SKS field stripping 101,corrosive ammo cleaning,lubrication *updated*
- Thread starter svt1940
- Start date
PinkyPlinker
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kenora, ON
Put the kettle on, all you need for the metal bits is hot water. As for the safety spring, early models (I believe pre '53?) did not have a safety spring they were just a tight interference fit on the safety lever to trigger body. Experts please correct if necessary.
- Location
- Somewhere west of Fort Garry
Fantastic tutorial! Thank you for all your efforts 
That was one smart russky that designed the cleaning kit - so versatile in its functions... Now I gotta go buy one!
Edit:
p.s. For all the geeks out there - how can I do a screen capture to, say, pdf format, so I can view this offline, photos & all?
Edit again:
Think I got it - OpenOffice, copy & paste, save as .pdf
That was one smart russky that designed the cleaning kit - so versatile in its functions... Now I gotta go buy one!
Edit:
p.s. For all the geeks out there - how can I do a screen capture to, say, pdf format, so I can view this offline, photos & all?
Edit again:
Think I got it - OpenOffice, copy & paste, save as .pdf
Last edited:
Bubba Yugga
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Midwestern Ontario
For anyone with an air compressor in their shop, life gets real easy! After I rinse all the carboned parts and the bore with boiling hot water from the kettle, I use an old tooth brush to scrub the parts with varsol, then blow it off with the shop air.
I use my shotgun cleaning kit to scrub the chamber with a .410 brush, and the gas cylinder with a 20 gauge brush.
Then I clean the bore in the usual way with Hoppes and CLP.
Varsol really dries the metalwork, so I mist everything with WD40 then blast the excess off with the shop air again.
Another good thing about being so dried out is that any cosmoline traces really stand out, so you can chase them down before oiling.
Varsol's a lot cheaper than brake cleaner, but for the really stubborn spots (like the bellmouth of the gas port) I scrub after wetting with carburetor cleaner.
I use my shotgun cleaning kit to scrub the chamber with a .410 brush, and the gas cylinder with a 20 gauge brush.
Then I clean the bore in the usual way with Hoppes and CLP.
Varsol really dries the metalwork, so I mist everything with WD40 then blast the excess off with the shop air again.
Another good thing about being so dried out is that any cosmoline traces really stand out, so you can chase them down before oiling.
Varsol's a lot cheaper than brake cleaner, but for the really stubborn spots (like the bellmouth of the gas port) I scrub after wetting with carburetor cleaner.
- Location
- British Columbia
Excellent tutorial! I'm hoping ot pick up my SKS toot sweet and have been looking for a good step by step take down for cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo (because let's be honest, that's most likely what I'll be shooting). Thanks for taking the time.
Cheers,
Mantis.man
Cheers,
Mantis.man
Good morning fellows gunnutz
First of all, like any firearm, make sure its unloaded by pulling the cocking handle back.
Pull out the cleaning kit from the buttstock(if there) Be carefull with your finger to not get trapped with the little door
Unfold the bayonet to remove the cleaning rod.
Unlock the magazine floor plate by pulling the latch rearward.
Pull the cocking handle and slowly allow to return in closed position.
On the right side,at the rear, rotate the cover take-down lever straight up and pull it to the right.
Pull the cover away
Remove the recoil spring from the carrier, note that the wiggled end go in the carrier.
To remove the bolt carrier assembly, pull the assembly back and out of the rifle.
Separate the bolt from the carrier.
Gas tube removal:
Rotate the locking lever on the right side of the rear sight. On early model, there's a litte tab on the lever while on late model, only a small hole. You can take the little pick in the cleaning kit or a bullet tip to help rotate the lever.
Then the handguard can be taken away.
Remove the piston from the gas tube.
What we see here is the piston extension,under rear sight. To remove, push the extension and rotate the gas tube locking lever straight up then slowly allow the piston extension to come out.
Trigger group and stock removal.
Put the safety in "safe" position.
Depress the trigger group latch,using a bullet tip or the tools in the cleaning kit.
The group should pop up.
Note how the front of the trigger group engage in the receiver.
Take the trigger group out.
Take the magazine out and the stock away from the rifle.
The end result is a disassembled sks
Reassemble in reverse order but make sure the front of the mag hook perfectly on the rifle and also that the pin in front of the trigger group engage correctly in the receiver or the group wont lock correctly and can lead to malfunctions.
Bolt disassembly
On early model with the spring loaded firing pin, the extractor is taken out by pushing the extractor rearward and away from the bolt. Be very careful with the early bolt because once they are out of the bolt carrier, only the extractor pressure spring hold the extractor in place so the extractor can be easily knocked off and lost. Maybe that why the later model have a pin to hold the extractor in place but its only a guess....
Early bolt 1949-1951.
Driving this pin out, allow the removal of the firing pin and spring.
Later model bolt.
We can see the retaining pin just behing the extractor.
The retainer is driven from the left side on the bolt. Some have removed it by using the little pointed tool from the cleaning kit and the rear cover as a hammer...... but mine is very very tight and require a hammer and a punch.
Once the pin is out, the extractor and the free floating firing pin can be taken out.
Note how the firing pin goes so can be correctly reassembled, the firing pin have a notch like so the retainer can be put back on the bolt, keeping the firing pin in place but allowing to move freely in the bolt.
Note the difference between early and late bolt.
bolt on the left is the early type, bolt on the right is the later type. bolts need their specific carrier too.
Cleaning kit.
The sks cleaning kit is very simple and effective. Kit consist of
- storage tube/cleaning rod handle
-storage tube cap/cleaning rod muzzle guide
-utility tool
-cleaning jag
-cleaning brush
Cleaning kit storage tube can be used as a wrench to screw the cleaning jag on the cleaning rod.
Cleaning patches are wrapped around the jag.
Tube is also used as a cleaning rod handle
The small utility tool lock the handle and the rod together.
Bore guide is well made, slide the guide on the rod before screwing the jag or the brush on the rod.
Slide the guide over the muzzle and twist to lock the guide on the front sight.
SKS sling installation
Unpass the sling from the metal buckle and the leather keeper(if equipped)
The sling is passed through the swivel on the rifle,then the leather keeper and the metal buckle.
Ready to attach on the rifle.
Adjust and tight with the leather keeper.
A fellow nutz told me that would be great to share somes infos on cosmoline cleaning so to make the thread more complete,here's how i de-cosmoline a sks(and others milsurp as well) I used 2 ways to degrease a milsurp:
-solvent(lacquer thinner,carb or break cleaner)
-hot soapy water.
Using solvent:
After disassembling, using solvent to remove the cosmoline or grease is fast and easy. A spray can of carb cleaner is useful for tight spot like the gas port and the inside of gas block. For most other parts,i use a small nylon brush and after degreasing, wipe metal with a very very lighty oiled patch,and i clean the bore using the cleaning kit but with a patch soaked in solvent and fews dry patch. Solvent will harm most wood finish so care must be taken to not spill any solvent on wood parts. Wearing glove and working in a well vented area is mandatory.
Using soapy water:
Hot soapy water,while not as fast than solvent, is still, in my opinion, a very effective way to clean off cosmo. Hot water is cheap,always available and more ecological and of course wearing glove is a must to not get burn
My degreasing kit, a plastic container,brush,funnel,cleaning rod with jag and a glass pot.
I like to put the gas tube partially in the glass pot filled with boiling water but only enough to immerge the tube so the wood stay out of water. The tube get very hot quickly and the cosmo is washed away. I finish cleaning with a rod and a jag with a patch, clean the wood part with a soaked clothe then a dry clothe. Oiling the metal lightly after and keeping the gas tube dry inside before using the rifle.
Having written about field strip and cosmo removal, i was asked to add infos about cleaning after corrosive ammo. I will share my procedure and also about lubrication of the sks. Many shooters clean their rifle differents ways, this is how i do it. Far from me to pretend that the way i do is the best, my method work well for me that's all i can say. I do either short cleaning or long cleaning. For short cleaning,i dont use bore solvent,i only use solvent each 200-300 rounds. Ok so i just shoot corrosive ammo, how i deal with that for cleaning?
-First, i remove the rear cover,bolt and bolt carrier,gas tube and piston.
-Boil a kettle of water,put glove on to not get burned
-With the muzzle pointing down in a bucket, i pour about 1 litre of boiling water from the chamber,using a funnel, some water also in the gas block to flush any salt.
-put a patch on the cleaning jag, soak the patch in water and run the patch back and forth couples of times from muzzle, using the sks cleaning kit with the supplied muzzle guide,from the breach end,the chamber will be washed also. With another soaked patch, i wash the inside of gas tube,soaking the patch fews times so the tube will be washed well, and wash the piston in the bucket of water. I also wash inside receiver and bolt face with a wet patch then wipe with a dry rag.
-I put some water again down the bore for a final rinse, also in gas port too. Then i run a dry patch in the bore and in the chamber but at this point, the metal have dryed by itself since using boiling water dry the steel in sec. I also run a dry patch in gas tube and on the piston. If i use solvent,i do it now,if not,see the next step.
-I run a very very very lightly oiled patch on everything that i washed with water(bore,gas tube,bolt face,piston,interior of receiver near the chamber area) I run a dry patch to remove oil from the gas tube and the piston before next shooting. In fact, i leave so few oil in gas tube and barrel than i can shoot the rifle anytime, The metal really only need a smear trace of oil to protect from rust,i dont leave in a humid climate so seems to work well for me but your milage may vary.
funnel used to flush the bore
A bit of water will rinse the gas port well.
In fact, that procedure is way longer to write than actually do it. Its matter of wash,dry,use bore cleaner and/or oil.
About lubrication, the sks dont need lube to work unlike many others rifles. All that said, fews drops of oil never hurt but for me less is better. To be noted that in winter, i keep the rifle oil free so nothing will get frozy. In the next pics, that's where i like to use oil and only 1 or 2 drops are enough. I use regular gun oil. Note that the gas system should be kept dry.
Mounting point of the gas tube
Piston extension and spring,recoil spring
bolt
bolt carrier side groove
hammer face
Hammer spring,hammer pivot,sear/mag catch spring,trigger pin and trigger spring.
That's it! Hope you enjoyed
Joce
