SKS Spring firing pin.
- Thread starter Mermaniel
- Start date
boltonscouter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- parts unknown
If you keep your bolt & firing pin clean (& dry) so that it rattles around freely you shouldn't need the spring loaded one!
Word on the street is spring loaded firing pins can have issues striking primers hard enough with certain ammo.. Keep the firing pin floating and the gun will be reliable as tits.. If the SKS was meant to have a springloaded firing pin it would have had one from the factory. Take that $35 and put it towards either ammo or towards a tech sight..
The first years of the SKS had spring loaded firing pins. it was mid 51 they switched to a non-spring loaded design.
I have the spring kit from Murrays and have had no FTF with russian, czech surplus or home-rolled. the spring pressure is minimal really. should measure it but... have you ever had your finger between the disconnect and the hammer when you are firing the trigger assy?
the only time i have had FTF is when i tried to lighten the hammer spring to get a lighter trigger... bad move.
that said, as boultonscouter stated, if you keep it clean (so it rattles up and down when you shake it) you are good to go.
get yourself some pressurized cleaner like crude cutter and don't be afraid to pull that thing apart (firing pin assy) for a cleaning.
cheers and enjoy your SKS!!!
I have the spring kit from Murrays and have had no FTF with russian, czech surplus or home-rolled. the spring pressure is minimal really. should measure it but... have you ever had your finger between the disconnect and the hammer when you are firing the trigger assy?
the only time i have had FTF is when i tried to lighten the hammer spring to get a lighter trigger... bad move.
that said, as boultonscouter stated, if you keep it clean (so it rattles up and down when you shake it) you are good to go.
get yourself some pressurized cleaner like crude cutter and don't be afraid to pull that thing apart (firing pin assy) for a cleaning.
cheers and enjoy your SKS!!!
pin spring
i tend to agree with you on this one
if the spring was so important for solving slam fire problems,
why did they not put it back in?
i'm no expert but it would seem to me that the spring itself
would crud up faster than the pin all alone.
i hav'nt fired my sks yet but i've fired other ones in the
past and hav'nt seen this problem
i tend to agree with you on this one
if the spring was so important for solving slam fire problems,
why did they not put it back in?
i'm no expert but it would seem to me that the spring itself
would crud up faster than the pin all alone.
i hav'nt fired my sks yet but i've fired other ones in the
past and hav'nt seen this problem
Ive fired SKS's with the bolt full of cosmo with no slamfires, I put about 200 rds. thru it without issues at all. The spring they use is very weak and would simply serve to prolong a slamfire a tiny bit longer than a floating pin would. It takes alot of crap in there to actually jam the firing pin in place, believe me. The pin in the rifle I mentioned was not sprung and would not move via shaking whatsoever, the spring would have had trouble moving it. Your more likely to have a slamfire issue occur from improperly hardened or out of spec parts. The spring kit is a waste of money IMO, I base that off of the decision of the Red Army to drop the spring from SKS production and personal experience. Hard primers and a heavy hammer spring prevent firing pin issues. Just clean it and your good to go. Some people will tell you not to oil it for whatever reason. I can tell you Ive always oiled mine and again, zero issues even in sub zero temperatures after hundreds of rds. between cleanings
haretrigger
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
Not worth it at all.
The first newbie "upgrade" I decided to make to my SKS was the aftermarket springed pin, to make it safer
Had nothing but problems after installing the Murray pin on a perfectly functioning 1956 Russian SKS. The springed pin actually caused damage to the bolt face of my gun which created fail to fire issues, by creating a ridge around the firing pin hole on the bolt face. This idea of needing to change the pin is nonsense - If your going to go to the extent of disassembling the bolt in the first place (to install the pin), you may as well clean the heck out of the firing pin channel with brake cleaner, rubbing alcohol or some other degreaser and give it a scrub with a pipe cleaner. A important thing to note is avoid oiling the pin and channel to reduce powder residue and gummed up oil from collecting which could potentially cause the issues that so many seem to think is a problem. When you reassemble the bolt you should be able to hear the firing pin rattle freely when you shake the bolt.
Of course, YMMV.
The first newbie "upgrade" I decided to make to my SKS was the aftermarket springed pin, to make it safer
Had nothing but problems after installing the Murray pin on a perfectly functioning 1956 Russian SKS. The springed pin actually caused damage to the bolt face of my gun which created fail to fire issues, by creating a ridge around the firing pin hole on the bolt face. This idea of needing to change the pin is nonsense - If your going to go to the extent of disassembling the bolt in the first place (to install the pin), you may as well clean the heck out of the firing pin channel with brake cleaner, rubbing alcohol or some other degreaser and give it a scrub with a pipe cleaner. A important thing to note is avoid oiling the pin and channel to reduce powder residue and gummed up oil from collecting which could potentially cause the issues that so many seem to think is a problem. When you reassemble the bolt you should be able to hear the firing pin rattle freely when you shake the bolt.
Of course, YMMV.
Have you ever taken it apart fully and cleaned all the cosmoline out from inside? Once you do that its really just a matter of using solvent and oil after you clean.. I've never had an issue because if theres no cosmo left you have next to no chance of it ever gumming up because chances are if you're firing surplus you're cleaning after you fire anyways..
haretrigger
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
A light oiling won't hurt. Just avoid over doing it! Just wipe it with a oily patch. You don't want so much oil that you can see drips of it forming.
I suspect the SKS designers never imagined use of the product with north american ammo or reloads with such as federal primers(more sensitive). Suspect most slamfires involve that condition, or dropping the bolt on a cartridge without feed from the mag.
- Location
- In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
SKS Firing Pin spring needed?
No! Have two Tulas, '51 & '53 and no need.
No! Have two Tulas, '51 & '53 and no need.
