Gas piston G3 ?

[GearHD]

With the cost of ammo these days it would be nice to be able to reload brass that was fired out of a G3 system.
Has anyone try'd using a smooth chamber ( opposed to fluted ) BBL with a gas piston system like a Fal ? I know just buy a Fal but there are some of us that like the look of a G3. It would appear there is just enough room to install a gas piston system that wouldn't compromise the return spring of the bolt carrier.

Thoughts & comments welcome.

[Woodman in MO]

I guess you'd have to come up with some sort of gas block? I dunno...might be interesting.

[hunter_la5]

to change it from blowback to gas operated then you'd have to find a way to make the G3 fired from a locked chamber. The G3 and CETME are actually roller-delayed, not roller-locked, and fire from unlocked chambers. basically, it would need to be able to stay closed and not cycle if you were to block off the gas system (unless you wanted to come up with some hybrid blowback operated gas piston assisted system, but I dunno how easy that would be or how well it would work)

roller-locked gas-piston operated weapons have been built before, but i imagine you would have to change the locking piece and trunion locking recesses so that the backward pressure of the cartridge case won't force the rollers out of engagement and the rollers wont force the locking piece backward

but theoretically a roller-locked gas-operated rifle could allow for a significantly lighter bolt carrier, which would make the weapon lighter

[Woodman in MO]

Yeah....the whole timing of the blowback action on these rifles is preety much set. They worked out what weight and lengths needed to be in order to get it right and keep it fairly safe.

I guess it is possible, but there's going to be a lot of experimenting that would have to be done with timing and what not.

If you are up to it and want to try I say go for it.

[Buelligan]

How a bout that g3 type in SHOT GUN NEWS of troops in the sand box and one has a g3 with some kind of ak bolt mod rigged on to it

[Otis61]

I didn't see that. What weak and what page?

[MID]

Mill the top of the bolt down, so that top of the rollers protrude. Then make a plate that will fit on top of the bolt with cut outs for the rollers. Kinda like a mg42. So that when the bolt and piston slide forward the plate locks the rollers out ridged. Connect a gas piston to the plate, but make it so that after the plat strokes enough to unlock, that plate hits a step on the bolt. Forcing the bolt rearward.

That would be neat, but the problem isnt the flutes in the chamber, its brass fliping out and smacking the receiver and the bolt carrier extension on the way out.

[k98k792]

Seems like reinventing the wheel to me. :icon_neutral:

I think a port buffer would help with the cases.

[hunter_la5]

I think a port buffer would help with the cases.

nah, that's too obvioius, we need something much more ridiculously complicated then that :icon_biggrin:

[GearHD]

Thanks guys for all your input.

[robocop10mm]

Whadda ya mean you can't reload G-3 brass? I have been reloading brass fired through my 91 for 15+ years. The life expectancy is a bit shorter but they work fine. What's a little case ding between friends? I use needle nose pliers to get any badly deformed mouths close to round and size em up. I had some problems with rims getting scarred but a new extractor and spring seemed to cure that. The urban legend that you cannot reload G-3 fired brass is just that, an urban legend.

[okie shooter]

If you need that, why not get a m1a or fal, why try to reinvent the wheel on this thought, where there are solutions out there.

If reloading is the issue, get a bolt rifle, those are really easy on brass for sure, otherwise its just the cost of owning the things. Its been said for a semi auto though a 1919 is easy on brass for sure.

[jfowl31]

as said earlier... its not the flutes that "ruin" the cases. Its the mouth dings.

Its those flutes that keep you from shooting soft cased ammo though, so maybe eliminating the flutes would allow you to shoot a wider variety. But if you reload, just load em down a little bit... you can more than likely find a good combo of powder and charge that will cycle perfectly and not separate cases.