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Modification to repair FTE issues on Saigas with blocked gas ports


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Battosaii

 

Congrats on your 12 ton press purchase....don't give up just yet.

 

I hammered off my GB similar to how psl sniper (and others) did. Before removing the block I tried recanting it to un-obstruct a gas port. I was gentle and tapped on each side for awhile to get it unstuck. I did use gunzilla around the edges and inside the block as a form of anti-seize.

 

Clearing the gas ports and cutting a "D-shape" in the GB was one of the best things I ever did to my S12. Threads like this...the sharing info and resources, made it happen.

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The hole for the "D" mod in the gas block has nothing to do with the rear sight, they are not even close in proximity. The front sight bead on a factory S12 is attached to the top of the gas block and

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ah my buddy came over and said the bend was all in my head so i made sure the barrel was really supperted and on the press nice and straight and i put some pressure on it and all of a sudden a loud popping noise and i looked and saw the gas block had moved about a quarter of an inch i put more pressure and another pop noise and bam its off... FINALLY man Ivan really pressed that bad boy real hard.

 

anyway thanks for the guide guys my gun should work beautifully after this!

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  • 3 weeks later...

With the flashlight, look in the gas tube at your gas ports. This is what you should now see.

 

post-14713-1231244376_thumb.jpg

 

19) Reinstall the upper gas block pin. Lay the gun on your work surface with the ejection port facing up. Check the gas block pin (Long one) to make sure you did not mushroom the end of the pin when you removed it. If necessary use a flat file to clean up the pin before reinserting. Put a drop of oil in the gas block hole and just tap the pin back enough to get it to stay in the gas block without holding it. Reinsert the spring into gas regulator locking pin bore. Reinsert the gas regulator locking pin with the notch facing the barrel. Now for the tricky part. You must push in the spring loaded gas regulator locking pin inwards while taping the gas block pin into the gas block. The gas block pin will pass through the notch in the gas regulator locking pin. If done correctly, the spring loaded pin will move freely. Using a 1/16" pin punch tap in the upper gas block retaining pin until it is flush with the gas block on both sides. It should go in without too much force. If it is very difficult to reinstall, chances are that you do not have the gas block holes perfectly aligned with the slot in the barrel. Remove the pin and correct if necessary.

 

20) Reinstall the lower gas block pin. Lay the gun on your work surface with the ejection port facing up. Check the gas block pin (Short one) to make sure you did not mushroom the end of the pin when you removed it. If necessary use a flat file to clean up the pin before reinserting. Put a drop of oil in the gas block hole. Using a 1/16" pin punch tap in the lower gas block retaining pin until it is flush with the gas block on both sides.

 

21) Reinstall the front hand guard.

 

22) Reinstall the remaining components and check for proper operation of the gun. ENJOY!

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  • 2 weeks later...

GREAT Instructions. I did this to my gun last night and it was a cinch. To ease the re-installation of the gas block, I ran super hot water over it for like five minutes to expand the metal a bit. I then sprayed the heck out of it with rem oil to displace any left over moisture. It made putting the gas block back on much easier.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Kevin

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  • 2 weeks later...

oh ill update since this thread is up top again

 

took my s12 out to the range after the mod to the gasblock as per this thread and it worked beautifully with low brass bulk load!

 

 

number 1 setting it stove piped so i put it on number 2 and it ran flawless with basspro remington target load 250 round box

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Uhh...got the dreaded bottom pin that won't budge. The top pin came out easily. Does anyone have any other tips other than get a forged punch? I did break my punch but it still has a good nub at the bottom which I am using in conjunction with a big rubber mallet. I even drilled a small depression in the pin in order to help keep the punch centered, as well as punching from both sides. No go.

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It's all I have, and frankly, using a ball peen wont make any difference (except I'll be more likely to miss the punch and take out my hand :sadam:)

 

I have a feeling it's going to take same monster swings to get this pin moving....I need to find a way to stabilize the punch so I can focus on the hammer and not holding the punch though,

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All done. You can clearly see how crooked the ports were drilled in my barrel. Really poor QC. The ports were also about half the size they should have been. For the record, the port of the low left is indeed fully open, it's just the angle of the photo the view of the port is partially obstructed by the ridge in the gas block. Regarding that ridge, I did NOT file into or past that ridge as shown in the original post. I did not know if it serves as an important seal for the gas chamber or not.

 

 

cimg1797k.jpg

Edited by TwentyNizzo
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I justed finished this mod, we'll see how the testing goes. In the mean time, I'd like to mention the inappropriate tool list in this FAQ. It says to use a 1/16" pin punch for the short/fat pin that holds the gas block on. This is begging for trouble, and the primary reason people are breaking punches left and right. First of all, I doubt the Russians used inches. Second, the pin appears to actually be 2.5mm. A 2.5mm (aka ~0.098425") pin punch is a lot larger than a 1/16" (0.0625") one. It may not seem like all that much of a difference...but if we consider the area of a slice of the punch's cross section, it's 0.00761 sq in. vs 0.00307 sq in. I'm not a physics guru, a materials guru or a mechanical engineer, but I'm guessing a punch with over double the surface area can take more abuse, and fewer people would be breaking pin punches if they used the right one. If you don't have access to a metric punch, you can find them on Amazon. Alternatively, you could use a 3/32" punch (0.09375")...which is pretty darn close in size and probably easier to find in the US.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it. I also used a brass drift and hammer to get the gas block off once the pins were out. That's probably a lot closer to appropriate than the fred meyer shelf hanger. :ph34r:

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  • 1 month later...

EDIT: 19" version

 

I know first post, Im not new to working on guns, but working to get the gas block on this saiga 12 in a pain...

 

both pins came out super easy (used green painters tape to hold the gas setting pin in place)

 

Ive been soaking the gas block in PB blaster for a while now, Ive destroyed 1 shelf bracket, using descent sized/weight ball peen hammer

 

Light taps, heavy hits, tried rotating which side I would hit... no dice

 

I can not for the life of me get that gas block to move

 

its a new saiga 12, build date was Jan 2009 (if I remember right) the gun is completely untouched

 

has 2 ports that I could find using a pick - they are more towards the front of the gas black/barrel end and almost covered up by the gas block

 

I was almost worried I bent the barrel from all the pounding

 

5 round factory mag seemed to work ok, 12 round surefire mag was 50% FTE, and MD 20 round drum was 75% FTE

 

using federal and winchester walmart ammo (#8 I believe)

 

catching in between the bolt and reciever sideways and on the MD drum catching in between running parrallel with the firearm

 

So... suggestions for getting the gas block off with out sending it to a smith?

Edited by sublevel
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Mine took a bit of banging too. I didn't have a shelf bracket. I used one of those multi-purpose scraping tools with a handle on one side, sharp edge on the other. (I didn't use the sharp edge!). One side of it is flat, so I put a couple wraps of duct tape on it to protect the gun, and I was able to apply pretty good downward pressure using the handle on one side, while smacking it on the other side with just a standard hammer. I would hit it five or ten times, then rotate.

 

Maybe I got lucky, because pretty sure it budged about 1/16 th, but then it stuck. But i just kept at it, and eventually made some progress. I did apply oil fairly liberally. Don't know if that helped, or seeped in at all.

 

I guess I'd say just keep at it. What'cha got better to do with the next hour or so of your time?

 

Good luck!

 

(for reference, I probably spent fifteen minutes or so, but the first ten were fairly frustrating. I think it is just the way it is. Frustrating until it starts to give. It isn't welded on, so eventually it'll go)

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I got it off last night...

 

Of course the PB blaster had a chance to soak in, lol

 

Took and had the wife hold it this time, and used a brass drift and hit the area where the hand guard attached...

 

Made quick work of that while spraying oil

 

Had 2 ports, I was covered... One was dead center in the barrel, the other right beside it just off the the right barrel facing away from you, and it was covered

 

I went and enlarged the holes to 3/32 and keeping a nice angle

 

Open the area on the gas block

 

Reinstalled, getting the pins to line up was fun...

 

I'll test this weekend if it's not raining or the fields in fire

 

I ordered a booster puck and regular puck with a V-plug from MD arms Monday... Hoping it shipped and on it's way

 

Cross my fingers and hope for the best

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Just an update... Fired rounds through the gun today... 3x on the 20rd drum twice shoulder fired once by the hip 100% reliable with walmart 7 1/2 bulk federal

 

Once was as quick as I could pull the trigger from the shoulder

 

2x with surefire 12rd drum, fail to chamber last 2 rounds each time

 

Very pleased now... Time for a conversion to begin :D

 

Never installed any of the MD parts I ordered

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  • 4 weeks later...

i have blocked ports on my S12 but I can not get the first retaining pin out the one that holds the gas regulator locking pin I can clearly see it can only go in or out one way so I'm doing that right but no matter much much I hammer on the little sucker it will not move just refuses to budge all most like its been welded in.

Can any one please give me any hints on how i can get this little bugger out?

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  • 1 month later...

i just wanted to thank you for this post, i picked up a new legion s12 made in 09 (yet has 3/11 on the papers) that has 3 ports, 2 of which were partially blocked by the gasblock. basically when the drilled the barrel pin, it was rotated slightly anticloskwise and when the put the gas block on it partially covered the fron and side ports. i read the article and did the mod, i used a rotary tool and small files. It is a new gun, yet to be shot so I am confident that i will be ok. (i was worried as i verified that it had 3 ports with a paper clip, but also that they were partially covered)

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  • 5 weeks later...

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