Double feeds and stove piping a live round

[Weldrdave]

I need help, "if you all don't mind" for a friend who is not a member here, I told him I would ask and see what all of you say.   
After shooting my new Yugo, my friend asked me if I would look at his old SKS he has, He hasn't shot it in years and I'll explain why.   

He brought it to the gun club this morning and it's a Chinese /816\ and the bolt, reciever, cover and trigger assembly are all the same, but the rest is a Heinz 57 mismatched including the magazine.  It's not pretty and very low serial number 1,508,304 but his dilemma is;   It'll chamber and fire the first round, "sometimes the second" but then it's trying to toss out a live round and chamber a lower round. you cannot shoot more than 3 rounds before it try's to toss out a live round and the round is getting stove piped caught between the bolt and the barrel.   I'm sure you all know what I'm trying to say and I thought about a camera "after the fact".   Basically it will not cycle.  I took it apart, we cleaned the gas tubes, Blew everything out with air, made sure everything fit together correctly, very lightly oiled the bolt tracks, and it still isn't working correctly.  "I" couldn't find anything obvious but I'm not a gun smith either.    My guess here is, would the magazine be bad?  Weak spring or the fingers that hold the rounds in?  I'm scratching my head here, any help would be greatly appreciated!!! 
Thanks all, Dave.

[Greatguns]

First thing I would do is check to see if the recoil spring is in backwards. After clearing the chamber/magazine, remove the receiver cover. The spring assembly should be sguiggly end into the bolt carrier and straight end exposed out the back. After that and checking for cleanness, check the mag. I sit factory fixed ten round or after market detachable? Especially if detachable, check the feed lips for proper fit and alignment to the bolt/chamber/feed ramp. Make sure the bolt is fully going into battery. A lot of times when you get a stovepipe the bolt isn't seating properly and is set back 1/16" or so.

[Weldrdave]

First thing I would do is check to see if the recoil spring is in backwards. After clearing the chamber/magazine, remove the receiver cover. The spring assembly should be sguiggly end into the bolt carrier and straight end exposed out the back. After that and checking for cleanness, check the mag. I sit factory fixed ten round or after market detachable? Especially if detachable, check the feed lips for proper fit and alignment to the bolt/chamber/feed ramp. Make sure the bolt is fully going into battery. A lot of times when you get a stovepipe the bolt isn't seating properly and is set back 1/16" or so.

The spring "Is" in correct, First thing we checked. It is a factory SKS 10 round mag.  "numbered differently" from the receiver.  The bolt "is" going into full battery. 

[Greatguns]

Next would be to check your gas extension rod spring to see if it is broken or collapsed. If that is good then check your tolerance between your gas piston and the gas tube. There should only be .002-.003" difference. An easy check, if you don't have a dial caliper is to remove the piston and put the head in backwards. Then wobble the stem back and forth to see how much play is on it. If too much blow by then you may simply not be getting the bolt pushed back far enough.

[Weldrdave]

Next would be to check your gas extension rod spring to see if it is broken or collapsed. If that is good then check your tolerance between your gas piston and the gas tube. There should only be .002-.003" difference. An easy check, if you don't have a dial caliper is to remove the piston and put the head in backwards. Then wobble the stem back and forth to see how much play is on it. If too much blow by then you may simply not be getting the bolt pushed back far enough.

I did check the gas extension spring, it's fine and inside is clean.  I will try the piston play tomorrow, we didn't do that "but" things looked ok from what we saw.   I will say that when it does eject a "spent" round, it really throws it! 

[Greatguns]

My next thought would be to check if there was one of those recoil buffers behind the recoil spring. Those have been known to cause issues. Might check the gas port as well, if you haven't already done so.

Just realized, I may have misread your OP. You said stove pipe a live round I was thinking a spent round. My bad.....

Anyway, If it is allowing the next round to come too far up and is releasing the round after that, then it could be your feed lips are too far open or someone may have replaced the mag spring and it has too much tension.

[Larry D.]

Do you guys have access to another factory mag you can try?

I usually try to eliminate mag issues first. I have a Star Super B that was giving me fits until I traced it to a bad mag that "looked" great.

[Weldrdave]

Do you guys have access to another factory mag you can try?

I usually try to eliminate mag issues first. I have a Star Super B that was giving me fits until I traced it to a bad mag that "looked" great.

That was my first inclination actually,  Were gonna hunt one down.   

[Justin Hell]

Do you guys have access to another factory mag you can try?

I usually try to eliminate mag issues first. I have a Star Super B that was giving me fits until I traced it to a bad mag that "looked" great.

That was my first inclination actually,  Were gonna hunt one down.   

Rather than buying another one, you could just substitute one of yours to test function....and also do a side by side comparison to check for bent feed lips. The distant ejections and the lessening of the amount of rounds in the magazine causing the stovepipe sounds like bent feed lips...or perhaps a very strong follower spring. 

[Larry D.]

Rather than buying another one, you could just substitute one of yours to test function....and also do a side by side comparison to check for bent feed lips. The distant ejections and the lessening of the amount of rounds in the magazine causing the stovepipe sounds like bent feed lips...or perhaps a very strong follower spring.

Justin - the swap out was the same thing I was thinking. No need to start buying until you have a solid starting point.

Hadn't thought about the spring.
If somebody replaced the original with something from the hardware store, that could be a problem.
We did a lot of stuff with springs at the shop I worked at. One thing I can guarantee is that just because it "looks" like a direct replacement, that literally means nothing in real world application.

[running-man]

Justin’s advice is certainly very good and where I would start. 9/10 it’s in the mag, likely fed lips.  Gas system probably next, and finally, I’d look at the bolt/extractor.

One other really easy thing to check is to chuck a 12 ga bore brush in a cordless drill, dip in your favorite solvent, and clean out the breech/chamber *really* well. With today’s lacquer coated cases, that is surprisingly effective in helping more easily extract old cases that can mess with timing.

[Justin Hell]

The follower itself might be the issue as well, if the free floating portion doing the work is stuck in place or bent...I imagine the rounds could get pushed askew given enough room...if it wasn't moving freely, as the magazine empties, it wouldn't follow the angle of the rounds as they deplete.

It might duplicate itself on the fifth round after removing the live stovepipe, while the fourth might be OK...due to the stagger stacking in the box. Probably not a good idea to test it that way though.

By the same token, it could be one feed lip outta whack, and the stagger stacking would get grumpy with one side of the stack.

Another thing to try is start off by only loading three rounds, if that passes, increase by one round per load until the trouble starts?

[Weldrdave]

Thank you for all the GREAT suggestion's!  I pulled one of my Russians out and compared them side by side, the Chinese one "looks" a little worn and not so much bent to conformity.  I thing I'm gonna try a little bend down slightly and see if that works. I will go throught the cleaning process again.  Beings I'm by far an expert on these guns, things "side by side" look real, real close! We'll keep trying.  Again, Thank you all very much!!! 

[Bubbazinetti]

I would look closely at the magazine follower,that it freely pivots and is not bent or distorted in any way as compared to a known good sks magazine,and that the feed lips are straight and even as viewed from the top and rear.

[Weldrdave]

I need to say a "BIG THANK YOU" from my friend Ray and I!  To all who helped us with suggestions,  It's fixed and I'll go into details.   This morning My buddy and I hopped in the car and went on a scavenger hunt to a few gun shops in the 100 mile area.  We called a mom and pop store about 45 minutes away and the nice fella said, Yeah I think I have a couple "aftermarket ones" floating around here so up we went.  We took the old mag with us, and the fella took one look at it and said, (throw it in the trash).   .  He happened to have a real nice metal aftermarket one that was really well built.  It didn't have a name on it but was well constructed.  He said how's $25.00?  He said it'll go in like a AK magazine now that your old magazine is out, put the trigger assembly back in.   Sold and away we went. Got back here after lunch, tried the fit and it was beautiful!!!  Went down the range and it shot like a Dream!  Ray was so excited, he hadn't shot that thing since the late 90's after it was acting up.  To make sure, we threw 60 rounds through it and "Not" 1 hiccup or glitch, Nothing!!!
So, Again Thank you from a couple of SKS kinda newbies.  He only has this 1 SKS, and he's had it for years! Maybe I can either convert him to get some more or "con" his out of him...  .  It really shot well.  One for the books, a junk magazine.

[Greatguns]

You didn't throw out the old mag did you? I can fix it. Any box mag is fixable, LOL

Glad you got it worked out. And again, sorry for the misdirect, but at least after I realized my error, it got figured out. Don't know how I missed it, you had "live round" right in the title. LOL

[Weldrdave]

You didn't throw out the old mag did you? I can fix it. Any box mag is fixable, LOL

Glad you got it worked out. And again, sorry for the misdirect, but at least after I realized my error, it got figured out. Don't know how I missed it, you had "live round" right in the title. LOL

No, he still has it.  he isn't gonna throw it away but it doesn't match anything on the gun as it is.  This magazine is kinda boxy squarish but fits really well.  It's just a shooter for him.  He'll mostlikely toss it in a drawer and forget about it.  He's tickled, he wants to go shoot again on Sunday. 

[Larry D.]

They're kinda fun to shoot when they work, aren't they?

[Weldrdave]

They're kinda fun to shoot when they work, aren't they?

Yes!  I have a few of them and I've never had any issues with mine.  Nothing like his gun... That's what sparked his interest of getting it working correctly again.
It was one of those things that his SKS just sat in his gun cabinet and he just didn't want to be bothered.  He told me he paid $99.00 for it.   .  I guess thats why it wasn't a great loss if it didn't work.  I did see the little spirit in him perk up when it shot and cycled correct.  Were gonna shoot again Sunday.   

[Larry D.]

Heck yeah, Dave!

I'm sure we are all happy for him.