Aargh!.. Some Sellers!! Yugo SKS - Spring Advice.

[usabaker]

Boy am I glad I'm one of those people that tear down every rifle I buy before taking it to the range. I would be even more upset then I am right now.

I picked up the SKS rifle after my California 10 day waiting period yesterday and just tore it down for its inspection and cleaning. Now I knew, and he told me, that it was not matching and that was okay because this is not a collector rifle. But what he did not tell me is that it is missing the gas piston extension return spring.

Okay, maybe I would have thought he left it out by mistake after cleaning it, but this rifle is filthy the gas cylinder is the nastiest, the piston could not slide out of the cylinder due to all the residue in it. I have to think he was shooting it like this and relying on the recoil spring to move the piston extension back.

Okay well, it is what it is, time to move on. I have never owned a Yugoslavian 59/66 version so would like to ask you guys a couple of questions:

1. Is the piston return spring the same between the 59/66 and Type 45? I think they are but would just like to confirm since I have nothing to compare.

2. After putting my boroscope down the gas tube to check for any damage, I'd like to measure the cylinder - just to be on the safe side - does anyone know what the specs are for the gas tube on the 59/66? I found the one for a type 45 which is 13mm.

Thanks in advance!

Bill

Information

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[Aragorn243]

I have one but never took it apart. It's like brand new unfired so I never messed with it. I only ever took it to the range once or twice to make sure it worked and didn't use corrosive ammo in it.

[Boris Badinov]

The op-rod and return spring are interchangeable between all of the national variants.

Any Chinese replacement spring you find online will fit.

However, the gas 59/66 piston tube is not the same as the other variants.

[usabaker]

However, the gas 59/66 piston tube is not the same as the other variants.

I noticed that when I took the rifle down.