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8/19/2005 4:03:29 PM EDT
Okay, I have huge problems with my FAL. First of all, I bought some corrosive ammo from someone who said it WASN'T corrosive, shot it, and two months later found out that it was indeed corrosive. What a mess, the barrel was all crudded up as was the chamber, etc. Very well, cleaned that up, then today (about two days after I first cleaned the gun up) I found out the gas-top-thing wouldn't come off. After several applications of WD-40 and some cloth-wrapped pliers that finally came off. Then came the big surprise; the gas rod is apparently fused in the cylinder! Dang! I cannot get it out, I have given it several applications of WD-40, tried to hammer it out with a dowel, nothing works. Does anyone have any suggestions???
8/19/2005 4:18:24 PM EDT
[#1]
is it a short gas tube or a long one?  I would try repeated applications of wd40 or kroil.  Of course one thing that you might try is to just replace the plug and shoot it to see if you can break it loose.
8/19/2005 6:20:24 PM EDT
[#2]
Okay, it was a long gas tube, and I was shooting surplus ammo (yes I know that lots of suprlus stuff is corrosive, but I specifically made sure this was not, or so I thought) and I bought it from Sportsman's Guide. I have bought ammo from them before and this is the first time I've had problems with any of their products and it really wasn't their fault, more mine I guess.

But good news, I spent all day lubing, letting lie, and pounding it and I finally got it out. Appeared to be some rust which I was able to rub out and it now appears to work (haven't shot it yet). Thank you for your help!
8/19/2005 6:25:27 PM EDT
[#3]
Get some Flitz metal polish and work over the piston head. You will probably need to really scrub with it in the gas block.
8/19/2005 7:19:34 PM EDT
[#4]
Take the bolt and carrier out and tap the back of the piston to help move it forward and out of the gas tube.
8/20/2005 11:58:19 AM EDT
[#5]
I would get a punch and try to tap it out like suggested above. I think hitting it from either end would work. Though hitting it from up by the FSB would probably be easier than smacking it through the receiver.

I had the same problem though not from corrosive ammo. I shot maybe 2-3k rounds of mixed milsurp out of my beater fal and let it set in the safe uncleaned for the winter and come summer time just about everything in the gas system was locked in place. I ended up soaking it in wd-40 for a few days and then smacked the piston out with a brass punch.
8/20/2005 12:27:40 PM EDT
[#6]

Quoted:
Of course one thing that you might try is to just replace the plug and shoot it to see if you can break it loose.



Whatever you do, do not attempt to do this.  If the gas piston is locked in place and you fire the weapon, two things could happen, one is that you might get lucky and unstuck the gas piston, which would be like trying to shoot MUD out of a barrel instead of just using something like a rod and brush to clear it outta there; second is that if the piston is really stucked, gas will not have enough room inside the gas cylinder creating a preasure build up and you might end up with a sore face and a kaboombed gas cylinder.  I've seen it happen b4.
My two cents.

HUNTER.
8/20/2005 6:15:42 PM EDT
[#7]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Of course one thing that you might try is to just replace the plug and shoot it to see if you can break it loose.



... if the piston is really stucked, gas will not have enough room inside the gas cylinder creating a preasure build up and you might end up with a sore face and a kaboombed gas cylinder.  I've seen it happen b4.
My two cents.

HUNTER.



really?  can you provide more details?
8/21/2005 12:12:11 PM EDT
[#8]
actually i seriously doubt you have to worry about that.

the worst case should be that it simply doesn't work...

if the pressure could cause the gas block to explode, how would you explain the grenade launching position on StG gas plugs?  if the piston doesn't move, the gas will either vent out of the barrel or maybe go around the piston.  

an exploding gas block, i doubt

8/22/2005 4:57:29 AM EDT
[#9]

Quoted:
actually i seriously doubt you have to worry about that.

the worst case should be that it simply doesn't work...

if the pressure could cause the gas block to explode, how would you explain the grenade launching position on StG gas plugs?  if the piston doesn't move, the gas will either vent out of the barrel or maybe go around the piston.  

an exploding gas block, i doubt




my thoughts as well.  glad you got your problem fixed onezero.
8/22/2005 8:59:02 AM EDT
[#10]

Quoted:
actually i seriously doubt you have to worry about that.

the worst case should be that it simply doesn't work...

if the pressure could cause the gas block to explode, how would you explain the grenade launching position on StG gas plugs?  if the piston doesn't move, the gas will either vent out of the barrel or maybe go around the piston.  

an exploding gas block, i doubt



When you turn the plug to the launching position the gas port get completly closed, doesn't it?
All the the gases in that case are used to launch the grande, that's why the weapon wont cylce when you fire normal ammo while the gas plug is set in that position.  there is not gas going upbackwards when you fire a FAL with the plug in the grenade position.

About the kaboombed gas cylinder...me and a friend of mine where out on a hunting trip, he accidentaly dropped his fal into a big muddy water puddle which was like 4-5 feet deep, when he retreived his FAL the thing was covered in mud and he's like "bah fu#$ it, it's a FAL it can take it" and all he did was clear the mud out of the barrel and the ejection port, so far so good...after letting the thing just sitting out there on a sunny day for like five hours he's like "ok, let's see how it works" the rifle at that moment was completly dry so there shouldn't have been a problem...but, aparently that same muddy water found it's way into the gas cylinder thru the vents carring some mud to the inside of the gas cylinder which after being exposed to a hot southamerican sun for like 5 hours turned into "stone" locking the gas piston  in place not letting the gas piston move back (or at least not letting it move back fast enough, we'll never know) and creating a preasure build up (vents were not enough to vent all of that gas out and or the might have been plugged with mud) bottom line is that he ended up with three things, a broken handguard, a kaboombed gas cylinder and a lesson learned the hard way, which is what i'm trying you not to get exposed to. Like i said b4, just my two cents.

Also the piston could move slow enough to create room inside the gas piston giving gases enough room to create that preasure build up i'm talking about.


HUNTER.
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