Newbie to SKS - Any Care, Maintenance and Advice Would be Greatly Appreciated

thegazelle

thegazelle

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Hi there,

I just bought a Russian SKS today, and am new to the platform. The one I bought was in decent condition with all matching serial numbers and except for some noticeable hardwoood stock wear, it looks like it's in pretty good condition. Don't see any rust, and shone a light through the rifling and all looks good.

Functionally, everything seems to be in working. The store had some better condition ones but the last round bolt hold open didn't work on those, or there were parts replaced or there were some wear on the forend wood. This one everything was functional even thought the hardwood stock had wear.

My question as a beginner to this platform is the initial care and maintenance. I have seen videos of people cleaning the cosmoline off of the rifle and sometimes it is caked on thick. Mine doesn't seem to have that much on it, even though it's a 1953 model.

Would you still recommend a full take down and cleaning with hot water / mineral spirits / other stuff, or would it be safe to try shooting it? I have run a cleaning rod and a patch through it and doesn't look too bad - definitely not the caked on sludge that I have seen in other YouTube videos.

Any advice for both initial and ongoing care and maintenance would be greatly appreciated. I am not planning to modify it in any way and plan to just use it for casual target shooting at my range.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT - I have since viewed some videos about possible slamfire with the firing pin sticking so I thought I should probably clean it - so took it apart and of course the firing pin which should be free floating is not - I can see some cosmoline on the assembly. However, I am unable to (as of yet) get that retaining pin out of the assembly (even with a punch) in order to remove the firing pin and clean the channel. Any ideas on this? Clearly the firing pin is not free floating as it should be and is probably sludged up a bit.
 
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The bolt takedown pin is a real pain. I had success with the following method:

Drill a 3/4" hole in a piece of 2x4, place the bolt with the squarish side of the takedown pin facing down, centered over the hole and clamp the whole jig to the table. Now whack the the other side of the pin with some significant force, behind your punch.

I do recommend cleaning the firing pin as slam fires are very common. Most rifles I've worked on haven't been thoroughly flushed.
Cheers
 
J.Hancock said:
The bolt takedown pin is a real pain. I had success with the following method:

Drill a 3/4" hole in a piece of 2x4, place the bolt with the squarish side of the takedown pin facing down, centered over the hole and clamp the whole jig to the table. Now whack the the other side of the pin with some significant force, behind your punch.

I do recommend cleaning the firing pin as slam fires are very common. Most rifles I've worked on haven't been thoroughly flushed.
Cheers
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Thanks man. I was going to go to the range tonight but will stay home and work on this...it looks like the punch that comes with the cleaning kit is too small for that pin. I will go out and get a 1/8" punch from Home Depot.

Unfortunately I don't have a good complement of tools since I am not a handy guy...which is part of my problem with these things. I do have some spare blocks of wood I will try to use as you indicated. I saw some online videos mentioning soaking the whole bolt assembly in some penetrating oil overnight - I just don't want to buy something if I don't have to since I would have no other use for that.

I am glad I took it apart - can definitely see where the cleaning is necessary...and the good news is it is pretty easy to take apart. Definitely don't want a slamfire.

My son heard all the hammering and was wondering what the commotion was all about. I told him about the slamfire possibility and he said "oh, and why don't you want that??" Of course the guy is 20, so he sees things differently...

Thanks for your feedback.
 
thegazelle said:
Thanks man. I was going to go to the range tonight but will stay home and work on this...it looks like the punch that comes with the cleaning kit is too small for that pin. I will go out and get a 1/8" punch from Home Depot.

Unfortunately I don't have a good complement of tools since I am not a handy guy...which is part of my problem with these things. I do have some spare blocks of wood I will try to use as you indicated. I saw some online videos mentioning soaking the whole bolt assembly in some penetrating oil overnight - I just don't want to buy something if I don't have to since I would have no other use for that.

I am glad I took it apart - can definitely see where the cleaning is necessary...and the good news is it is pretty easy to take apart. Definitely don't want a slamfire.

My son heard all the hammering and was wondering what the commotion was all about. I told him about the slamfire possibility and he said "oh, and why don't you want that??" Of course the guy is 20, so he sees things differently...

Thanks for your feedback.
Click to expand...

No problem, you can likely rig something up with a couple blocks of wood but I didn't achieve success until I was able to apply a couple heavy blows without the bolt moving around.
 
J.Hancock said:
No problem, you can likely rig something up with a couple blocks of wood but I didn't achieve success until I was able to apply a couple heavy blows without the bolt moving around.
Click to expand...

OK thanks...the firing pin is definitely gummed up so not free floating - I can move it with my fingers but it's stiff. Does it matter to the success of trying to remove the retaining pin if the firing pin is protruding a bit or should I push the firing pin back so it doesn't protrude before I start whacking on that retaining pin again? Or does it matter in case one orientation causes more resistance to the removal?
 
You can soak the bolt in varsol overnight and it should get rid of most of the grease in it
Some people boil the bolts in boiling water to melt it all out too
 
Scalding hot water and engine degreaser.

My routine for new-to-me old guns is the strip off the stock and as many of the parts as reasonable. For an SKS, that means the trigger group, bolt and gas system. Spray with degreaser. Let it work in and scrub a bit if necessary. Boil the tea kettle, and have a suitable trough of the hottest tap water you've got. Use the water to float off the gunk. Immediately brush liberally with thin oil. The heated parts will evaporate all water, and the oil will prevent flash rust. I use automatic transmission fluid. You can use motor oil. Wipe off the sloppy excess, and reassemble.
 
scianna54 said:
Why would anybody take the bolt apart when there is no problem?

You are seeing ghosts.
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From all I understand, the firing pin should be free floating and when the bolt assembly is shaken, you should hear a rattle. If you don't, then it's cosmoline gunk up which will lead to slamfires.

I am just doing some preventative maintenance to avoid a problem which appears to be well documented and very common with the free floating firing pin for this rifle. Mine does not rattle; hence, trying to take apart the bolt to clean the firing pin and its channel - as well as inspect it - others have reported burrs and such on the firing pin. As this is not a new gun and as I am new to this platform, I just thought I'd do what I can to prevent common, documented problems.
 
thegazelle said:
OK thanks...the firing pin is definitely gummed up so not free floating - I can move it with my fingers but it's stiff. Does it matter to the success of trying to remove the retaining pin if the firing pin is protruding a bit or should I push the firing pin back so it doesn't protrude before I start whacking on that retaining pin again? Or does it matter in case one orientation causes more resistance to the removal?
Click to expand...

I don't recall if the firing pins position is relevant for the pins removal. I want to say it's not, because you'd think I would remember if it mattered lol? Ymmv. The boiling water trick sounds like a winner too.

Do yourself a favor and avoid corrosive ammo, imo. Even leaving the rifle for a couple days will result in rust, learned that the hard way with some ammo sold to me as non-corrosive which turned out to be false.
 
Well, I went to Home Depot, picked up a vise, and some proper punches - after a few flailed (and failed) attempts with the punch slipping or the bolt assembly recessing into the vise, I finally got the retaining pin moving and by then it was easy the rest of the way. However, after the retaining pin came out the firing pin wouldn't pull out easily - as I moved it and eventually took some pliers to pull it a bit I saw a bunch of black sediments like grains of sand and stuff all over the firing pin and in the channel. That was what was causing the problems A quick q tip with some cleaner and it's all gone...and the firing pin now goes in nicely and moves without problems. Now to get the retaining pin back on...
 
thegazelle said:
Well, I went to Home Depot, picked up a vise, and some proper punches - after a few flailed (and failed) attempts with the punch slipping or the bolt assembly recessing into the vise, I finally got the retaining pin moving and by then it was easy the rest of the way. However, after the retaining pin came out the firing pin wouldn't pull out easily - as I moved it and eventually took some pliers to pull it a bit I saw a bunch of black sediments like grains of sand and stuff all over the firing pin and in the channel. That was what was causing the problems A quick q tip with some cleaner and it's all gone...and the firing pin now goes in nicely and moves without problems. Now to get the retaining pin back on...
Click to expand...

Your rifle is gratefully lol! She probably had a stone in her shoe for decades.
 
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J.Hancock said:
Your rifle is gratefully lol! She probably had a stone in her shoe for decades.
Click to expand...

Interestingly enough, once I realigned the firing pin to clear the retaining pin hole and put in the pin, it took some light hammering to get that retaining pin back in there. But afterwards - the sweet sound of the firing pin rattling is very satisfying. Thanks for your help - and especially the part about keeping the bolt from moving. Without the vise it would have been very difficult. Happy to have avoided the inevitable slamfire based on how gunked up that firing pin channel and pin were. I have no idea what that grit was but it's gone now. I also removed the extractor and cleaned that channel as well. Now I gotta figure out which way that spring goes and then I'll be done...
 
J.Hancock said:
I don't recall if the firing pins position is relevant for the pins removal. I want to say it's not, because you'd think I would remember if it mattered lol? Ymmv. The boiling water trick sounds like a winner too.

Do yourself a favor and avoid corrosive ammo, imo. Even leaving the rifle for a couple days will result in rust, learned that the hard way with some ammo sold to me as non-corrosive which turned out to be false.
Click to expand...

Which brand was this? I just picked up a bunch of Norinco red box which says non-corrosive, but ya never know...
 
thegazelle - My 1st suggestion is to get the cheapest chinese milsurp you can and learn to quickly clean the rifle. I take the barrel with gas tube removed and run under straight hot water in my laundry sink. That'll take care of corrosive primer salts AND will dry itself pretty much. Then clean with Hoppes or whatever, it'll be very dirty inside the barrel. You'll need lots of patches, I use cut-up old t-shirts cause I shoot a lot of surp. The bolt should be good for a few hundred rounds b4 needing clean-out again. Just Don't Oil the Firing Pin !!
You can find LOTS of good info here : http://w ww.sksboards.com/smf/index.php and also here > http s://yooperj.com/
There are many ways to clean the SKS and I won't go into all of that, instead letting you find something at these links above.
Best luck on your new journey.
PS - I just saw JH's post, I've let my previously clean rifle sit for several days (health issue) after firing over 100 milsurp corrosive. My basement stays at ca. 30-40% humidity so probably delayed rust. YMMV so get the hot water going :rolleyes:
 
thegazelle said:
Which brand was this? I just picked up a bunch of Norinco red box which says non-corrosive, but ya never know...
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Norinco is probably good, the red or white boxes have worked well with me. I've heard rumours that some corrosive was mixed in but I've yet to come across any. The stuff that duped me was stamped with 81 or 91. It was cooper washed too.
 
thegazelle said:
From all I understand, the firing pin should be free floating and when the bolt assembly is shaken, you should hear a rattle. If you don't, then it's cosmoline gunk up which will lead to slamfires.

I am just doing some preventative maintenance to avoid a problem which appears to be well documented and very common with the free floating firing pin for this rifle. Mine does not rattle; hence, trying to take apart the bolt to clean the firing pin and its channel - as well as inspect it - others have reported burrs and such on the firing pin. As this is not a new gun and as I am new to this platform, I just thought I'd do what I can to prevent common, documented problems.
Click to expand...

I had over 40 SKS, still have more than 10, never had any problem with any of them (oh wait, I had a problem with one I bought from Tenda last year). The only thing I read about is that people are taking stuff apart and screw up putting it back together. The new imports, both Chinese and Russian are mostly garbage, so you should have done yourself a favour and buy a nice used one from private and not overpay for junk from a dealer. Cheers, just my 2 cents, nothing personal.

I really dislike most dealers selling that stuff and not even having it inspected by their gunsmith and cleaned before handing it to customers. They buy those for $250 or less and selling them for 500 to 600, a joke.
 
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