Author Topic: 50 / free floating firing pin  (Read 4499 times)

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Offline jstin2

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50 / free floating firing pin
« on: May 10, 2018, 03:27:02 PM »
I saw this at a local store on consignment. I know it is a late 50 due to the stamped date and star. I noticed later that it did not have a spring loaded firing pin, bolt and carrier. I had read somewhere that some early 51s had a spring f/p. Did they actually change in late 50 or what I read was wrong?

https://ibb.co/album/d2yxQa

Offline jstin2

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2018, 04:17:32 PM »
I just noticed that the firing pin retainer is not a early style or was this part of the change from spring to free floating?

Offline carls sks

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2018, 06:44:18 PM »
 own a ghost and sino-soviet, both have free floating firing pins.  :o
« Last Edit: June 07, 2018, 07:03:51 PM by carls sks »
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Offline jstin2

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2018, 07:03:16 PM »
49 and 50 SKS have spring firing pins, later they went to free floating and stayed with it. And the question is when they actually switched over? I own 3 -50s with spring firing pins, this is the first that is free floating.


50 with a spring firing pin
https://ibb.co/album/eNy0BF
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 02:07:25 PM by jstin2 »

Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2018, 11:07:16 PM »
I've never seen a '51 with an early style FP & bolt.  I always assumed the changeover happened sometime in mid '50 just like the transition of gas blocks, hand stamped vs roll stamped receiver covers, takedown latch configuration etc.   dntknw1
      

Offline jstin2

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2018, 11:57:00 PM »
 I guess that this then is another transition of the 50 SKS. I now only need a 50 with a 90 degree gas block with blade bayonet to complete collection. I would also like to say that only with pictures is to validate your information. I also would like to thank the experts on their knowledge in helping me know more about the Russian SKS. I do have a 50 with a 45 degree gas block, stamped date and tula star with a spring firing pin so this would indicate that free floating firing pin came later.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 05:52:18 AM by jstin2 »

Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2018, 10:48:02 AM »
Here's the closest thing I have to an as-issued '50 in the configuration you have, except with a FF firing pin:


      

Offline jstin2

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2018, 02:11:15 PM »
Added pictures of my 50 with spring firing pin on reply #3.

Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2018, 02:29:35 PM »
I have photos of other У prefix refurbed '50s that have various firing pins.  УH & УK are free floating.  УГ is spring loaded.  Another prefix with free floating pins is KB, but all the other '50s I can see the bolts on are all spring loaded.  Unfortunately bolts are often not disassembled by sellers in auctions to the pool of data is not as large as we would hope. 

Still, it's interesting to see the progression.  One of these days I'll drill down into the data and find the transition point for each of the transitional features.  Should allow us to figure out which features progressed first and then to roughly chronologically order groups of prefixes from first to last.  thumb1

Edit: Duh, just realized I have a '50 УP prefix and I'm 99% sure it has a FF firing pin.  I'll pull it from the safe and check.

« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 06:05:36 PM by running-man »
      

Offline carls sks

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2018, 06:50:49 PM »
didn't know about the spring loaded firing pin in the 50's. wonder why they stopped doing that?
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Offline Loose}{Cannon

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2018, 07:29:20 PM »
From what I recall, the spring loaded FP configuration went into 1951.  I see remnants of black paint on your magazine which tells me all bets are off. 

Does it have a friction safety lever?   What's the mag release lever look like on the top side... block shaped?
« Last Edit: May 15, 2018, 07:33:57 PM by Loose}{Cannon »
      
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Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2018, 11:04:47 AM »
Anyone have an example of a '51 with a spring load firing pin?  I've never seen one...
      

Offline Loose}{Cannon

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2018, 03:03:06 PM »
Anyone have an example of a '51 with a spring load firing pin?  I've never seen one...

I have the Sneak with a 53 cover with all early features you identified as most likely an early 51 that has original spring loaded bolt/carrier assembly that appears original to the gun.  If this is not an early 51 feature as well, I'm confused as to why 51 was even considered. 
      
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Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2018, 03:35:42 PM »
Yeah, that was back in Dec, 2014, long before I could build up the database....had to rely on other sites and other people's research and take their word at face value that spring loaded pins went into '51.  (We all know how that sometimes turns out.) 

Fast forward to now and the data says '50 is the likely transition date.  Now the data may be incomplete and '51 may be the true transition timeframe.  If could be that the transition may have begun in '50 and continued into '51 with both styles used concurrently as stocks of firing pins, bolts, retaining pins, extractors, and bolt carriers were used up.  I'd expect to see some as-issued '51s with spring loaded FPs though.  To date I can't find a single one.  dntknw1 think1

Post up a pic of that sneak again.  Let's take another look at it maybe there's something we didn't notice back then that might shed some light into it now...

Edit:  Found it: http://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=632.0

ЗЮ prefix.  I don't have any others in the database.  I do have one yet to be entered and this is the GB listing.  While the receiver cover isn't shown, the seller ID's it as a '50 (presumably off the receiver cover):





I think '50 is much more likely than '51 LC.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2018, 03:52:14 PM by running-man »
      

Offline Loose}{Cannon

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2018, 03:52:13 PM »
Ah, gotcha.     I try not to melt my brain over the russian conundrum.    :))

Ill see if i can conjure up the old pics or take new.

Edit

I see you found the gun, but you want any other shots?
      
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Offline running-man

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2018, 03:54:24 PM »
Yeah, Russians make my head hurt.  I found your old post from Dec, 2014.  Edited my post above to show the link and also show a gun with the same prefix that seems to have a '50 cover.
      

Offline Justin Hell

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2018, 11:30:43 PM »
I could spend years collecting all the variations we see of 49-51 Russians.  I have very little interest in others at this juncture, and the nice thing is...it isn't likely you will find one that hasn't been refurbished in one way or another. Something in a 45 degree block with either pin/bolt style would probably suit me though.

I too see the amount of changes and parts to be used up in various amounts causing a lot of variation in these years. A lot more than various weird parts getting replaced at refurbishment, that normally wouldn't be.  These variations might be the key to figuring out the serial system (if there was a consistent one). Considering receiver covers even in these years cannot be relied upon...we might have to take the 'norm' for serial ranges and component variations as the path towards making some sense of it.

Offline jstin2

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Re: 50 / free floating firing pin
« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2018, 09:29:55 AM »
Loose-Cannon, I added pictures of trigger safety and mag release lever to site. Also from what I have seen any magazines that have a welded pin (5 round restrictor) added have been painted to prevent rusting. This paint can be easily removes with steel wool, I have actually scraped some off with fingernail.