L1A1 gas tube too long

[Artigas]

I’m unbuilding a Century L1A1 and with the gas tube support nut unscrewed all the way out of the receiver, I don’t have enough room to unscrew the gas tube all the way out of the gas block.

Before I go removing the gas block from the barrel to give myself more clearance to lift the tube out, is there some trick I’m missing here? No other FAL I’ve dealt with has presented this issue.

 

[V guy]

That is why they tell you not to forget to install the handguard ring, and gas tube nut when doing bbl installation.

Many tubes have been soldered in anyway.

Any reason why the tube needs to be removed?

 

[Artigas]

I want to use the receiver for a different build. Probably I will sell the parts as a kit.

The tube is not soldered in; with the gas tube nut screwed into the receiver, I can unscrew it almost all the way free from the gas block.

Possibly Century used an extra long gas tube from a different country?

 

[Jeff in Pa]

I'll look at my "restored" angry beaver. I know I had the same problem but it only comes out from one side.

 

[Artigas]

For reference, usually I would unscrew both nut and tube all the way and collapse them together in the direction of the arrows, then lift straight out. However, in this case there isn’t enough clearance to unscrew and lift out the tube, regardless of whether the nut is screwed in or out.

 

[Kansasbobcat]

Think I would sacrifice the gas tube before removing the gas block.

 

[TraFALgar]

Artigas,
If indeed you have an original xtra long gas tube, I would be VERY interested in buying it (assuming you don't have to destroy it to remove it! )
By xtra long, I mean like an early Type A or B gas tube (they were 266mm and 254mm, respectively)
Most of them were cut down for the very issue that you have: can't remove tube without unbreeching barrel or removing gas block.

The Model B gas tubes were used with a Model B nut which had a shorter bushing that fit over the gas tube, but still required the barrel to be unbreeched to remove.

PM me please.

 

[Jeff in Pa]

I'll look at my "restored" angry beaver. I know I had the same problem but it only comes out from one side.

I just pulled my handguards off the take a look, it's exactly as as your picture. For reference, the length of the gas fitting ( receiver side) is 1.530 ( as assembled, from washer to end )

You may have a longer gas tube.

 

[gunplumber]

yeah, please don't cut the tube. On the off chance it is an original "long" (not Israeli long) as found on EX-1, T48 etc.

 

[hkshooter]

What they said, if original long tube, very rare.

 

[Kansasbobcat]

So removing the gas block is "the school solution" to this problem. I have not encountered this before.

 

[V guy]

Yep, put the hacksaw away, and move the GB forward a bit...those GB holes are not going to move....use a brass drift.

 

[Kansasbobcat]

Ran into the long gas tube problem on a Century/Imbel. Muzzle threads removed so was going to remove barrel and thread muzzle on my old Southbend lathe. The inch lower has RA and ZA markings so I thought I would do Rhodesian camo paint. Will not sacrifice the tube as I learned from the Gunplumber post on this thread. May touch base with James as he is my go to expert.

 

[gunplumber]

Or unbreech the barrel 45 degrees Which is why they switched to the shorter tube, longer support nut. Because you had to unscrew the barrel to remove . So unmodified tubes are rare as discussed above.

.

 

[Kansasbobcat]

My Brownells barrel vice will not hold barrel with gas tube in place,I think

 

[enbloc8]

yeah, please don't cut the tube. On the off chance it is an original "long" (not Israeli long) as found on EX-1, T48 etc.

Have you ever encountered an L1A1 kit or Century build that still had the long gas tube and short nut?

Since there are examples of British wood handguards in circulation that weren't modified for the longer nut, I've wondered if any L1A1s kept their long tubes to the end of service.

 

[gunplumber]

I think I saw one, many years ago. And not knowing how rare they were, I cut it as in the diagram.

It's like Garand op rods that don't have the circular stress relief cut. They are obsolete because it was a failure point. Which makes them incredibly rare today, as the defect was "fixed" on in-service rifles.

 

[TraFALgar]

I ended up buying the "long" tube from Artigas discussed above. Unfortunately, when I got it, I found that it had been cut down from the original 254mm length to 250mm. I guess the "angry beavers" at Century cut it just in front of the short gas bushing. So it was too short to work with a Model B gas tube nut, but too long to assemble/disassemble on a long gas tube nut without unbreeching the barrel.

Kansasbobcat may find that his is cut the same.

 

[Abominog]

I ended up buying the "long" tube from Artigas discussed above. Unfortunately, when I got it, I found that it had been cut down from the original 254mm length to 250mm. I guess the "angry beavers" at Century cut it just in front of the short gas bushing. So it was too short to work with a Model B gas tube nut, but too long to assemble/disassemble on a long gas tube nut without unbreeching the barrel.

Kansasbobcat may find that his is cut the same.

Can you sacrifice a generic tube to make up the missing length?

 

[Kansasbobcat]

Maybe I will try to hold the barrel by the flats in my large bench vice using polished angles in the jaws. I really do not like to do this as I have seen mangled/damaged barrel flats.My other solution is to make some barrel blocks that will clear the gas tube. Seems like a lot of trouble to salvage an early,long gas tube.

 

[Kansasbobcat]

what are these tubes actually worth?

 

[Flypaper]

I have made about a half a dozen of them over the years. I also made the 2pc. nut

 

[Kansasbobcat]

Looks like the Dremel cutoff will solve my problem. Thanks,everyone

 

[def90]

Maybe I will try to hold the barrel by the flats in my large bench vice using polished angles in the jaws. I really do not like to do this as I have seen mangled/damaged barrel flats.My other solution is to make some barrel blocks that will clear the gas tube. Seems like a lot of trouble to salvage an early,long gas tube.

Century mangled barrel flats because they are Century. I've done several barrels using the flats without issue. Pretty sure that's how they did it at the factory.