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Vent you gas tube..

6K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  SixShooter 
#1 ·
So I like to vent my gas tube for the weapon tends to run a little cooler and a lot cleaner depending on where you drill your vent holes. So I thought I would share with you all what I did on my Sam7r-with a spare Bulgarian tube, not the original. Check it out. Not done yet I think I am going to go the drill press and put a lot of vent holes in it just to experiment a little and see how much cleaner I can get it to run.


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#4 ·
All do respect, but Jim Fuller says if you looking to get the gun to be a little less overgassed and its right on that thin line between overgassed and waaay overgassed, you can remedy the overgassedness a small amount by drilling vent holes in a circular pattern around the gas tube close to the gas block. He also says it can help it run a little cleaner but not by much. It's an Ak they like dirty. By the way thanks for all the help everyone.
 
#10 ·
The piston gets almost all of the energy necessary to cycle from the initial impulse that overcomes all the forces holding it forward. If I had to guess why there was ever venting at all, it would be that it helps to reduce some of the hot gas being so near your hand. AK's can run without gas tubes at all and you'll notice no real difference in the cycle. The tube keeps the piston where it needs to be mostly.
 
#15 ·
I can understand the love of tinkering and tuning up your guns, but you may be better off with a VZ-58 if you are so concerned over this. The short stroke piston will vent all the gases immediately as it has no gas tube. I don't understand this obsession so many have with the overgassing "problem" AK's have. They are designed to run with a variety of ammunition and in a great many different conditions. You can always get or make an adjustable gas block and actually do something about it. Drilling these holes is not going to accomplish what you want and it won't really do anything positive. Your only options would be start with a virgin barrel and drill the gas port as small as possible or restrict the gas flow through the block. This would help reduce fouling slightly and keep the gas system itself cooler, but the barrel would still get hot, so not much gained there.

Also, do yourself a favor and stop by the auto parts store and get some Duplicolor semigloss engine enamel. It'll match that Bulgarian paint fantastically and is a very durable finish. With proper prep and curing in the oven, it's really kick ass.
 
#19 ·
y

How far the piston is screwed in or out of the carrier affects gas pressure as well, take off the gas tube and put your carrier back in all the way closed into battery, see where the piston sits in the gas block, if screwed in to the gas block more, more pressure, if screwed out less gas pressure.
 
#17 ·
I have noticed on my Chicoms and my WASR I pieced back together (which has a chicom gas tube fitted) there is a decent amount of carbon coming out of it. I'm all for keeping carbon off of the moving bits. I personally prefer the vented ones with my years of use with them. They have no affect on the function of the rifle as far as over gassing or recoil benefits. All the magic happens in the gas block. The "gas tube" is purely a piston guard and a way to attach an upper handgaurd.
 
#18 ·
I dont hate the weapon I love it, I used a spare Bulgarian tube. No need for palm to face...Shot it today, it runs cleaner, and a little cooler, tested it with my heat gun, not by much though. Could tell very little to no difference in recoil. I have always vented gas tubes for all my aks for whatever reason. I just like to do it. It definatly makes a difference in how much carbon blows back into the gun. Not that carbon will stop an ak, its just something that I like to do, and I can hold my bare hand right over the vents and shoot it many rounds, you can barely feel it. I'm keeping this tube on it and the stock one with my spare parts, I like it. Piston is a lot cleaner. And I don't need any more ak how to videos or training videos I have plenty experience behind the gun I just dont have hardly any with a milled receiver, I know what wears and how stamped receiver aks wear, I am learning how a milled one does. Just a little different. I apologize for asking so many questions and it may seem I am not taking in the answers I am givin but I am and I appreciate all the help, I'm not worried about anything on this gun now thanks to the help of you guys. Nothing wrong with a vented gas tube. I like em.
 
#20 ·
You should take some time to understand the actual physics behind the gun because all these "mods" are just not what you think. I'm assuming this thing you are referring to with the piston is it's position on the carrier? If you are tightening it into the carrier more, your are introducing blow by into the system therefore making the gas system less efficient. You are now using the same amount of gas pressure or possibly more to reduce carrier force and you'll be keeping the same velocity for the projectile or reducing it slightly. It's a poor solution. Also, if it's too far forward your bolt will not lock into battery or it can stick very badly. Ask me how I know. I honestly don't care about my tubes being vented or not. I use whatever it came with. It really makes no difference to me.

You will not notice a big difference in actual recoil even if you do reduce the gas and slow the carrier cycle. This is again, physics. Most of the recoil you feel is the impulse from the projectile and that happens well before the action ever begins to move. The force imparted from the carrier stopping it's travel is relatively small and the time is very short making the impulse from that very small in relation to the projectile. You will get the instability from the action cycling which does play a part in staying in target / keeping the gun steady. Impulse is force applied over time and force is mass times acceleration. The easiest way to deal with recoil is by reducing mass or acceleration, lengthening time the force is applied, or adding an opposing force.

If you're this into tinkering with your stuff, you should really consider building. You can control all your stuff from the get go. You can get a virgin barrel and drill your own gas port and screw around with it all until you have it exactly how you like. I have an M70i built that the port is probably close to minimum on it and the gun is heavy so recoil is very tame. I can actual feel the action go through its entire cycle because it's fairly slow. It's very strange at first, but it's great to shoot.
 
#21 ·
That was a great bit of info thanks for correcting me. Will Hayden is the one who said that about screwing in or out the piston, screw that guy though for what he did. I only vented the tube, and installed arsenal single stage trigger on my Sam didn't even use the stock tube for warranty reasons, I'm on my phone now so I can't really type too much but thank you for the info.
 
#22 ·
No problem and don't take any of that as being harsh. A lot of this stuff gets confused and misspoken, so I just wanted to throw out some of that and my personal thoughts. There are a lot of fun and easy projects you can do with your AK the improve little things here are there and many of them are worth the time. I don't have a single AK that I haven't spent time polishing up the fire control group and carrier rails. It's one of the most worthwhile things I do to them.
 
#25 ·
Me either... I've owned and shot both stamped and milled with vented gas tubes and some with just the vented gas block and noticed no discernible difference in either cleaning after firing or heat transfer during firing.
 
#31 ·
Myself, I don't really like to:

tinker
attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way, often to no useful effect.

Instead I will:

modify
make partial or minor changes to (something), typically so as to improve it or to make it less extreme.
 
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