If it's the latch end that's loose, I read a suggestion somewhere for fixing this one:
A couple quick touches with the welder would add a little material to the angled surface that engages the gas tube latch. Then a little fitting work with a file, or better yet a belt sander, would make a nice tight fit.
Since this isn't a structural repair and is basically just to take up some slack, you could solder a piece of brass shim stock to the angled surface. You wouldn't even have to use silver solder for this fix. Plumbers solder would work or you could even use rosin core solder. The thing that matters most is that both surfaces are perfectly clean. A quick pass with the sandblaster would remove any finish and would rough the surface up nicely. Use a decent flux to get the solder to bond and it should hold up just fine.
You could always try one of the tension spring shims that are on some gas tubes. I have these on a couple of my kits, but I really can't tell a difference with them on or off.
If the tube engages the latch fine but is loose on the gas block, you could always solder a piece of shim stock on the inside edge of the gas tube. You might also get away with heating the very end of the gas tube with a torch and then quench it in ice water. You should be able to get it to shrink a little without deforming it.
If the tube engages the latch fine but is a little too short, I would replace the tube.
Gas tubes are cheap. So if you don't feel like messing with it, just buy a new one.
A couple quick touches with the welder would add a little material to the angled surface that engages the gas tube latch. Then a little fitting work with a file, or better yet a belt sander, would make a nice tight fit.
Since this isn't a structural repair and is basically just to take up some slack, you could solder a piece of brass shim stock to the angled surface. You wouldn't even have to use silver solder for this fix. Plumbers solder would work or you could even use rosin core solder. The thing that matters most is that both surfaces are perfectly clean. A quick pass with the sandblaster would remove any finish and would rough the surface up nicely. Use a decent flux to get the solder to bond and it should hold up just fine.
You could always try one of the tension spring shims that are on some gas tubes. I have these on a couple of my kits, but I really can't tell a difference with them on or off.
If the tube engages the latch fine but is loose on the gas block, you could always solder a piece of shim stock on the inside edge of the gas tube. You might also get away with heating the very end of the gas tube with a torch and then quench it in ice water. You should be able to get it to shrink a little without deforming it.
If the tube engages the latch fine but is a little too short, I would replace the tube.
Gas tubes are cheap. So if you don't feel like messing with it, just buy a new one.
