AK piston question
- Thread starter SATX man
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gvnwst
Member
Depends, what make and model of rifle do you have, and was it going from side to side, or front to back?
chris in va
Member
FWIW the piston on my Saiga is rock solid against my bolt carrier/handle.
WardenWolf
member
If it only wobbles a little, no problem. If it's bad, it can lead to premature wear in the gas tube. It's not a big deal to replace it, although you should have a gunsmith do it. Main thing is to ensure it's screwed down tight before they drill the pin hole in the new piston. A piston is considered a compliance part, so if you do it, go American.
Some wobble is just fine; that's how the guns were designed to be. If you look at parts kits (which still have the original military carrier/pistol fit) you'll find that virtually all of them have some wobble. Not having any movement between the bolt carrier and piston can impair reliability.
No need to worry about your 107f.
No need to worry about your 107f.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
As the others have said, a bit of wobble is just fine.
The Kalashnikov system has enough natural clearance to run whether the piston is tight or loose. The only argument I've ever heard that made a whole lot of sense one way or the other is that leaving a little "play" in it allows a bit of flexibility so that if there are any mis-alignments between the axis of the gas tube and the receiver rails, the bolt-carrier & piston assembly can flex a bit to compensate. That could, in theory, reduce wear on the rails, piston head, carrier lugs, bolt lugs, etc. -- but I've never seen an AK that was so precisely fitted that it could ever bind, or that was such a precision instrument that a bit of extra wear would hurt it.
The standard operating procedure on doing an AK build where you'll be replacing the gas piston is to screw the new one in tight, then back it out 1/8-1/4 of a turn, drill it, insert the pin, peen the pin, grind flush, re-finish.
-Sam
The Kalashnikov system has enough natural clearance to run whether the piston is tight or loose. The only argument I've ever heard that made a whole lot of sense one way or the other is that leaving a little "play" in it allows a bit of flexibility so that if there are any mis-alignments between the axis of the gas tube and the receiver rails, the bolt-carrier & piston assembly can flex a bit to compensate. That could, in theory, reduce wear on the rails, piston head, carrier lugs, bolt lugs, etc. -- but I've never seen an AK that was so precisely fitted that it could ever bind, or that was such a precision instrument that a bit of extra wear would hurt it.
The standard operating procedure on doing an AK build where you'll be replacing the gas piston is to screw the new one in tight, then back it out 1/8-1/4 of a turn, drill it, insert the pin, peen the pin, grind flush, re-finish.
Uh, why? If you can operate a drill and a hammer, this task isn't exactly challenging.
-Sam
Mr. Bojangles
Member
Wobble? In an AK? nawww. They aren't supposed to rattle when you shake them either. 
nalioth
Member
Mr. Kalashnikov designed the pistons with 'wobble'.
turkeythigh
Member
like many have said before me in this thred. ak's are designed to be a bit rattley and wobly that is part of what lets them go for ever and ever with out breaking down.
Kymasabe
Member
I'd worry if mine didn't rattle a little 
Badger Arms
Member
Hoppy590 said:
+1 on this.
The Kalashnikov was designed with wobble built in to the piston attachment. It was screwed down tight then backed off 1/8 to 1/4 turn prior to being drilled and pinned. If the piston is rigid, it might jam things up when you beat the rust off the gun against a tree!
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