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Posted: 11/30/2012 3:31:36 AM EDT
Like it says in the subject line.... ...Has anybody upgraded the Bolt Carrier and Gas Piston in your AK47?... I've read in a few places where these parts can be upgraded to eliminate a "weak link" in the operating system. I noticed a slight "rattle" in the connection of the gas piston-to-bolt carrier assembly! I pretty much have all the "other" rattles taken care of....and this is the only one left...  ...Tapco has a piston with more cleaning grooves than the original part in my rifle... Has anyone used this part?..  ...I also found one listed on the Red Star Arms website that they advertise as; "... The RSA piston has more cleaning grooves, increased radius of the shaft diameter for reduced flexing, and improved piston cup for a better gas seal and improved reliability" There is a crappy picture that only shows the part of the piston shaft with thier name on it and nothing else....  ...but it sounds like a good part...It is listed as; " a U.S. made gas piston for the AK-47 and MAK90 that will keep your rifle in compliance with section 922 (r)." http://www.redstararms.com/index1.html?search.html&1 I sent a email....but have not heard back from them yet... I am also wondering if a "Full Auto" Military BOLT CARRIER ONLY would work....the description says YES. I found this one here; http://aa-ok.com/ak-bolt-carrier-only-for-7-62x39-cal-rifles.html This way...I can install any gas piston I choose...  ...I've been researching this modification for a while now and I think these two parts together might make for a stronger system...I dunno... Waddaya think?..... THANKS!... - |
| I think you wasted your time and money. AK pistons are supposed to "rattle" in the carrier and were made to do so on purpose by the factory. |
"Nothing says 'come to my tree stand for a good cornholing' more than a Browning Buckmark sticker on your oversized truck." - dport
"Tactical" is a mindset, not an equipment list.
"Tactical" is a mindset, not an equipment list.
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Well.... maybe...but I just don't like it... I know these rifles were purposely designed sloppy.... But I'll just have to wait and see. A few parts I want to try out wont be available for a while until the military orders are fulfilled....according to an email I received... I'll keep youse updated as it goes...  ...- |
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Originally Posted By Chisel:
You don't need to "upgrade" anything. I prefer original gas pistons because they are chrome lined which makes it a ton easier when cleaning. I need to put more elbow grease into the Tapco pistons to get them clean. Don't fix what isn't broken  This. If it isn't broke now, it will be after a couple hundred rounds of being nice and tight. |
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When you remove your bolt carrier...then take out the bolt.... ...does your gas piston seem "loose" if you "shake" the bolt? I wasn't so much referreing to theTapco piston...but... Have you noticed that some of the US made gas pistons for replacement have 3 or 4 cleaning grooves as opposed to the TWO in the piston my rifle was built with? Not sure if that's good or bad... The Red Star Arms part I mentioned has this description; "This gas piston is 100% CNC machined, and made from heat treated stainless steel with several improvements. The RSA piston has more cleaning grooves, increased radius of the shaft diameter for reduced flexing, and improved piston cup for a better gas seal and improved reliability." I sent them an email and asked for a FULL picture of the gas piston and an explanation of the piston cup redesign...but I have NOT received a reply from them! The picture on the website only shows a small section of the shaft the says "Red Star Arms USA"... I was wondering what they mean by; "improved piston cup for a better gas seal and improved reliability." Obviously the cup has been redesigned and made larger to accomodate the additional cleaning grooves....but why wont they show it ???...how MANY grooves does it have??? I guess that link I posted didn't work....so you need to go to; http://www.redstararms.com/ ...and then either click on AK-47 at the top of the menu on the left and go to the second page... ...or just do a search for the part name; Ak-47 US Made Gas Piston They show FULL-SIZE pictures of all the other gas pistons they have available but NOT this one.... I'm a little pissed they did not answer my email.......wtf? - |
| More "cleaning grooves" don't really mean anything. Current production Russian AK's don't have ANY grooves on the piston head; they're smooth. You're not going to "improve" anything with a new gas piston so long as the current piston isn't defective. |
"Nothing says 'come to my tree stand for a good cornholing' more than a Browning Buckmark sticker on your oversized truck." - dport
"Tactical" is a mindset, not an equipment list.
"Tactical" is a mindset, not an equipment list.
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Originally Posted By rockher_man:
When you remove your bolt carrier...then take out the bolt.... ...does your gas piston seem "loose" if you "shake" the bolt? It's supposed to... The only reason you should ever need to replace your piston is if you need compliance parts. I don't think the number of grooves means anything either. |
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