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Rewiring the M60 barrel gas system


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Hi all,

 

One of the downfalls depending on the way one looks at it is the wiring required when the gas assembly is taken down and cleaned on the standard M60. I would be interested with other owner's outlook on keeping the bolts on the barrel " without " the constant rewiring?

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Don't do it.

I used to not re-wire mine. Then the gas plug fell out the bottom. That allowed just enough gas pressure to cycle the bolt through the fire and eject sequence but not enough to drive it back to where it would sear up. The result was a runaway. everything went downrange and into the backstop but just the same NFG.

 

BTW if you're interested my M60 links for sale are posted on the ammo board at Sturmgewehr.com

Edited by StrangeRanger
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If you get the wire tie tool it's a breeze, and then you can use it on M37's and M2HB's to tie them off as well. I think I paid $35? Aside from practicality, I do like the look when it's done. Course I like German guns better that avoid such nonsense altogether. I have shot without in the past, but based on Strangeranger's experience I don't think I will do that again. Most of the time I have an E3 barrel on it and now I know why.

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In my experience, the rear nut, that the operating rod passes through, needs to be wired as well. After a lot of firing one day, the gas piston had beat on it, and had unscrewed it enough that it had tightened to the tube the op rod rides in. That froze the barrel release lever, so that we had to beat on it to release the barrel. The gun suffered no damage, and was not fired again without all safety wires in place. I still have my wire twister pliers.

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Front, rear AND bottom.

The way you remove Loctited parts is to heat them which de-activates the Loctite. The gas system gets hot, very hot. I would not recommend it as an alternative to safety wire. Seriously, just buy a pair of safety wire pliers and learn to use them.

 

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=25033

 

This is the pair I have, you can spend a lot more for the professional grade units from Milbar but you're not servicing 737s 8/5/52

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It's really quite simple:

Feed the wire through the retaining hole in the plug/collar you want to secure and clamp the free ends a few inches away from the plug/collar in the pliers

Pull the knob at the rear end of the pliers, this will cause them to spin and twist the wire, only twist a short portion

Unclamp the wires and feed the free ends around the lug on the barrel shown in Fig. 2-7

Reclamp the free ends and pull on the knob again till the twisted portion of the wire is very nearly tight around the barrel lug

Use the side cutters on the pliers to trim the free ends

Bend the twisted end out of the way

Repeat on the other two plugs/collars

 

You WILL screw it up the first couple of times you try but safety wire is cheap

Edited by StrangeRanger
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Yes- I went through this fairly recently with M60 barrels and was worried about the whole safety wire thing, but as you discovered, there are dozens of pliers and kits including rolls of wire available for not much money and they are really easy to use. By the time I was done with the third barrel I was producing very professional-looking safety wires.

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I ran into the same thing (on Amazon) and ended up with 2 choices of pliers that i bought and at least 3 guages of wire spools. I'm ready for the zombies.

Eric

Edited by Normal1959
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