Author Topic: Temperamental SKS  (Read 12138 times)

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Offline BadMonk

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Temperamental SKS
« on: June 19, 2018, 02:05:09 PM »
After cleaning, repairing, staining and carving out an old Norinco wood stock, I put the receiver/barrel into the stock.  Previous owner said he’d never had a problem firing the gun.

Took the gun to the range and realized the bolt had problems.  It would stick hard going rearward to load a round and didn’t always want to completely lock in the forward position.  Fixed it by loosening the amount of torque on the added rail and scope mount.

Back to the range and the bolt is working well.  However…now and then the trigger will not do what it’s supposed to do.  Sometimes I’ll pull the trigger and it releases but no bang.  Even more often, sometimes I can’t pull the trigger.  It acts as if the safety is engaged when, in fact, it’s not.

The gun has a Murray’s firing pin job on it so I don’t think the FP is a problem.  Maybe bad Wolf ammo.  Fine, I can try other ammo.

But the inability to even pull the trigger is a problem.  It will eventually go bang after I dance around by unloading rounds, engaging/disengaging the safety, releasing the magazine, reloading, playing with the safety…then bang at some point. 

Seems like the safety is on when it’s not.  Any ideas?

From what little bit of firing I was able to accomplish, I really like the gun (more than my AK actually).  So it would be great if I can sort this guy out.  Thanks in advance.

Offline Greasemonkey

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2018, 02:18:08 PM »
Sounds like the bolt is not fully closing, that could cause it not to fire.. have you cleaned everything, pulled the firing pin, checked and cleaned the chamber.  Another dumb question, is the recoil spring in right, squiggly end up in the carrier?
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Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2018, 02:48:14 PM »
Yep, the gun's been apart and thoroughly cleaned several times. Squiggly end of the spring is in the carrier.

The bolt used to have problems fully closing before loosening the scope mount.  After that, the bolt seems okay as best I can tell.  Funny thing is the trigger/safety always works as it should when dry firing.  Trigger always pulls back and releases, unless the thing is live/hot with ammo.  Then, it may or it may not work as intended.


Offline Greasemonkey

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2018, 03:27:10 PM »
It has a scope mount cover..any other modifications?  How well does it eject empties when it does fire? Does it chuck them a good distance or drop'em real close?

Going off if it's pretty much stock....If it drops the hammer fine cycling by hand, but not with live ammo, it sounds like a grungy chamber, or a build up of casing lacquer. On the SKS, if the bolt doesn't fully close and fully seat the round, the disconnector won't allow the trigger to release the hammer and the rifle to go bang, it's to prevent an out of battery discharge, it's a safety feature. The shell casing auto loading and going in the chamber is all thats changed between your two scenarios. You said it was bought used, if the previous owner used lots of nasty dirty commie lacquer coated ammo, it could have caused a build up, especially if he didn't clean it well. Casing lacquer takes more work to get out than the typical cleaning, a good stiff .410 shotgun brush and a stout cleaner maybe needed. Ask a Mosin owner about chamber lacquer build up, I've had a few suffer from it, all easily fixed with a stout chamber cleaning.

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse......

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

I said I was an addict........I didn't say I had a problem

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2018, 03:55:39 PM »
Scope mount cover and Murray’s trigger work.  That’s all the modifications.  Like you said, it’s pretty much a stock SKS. 

It does eject without major problems.  How well?  When it fires, it tosses empty cartridges about six feet…which is a bit of a guess. I was from a seated position (wood bench and table) with a concrete floor.  The empties are basically at my bench, not two or three benches away even with them rolling on concrete.

Yes, the only change in scenario that makes a difference is running it by hand vs. auto loading. 
Chamber has been brushed/cleaned like I normally do with my firearms.  But nothing like you mention to get rid of lacquer build up.  So I need to give that a whirl and see if anything changes with it.

The previous owner said he fired it once or twice to make sure it worked.  It didn’t sound to me like he spent much time doing anything with it.

What you say kind of makes sense. When I first got the rifle, the bolt really had difficulty closing.  Sometimes, I couldn’t get it closed by hand much less while autoloading.

 Well I’ve got a .410 brush.  I’m guessing something stronger than Hoppes 9?

Offline Greasemonkey

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2018, 04:23:04 PM »
Depending on which one I shoot...they sometimes average 12, 15 or more feet away when they are chucking good.

Previous owner shot it once or twice.. think1 if I had a dollar for every time a seller said that to me.. chuckles1  That opens another possibility, did he clean the grease out of the chamber before he....shot it once or twice. Storage grease can have the same effect in the chamber, especially if he gave it a quick lazy man clean, then let it sit for years afterward, that grease will slowly harden to a semi tacky mess.

Hoppes is ok... but yes, stronger, acetone works, lacquer thinner, any strong cleaning solvent. Some I have even cleaned the chamber with those green scouring pads and a good cleaner. Others have wrapped steel wool on the brush and cleaned, even tearing it completely down and cleaning with really hot soapy water and then dry with an air compressor.
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse......

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

I said I was an addict........I didn't say I had a problem

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2018, 04:51:15 PM »
Oh lord, mine don’t do 12 or 15 feet.  Not even the longest toss.  So is that more indication of lacquer buildup?

I’m just now looking down the barrel. It ‘looks’ good to my untrained eyes.  Nothing unusual.  The rifling grooves are easy to see.  The entire bore shines bright with a light on it.  I’ve seen worse and way worse. However, I’m guessing though that lacquer, even buildup, isn’t easily seen unless you know what to look for.  How do you know when it’s clean and good to go then?

Sorry for the dumb questions but thanks for all the answers that are easy to understand.

Acetone, sounds good.  Used it before to clean up cosmoline on good old rifles. I also have some Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner that’s supposed to be good with doing damage. 

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2018, 05:13:26 PM »
The barrel itself is not really the issue, some people think, yup, it's clean, based off the barrel appearance, but, it's in the depths of the chamber where you can't see good unless you have a borescope to peek in there. I usually scrub it for a few minutes, then flush it out, then repeat, and then it's fun time, take it and try it, see how it does. 

Also, you can really clean the guts of the big end of the gas tube with the .410 brush and solvent too, this is another area that could also be a contributing cause to weak ejection, I threw this out there because it's just another place to check and look, and another place thats frequently ignored. The small end, an old .22 brush works on. Old grease in it's depths can hamper or slow the gas system down.

After this, you will then know if it really has a problem, hopefully it doesn't, but, we just need to eliminate the previous user/abuser from the picture...makes troubleshooting a little easier when the rifle guts are truly clean.
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse......

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

I said I was an addict........I didn't say I had a problem

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2018, 05:26:54 PM »
Roger that, sir.  Thanks very much for the help.

It's going to take a few days until I get it accomplished.  But it's a goal (along with finishing the rebuild a '81 GS850 motor , etc.) for me.  When this thing shoots, it seems to be reasonably accurate from what little I could tell. So gotta get it done. Thanks again, I'll report back here with my results.

Offline Justin Hell

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2018, 05:43:59 PM »
Try eliminating the scope mount and go back as close as you can to original...see if it works.  Some of those receiver cover mounts will bind on the bolt carrier enough to cause grief....and even if it seems like it isn't...it might just require forcing the bolt carrier a little tad forward until you hear it click into battery.  This sounds like a very common problem... if it isn't in battery...it SHOULDN'T be able to fire... This often happens when folks ride the carrier with their hand rather than letting it slam home hard....which, can be dangerous as hell with an SKS should there be a firing pin issue....but since you have that covered.... :) 

If by manually charging it, it fires, and then won't cycle fully enough to allow the trigger to reset or bolt return to battery...there is a chance your recoil spring might not have enough oomph anymore....there also is the possibility of an issue with the gas system not popping hard enough against a perfectly good recoil spring.  Things to check there would be the op rod under the rear sight...check for any burrs that might be impeding proper function...

There also is the chance something got bent in the trigger group...sometimes you can damage the safety spring if you try to force the trigger group in with the safety off.

Your mention of having to relieve the scope mount to get it to charge seems like the most obvious place to start.... I have had to grind the hell out of some of those covers to allow the bolt carrier to move freely.

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2018, 05:56:16 PM »
Just cleaned it (normal, not the acetone treatment) and it cycled manually without a problem.  Ran it 20 times and not a problem.  Put the scope cover on ... and it feels tight.  Definitely harder to pull the bolt back and charge it.  So I loosened the mount to where it'll probably fall off when firing the gun...and it feels smooth and easy again.  There's something about that cover that's an issue for this gun, I believe.  You've done some grinding on the inside of the cover?  I think that's a remedy that I need to look at sooner than later also.

Offline Justin Hell

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2018, 06:12:58 PM »
Just cleaned it (normal, not the acetone treatment) and it cycled manually without a problem.  Ran it 20 times and not a problem.  Put the scope cover on ... and it feels tight.  Definitely harder to pull the bolt back and charge it.  So I loosened the mount to where it'll probably fall off when firing the gun...and it feels smooth and easy again.  There's something about that cover that's an issue for this gun, I believe.  You've done some grinding on the inside of the cover?  I think that's a remedy that I need to look at sooner than later also.

Yeah...I had to dremel the hell out of one type....and a little bit on another. I almost think I know which one you might have. :)

The one I had to really work on was using an Albanian carrier...which might be out of spec for an aftermarket cover.  The old Red Star mount without the see through lift gave me the most issues...it really isn't fun grinding on the inside of a curved surface.   

When you say loosen the scope mount...do you have it screwed in with a bolt instead of the original lever latch?

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2018, 06:22:57 PM »
I’ve got a UTG Pro SKS Receiver Cover Mount w/22 Slots.  Not sure if they’ll allow a link...or if I can do it.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00JR61HKA?tag=reloaderaddict-20

It’s a receiver cover and mount in one.  Locks onto the receiver with four screws.

Offline Justin Hell

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2018, 06:53:13 PM »
I wanted to try one of those...but the price kept me at bay.

I did have one cover with those side tightening bolts... that did warp the receiver enough to cause issues....I would drop those screws altogether, as they mar the receiver...and remove the takedown lever, thread the hole through the mount...that also threads into the receiver for a thread or so...it works.

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2018, 07:05:00 PM »
Yeah, I agree...expensive.  Didn't want to go the cheap route (for a change) so I bit on it.  We'll see how it works out.

Okay I'm following along through "...remove the takedown lever..." and then I get lost and can't picture it.  I believe the receiver cover mount is a problem for this gun though.

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2018, 07:20:55 PM »
Oh wait, I got it.  Yeah that's a good idea, Justin.  I'll need to give that a try and lay off possibly disfiguring the receiver with those screws. Thanks!

Offline Loose}{Cannon

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2018, 09:44:56 PM »
Hmmm......  whacky-cool aftermarket item causing the rifle to not function.   I would send it back and demand reimbursement.  Then shoot it as Siminov intended. 
      
1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms... It doesn't matter how many Lenins you get out on the street begging for them to be taken.

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #17 on: June 19, 2018, 10:31:50 PM »
Lots of information to digest and things to do.  I honestly hope it is something as easy as that.  Although iron sights and tri-focal eye glasses at 62 don't make for marksman like shooting.  geezer1

Offline Loose}{Cannon

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #18 on: June 19, 2018, 10:48:25 PM »
I think one of those holographic sights mounted at the rear sight leaf would be fun.  Likely less problematic as well.
      
1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms... It doesn't matter how many Lenins you get out on the street begging for them to be taken.

Offline BadMonk

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Re: Temperamental SKS
« Reply #19 on: June 19, 2018, 11:54:15 PM »
Funny that you mentioned that.  I was just looking through my box of stuff.  Came across a Bushnell Trophy red dot and I'm thinking about mounting that up there.  Removed the scope and mount...geez, the rifle is so much lighter in weight.  Nice...