SKS-D Firing Issue...FIXED

[CTS]

OK This is driving me nuts. I just came back from the range with the SKS and almost every time i pulled the trigger the firing pin would strike the primer but the bullet would not go off. I had to put the bullets back in the mag anywhere from 4-8 times before it would fire.

Now I thought it was the ammo but i have some non-corrosive ammo that is fairly old and then i just bought a crate of ammo from S.I.R. last week. And the fact that the ammo does fire...eventually... makes me think that its not the ammo. I used both today just to make sure it was not the ammo. It does not matter what i put in it.

This would happen to me last year but maybe once every five rounds, now it was happening every bullet. Every once and a while i can get one or two in a row to fire, but that is about it.

My thinking is that it could be the firing pin not coming fully forward and hitting all of the primmer. I made sure the bolt came forward every time and it did.

I stripped it down and cleaned it and it all seems to be fine. The pin is totally free floating not sticking anywhere.

I'm thinking of replacing the bolt spring and the firing pin, but not to sure if that will help. This is driving me nuts as i cant figure it out, and i would like to enjoy shooting the rifle.

Thanks very much for your help.

 

[Curtton]

i think its the freezing weather is partly to blame. how cold is it where you are? -10c?

czech ammo has a pretty hard primer so the extreme cold makes the primer even harder, hindering the penetration .

before blaming the ammo or the firing pin . try keeping the ammo warm , like instead of leaving it in the trunk , carry it in the cab . maybe use a hand warmer in the ammo box .

 

[CTS]

The weather is not bad today -1c. Also i had the ammo in the car where it was nice and warm. The place i was loading the mags, due to the chilly winds. This also happens to me during the summer months. If the Czech ammo has a hard primmer then it makes wonder if it is no the firing pin then.

 

[m39a2]

How far through the bolt face does the pin come when you push it by hand?

Scott

 

[Doc M]

Didn't some people have this exact problem traced back to not degreasing the bolt and firing pin? Something about the heavy cosmoline-type packing grease impeding the forward progress of the firing pin?

I don't own one personally so I can't comment on whether or not that's relevant, just thought it might ring a bell for someone more "in the know."

-M

 

[TGC]

maybe the face of the bolt is worn, and your not getting a tight fit on the base of the ammo and thus the pin is not hitting the primer tight enought, i had a simlier proble with an old 303, gun smith built the bolt face up, and it was able to fire the rounds

 

[Curtton]

The weather is not bad today -1c. Also i had the ammo in the car where it was nice and warm. The place i was loading the mags, due to the chilly winds. This also happens to me during the summer months. If the Czech ammo has a hard primmer then it makes wonder if it is no the firing pin then.

this also happened during the summer then forget what i said earlier.

i did a test once, i removed the bullets and powder of some czech ammo , i freezed the casing in the freezer and then fired it, i then compared it to the ones from the range and sure enuff the penetration was not as deep.

before replacing parts, check the firing pin protrusion , hammer striking the pin OK? i will try to post some pics of my "D" trigger and pin to should what normal looks like. i have not one problem with my "D".

 

[CTS]

Thanks for the help everyone... unfortunately i have to leave for work so i wont be able to check the pin and bolt face till tomorrow. I will post pictures. thanks again for the help everyone.

 

[CTS]

Well i went to take some pics and the girlfriend has the camera. I am going to take the Bolt and trigger group and maybe let it soak in some ethyl alcohol and really degrease it. That should not hurt it in any way, would it?

I remember that last time i took apart the bolt i pulled the pin out but just cleaned the tiny hole where the firing pin goes the best i can. I really had no tools to get in there. If i soak it in the alcohol and i then have a nylon brush to get in there and give it a good cleaning.

We will see how dirty it was. I will try to post pics tomorrow once i get the camera back.

CTS

 

[Curtton]

Well i went to take some pics and the girlfriend has the camera. I am going to take the Bolt and trigger group and maybe let it soak in some ethyl alcohol and really degrease it. That should not hurt it in any way, would it?

I remember that last time i took apart the bolt i pulled the pin out but just cleaned the tiny hole where the firing pin goes the best i can. I really had no tools to get in there. If i soak it in the alcohol and i then have a nylon brush to get in there and give it a good cleaning.

We will see how dirty it was. I will try to post pics tomorrow once i get the camera back.

CTS

didnt we suggest you clean the bolt thoroughly the last time you posted this problem ?

use a q-tips in the firing pin tunnel .

 

[CTS]

didnt we suggest you clean the bolt thoroughly the last time you posted this problem ?

use a q-tips in the firing pin tunnel .

And I did clean it. When I take it apart it looks clean. I can't see anything in there. Thanks for the qtip trick I was trying to think of somthing but nothing came to mind.

 

[CTS]

OK... Got it all cleaned up last night. I had measured how much the pin sticks out the bolt face before and after i had cleaned it out and it was 1.5mm both times. The bolt and firing pin were pretty clean to begin with.

Now I am not sure if that is sticking far enough out of the bolt face or not.

Here are a couple of pictures, close up. Maybe i don't see something wrong when in fact there is.

Thanks for the help.

 

[punkrockboy]

Maybe its just my eyes, but it almost looks like your firing pin is in backwards!
I could be wrong, I dont have an SKS anymore, but it looks too flat!
Go to surplusrifle. co_m , they have complete instructions on assembly/dis-assembly for the different types of bolts/firing pins. There is only one way to properly assemble the bolt, it is possible to install the firing pin upside down. Is it possible to take a picture of the back of the bolt,when it is assembled?

 

[CTS]

Maybe its just my eyes, but it almost looks like your firing pin is in backwards!
I could be wrong, I dont have an SKS anymore, but it looks too flat!
Go to surplusrifle. co_m , they have complete instructions on assembly/dis-assembly for the different types of bolts/firing pins. There is only one way to properly assemble the bolt, it is possible to install the firing pin upside down. Is it possible to take a picture of the back of the bolt,when it is assembled?

The other end of the pin is about 3 times larger then the pictured side, so there is no way it is in backwards. I also thought about having the pin in upside down, maybe preventing it from going all the way forward. Again there is now way that the pin is upside down, the pin will not even come out of the bolt face that way. Plus the pin that you punch out in order to remove the firing pin will not go in with the firing pin upside down.

 

[punkrockboy]

I didnt think it was possible to go in backwards, but I dont have my sks-d to look at anymore, so I wasnt sure.

 

[David_K]

Did some jackass who owned it before you try to 'file down the firing pin to make it full auto'?

There are those people out there.


Also, I've shot Czech 7.62x39 out in -35 weather and had zero problems. Not a single jam or ftf.

 

[Curtton]

OK... Got it all cleaned up last night. I had measured how much the pin sticks out the bolt face before and after i had cleaned it out and it was 1.5mm both times. The bolt and firing pin were pretty clean to begin with.

Now I am not sure if that is sticking far enough out of the bolt face or not.

Here are a couple of pictures, close up. Maybe i don't see something wrong when in fact there is.

Thanks for the help.

the protrusion looks normal to me. is a possibilty the back end of the firing pin is wore? measure the length of the FP . i got a new one that is 93.97mm, whats yours ?

 

[CTS]

Did some jackass who owned it before you try to 'file down the firing pin to make it full auto'?

This could be possible, im not sure how pointed the firing pin has to be.

i got a new one that is 93.97mm, whats yours ?

I measured mine and got 93.50mm. This was just with a ruler and, maybe i will take it to work tonight and use a caliper to determine proper length. I'm guessing .5mm might make a difference, but not to sure.

 

[CTS]

I measured with the caliper at work and got 93.86mm. I cant see that making much of a difference.

 

[Curtton]

I measured with the caliper at work and got 93.86mm. I cant see that making much of a difference.

firing pin is normal . i think you need to see if the hammer is striking the firing pin when the firing pin is in the forward position or is there something preventing the hammer from doing so . make sure the bolt is in the lock position, hammer forward, is there any movement with the firing pin ?