Commercial ammo in SKS: Slamfire?

ckc123

ckc123

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I just picked up one of the SKS's at Cabela's opening in Barrie, and a case of surplus ammo..

I'm trying to find out how worried I should be about using commercial ammo in it, and slam fires with the softer primers.. (As a back up bush gun for deer..)

I've removed the bolt, and done a FULL cleaning (Sonic cleaned, and removed all traces of cosomoline.)

should I be worried? should I stick to a certain brand of commercial ammo which has harder primers?
 
but wouldn't a cleaner pin be more of an issue with softer primers?

I'm not talking about the pin sticking out due to fouling, but more like the inertia of the bolt closing causing the free floating pin to hit the primer when the bolt closes.
 
If the bolt rattles its good to go. Have fun. Myself and friends have been shooting SKS since the eighties, but have yet to ever experience a slam fire or know anyone who has.
 
ckc123 said:
but wouldn't a cleaner pin be more of an issue with softer primers?

I'm not talking about the pin sticking out due to fouling, but more like the inertia of the bolt closing causing the free floating pin to hit the primer when the bolt closes.
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That won't be an issue. If the firing pin channel is clean (you said you did a full cleaning, did you disassemble the bolt) you won't have issues with slamfires.

If you're still worried about it, there is a company out there that makes spring-loaded SKS firing pins (Williams, I believe). For the record, I've owned 3 SKS' and never had a slamfire when using commerical ammo.
 
Commercial ammo in any firearm with a free floating firing pin can have a slam fire. Military ammo uses harder primers so slamfires don't (or aren't as likely to) happen.

Federal ammo, which includes American Eagle, uses the softest primers. Best to test the firearm with one round of commercial ammo to see if a slamfire occurs or if the primer shows signs of a firing pin strike. If the pin hits the primer, you have high probability of a slamfire occurring.
Make sure the firearm is pointed somewhere safe during the test.
 
but wouldn't a cleaner pin be more of an issue with softer primers?

I'm not talking about the pin sticking out due to fouling, but more like the inertia of the bolt closing causing the free floating pin to hit the primer when the bolt closes.
Click to expand...

Although no expert, I am very doubtful that the force with which the pin contacts the primer upon closing of the bolt is enough to set off even a softer primer. The only cases of SKS slam fire that I've heard of happened because there were excessive amounts of build-up in the bolt (whether it be cosmoline, carbon, or rust) which stiffened the firing pin. If you are really worried I suppose you can ride the bolt carrier down slowly, but I think you're good to go as you did more than a fine job at cleaning the firearm from the sounds of it :)
 
The bolt was completely disassembled when I cleaned it. I read about the murrays firing pins with the springs, but I've seen people have issues with them snapping when going back to milsurp ammo. 90% of the use will be milsurp, and just the occasional use as a bush gun..

shredder said:
That won't be an issue. If the firing pin channel is clean (you said you did a full cleaning, did you disassemble the bolt) you won't have issues with slamfires.

If you're still worried about it, there is a company out there that makes spring-loaded SKS firing pins (Williams, I believe). For the record, I've owned 3 SKS' and never had a slamfire when using commerical ammo.
Click to expand...
 
The snapping issue was improper heat treating and has been fixed. You'll be fine with the factory pin as long as you clean it after use.
 
Keep the muzzle pointed downrange when you release the bolt and you won't have anything to worry about. If an extra round or two goes off, just smile and chuckle at your unintended full auto experience and stop fretting about it.
 
just a thought.. what about using a bit of grease in the firing pin.. enough that it would slow any inertia of the pin. I wouldn't have to worry about build up, as I would keep it cleaned and lubed..
 
CanadianMarksman said:
Although no expert, I am very doubtful that the force with which the pin contacts the primer upon closing of the bolt is enough to set off even a softer primer. The only cases of SKS slam fire that I've heard of happened because there were excessive amounts of build-up in the bolt (whether it be cosmoline, carbon, or rust) which stiffened the firing pin. If you are really worried I suppose you can ride the bolt carrier down slowly, but I think you're good to go as you did more than a fine job at cleaning the firearm from the sounds of it :)
Click to expand...

It sure can, I have seen it first hand on a SKS, M1 Garand and on a C8 Sim bolt with a weak firing pin spring. Civi primers can not only be weaker but also not set belong flush in the casing.
 
Just make sure the pin is loose in the bolt and it should work fine, clean the gun after use, especially with surplus ammo to prevent problems.
 
If you are super paranoid pull the bolt out and give it a shake before shooting, if it rattles you'll be fine, if it doesn't then you need to clean it up and get it loose again. Grease isn't a good idea as it will just pick up dust and dirt and make the rifle much more likely to slam fire. As mentioned earlier load only one round and test it with the rifle pointed down range.

Ps was the sks caked in Cosmo when you got it?
 
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