Saiga Gas Tube Question

[babarsac 0]

I'm thinking about replacing the gas tube on my Saiga so I can use standard AK forearm furniture. This brings up two questions.

 

1) Will any AK gas tube work or just the ones off the Dinzag Arms website?

 

2) Will any AK handgaurd retainer work or do I need the one off Dinzag Arms website?

[MD_Willington 11]

1) Pretty much any AK-74 tube will work. I have an East German AK-74 tube on mine.

 

2) If you want bolt on and go, then get the one Dinzag offers. If you feel crafty, you can make one work, I have a Yugoslavian retainer on mine that I modified.

 

Check it out, the thing in front of the retainer is a temp fix until I can get the hardware to keep the retainer on.

 

[sacsucks 3]

beautiful work MD

[babarsac 0]

beautiful work MD

 

Dinzag's website says you have to cut a notch in the barrel for the locking lever. How did you go about this?

[Shade00 0]

beautiful work MD

 

Dinzag's website says you have to cut a notch in the barrel for the locking lever. How did you go about this?

 

You only have to notch the barrel if you want to press off the FSB/gas block and install a retainer like that. Dinzag's bolt-on retainer does not require notching the barrel.

 

I chose to go an intermediate route. I shamelessly stole an idea from another poster here (can't remember who it was, so sorry for not giving you props!) I took a handguard retainer, chopped the center section on the top and then chopped enough off to where I could bend the lip enough to slide it onto the barrel. Then I bent the lip back into place and installed a proper locking lever - after some test-fitting and a great deal of hand-filing, I have a handguard retainer that works great. I was a little nervous about filing the notch at first, but it turned out well. I really need to have the whole rifle refinished, though.

 

I also used an East German gas tube. I had to file it down to get it to fit.