WASR-2 Gas Piston Replacement?

[Sergis Bauer]

I apologize if this question is answered elsewhere, I did search for it and came up empty handed.

I have a WASR-2, and was looking to replace the gas piston-- I don't know whether the one in there is US or not, but it's not marked as such, and I'd rather not BS around with 922r since I want to put on some other foreign parts.

My problem is that I don't know how to remove the existing gas piston- it will move back and forth slightly, but won't thread out for love or money. I have heard that some pistons are held in with a pin that needs to be drifted out, but that doesn't seem to be the case here-- there is a hole in the bolt carrier, but it's just on one side, and all I can see in it is normal threads.

The only thing I can think is that there might be some sort of spring-loaded bushing on the back side of the piston that is put in through that hole and clicks into a fairing on the other side-- it certainly acts like something is holding it in place. But if this is the case, how do I go about removing it? I can't think of any way to get something like that out except to drill it out, which I'm not exactly looking forward to.

Another potential solution would be to screw it and just get a whole nother bolt carrier (the one I have has the upturned handle that I don't much like anyway). If I do go this route, should any AK-74 bolt carrier work in this gun, or would I need to look for something specific.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[imanaknut]

The pin that locks it in place is on the other side of the hole. In the right light you can sometimes see where the pin has been covered by a weld that has been smoothed out.

You will need to drill out that weld to get the pin out.

The fact that the gas piston is loose is amazing as Century has a habit of locking them in place. The correct way to install one is to turn it in until it starts to snug, then back off 1/4 to 1/2 a turn. Like everything else on the AK, they are supposed to have a little slop in them.

As for where it is made, in all my years of playing with AK/AKMs I have never seen a gas piston that was marked "Made in USA" or just even "USA". Unless the mag that came with your WASR-2 has a floorplate or follower marked as USA, the normal parts that Century installs for 922(r) / Title 27 CFR 478.39 are the gas piston, trigger, hammer, disconnector, and pistol grip. If it has a threaded muzzle, which I don't think any WASR-2s had, it would be USA made if a Century install.

[Sergis Bauer]

Thanks for the info. My gunsmithing skills are such that I decided I'd rather not screw with my serial-matched stock bolt carrier, but a friend offered me what he says is an AK-74 bolt carrier for cheap enough that I feel I can experiment on it and not feel bad if I screw something up.

My question is, will this bolt carrier work in my WASR-2? The top one is the original, the lower is the new one:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff226/radzinm/boltcarriers.jpg

It has the extra bit on the back right that I don't think affects anything, and other minor differences, but the most profound and troubling difference is the bit on the bottom, how it sticks out as a little "spur" on the second version.

I dropped the thing into my receiver just to see, and everything worked as it should when manipulating the action. I'm just concerned that actually firing the gun is a whole different ball of wax, and I'm not looking to experiment with live ammunition. I'm hoping somone with a clearer understanding of how these actions work will have some input, and any advice would be greatly appreciated

[circuits]

That "spur" is an extension of the ramping you see on your original b/c, meant to ease it past the hammer, when the hammer is not being retained by an auto sear, as the original ak was designed to function.

The lack of an auto sear and an abbreviated ramp are what lead to the locked-back malfunction many noobs think is an AK bolt hold-open, where the hammer hits that bit of ledge and impedes the bolt carrier from moving forward. That won't happen to your rifle with that bolt carrier.

The bolt already protrudes past that spur, and using that bolt carrier should be fine in your WASR-2.