Tightening up an SKS

[slushee]

So I got a wonderful deal on a free stock screw from one of the members here, and that screw tightened up my rifle quite a bit. While that member and I were talking, we spoke in lenght regarding tightening up my sks and where I should begin.

I enlist the help of all those that have come before

Firstly, I'd like to focus on my gas tube.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/IMG_0057.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/IMG_0058.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/IMG_0059.jpg

I'd like to punch out the pin that is retaining the handguard (as its loose and wiggly) and try replacing it with a new roll pin to see if that will help tighten up th ewood. Has anyone done this before, and what pin would you suggest I use (solid pin vs roll pins and what sizes). Also, any direction easier to punch out the pin?

Secondly, I'd like to place a small black oring on this part to tighten up the slop in the gas tube (as I dont have the ability to drip a bit of weld on the back end of the clip that holds the gas tube in place by the lever on the rear sight). Does anyone know of the right size oring and where to fine it?

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/IMG_0060.jpg

Thirdly, after these things have been done, what are some other things I could do to just tighten this o'le girl up?

thanks! You guys have been great what with me having my very first eastern bloc weapon. I've heard these things eat babies .. I'll be sure to keep any away from it for the time being!!!

 

[bearhunter]

"O" rings won't last very long. If you do end up useing them, go for the brown heat resistant "Viton" type. Hot gasses will quickly deteriorate the black "Buna N" type.

 

[slushee]

Any idea who sources those brown ones? Am I looking at home depot/canadian tire, or more like a 'regional hose' store that specializes in rubber?

 

[kwhunter]

I don't think that sealing the gas escape port is a good idea, that will put a higher pressure on the piston and it may get stuck in the tubel the two holes in the tube behind the piston head are gas bleed holes, the main exhaust it at the front that you want to seal.

Secondly, I'd like to place a small black oring on this part to tighten up the slop in the gas tube (as I dont have the ability to drip a bit of weld on the back end of the clip that holds the gas tube in place by the lever on the rear sight). Does anyone know of the right size oring and where to fine it?

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/IMG_0060.jpg

 

[Brentn]

I don't think that sealing the gas escape port is a good idea, that will put a higher pressure on the piston and it may get stuck in the tubel the two holes in the tube behind the piston head are gas bleed holes, the main exhaust it at the front that you want to seal.

He's talking about the connection from the gas tube to the gas block on the barrel, not the gas escape port.

I really don't think any of this can have an effect on accuracy.. can it?

 

[slushee]

I really don't think any of this can have an effect on accuracy.. can it?

You've never spent any time trying to 'accurize' a Norinco M14s have you

Hungry's first rule (well, not really sure if its his first, but its in there) is that to start squeezing accuracy out of a semi auto, you want to tighten up all of the slop so that the rifle does everything it does as close to the time before.

Lets take the gas tube on the SKS for example, the small 1/2 mil wiggle I have will leak a small amount of gas during the blow back/recock phase. This will lead to a small variation in pressure that is pushing on that rod to recock the action. This small variation 'could' lead to the rifle recocking itself but with its parts not quite in the same spot as it was last time. Tightening up the gas tube with a .25 cent oring will stop the wiggle/gas leakage and will make it so that the exact same pressure is recocking the action every single time.

You may say to your self, "self, but that little bit of variation in recock pressure is probably not very noticable in accuracy" .. this may be true, but if you tighten 3-4 things up you will start to see slightly better accuracy due to the acumulative effect of it all.

I like to think of the saying "death by a thousand pin pricks".

And if at the end of the day the oring did nothing, I wasted .25 cents and 1/2 hour of my time talking with the guy at regional hose

 

[matty86suk]

maybe a copper crush washer would work?

 

[Calum]

Lets take the gas tube on the SKS for example, the small 1/2 mil wiggle I have will leak a small amount of gas during the blow back/recock phase. This will lead to a small variation in pressure that is pushing on that rod to recock the action.

Methinks this wiggle may be built into the design of the SKS, as I believe it eats up the movement from the gas piston and keeps it away from the barrel harmonics.

Tighten it all up and you might find more problems with barrel harmonics etc.

But then again I'm just guessing as I'm not an engineer so I look forward to seeing your results.

 

[Gramreaper]

Slushee, I agree with your logic. why not try a dab or 2 of black loctite, it's like liquid black rubber? I'm in oilfield and we use it for various things including contact with gases. It stands up well and you can administer the exact amount you need and add to it if desireable. This may not work, but you might consider it.

"You can poliosh a turd, but it just leaves you with a mess and she'll take all your stuff and leave you anyway."