure coming off of the piston coming forward at high rate of speed). IT ALSO allows the gun to run a lot cleaner, with venting...... all of which are not addressed above.....this is what I have discovered and found, and this is what I know. venting DOES HAVE a use on this gun.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crucified 2 Posted February 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) If you look at the Saiga gas tube vs. the AK gas tube you will see the difference. I used a grinder and ground mine to fit. It only took a couple of minutes. Work slowly and check often! Make the AK tube look like the Saiga. that's exactly what i was talking about! the stock saiga gas tube has a longer groove at more of an angle. the ak tube i have doesn't allow the retaining lever to close at all. also, my gas tube doesn't have any vent holes. is it practical to drill some in? Edited February 23, 2008 by crucified Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 If you look at the Saiga gas tube vs. the AK gas tube you will see the difference. I used a grinder and ground mine to fit. It only took a couple of minutes. Work slowly and check often! Make the AK tube look like the Saiga. that's exactly what i was talking about! the stock saiga gas tube has a longer groove at more of an angle. the ak tube i have doesn't allow the retaining lever to close at all. also, my gas tube doesn't have any vent holes. is it practical to drill some in? If you desire vent holes, go for it. Bvamp is perhaps referring to the shotguns needing it more than the rifles. Some countries issued AKs w/o any vent holes at all. Some countries issued AKs with enough vent holes to strain spaghetti with... I've interchanged AK74 and AKM gas tubes onto my Saigas and haven't needed to grind anything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wlnt 2 Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) 'nalioth' and Bvamp; 'nalioth' With my last conversion I used an AK74 gas tube. *I did have to remove a very small amount of material on the gas tube where it goes into the block. I removed very small amounts (with a small triangular file) and kept checking until the tube would go into the block. I remembered the saying "you can always take more off, but you can't put it back". It is shaped exactly like my Saiga one now. When the gas tube goes into the block and stops, with a little pressure it goes *forward and clicks. Bvamp, I thought about drilling some vent holes too, but I am concerned about creating ridges inside the gas tube where the drill bit passes through. louielouie *I am talking about .010 inch movement or less. Edited February 23, 2008 by louielouie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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