I made up a batch of ammo for my SKS and found that it had a real tendancy to slam fire. It never slam fires with the MilSurp I normally feed it. I'm told my primers might be shock sensitive. Does anyone have some suggestions with regard to which primers are OK in an SKS?
SKS Proof Primers
- Thread starter MAJONES
- Start date
Clean your gun better. Disassemble the bolt and make sure the firing pin channel is nice and clean. I use qtips with some cleaner on em.
Also if you want suggestions on an alternative brand of primers, it would help if we know what you used in the first place.
Unless you are making hunting ammo it's not very cost effective to reload for the sks anyways...
Also if you want suggestions on an alternative brand of primers, it would help if we know what you used in the first place.
Unless you are making hunting ammo it's not very cost effective to reload for the sks anyways...
I copy what you guys are saying ref the bolt and pin. I fully strip it after every session. The pin comes out and gets cleaned, the channel is swabbed, brushed and flushed. I've never had a slam fire with Milsurp, yet I put 5 rounds of home rolled into a freshly cleaned rifle and 3 rounds go down the tube with one pull of the trigger. I'm using CCI large rifle primers.
I also copy your remarks ref cost. Some of the ranges around here aren't to big on the Milsurp.
There is the option of the murray spring-loaded firing pin, but I hear it has its own host of problems. Light strikes on milsurp primers, and a firing pin thats prone to breaking.
By saying your range doesn't like milsurp, I assume you mean they dont like either steel core or steel jacketed bullets?? You could make some mexican match ammo then - pull the milsurp bullet and replace it with something else. Keep the powder/primer/case from the milsurp.
By saying your range doesn't like milsurp, I assume you mean they dont like either steel core or steel jacketed bullets?? You could make some mexican match ammo then - pull the milsurp bullet and replace it with something else. Keep the powder/primer/case from the milsurp.
gewehr76
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
When I reloaded for my SKS, I used Large Magnum Winchester primers, never had any problems. Magnum primers have thicker cup and thus much more resistant to the impact of the FP of SKS. Primers have to be seated below the face of the cartridge. If they are flush or protrude abofe the face of the cartridge then they would be struck as soon as the FP will come in contact. When primers are seated to proper depth, during chambering of the round the FP will have an angle to sort of glance over the primer, while cartridge continues to glide in to the chamber, thus preventing a slam fire. If primer is seated high, that angle is taken away and by the time the cartridge is chambered the pin already came in contact with it and slamfire occur.
My advise is, change for mag primers and discard brass that does not allow you to seat primers below the face of the cartridge.
Oh clean your primer pockets before priming, this helps too.
G76
My advise is, change for mag primers and discard brass that does not allow you to seat primers below the face of the cartridge.
Oh clean your primer pockets before priming, this helps too.
G76
Get yourself a primer pocket uniformer - I like the sinclair one that can be chucked in a drill.
It'll mill your pockets to the correct depth to get them seated below flush.
I do this for my 7.62nato ammo
CCI primers are all that I use in rifle. Sometimes others, but never Federal.
It'll mill your pockets to the correct depth to get them seated below flush.
I do this for my 7.62nato ammo
CCI primers are all that I use in rifle. Sometimes others, but never Federal.
If you had said Federal primer, i would not have been surprised. But CCI - that is a surprise.
Since you get so many of them, you are in a good position to isolate the problem.
Load 10 or 20 of the usual components, and then make 10 or 20 of some variations, with only one change per variation.
Try some Russian primers. Canada Ammo sells Dominion. They might be harder.
try a magnum primer. it might be harder.
Do you have a uniforming tool? It spins in the pocket, reaming out the bottom a bit, allowing the primers to sit a bit deeper.
Slam fires are not good. They can cause a kaboom.
As for the compression discussion - yes, primers can be set off by compression. I set off a primer in my Lee AutroPrime. Blew the tool to pieces and put some bits into my gut, through a flannel shirt.
I sweep up my loading room floor after each session, but during the session there can be a lot of live and dead primers on the concrete. When my office chair wheels run over a live primer, they sometimes fire.
The AutoPrime incident was a federal large pistol primer. I know Lee says don't use federal primers. I guess I just had to prove it to myself. And the primers on the floor going bang only happens when I am working with Federal primers.
Since you get so many of them, you are in a good position to isolate the problem.
Load 10 or 20 of the usual components, and then make 10 or 20 of some variations, with only one change per variation.
Try some Russian primers. Canada Ammo sells Dominion. They might be harder.
try a magnum primer. it might be harder.
Do you have a uniforming tool? It spins in the pocket, reaming out the bottom a bit, allowing the primers to sit a bit deeper.
Slam fires are not good. They can cause a kaboom.
As for the compression discussion - yes, primers can be set off by compression. I set off a primer in my Lee AutroPrime. Blew the tool to pieces and put some bits into my gut, through a flannel shirt.
I sweep up my loading room floor after each session, but during the session there can be a lot of live and dead primers on the concrete. When my office chair wheels run over a live primer, they sometimes fire.
The AutoPrime incident was a federal large pistol primer. I know Lee says don't use federal primers. I guess I just had to prove it to myself. And the primers on the floor going bang only happens when I am working with Federal primers.
I guess I'm lucky that I ended up with an SKS with factory spring loaded firing pin. From my reading they only made them in Russia until sometime in 1950.
Are all the primers that cause slam fires from the same lot numbers? I haven't heard of any problems with CCI primers but maybe there is something wrong with the lot or your specific package? Try a different lot to see if they still cause it.
Is all the brass FL sized all the way? Maybe if they are too long to the shoulder they are stopping the bolt too early or something?
Is it possible the trigger is somehow tripping and firing when the bolt closes? It would be very difficult to tell since it would happen in a fraction of a second.
If you took the anvil and priming compound out of a primer and seated just the cup into a case you might be able to see how badly it's denting/striking the primers in order to set them off. The primer not going off would leave the cup pretty much exactly as it is when struck. Just a thought.
Are all the primers that cause slam fires from the same lot numbers? I haven't heard of any problems with CCI primers but maybe there is something wrong with the lot or your specific package? Try a different lot to see if they still cause it.
Is all the brass FL sized all the way? Maybe if they are too long to the shoulder they are stopping the bolt too early or something?
Is it possible the trigger is somehow tripping and firing when the bolt closes? It would be very difficult to tell since it would happen in a fraction of a second.
If you took the anvil and priming compound out of a primer and seated just the cup into a case you might be able to see how badly it's denting/striking the primers in order to set them off. The primer not going off would leave the cup pretty much exactly as it is when struck. Just a thought.
