Saiga12 barrel removal

[johnnymceldoo 0]

I saw some guys asking how the barrel is held on so I thought I would post an informative thread with some pics of mine in its broken down stage. Im sure there are better methods of removing the barrel but this is how I did mine.

 

First remove the buttstock, top cover and bolt assembly and handgaurd. Then remove the gas block and tube. Then look for the pin closest to where the gas tube slides into the reciever. I heated this area up on both sides to around 450 degrees F and knocked the pin out with a punch.

 

Next while everything is warm I put the receiver onto a vice and found a small peice of cold rolled bar stock roughly .875 in diamiter and around 3 inches long. I used this to set down onto the opening of the barrel. Its big enough it will slide in so far and rest right on the beginning of the chamber.

 

 

 

Then since there isnt much room to tap the barrel out I used a half inch piece of cold rolled steel long enough to get me over the end of the receiver so I could tap the barrel out.

 

 

I was able to tap the barrel out easier than the pin came out but results may very. I think the biggest ingredient for ease of removal is heat. Even with the heat and banging around the moly resin finish showed little sign of damage.

 

 

 

 

Installation isnt too bad. I lined up the pin slot on the barrel as sqare to the holes in the reciever as I could. Then with the bottom of the receiver resting on a block of wood I put another small block of wood on top of my barrel and hammered it back into the receiver checking the pin hole as I went until the slot alligned with the holes.

 

Then I tapped the pin back into the barrel and receiver. Since it felt a little slow going in I tapped on the barrel some more to see if the pin started going in easier. This worked out well and the pin went in without trouble.

 

Check function before assembling the complete shotgun to save yourself some time.

[StarLynx 0]

Outstanding!..JMac...Thank You very much for a crystal clear explanation & answer to my question....It's nice to get a real answer ..Usually when I ask such things..I get "LEGAL COUNCIL"..