M78 7.62x39 parts?....so it's 308 parts I need/ pics added

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:22 am

Hey all. I'm new to the forum. I just picked up a M78 NFA gun that was converted from 308 to 7.62x39 by Hard Times Armory. I'm looking to pick up some spare parts for it. Does anyone know if M76 762x39 parts will work? Particularly the bolt and firing pins?

gray · Post by **gray** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:42 pm

Can you please post up some high res close up photos of the mag well, inside the receiver, rivets, etc to show the quality of the work?

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:14 pm

I can. I don't actually have the gun yet, my transfer isn't complete and won't be until around October or November but I plan to go the the shop this week. I'll take some detailed photos of the inside and out.

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:02 pm

Got some new info about the gun from the gunsmith that works at the shop. The only thing that isn't still 308 parts is the barrel. The bolt and carrier are 308. So now I'm looking for 308 parts. Glad I figured that out before buying anything.
So I brought in a couple bolts I had in other guns to compare. The bolt in the Valmet is almost identical to the Yugo PAP M92 bolt. The gunsmith after looking at the two next to each other said he thinks it could work but might need some tweaking for proper head spacing. Of course I haven't found any spare Yugo bolts any place either. I read that the bolt in the new M92 pistols is different from the actually M92 bolt because this was made for a single stack mag gun then changed by CIA.

Post by **Tom Doniphon** » Fri Aug 23, 2013 11:20 pm

Just to give you a bit of history on the 308 guns. The 308 RPK is an outstanding full auto! It cycles very slowly and is really controllable. I would think this gun was converted to use cheaper ammo.

Can you post some pictures of the barrel maybe under the handguards as well. I think we should try to determine if that is a Valmet barrel.

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:09 pm

I can but it'll be a while. I don't plan to be back by the shop for some time. The did say the barrel was replaced to chamber the other bullet so I would guess it's not a Valmet barrel.

Post by **Tom Doniphon** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:50 am

I would ask if they still have the original barrel.

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:07 pm

They don't. This conversion was done pre-86. The guy told me it was the original bolt. Today I took some measurements and looked at the pictures of the bolt. The bolt is almost identical to the one in my Romanian AES-10 RPK, also similar the the Yugo bolt but much closer to the Romy. I'm ok with that because that means I can easily get replacement parts. You asking about the barrel got me wondering if it's a Romy barrel.

Green57 · Post by **Green57** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:16 am

That is not the original .308 bolt. The originals were of a much heavier construction and were left in the white .

As soon as I complete the import of my m-76 I will post a few pictures of the bolt and carrier, if someone doesn't beat me to it.

G57

KotKotofeich · Post by **KotKotofeich** » Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:09 pm

If anyone is interested, I can make the same pictures of an unaltered M-78 in .308 (stamped receiver though) so that things can be compared side by side (more or less)

bruh44 · Post by **bruh44** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:24 pm

I would like to see those pictures.

KotKotofeich · Post by **KotKotofeich** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:37 pm

the hammers look quite different, unsurprisingly

note the barrel headspacing

original larger magwell

piston - looks like the same 308 piston was kept

two bolt carrier assemblies - 223 below for comparison. Bolt carriers are the same, piston length is the same (the picture is misleading because of foreshortening)...

but the 223 piston diameter is larger.

chromed original valmet bolts. 223 bolt on the left

and below

Enjoy