galil top cover question

[Revolver Ocelot]

Just got my hands on an orf galil yesterday and noticed ever so slight wiggle in the top cover, is there an acceptable amount of wiggle that is to be expected with these rifles? If not is there anything I can do to fix this?

 

[Luchtaine]

Yeah the top cover on a Galil is only held on by the recoil spring assembly. I would expect it to wiggle a little bit. The only thing you might be able to do to fix it is get another top cover that fits tighter but I wouldn't worry about it. They're like AKs accurate enough to do the job and loose enough to eat sand.

 

[ZEN.45]

I have an IMI made galil (7,62 SAR) and it’s obvious they made a lot of effort to make the re-enforced top cover fit tightly so the rear sight would keep it’s zero. The accuracy is wayyyyy beyond typical AK level.

I don’t know how to fix the problem, but I wonder if it would be possible to silver solder some ‘contact points’ on the inside of the cover that can be grinded down until it fits tightly ?

 

[jobu07]

Mine is tight, and I mean tight. I generally tap it back on with a plastic mallet. Loose and a Galil rear top cover shouldn't go together.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

it is literally about half a milimeter of play in the back of the top cover where it fits into it's groove at the back of the receiver, I was thinking of just adding some metal there to make the top cover lock up tight.

when I got this rifle it looked like it had been a safe queen but I could see there were a few problems, but for the price I got the rifle I could hardly complain.

Edit: or it could be because one of the tabs on the back of the gast tube that hold it in the receiver is missing... :/ I just noticed it

 

[Storm]

Zen.45 is correct. The top cover of the Galil is meant to be super tight so that the cover mounted rear sight stands a better chance of holding zero. Occasionally you will read of someone who is complaining about the tightness and others who loosen it up for ease of removal. Loosening it up is shooting one's self in the foot. Possibly a prior owner did the loosening. As to fixing it, I have no idea.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

after hearing horror stories of ohio rapid fire I checked the receiver for any quality issues as well as checked head space and barrel straightness.

all in all the rifle is fine, but it does need a new gas tube, or at the very least to have this one repaired, and I guess I will just weld a couple contact points at the rear of the receiver to stablelize the top cover, I've seen this done in the past to alliviate top cover wiggle