Transitional 1950 Tula for $150

[theSKSguy45]

Picked this up today, it's a 1950 in rough shape. The gas piston is seized pretty good, the firing pin is broken (also interestingly a Murray's replacement pin so it's a recurring issue), the stock is really worn, and interestingly it's been counter bored which I've never seen on an sks before. Mostly here to admittedly show off but also to ask about theory's for the firing pin. Any ideas why it keeps breaking? obviously the previous owner was hard on it but if it's something I need to remedy I'd like to know before I sink money into it.


















And some pics of the bolt and firing pin (what's left of it)

[echo1]

No clue on the FP but at least it was cheap. PAX

[Greatguns]

Looks like the only really bad part of the whole thing is the fact that a 1950 barrel would not be chrome lined and so explains the condition of it. Everything else is just pieces parts. Still, a nice wall hanger if nothing else for that price.

[Greatguns]

No clue on the FP but at least it was cheap. PAX

IIRC, some of the early Murray's pins were a tad bit weak thus breaking, like the one our OP has. Or at least he had one batch that had that issue, something like that.

[Boris Badinov]

The bolt looks pretty beat up-- could be a result of corrosive primer salts from popped primers. Which could also explain the seized main piston and the broken firing pin.

Popped primers are a known occurrence with modern, commercial, steel cased 7.62x39 ammo from former com-bloc countries-- especially Russia and Ukraine.

[jstin2]

Take a picture of the entire base of the trigger. From what I could see from your picture, I would say that the trigger is a replacement. 49-52 trigger bases were flat and not raised. Unsure if this would cause the firing pin failure.

[theSKSguy45]

Good eyes it's been scrubbed

[theSKSguy45]

With the barrel in which poor shape would a barrel swap be feasible? I'm willing to invest in the tooling I just need to know where to start. I already have a donor barrel I could use.

[echo1]

With the barrel in which poor shape would a barrel swap be feasible? I'm willing to invest in the tooling I just need to know where to start. I already have a donor barrel I could use.

The barrels are clocked to the receiver, 1 - 36 (?). The numbers have to match. PAX

https://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=3767.0

[Greatguns]

They don't necessarily HAVE to match, but there will be machining involved if they don't. So, it is easier and more feasible if they do match.

[Boris Badinov]

Are barrel blanks pre-threaded?

[running-man]

Sad to see a gun abused so.  Nice save though!

I remember when the Yugo barrels in the white were being sold by SOG back in 2014, they were undrilled for the gas port.  Theoretically, if you could get the flats horizontal by shimming and/or extreme torque, and if you managed to hit that sweet spot with headspace, you could put any new barrel on most any old receiver and get it to work reasonably well.  You could then drill the gas port, install the block and boom, you were in business.

Echo1 is correct though, you will want to find a barrel marked reasonably close to the number on the receiver.  If the receiver is a 5, then a 4 or a 3 could be made to work relatively easily as they are only 10° off.  A 10 on the other hand would be 50° off and fairly difficult to clock correctly.  A 23 would be exactly 180° off and the flats would be horizontal like you want, but the gas port would be on the bottom of the barrel instead of the top.  I've heard of guys plugging and re-drilling them though. 

[theSKSguy45]

The only issue there is in having trouble finding an indexing mark. The barrel lug seems to have been pretty mush made bare by the refurb.

[Boris Badinov]

The only issue there is in having trouble finding an indexing mark. The barrel lug seems to have been pretty mush made bare by the refurb.

Are either of the indexing numbers (0 to 35) still visible?

[theSKSguy45]

Maybe zero? If so that would be perfect as the Chinese rifle I have is a zero too. Idk what do you all think?

[echo1]

Looks like a zero so you lucked out!!! PAX

[theSKSguy45]

Too bad it's not a long lug barrel. At least it's chrome lol

[Greatguns]

IMHO, I would break everything down and clean it up. Bore Brite the barrel and make sure the crown is good to go so as to get the rifle in shooting condition. Take it out to the range to see how it does. Then clean it again and see how it looks. If the barrel is toast, it may be more feasible to populate the other barreled receiver and just make a shooter than to do all the work to put the Chinese barrel on the Tula.
If you are bound and determined to swap the barrel out there are NOS Yugo barrels that would be a better match as they are long lug and non-chrome lined which would make them more of a correct 'replacement'.

[theSKSguy45]

I'm Canadian and getting barrels from the states is cost prohibitive. We don't have access to yugo surplus in the same quantity up here

[Boris Badinov]

Maybe zero? If so that would be perfect as the Chinese rifle I have is a zero too. Idk what do you all think?

I don't think that is the timing number. The receiver timing numbers are stamped on the bottom corner of the receiver flat (by the middle of your pinkie in the photo)

Here's another 1950 example (from jstin2) with the receiver timing number (29) in the standard location: https://ibb.co/w0SQrF3