Factory Flaw or SKS Design?

[doc540]

Shot the '52 Tula today at the range. What a great shooting battle rifle they are!

A dad had his three sons shooting next to me, and the boys were curious about the Ruskie. Said they'd never seen one. So when I heard one of them was celebrating his birthday I walked over and offered to let them shoot it. I called it a "Russian battle rifle". They seemed thrilled , so I bet it'll be a hot topic when they get to school Monday.

As I was cleaning it I noticed a tiny slot of daylight under the gas tube and handguard.

Did they machine this too closely and create a gap or is this typical of the Tula's?

 

[Average Joe]

Thats not good, there should not be a slot there.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I have an SKS (Yugo) and I am gonna guess that is not the way the rifle should be...

 

[Nugilum]

No that doesn't look good, but...

Aren't there two gas port holes closer to the piston head where the high pressure gases escape? Does the gas pressure reach that far down the tube?

Either way, I personally would have that tack-welded.

 

[briansmithwins]

I seriously doubt that hole is going to be any kind of problem. That isn't a high stress area nor one that has tight tolerances. If it were mine I'd just leave it alone.

BSW

 

[riddleofsteel]

Depends on how much gas is escaping there, gas tubes are still available get one while you can.

 

[Sam1911]

Did they machine this too closely and create a gap

I'd say yes. I checked my Russian and it's not milled through like that.

HOWEVER, how long have you been shooting it this way? That's a long way behind the gas piston head, even at it's farthest rearward travel. There are other holes that allow the gas to vent long before it would get anywhere near that little gap. And any gas that DID get back there would be vented down at the barrel anyway.

I can't see any possible harm in it. I'd be willing to be that some small percentage of them were milled through that way. Maybe 1-3% or so. The way those tubes are fabricated, I doubt any of them have very much metal there, and it would be a slip of a couple of thousandths to make a hole like that.

If it works, I wouldn't touch a thing!

-Sam

 

[doc540]

"HOWEVER, how long have you been shooting it this way? That's a long way behind the gas piston head, even at it's farthest rearward travel. There are other holes that allow the gas to vent long before it would get anywhere near that little gap. And any gas that DID get back there would be vented down at the barrel anyway."

That's it.

And it's cycling like a champ.

thnx