Parts that wear out on an SKS

Bushbum40

Bushbum40

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So i just read someone advising a guy not to remove the extractor too often on cleanup, because the extractor will loosen, causing grief. I've never experienced this personally, and i remove it every time for post shooting cleanup.

I've got a question for the guys on here with really high mileage sks's. What parts wear out in your experience?
I would imagine gas tubes/pistons get pretty rough over time, maybe the odd recoil spring needs replacing, but what parts have you guys had to replace over time?
 
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It would be a good idea to replace the recoil spring after ~5,000 rounds or so. If you start to experience extraction issues replacing the extractor spring may fix it. Although, it seems even after ~10,000 rounds extraction is fine.

You don't need to remove the extractor often at all. I clean the firing pin channel about once every 2,000 rounds of corrosive.
 
I've had a Chinese military issue SKS since 1988 , I have no idea how many thousands of rounds I've put through it . So far , nothing has needed replacement . It shot about 3 to 3 1/2 inch groups @ 100 yards when I bought it , it shoots the same today . It has jammed up a time or two over the years , but not very often .
Most of the problems I've seen with SKS's has been with aftermarket accessories . Keep it reasonably clean and they are a very reliable rifle . Mine might be an unusual example , but my more recent ones have been chugging along for over 5 years now with no problems .
 
bp2626 said:
It would be a good idea to replace the recoil spring after ~5,000 rounds or so. If you start to experience extraction issues replacing the extractor spring may fix it. Although, it seems even after ~10,000 rounds extraction is fine.

You don't need to remove the extractor often at all. I clean the firing pin channel about once every 2,000 rounds of corrosive.
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:sok2 What!? 2,000 rounds?! You gotta be kiddin me! I disassemble mine *completely* down to the nuts and bolts and clean it after every single shoot. It's one of the reasons i don't shoot it too much, it's a major undertaking.

I can't believe it stays reliable. If you take your bolt out, does the firing pin rattle?
 
Just clean it after every session and you will likely never need spare parts . It an sks made to last and to be use by the most illiterate conscripts and if you really want spare. Parts just buy another rifle
 
Why would you take the extractor out evertime you have shot your sks ?? I would'nt . if your shooting corrosive ammo pour boiling water over your bolt to clean it and boiling water down your bore via a funnel . and run a dry patch through your bore then oil it . and as for your bolt after the boiling water . spray some brake cleaner through it after if you want .

never oil the fireing pin channel. you want your fireing pin to be free floating . the sks rifles made in 1949 and some of the ones made in 1950 have springs on the fireing pins. your going to wreck your extractor spring . all I've ever heard of wearing out is the recoil spring. if I'm wrong on anything please correct me.
 
I think you might be wrong on wrecking the extractor spring unless the owner is ham fisted taking it out and re-assembling the bolt. Also, good idea to use the air compressor to get rid of any excess water if you aren't going to take the bolt apart.
 
Bushbum40 said:
:sok2 What!? 2,000 rounds?! You gotta be kiddin me! I disassemble mine *completely* down to the nuts and bolts and clean it after every single shoot. It's one of the reasons i don't shoot it too much, it's a major undertaking.

I can't believe it stays reliable. If you take your bolt out, does the firing pin rattle?
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Yes, I always test that the firing pin is free and clear in all my firearms that have a floating firing pin during the reassembly and inspection component of cleaning.

I just spray the bolt down with Moose milk and make sure to wipe everything dry and clean the tip of the firing pin and a few mm into the channel from the bolt face.
 
I would do the minimum amount of cleaning to prevent rusting. Most military rifles weren't intended to be detail stripped by the conscripts, it would cause unnecessary wear and loss of parts.
 
Juster said:
I would do the minimum amount of cleaning to prevent rusting. Most military rifles weren't intended to be detail stripped by the conscripts, it would cause unnecessary wear and loss of parts.
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They probably figured that the weapon would be lost/blown up/destroyed long before internal part rusting was an issue.
 
I've got a high mileage SKS. Like 10 000 rounds or more. The sear wore and it was slam firing, so I replaced that, an that's about it. I only shoot non corrosive, so it hardly ever gets cleaned. About every 1500 rounds or so. I give it a shot of G96 or Ballistol form time to time. Also have 2 other SKS with about 7000 rounds each, no issues whatsoever, same treatment. If using non corrosive, cleaning a SKS after every range session or 100 rounds or whatever is a waste of time.
 
The only part I have replaced so far is the disconnector. You will notice is getting worn when the first stage of the trigger gets hard and gritty. The top part of the disconnector gets hammered by the bolt when it locks down. Thus the disconnector slowly creeps up which then causes the trigger bar to rise up. When the trigger bar rises up it starts to contact the housing area around the sear so it basically is contacting an immovable piece of steel. I changed the disconnector and nice smooth trigger pull. And yes I did all the polishing and cleaning of the sear stuff but if the trigger bar is hitting a steel wall all the polishing in the world wont help. One way to know is if you first pull the trigger it is hard and gritty, slowly release the trigger after the shot until you hear the click as the sear and disconnector etc reset. Don't fully release the trigger. Now take your next shot, it is smooth as it should be. If you fully release the trigger the bar will fully retract and contact the sear guides. Look carefully and you can see the areas I am talking about.

Beyond that I haven't replaced anything else due to wear and tear.
 
anglia2 said:
I've had a Chinese military issue SKS since 1988 , I have no idea how many thousands of rounds I've put through it . So far , nothing has needed replacement . It shot about 3 to 3 1/2 inch groups @ 100 yards when I bought it , it shoots the same today . It has jammed up a time or two over the years , but not very often .
Most of the problems I've seen with SKS's has been with aftermarket accessories . Keep it reasonably clean and they are a very reliable rifle . Mine might be an unusual example , but my more recent ones have been chugging along for over 5 years now with no problems .
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X2

I have no idea how many tens of thousands of rounds have come out of the thing. Nothing has warn out yet. I do the normal field clean when I get it home. Almost 30 years now.
 
Man i love CGN. You guys know your sh1t!

I only shoot corrosive. These guns are old, quality, pieces of history, and i have a hard time just pouring water on any gun part and calling er good. I suppose i could try blowing the bolt dry with compressed air. What the hell is moose milk?
I never oil the bolt carrier, always dissasemble, use q tips in the FP channel, then assemble dry. I like to make sure there's no corrosive residue in between the extractor and the rest of the bolt.

I do pour boiling water down the spout, but i also clean and oil the gas piston. I even remove and clean/oil the secondary gas piston.

Juster- good point on the rifle being intended for use by conscripts. I sometimes forget these rifles were for uneducated russian peasants.

Stampede- I may at some point steal your sigline. That's awesome!

Gateheouse- Very good to know. The sear eh...Isn't that kind of a finicky part to replace? Wouldn't it just be easier to do the whole trigger group?

Beermaker- How many rounds did it take for the disconnector to kick the bucket?

Fiddler- Yeah, it seams like the humble sks is good for decades and 1000's of rounds if taken care of. Probably the main reason i'm so anal about the care of mine is because i know that modern production couldn't replicate these beauties. At least not without being at least 5 times the cost.

Gentlemen, i apologize for my clumsy forum posts and thank you for your time and input!

Edit: I may have to pick up a "beater" sks just to attempt your guy's "field strip/service" and see how it goes. My sks's are both izzys, beauties, and shooters, so i literally have OCD about the cleanliness of them. Either pick up a beater, or look into non corrosive ammo.
 
Bushbum40 said:
Edit: I may have to pick up a "beater" sks just to attempt your guy's "field strip/service" and see how it goes. My sks's are both izzys, beauties, and shooters, so i literally have OCD about the cleanliness of them. Either pick up a beater, or look into non corrosive ammo.
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If I were you, I'd just grab a $200 beater. It will be a helluva lot cheaper in the long run than shooting non-corrosive ammo (compared to shooting surplus corrosive).
 
shredder said:
If I were you, I'd just grab a $200 beater. It will be a helluva lot cheaper in the long run than shooting non-corrosive ammo (compared to shooting surplus corrosive).
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Exactly. I've never been a subscriber to the "Non-Corrosive" BS. I have a few rifles from my Father that have been shooting corrosive for 70 or more years, they have not fallen apart in a pile of rust yet.


More to the point, most SKS rifles have chrome barrels, so apart from the gas tube and bolt there is really not much to clean. Blast it with water, then a blast with wd40, then clean and wipe down as per field clean.
 
All mine are early soviet non chrome barrels. My only requirement for my guests is a slow warmup. Make sure the front sight/ bayonet mount sleeve is good and toasty before doing any mag dumps, otherwise the muzzle end will erode badly under that cold crimp.
I'm surprised at how little wear I've gotten, even with steel jacketed bullets.
Boiling hot water dries off real quick, and adds hardly any time to cleanup.
 
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