SKS gas piston doesn't move freely.

S

SpurV

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Ontario
Hello just wondering if anyone else has had this problem with their Russian SKS. After my last trip to the range I strip and cleaned my rifle and when I was reassembling the gas tube the piston wouldn't move freely inside the tube like it would previously, it would get jammed in and stuck. I've already checked for debris and tried to oil it but it refuses to go in more then 1-2cm. Does anyone know a remedy for this?

Thanks
 
Clean the tube as well as the piston. You can use the brush that came with the rifle if you got the cleaning kit.

Now the gas system is supposed to be dry but you can add a very small amount of oil to help protect it from rust if you don't plan on shooting it right away.
 
Also, be sure to give the piston head a good going over with steel wool and powder solvent from time to time, It should drop right through the tube with no rubbing.
 
Use a .410 brass brush on the end of your cordless drill to clean out the inside of the gas tube. Residue can slowly build up in there, and use a .22 brush for the small part of the tube.
 
It's probably rust from corrosive ammo not letting your piston move freely.

I had mine get stuck a little after not cleaning it for awhile. I had to use a little smooth sandpaper to clean the piston and tube "cylinder". It now moves freely. I think people often don't check their gas system enough, at least I didn't but was lucky to notice it before it did any real damage. I also used a shotgun brass brush in the cylinder. I will be paying closer attention to my gas system from now on!! SKS is an awesome piece of engineering in many ways and very reliable. If only AR15 was as simple and reliable!

I like your solution fiddler.

The piston area of the SKS is NOT to be lubricated, if it was...maybe it gummed up.
 
Last edited:
Thanks all for your suggestions. I tried them but yet the problem remains , fortunately I have a second sks and switched out the piston and it went through just fine I guess something is wrong with the piston itself? Any more suggestions on how I should handle this? Should I just replace it or is there a fix?

Thanks again
 
if you could post some pictures of the good piston and the bad one side by side it would be much easier to see what a problem might be
 
As I was lining the two pistons together for the picture I noticed a really tiny bump not more than 1mm wide that was poking out. Took my grinder to it and now it slides in like a dream. Thanks for the idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom