dust cover replacement issue

[SJG 253]

Can't get the dust cover on the saiga 7.62. Had no problem until now. Did not bend or change it. I sink the front end in but I can't seem to get the button to pop through the housing. Very frustrating. Any tricks or suggestions?

[Caine 147]

This may sound silly, but have you tried whacking the rear part just above the button hard with the palm of your hand? It's kind of a swift downward forward motion (if that makes sense). That used to do the trick for me when I had problems.

[DevsAdvocate 112]

Can't get the dust cover on the saiga 7.62. Had no problem until now. Did not bend or change it. I sink the front end in but I can't seem to get the button to pop through the housing. Very frustrating. Any tricks or suggestions?

 

Is this the first time you dis-assembled the rifle?

[vladtepes 1,060]

wiggle it around.. take it off and put it on again.. they are fairly snug.. but providing you did not bend it.. it will go back..

[DevsAdvocate 112]

wiggle it around.. take it off and put it on again.. they are fairly snug.. but providing you did not bend it.. it will go back..

 

A screwdriver helps... happened with my second WASR... until I got a replacement.

[david8613 69]

tip of a bullet..

[RecessedFilter 222]

Can't get the dust cover on the saiga 7.62. Had no problem until now. Did not bend or change it. I sink the front end in but I can't seem to get the button to pop through the housing. Very frustrating. Any tricks or suggestions?

 

Ah yes, this happens frequently with variants. My milled dust cover is a pain sometimes.

 

I find just wiggling it around and working it in will usually get it to pop right in, but a bullet tip or screwdriver helps.

[SJG 253]

dam frustrating. Spent 1 hour on it, and followed the suggestions, except the bullet tip trick, which I will try tonight, stay tuned

[Krdshrk 3,877]

It's Russian - there's a reason why their flag was a hammer & sickle. Push the button in with the sickle, and use the hammer to hammer the cover down

[vladtepes 1,060]

dam frustrating. Spent 1 hour on it, and followed the suggestions, except the bullet tip trick, which I will try tonight, stay tuned

if everything is the same as it was prior to you taking it apart (NOT bent) then there is no logical reason it would not go back.. not sure why you would even need tools... it really just sounds to me like it is not seated right in the front.. you just use the dust cover to push the button in.. and the button rides the inside of the cover and then pops out.. no need for tools.. in fact I am not even sure how you would use a tool to do this (my girls 5.45 is on my lap and I just did it like ten times to try to figure out where the issue is)..

 

 

* check button make sure it slides freely forward and backwards.. make sure it is not binding.. if it binds.. you will NEVER get the cover on..

(be sure button is seated correctly)

 

* seat front of dust cover in gun.. push it all the way in.. leaving the rear portion slightly elevated.. SLIGHTLY... like right over the button..

(make sure the cover is seated in the slot that is made for it.. and not just jammed against the gun..)

 

* push down.. might have to do it with some balls the first few times.. but once broken in.. should be like butter..

 

* button will pop out of hole and lock it down..

 

tools will probably bend it.. I can't imagine you needing to use a screwdriver.. or anything like that.. (on any of my AKs at least..)

[SJG 253]

Tried your suggestions. No luck. It seems to me that the last horizontal bar at the bottom of the button is not making it through the window. What is happening is that the force of the button as it travels reward, following the application of downward force on the back part of the dust cover, is causing the front of the dust cover to come out of the sink hole the front fits into. However I took the spring and button out of the gun and it does fit inside the window and protrudes out. If I still cannot get it to seat by the end of the week, is there a group member anwhere who can look at it. I live in central Jersey. I just finished a conversion on a .223 all went well except I am having a problem with the bullet guide and cannot get the mags i modified to feed correctly-a saiga mag and a surfire. I am still working on that problem, so I have two issues. I may need to take off the bullet guide and put another one on because i am concerned that I took too much material off the bullet guide feed ramp in an attempt to polish it down. However, the 6/32 allen screw head is now beat up and i may have to use a screw extractor to get it out.

[david8613 69]

why did you do this " that i took off too much material off the bullet guide feed ramp in an attempt to polish it down" in your conversion? I think your mags need to be dee eked some, I'll let the experts advise on this...

[PK90 3,570]

File the dust cover hole at the top edge

[vladtepes 1,060]

Tried your suggestions. No luck. It seems to me that the last horizontal bar at the bottom of the button is not making it through the window. What is happening is that the force of the button as it travels reward, following the application of downward force on the back part of the dust cover, is causing the front of the dust cover to come out of the sink hole the front fits into. However I took the spring and button out of the gun and it does fit inside the window and protrudes out. If I still cannot get it to seat by the end of the week, is there a group member anwhere who can look at it. I live in central Jersey. I just finished a conversion on a .223 all went well except I am having a problem with the bullet guide and cannot get the mags i modified to feed correctly-a saiga mag and a surfire. I am still working on that problem, so I have two issues. I may need to take off the bullet guide and put another one on because i am concerned that I took too much material off the bullet guide feed ramp in an attempt to polish it down. However, the 6/32 allen screw head is now beat up and i may have to use a screw extractor to get it out.

 

 

push it harder.. the push is down AND forward to keep it seated.....

 

it went on at the factory.. it will go back on now.. dont cut.. file.. or pry anything.. just remember you didnt change anything about it.. so there is NO reason it will not go in..

[vladtepes 1,060]

I am sure you get it.. but just showing what I mean.. you just use the dust cover to push in the button.. while pushing forward the dust cover to hold it in the slot.. while I was doing this it actually didn't come through at first.. but a small wiggle got it to pop through.. there is not a TON of tension on the button.. so it should really just pop through.. others stated they have seen ones that were too tight.. but my experience with Saigas has been they are all pretty simple to get on..

 

[DevsAdvocate 112]

It's funny... I remember how much grief I was given over my WASR-10s and how they are shoddily assembled due to my dust cover not fitting.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

At least you can fine tune these with nothing but a hammer and a file, unlike some other rifles I know of

[vladtepes 1,060]

It's funny... I remember how much grief I was given over my WASR-10s and how they are shoddily assembled due to my dust cover not fitting.

 

 

that's why I am confused.... if my Saiga dust cover fit any easier it would put itself on...

[SJG 253]

I will try the exact technique shown in the video tonight, it is different then the technique I employed when it went on. It looks very simple. Just to make sure the cover is ok,(it looks ok) I am going to take the cover off the new .223 I am almost done converting, (except for the bullet guide issue I removed the deformed bullet guide and a new bullet guide part is being delivered today, which I will screw in and see if i can get correct mag feed) and try it and see if it fits. Is the cover for the .223 the same as the cover for my 7.62? To the naked eye they look the same, except that the notch on the front of the .223 cover might be slightly different, maybe a tad smaller. On yours, does the back of the cover easily fit against the rear of the tang? On mine it does not seem to.

[vladtepes 1,060]

looking at rear tang there is a notch near the button that the dust cover goes into when snapped in.. keep in mind my Saiga is used and abused.. so it might be a little more loose than yours.. but the method I showed has worked on every AK I have ever handled.. never giving too much trouble.. make sure front of cover is seated.. then push it down.. button rides inside of cover till it can "pop" out of the hole.. should be pretty painless...

 

I THINK the 2 covers are the same...

 

let us know how you make out..

[vladtepes 1,060]

the trick really is to make sure you keep the front seated IN the groove while pushing down.. it has a tendency to push out.. and if it comes out of the front groove.. there is NO WAY you are going to get it to lock up right..

[PK90 3,570]

As stated above. Also, point barrel directly down and

 

[SJG 253]

First, I reexamed the interior of the cover and noticed a very slight burr on the edge of the window, that was not apparent from the outside. I used the dremmel to get rid of it. Then I tried the exact method shown on the video, and could not get it to seat, then added PK90's suggested method of force and presto, it seated. I guess my cover is just one of them that is a tight fit and not as easy as yours. If it were not for your video post and PK90's suggestion and the other comments I would never have solved this problem and really appreciate the help. The instruction manual that comes with the rifle is marginally informative, but no where does it really explain how to get the cover back on in any intelligible way. I was also able to take off the screwed up bullet guide, screw by using a blow torch to apply heat and melt the locktight, then a very small drill bit to enlarge the elongated hole on the bullet guide screw so I could use a allen wrench to extract it, then blued the trunion,and the previously tapped screw hole to prevent rust and then installed the new guide and screw and got the modified saiga mag to feed. However, it doesn't seem to like the surfire mag, I modified it, but noticed that it likes the follower better on the saiga mag, so if I can find a saiga mag follower for .223, I am going to put it in the surfire body. I need some .223 mags I can modify. Dinzig website suggests Galil mags as the easiest to modify, what do you think? I have not seen any in 15 rounds. Any suggestions where to get some AK .223 mags that are 15 and that I can modify further to work with the bullet guide?