Gas Cylinder Question

[Bhamm]

Tim,

I am interested in changing the gas cylinder on my mag fed Mini-G to the drop down gas cylinder. I successfully converted a standard Mini recently. My questions are:

Can you straighten my existing Mini-G op rod?

And,

If I used the currently available BM59 gas cylinder from Standard Parts, can you make it serviceable by plugging the unneeded gas ports?

Thanks,

BHamm

[Shug]

You don't need to straighten an existing Mini-G oprod. I bought one of the Standard Parts BM59 repro oprods that I cut short and silver brazed one of their replacement oprod tips onto. I plan on selling the original Mini-G oprod as-is to fund part of the new oprod cost. Further bending/straightening an oprod risks weakening it unless you have the ability to properly anneal it afterwards. And that assumes you can get the bend geometry right using improvised tools (unless Tim does it for you, then it will be done right).

As for the holes in the gas cylinder, you can tap the holes and insert short allen screws. If you want the belt and suspenders approach, silver braze the allen screws in place.

[timshufflin]

On the oprod, shugs approach is better as far as getting a straight oprod. The bottom line is I take them in and convert another one and can replace yours. There's still a cost but at least you don't have to lose yours as scrap, it has a core value.

On the gas cylinder holes. The approach shug has I'm sure would work. I go for something more like the M14. I machine a pin that enters the port and then that pin has a gas hole in it and another pin captures the pin at the end.

[Bhamm]

Shug, thanks for your reply; I like your approach. If I went that way I would have 2 extra (V1) op rods, and I would look to sell them since they no longer will be of use to me.

Thanks Tim, the wheels are still turning on this project.

Bhamm

[koreanwargrandson]

Can an Italian spindle valve have the large nut and indirect sight base removed to slim it up? How much does it add to the cost of the build to either have a new valve made up or an Italian altered?

[Eli]

When I had a BM62, I was looking in to pressing a plug crossways through the hole, then drilling the gas port through it. That stupid spindle is the most breakage-prone part on a BM59, years of hanging around various machinegun boards and I've only seen 1 broken heel (on a select-fire) but several complaints about broken spindle screws. There was a guy selling NOS surplus ones for cheap at one time, no idea if he's still selling them or not.

Eli

[timshufflin]

Can an Italian spindle valve have the large nut and indirect sight base removed to slim it up? How much does it add to the cost of the build to either have a new valve made up or an Italian altered?

I don't know, never done it. People who have me plug these holes do it because they can't get a spindle valve. I add $50 to make the pin that goes in the valve hole, to put a capture pin on the other side, and to have the gas port in the pin.