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Article by Jamie Mangrum
 
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. 
 

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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:
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=842810&chrSuperSKU=&MC=
 
 
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.
 

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Article by Jamie Mangrum