Had it for a couple years now, shot it about once every 3 months. Today while cleaning it I decided to take off the gas tube and the lower forearm for good measure. The gas tube was virtually stuck and almost impossible to get off.

It seems like the trunion was about 1/2 mm too far forward, the gas tube didn't want to clear the trunion to be lifted out.
I finally forced it off by using a table knife in the gap between the barrel and the gas tube and using it as leverage to pry it off.

Then I want to take off the lower forearm, I flipped the little lever, slid the front retainer thingy forward as far as it would go, and slid the forearm forward but the tab on the back of the lower forearm wouldn't clear the trunion.

I was able to pound the gas tube back into place, almost, with a plastic hammer, it cleared the top part of the trunion but the recess lug doesn't fit in the lower trunion and now it won't seat all the way.

Looks like I'll be sending it back to CAI. Has anyone sent a rifle back to them before? How's their customer service?

Thanks, I'll call them Monday and see what's up. Thinking plan B would be to have a local gun smith shorten the gas tube by 1mm or so on the front end and that'll solve the gas tube problem, the handguard would be a permanent fixture I guess

Had you not taken at least the gas tube off when you first got it/ My WASR had quite a bit of cosmo or something in there. I would feel really odd firing any gun before giving it a basic field strip and cleaning, especially something built by CAI....

Anyway, yeah, you might see if it is something you can straighten out yourself before messing with the hassle of shipping it back to CAI.

I've done all that except for removing the tube part, I just ran a cleaning rod up it and cleaned it that way without removing it.
Rifle shoots great though, trunion is a smidgeon too far forward.

Thanks for the support.

I decided that since it's out of warranty CAI would probably charge me for labor and parts, and for sure shipping both ways, and the hassle that comes with it.

I looked all around for my bastard cut file but couldn't find it. Instead I my double sided whetstone block and used the coarser side to remove some of the metal on both ends, then the smoother side to polish them up.

Ran a patch with WD-40 up the tube to clean out all the filings, then test fitted it, still didn't fit, so I ground a bit more off the front end, ran another patch and it fit!

The whetstone turned out to be the perfect tool for removing metal on the gas tube. It doesn't remove metal as agressively as a file would and I didn't need to mount the tube in a vice or anything, I just rubbed both ends of the tube on it like it was an eraser, making sure it was flat to the surface.

Now the gas tube fits like a glove. In the morning, I'll touch up the bare edges with a Birchwood Casey Presto touch up pen.

The lower forearm is still an issue, but there's no imperative to remove it right now, unless the plastic piece of it breaks

Have a Merry Christmas!

I like your fix OP. Have you test fired to ensure function?

Sometimes, a little home gunsmithing to get the weapon just right is a good solution to shipping it somewhere, or paying a specialist to fix it up.

Just don't go fluting your barrel with a dremel and we're good to go.