SKS "slamfire" potential question? Fact or fiction? Discussion with range officer.

[40SW]

I am very interested in hearing the experience others have had with this. Let me start of by saying that I am a huge collector of Soviet Bloc era mil surp, especially Simonov variants, Russian, Rumanian, Chinese, I don't care, I love them all. I was with a group of friends plinking at the 50 yard line at my local outdoor range when a range officer came up to me and asked me to chat with him. Let me also say that I am a regular there and the guy was very polite. My question is whether its fact or fiction.
He said that I should be very careful with accelerated shots since the simonovs are know to go into "slamfire" conditions. (full auto).
I said that I was aware of that and I know its a free floating firing pin and that I remove the cosmoline everytime I purchase one.
He said it did not matter that I cleaned the bolt assembly everytime I purchase a new to me example and remove the cosmoline, he said that I should not accelerate shots and that I should field strip the bolt each time I clean it since the cosmoline from other sections can sink in.
I said that I field stripped the whole rifle upon purchasing it and its not necessary to field strip the whole bolt assembly only after 50 rds of plinking. I am as anal retentive as the next guy about cleaning, but 50 rds, give me a break? the question is who is right, he or I?

 

[chris in va]

Information like this floats around on the 'net and people take it as a common occurrance. Should have asked him if he's personally ever seen it happen.

FWIW my Saiga also has the same firing pin setup and they're not known for slam fires.

EDIT: Slamfire doesn't necessarily mean full auto, just unintentional discharge. Could be one round or all 10.

 

[MCgunner]

I've got two SKS rifles. I can't pull the bolt out of one without pulling the scope mount off and I ain't doin' that. I've never had a slam fire. But, I have noticed tiny indents on commecial primers after extracting unfired rounds. Don't see that on military stuff, though, tougher primers I guess. The dent is tiny and doesn't concern me. If you follow the safety rules, even if you get a slam fire, it'll just scare you. But, no, I don't worry about it. I am a stickler for cleaning guns, but like I say, I don't pull the bolt on the rifle to clean. Ain't had a problem with it, yet.

 

[40SW]

Thats exactly why I did not adopt it as gospel. I simply don't know. I have never had it happen and don't know of anyone else to whom it has.

 

[Obiwan]

I have had both an SKS and a 49/56 "double off" or "triple off"

In the case of the SKS....a thorough cleaning and careful lubrication with complete diassembly of the bolt eliminated the issue

 

[40SW]

What about frequency of bolt assembly/dissasembly/cleaning. Certainly not every 50 rds. My range sessions with the SKS are generally 50-75 rds and not more. I would say every 250 rds is reasonable? thoughts?

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I had an sks triple on me one time and has never done it since. Here are the details. I bought it "new" and cleaned all cosmoline out of it including the firing pin channel. After about 500 rounds of firing dirty wolf and milsurp without cleaning the firing pin channel it tripled on federal ammo. I immediately stripped it down and found that there was just enough crud to jam up the firing pin. I also suspect the primer seal (the red looking stuff around the primer and cartridge neck on milspec ammo) had melted and run into the channel contributing to it. It has not done anything like that since.

 

[cracked butt]

The RO was full of hot air. A sks can slamfire uncontrollably if the firing pin channel is completely gummed up while shooting ammo with soft primers, or more likely if the firing pin is installed backwards.

You should have let him know that M1s,M1As, Ar-15s, and Aks all have free-floating firing pins and can slamfire as well. Tell him to save his know-it-all lecture for everyone else who brings a semi-auto to the range.

BTW, I'm never had my sks double on me, but My M1 garand has done it once.

 

[foghornl]

Just about any semi-auto is capable of a "Slam Fire". As long as you clean out the firing pin channel very well the first time, and every so often after that (Certainly NOT every 50 rounds, unless your propellant/primer is 50% molasses & super glue!) you will be fine.

 

[LeibstandarteAdH]

the only thing thats ever doubbled on me was an open bolt NFA sten with weak american ammo that would not latch the bolt and sear all the way back all the time. Never "ran away" just would doubble tap every now and then on semi.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Clean those bolts and pins real good, I did it by soaking in diesel fuel and blowing out with air.

It is something happening because of dirt and not a free cycling pin.

 

[40SW]

I am using the Wolf Military Classic 124 gr. 7.62x39. Its very filthy I am sure, but I think I will be safe on a 250 round cleaning cycle. By the way, I keep track of the number and type of ammunition through every firearm that I have and I use Excell spreadsheets. Yes, I have ocd and am very anal retentive. I like structure and order. LOL

 

[grimjaw]

I'm going to go out on a limb here.

I would say that the SKS, with its free-floating firing pin (much like several other designs), is more prone to slamfires in the event that the firing pin gets stuck forward. A THR member had a similar thing happen using a Makarov with a stuck firing pin. However, the instances I've heard of (hearsay) with SKSs were in conjunction with American-made 7.62x39, which has somewhat softer primers than imported 7.62x39.

The SKSs I have tend to dimple the primer on chambering a round. On firing, I've had primer hits on 7.62x39 (Golden Tiger) hard enough to pierce the primer altogether, but I've never had a slamfire out of an SKS. That's close to 5000 rounds and several different rifles.

jm

 

[40SW]

Excellent image, that sure helps pronounce it.

 

[Mr White]

I had an SKS slamfire on me a few weeks ago. The gun didn't have cosmo in it. It had been thoroughly cleaned years ago when I bought it and a few times per year since then.

The gun had sat in the safe for probably 9 months and the first time I let the bolt go, on a loaded magazine, a shot fired. After that, it was fine.

I don't know if maybe dry firing it too many times made the FP stick forward or what, but I read that the taper on the front of the FP and the matching taper in the bolt made the gun susceptible to this type of slamfire.

 

[MechAg94]

Never had one, but I cleaned the bolt until it rattled when I shook it.

The M1A and Garand will dent primers also.

 

[blackhawk2000]

One of mine was doubling, and tripling, but the trigger was screwed up. It was most definately NOT a slam fire.

 

[Noxx]

My russian SKS would double off pretty frequently, despite cleaning. I installed a $35 aftermarket pin with a spring and it took care of it. In hindsight I'd guess that the actual metal of the pin was rough and hanging up at the pinch point in the bolt, but who knows.

 

[Average Joe]

I own 3 SKS rifles, and shoot them often...When I clean them after each use, I make sure I can hear the firing pin rattle loosely, I have never had a slam fire.

 

[jpwilly]

I have a Yugo SKS that "almost" slam fired! The fireing pin got stuck right around 200rnds with a HOT gun. Cosmoline had gummed up the free floading fireing pin into the forward "fire" position. We saw this when the rifle didn't go into battery fully and opened up the bolt. Fortunately the rifle didn't fire.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Clean out that area of the bolt that holds the pin. I is important for that unit for sure.

 

[Nautilus]

I've had slam fires with two of my sks's. I strip & clean the bolt/firing pin every 500-750 rounds (using wolf)

 

[doc2rn]

I have done it with a Marlin Model 60 after an all day plinking session with friends. Must have gone through 3000+ before it happened. We cleaned it and went right back to killin varmints. I think any semi- can do this.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

A few years ago (back when you could get 1000 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39 for $70) I had a Yugo SKS. I would shoot several hundred rounds out of it each time I brought it to the range and then clean it at home. No problems except my M39 Mosin Nagant was much more accurate so I bought some Federal American Eagle 7.62x39 ammo hoping for some more consistancy out of the SKS.

One day, I fired over 200 rounds of the Wolf stuff and them loaded up with the American Eagle (which BTW was much more accurate out of my SKS). Rounds 1-8 fired just fine, but when I pulled the trigger for round 9, two rounds went off and then the bolt locked back on the now empty magazine. I was a bit startled, but luckily both rounds went straight downrange and actually the two holes were touching at 50 yards.

I again made sure the rifle was empty and then put it away. When I got home to inspect it, the firing pin channel was gummed up a bit with the red sealant from the Wolf ammo and so I blasted it with brake cleaner whereas before I had used CLP. I had heard the AE ammo used softer primers (no way for me to confirm) so I simply quit using the stuff even though it was much more accurate. The problem never returned but after a couple more cases of the inaccurate Wolf ammo I got bored with the rifle and sold it.

The most I had shot out of the SKS in one day that I remember was 320 rounds of Wolf and I had no problems other than getting the barrel really hot.

 

[asknight]

I had a Norinco that would double every once in awhile, but only with American made Winchester and Remington. The pin channel was spotless and the pin rattled freely. I cured the doubling with a Murray firing pin rebound spring installation.