I have read time and time again in emails to
Surplusrifle.com or in the message forums about
the dilemma of owning a Yugo 59/66 SKS or
variant that has a gas related problem. The
symptoms are always the same. You have to cycle
the bolt carrier handle after every shot because
the rifle is functioning like it is in grenade
launching mode or it is kind of like the rifle thinks it is a bolt
action. Not completely ejecting (stove
piping) spent cases is another reported problem.
Folks have tried welding, silver solder, paper
clips, tape and any other number of unreported
remedies. Finally someone has actually come up
with a way to fix the problem with a simple to
replace newly manufactured part. In steps Greg
Lane. I was reading the forums and read about a
person had a Yugo that was stove piping cases
all of the time. He stated that he had found a
new stainless steel gas valve on eBay and when
installed it completely resolved the problem.
Now, please know that I do not have an SKS that
has this problem but I know it is a chronic
reported problem so I thought it would be
helpful to point out the part, describe it, and
show how it is installed. I went on eBay and
found Greg Lane and asked him to send me a
sample.
Where to Buy
The gas valve in
this article is no longer available. The
article still is relevant as it covers
in detail the gas valve replacement on a
Yugo SKS. Numrich does offer a "blued"
new replacement at:
Shortly afterwards
I received my new shiny valve in the mail as
shown in figure 1.
Figure 2 shows the original
valve from my rifle on the left and the new
stainless steel valve on the right. Two obvious
differences can be seen: 1) The new valve is
somewhat longer and 2) The gas port is a tad
larger. I asked the manufacturer about the
length and he said it resolved a design defect
and made a better and tighter seal on the gas
system.
Remove the hand guard and gas
piston and set aside.
Rotate the gas shutoff button
so it is pointing vertical and pushed toward the
rear (as shown in figure 4). Pull the button
straight out.
Remove the valve and spring.
Insert the new valve with the
button hole facing upwards.
Insert the spring.
Insert the button over the
spring and into the hole in the valve.
Push down on the button and
push the valve forward and then rotate clockwise
to the fire position.
Because the new valve is a
little longer it is a much tighter fit
reinstalling the hand guard and piston. Per the
instructions I was able to wiggle it into place
and lock it down.
Figure 11 shows the completed
job.
I was actually off on a Monday
and headed out to the range that morning to try
out my new valve. I took four different types of
surplus 7.62x39 ammo to try out. All performed
great without any problems at all. Again I am
sorry to say I did not have a malfunctioning
rifle prior, but the testimonials Greg can supply
as well as discussions in the forums should show
that this may be just the cure for your gas
related ailments on your Yugo SKS.
