Posted this before but am trying a different approach

BigGameHunter

BigGameHunter

Regular
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
I have an SKS.

It has maybe 100 rounds down the chamber. It is a norinco. Out of those 100 I would say 60 rounds have jammed to the point of locking the action up which is unsafe in my opinion. This is which crappy steel cased surplus.

With wolf ammo it is considerable better however not perfect maybe close to 80 percent. Compared to my Mini 14 which has never jammed.

Last time I posted everyone told me just to sell it off and cut my losses. But I don't want to see a problem to someone who is going to inherit a headache from me that just isn't my style. My question is what components would be best to swap out in order to get the reliablility that this gun has just a reputation for. I mean I purchased one of these so that I would have something that went bang everytime and had cheap ammo. I am sure if I bought Brass cased ammo for it, the problem would more or less fix itself as I feel good ammo solves 80-90 percent of jam related issues which undamaged firearms.

Would a spring kit work? Would a new piston rod work? Their is also that little piston inside under the sight that I find is extremely firm and I don't think it has enough juice to punch that back and cycle the action. I have cleaned up the chamber, gas tube, gas tapoff hole, etc as well as soaked everything in bearing cleaner to remove any grease/cosmo that was ever on it. It should work perfectly but unfortunately it doesn't.

Also is there any way to seal off any leaky parts as maybe not enough pressure is generated. I have heard of the nail polish trick around the fittings to seal but then you have to do that after ever time you clean it. Are newer parts going to be build to better tolerances? Also this is a 150 dollar gun and not worth putting that much into it or else I would just buy another one. I like them and would like a 7.62x39 rifle that works as I have 2 223's and then I go to 30 calibre high powers so its a nice middle round. Any suggestions?
 
BigGameHunter said:
I have an SKS.

It has maybe 100 rounds down the chamber. It is a norinco. Out of those 100 I would say 60 rounds have jammed to the point of locking the action up which is unsafe in my opinion. This is which crappy steel cased surplus.

With wolf ammo it is considerable better however not perfect maybe close to 80 percent. Compared to my Mini 14 which has never jammed.

Last time I posted everyone told me just to sell it off and cut my losses. But I don't want to see a problem to someone who is going to inherit a headache from me that just isn't my style. My question is what components would be best to swap out in order to get the reliablility that this gun has just a reputation for. I mean I purchased one of these so that I would have something that went bang everytime and had cheap ammo. I am sure if I bought Brass cased ammo for it, the problem would more or less fix itself as I feel good ammo solves 80-90 percent of jam related issues which undamaged firearms.

Would a spring kit work? Would a new piston rod work? Their is also that little piston inside under the sight that I find is extremely firm and I don't think it has enough juice to punch that back and cycle the action. I have cleaned up the chamber, gas tube, gas tapoff hole, etc as well as soaked everything in bearing cleaner to remove any grease/cosmo that was ever on it. It should work perfectly but unfortunately it doesn't.

Also is there any way to seal off any leaky parts as maybe not enough pressure is generated. I have heard of the nail polish trick around the fittings to seal but then you have to do that after ever time you clean it. Are newer parts going to be build to better tolerances? Also this is a 150 dollar gun and not worth putting that much into it or else I would just buy another one. I like them and would like a 7.62x39 rifle that works as I have 2 223's and then I go to 30 calibre high powers so its a nice middle round. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

"...Jammed to the point of locking the action up..." So the casings are "stove piping" on you? Or are the casings coming apart?

"...This is which crappy steel cased surplus...." The same stuff we're all firing off by the truckload and not having any issues with. Prolly not the ammo.

"...Also is there any way to seal off any leaky parts as maybe not enough pressure is generated..." There will be tell-tale streaks of powder residue left behind anywhere you have a gas leak big enough to hinder proper operation. No streaking, no leak.

"...Their is also that little piston inside under the sight that I find is extremely firm and I don't think it has enough juice to punch that back and cycle the action..." Check the inside diameter of the tube @ both ends and check the outside diameter of the piston. Then ask a fello chi-com owner to mic their parts and see if there is an issue there.

"...Last time I posted everyone told me just to sell it off and cut my losses..." Doesn't sound like your circumstances have changed, so I'm doubting the collective opinion is going to either.

"...Also this is a 150 dollar gun and not worth putting that much into it or else I would just buy another one..." Again... Pretty much sums up the replies to your previous post no?

For the <$200 price tag, do as was suggested before. Put the rifle on EE for $100 and leave it to someone who either has the patience/knowhow to fix it or needs parts. The heading should read "FUBAR NORC SKS - $100!" Include a brief description of your issues and walk away in good concience.

There are people on this forum who actually enjoy that kind of thing. Leave it to them.;)
 
I would do exactly as Deltasilver suggested, sell it as a parts rifle for $100. There are not many SKS parts rifles for sale so I am sure it would sell quickly. A few months ago, I bought a Chinese military with a large crack in the bolt for $100 and dropped in a new Russian bolt and carrier. The rifle now functions flawlessly. Maybe somebody with the time and patience could buy and fix your rifle, for $100 they do some cheap gambling, and you get most of the price of a new rifle. Your not doing anything unethical if you sell it as a non functioning parts rifle and explain exactly what is wrong.
 
Did you buy it used? Is the gas system perhaps clogged with rust?? Maybe it just needs a really heavy cleaning because someone didn't realize just what corrosive ammo does to a firearm? I know, might be a stupid question but I see no pics and this does sound like it COULD be the issue. I am thinking you bought it new since you stated the round count, but just thought I'd double check. Also, please describe the jam. do you mean the round fires but fails to extract? round doesn't fire and won't extract?
 
more info on the "jamming" would be needed to give a useful diagnosis. does it jam when feeding rounds from the magazine to the chamber? or stovepipe after firing? or rounds stuck in the chamber? If theyre jamming on the way to the chamber then the feed lips/ramp may need some tweaking. Stovepiping is usually caused by inadequate rearward force to cleanly eject the casing. If everything is clean then that shouldnt be a problem. Sometimes my chicom takes 2 out of the mag at once and jams up, but its only happened 2 or 3 times in about 200 rds. describe the problem a little more please
 
Hmmm...
With out seeing a video of it cycling 3 thing's come to mind.
  1. Laquer build up in the chamber.
  2. Gas preassure in the gas tube is not enough or there is binding on the op-rod.
  3. A broken spring. Wether it's an op-rod spring or extractor spring.
All of these are really easy to fix. But unless we can see how it is cycling it would be hard to nail down the problem.
Although I think it might, might just be the op-rod it's self that is binding on the reciever due to the lack of reward preasure from a faulty gas tube fit.
Any way you can post a video of this rifle in action?
 
Simple things first

First of all, you say it is jamming. I can think of at least FIVE things that might be considered a jam.

1. Does not pick up and load a round
2. Does not fully close on a loaded round
3. Does not eject an empty - empty stays in chamber
4. Does bring back the empty but it stays in the action
5. Does not kick out empty and/or "stovepipes"

So, lets try some simple things.

1. Clean the chamber with a good solvent to get rid of any lacquer.
2. Take the front handguard off. Is the piston free to move? Is it bent?
Clean out the inside of the piston tube. DO NOT OIL INSIDE THE TUBE.
3. While the front handguard is off, push toward the rear on the piston
extension. Is it spring loaded and pops back?
4. Take the rear cover off. Take the bolt out, and clean it fully, especially the extractor. Spray some solvent down the firing pin hole.
5. Assemble the main recoil spring right. The wavy end (that is the end with the clip on it) should be toward the front, inside the bolt, and not
at the back.

Try this, then try firing it again. The steel lacquered cases are mostly corrosive ammo. You have to clean EACH time after firing, or the rust and crud will build up inside your rifle.
/
 
I dont have any suggestions on how to fix, but if you choose to sell... PM me... Ive got a bubba sks project im dying to try out :)
 
Gun is bone stock

Jamming issue is stovepiping most of the time but this locks the action up to where it is hard to release the stovepiped round.

This happens 10x more with the laquered crate of ammo I bough.

Wolf ammo works with about a 70% success rate. Haven't tried anything with brass casing which I should do.

My buddy with a Yugo tried that Crate ammo in his gun with not much more success but some success non the less.

The gun was purchased from SIR. The serial Numbers don't match so I am guess it is a gun that they bought a couple thousand of each part and assembled or purchased them that way as refurbished guns which I think would be the problem.

I don't think I really want to sell it. I want to make it work. If some tinkerer can make it work why would I not be able to? I was just looking for what people might think the problem would be.

The piston has been polished and the inside of the gas tube cleaned up as well as the chamber have all been cleaned and smoothed as the black paint or whatever the chinese use was a hideous finish with many rough spots.

All of the Cosmoline is removed. The stock has also been refinished. The first time I shot it I don't think I had all of the gunk removed from the nooks and crannies but since then all parts have been soaked in solvents and there is not a drop of cheese on it as well the whole gun is clean as a whistle and I have worked on it considerably and have yet to fire it again as I have not been to the range to do so.

Its just frustrating but I again would like to have the problem solved and have a working gun for myself. Nothing is bent, looks broken and will cycle ammo smoothly manually cycling the action it does not bind or give appearance that it will jam.

The magazines is just stock pinned 5 round dumper.
 
Seriously, if you want to sell it for $100, send me a PM. I will give it a nice home.

If you manually cycle 30 rounds through it, it will not jam up at all? Like has already been said, not enough pressure to push the bolt back can cause this problem. Also it can be related to the ejector and extractor. Take a look at the extractor on the bolt, it may need to be slightly polished underneath if it's grabbing onto the cartridge casing too hard. And on the SKS the ejector is just that nub on the bottom of the reciever that the casing is pulled past. I guess in theory if that thing is undersized that could also cause a problem. Is the bolt freely and smoothly cycling forward and backward? A bolt that is binding or rusted or not oiled will not cycle correctly.

Spend some time looking at it and cycling ammo and get a good grasp of how shells are ejected. It's not that complicated.
 
Where exactly are you finding Wolf brand 7.62x39 in Canada? It is not an approved explosive and is illegal to import.
 
I had the exact same problem it seems in mine too, also a norinco. Lucky i had several sks's so i was swapping parts and when i got to the gas system, i changed the piston and gas tube. It worked like wonders after so i went out and bought a new set of piston and tube. It works fine now. From the outside, it all seemed perfect, i never thought that would be it. It jammed just like yours, fire but not eject and when you watched carefully, you could see the bolt actually move jus a little and I had to use a hammer to open the bolt everytime.
 
Do this check list and get back to us. As maybe these steps will help.
  1. Does the gas tube fit snuggly or is it lossy gousey? If it's loose then replace.
  2. Check the op-rod for un-even wear. If wierd marking please take pics as we can then figure out what it's binding on.
  3. Check to see if the gas beeld off whole from the barrel to the gas tube is not obstructed. A 100lb fishing wire works great for this. As it might not be properly aligned to the whole on the barrel.
 
You may try a good chamber cleaning, as the coatings
on steel cased ammo tend to melt off and gum up. I remove the
reciever cover and bolt carrier and attach a .45 cal.brass chamber brush
to a cleaning rod and with a drill and solvent clean as needed. Good luck.
Ps. Don't sell, it can be fixed.
 
the gun needs to be completely stripped down and all the steel parts soaked overnight in laquer thinner , then scrubbed , then soaked over night again , then scubbed some more . ( and i mean everything , including the gas system ) .

and don't be afraid to scrub the hell out of the inside of the barrel and chamber between soakings in laquer thinner .

then lubricate every thing with powdered graphite while reassembling , no grease , no oil .

if it still gives you grief , take it to a gunsmith , or sell it .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom