ak 74 question

[GlockNation]

I have a new M10 from the CO gun company. It is a 74 (545 x 39). I is my first AK. It shoots well, has never had a misfire or jam, and has a seemingly slightly smoother action than other AKs I have handled; (handled not fired).

The issue I have is that when I fire it, I seem to get gasses in the face (not from my behind, but from the rifle!). The gasses seem to be coming from the receiver. The receiver cover seems to be properly in place. I do not recall this with the M-16s I fired in the Army and don't get this from my lever gun or my bolt action rifles. I was told by the "expert" at the gun shop that this normal because the receiver cover cannot hold in all the gasses.

Question: Is this modest gas release that hits the face normal? If so, I can live with it, but I will not be buying another AK.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Texan Scott]

I was going to say something about modest gas releases and having your nose too close to its butt... but i forget.
My experiences with AKs have all involved 7.62x39, but i don't recall any such issue. Could be the the caliber, dunno, but there are so many AKs out there built to such varying fit. Also, could be you wouldn't notice such a thing out of doors, under stress, and shooting on the move... remember, it's a SHTF weapon.
Take it to the nearest corn field, plow some dirt, do some running live fire drills... and name the rifle "Cropduster".

edited to say: it's only a minor inconevnience/ giggle if you've determined that it's not a SAFETY issue. if you're sure it's safe to fire, carry on... if you still aren't sure it isn't a symptom of something very wrong, leave it unloaded until you rule that out, of course.

 

[TurtlePhish]

I put 300 rounds through my 74 an hour ago. Didn't get any gas in the face. Your gas port might be oversized or you may have an ill-fitting piston or receiver cover.

 

[newfalguy101]

In my opinion, something isnt properly fitted.

There shouldnt be any gas coming back from the receiver

 

[mshootnit]

if it's a blast of gas thats not right. If its merely the smell of gunpowder and a very small cloud of smoke or gas out the side thats normal.

 

[briansmithwins]

The other possibility is that commie surplus ammo often has a peculiar odor to it. Could it be that you're just noticing the normal powder smells more because they are different?

BSW

 

[WardenWolf]

Sounds to me like your piston is letting too much gas blow past. The simplest and cheapest fix is to just replace your gas tube. AK gas tubes come in two varieties: vented, and non-vented. The M10's gas tube is non-vented, which seems to be overgassing the action and resulting in gas blasting out of the receiver when the action opens. This will also cause additional wear and tear on the rear of your receiver from the bolt carrier slamming back with more force. You can remedy this with a vented gas tube, available here:

http://www.dinzagarms.com/saiga_545x39/saiga_545x39.html

 

[kayak-man]

In my experience, no, its not normal. I'd have someone knowledgeable on AKs take a look at it.

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

 

[animator]

If your gas tube isn't vented, check to see if the gas block is. There should be holes on the gas block where the tube meets up with the block. If this is not the case, and your tube itself isn't vented, this could be a problem. Or, if the tube is fitting so that it completely covers the vents on the gas block, this could be the problem.


Another possibility is the gas port in the barrel is too large. The ports on US-made barrels seem to be well over twice the size as the ones from imported barrels... and I'm not sure why they do that. I've never shot one with a US-made barrel to compare though...



The only time I ever experience gas back in the face, is when firing on Full-Auto. In Semi-Auto, I rarely notice it, although it can and does happen to a small degree, based on the crud that's on my eyepro after shooting them.

 

[SabbathWolf]

Agreed. Something isn't right.
The gas tube as suggested is a great starting point.
If it doesn't vent, then the gas has no where to go except "all" into the receiver.

 

[WardenWolf]

The gas block vents, if present, don't really make a huge difference. They're tiny. The gas tube is a cheap, easy fix. The hardest part will be transferring your handguard to the new tube (and that's often not at all easy). You may need a vise.

 

[mortablunt]

This shouldn't be happening. I've fired AK's plenty of times and I've never had that happen. Get it looked at ASAP.

 

[GlockNation]

ak 74

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help!