explain the AK-47 bolt

[walking arsenal]

I was going to buy an extra firing pin for my romanian sar 1 AK-47 but ive found two kinds. a floating pin and a spring loaded one.

im a little confused.

if the pin is free floating how does it keep from firing when the bolt slams home?

dont all pins have a spring in front of them to keep them back?

 

[ny32182]

No... all AR-15 pins are free floated. Some AK pins are; others aren't. My VEPR's pin is spring loaded, but my buddy's SA M-7 pin is free floated.

All my rifles, free floated or spring loaded, leave a slight intertia impact on the primer when they chamber a round.

 

[xdoctor]

I have two AK variants with free floating pins. They're nothing to worry about, I've never had an accidental disacharge because of one.

 

[Roadkill]

The free floating firing pin is one reason chambers have to be kept clean and primers are deep seated. I've had two slam fires with AR15s, I don't recommend chambering a round inside a house or anywhere you don't want a sudden hole. Just for fun, chamber a round next time out, eject it and look at the primer. I've ssen them from my Garand that can't understand why they didn't go off. If you insert a round in the chamber and let bolt slam home they might go off, the drag of the round being stripped from the magazine slows it down. If you get a slam fire with the round not completely seated in the chamber and the bolt not locked then it real gets nasty.

rk

 

[1911user]

Floating firing pins are common on military designed weapons. This is why military ammo uses "hard" primers. The primer will get a tiny hit every time it is loaded into the chamber just from the impact of the firing pin slamming forward when the bolt closes.

CCI makes mil-hardness primers in large and small rifle sizes (#41 and #34 IIRC). They cost about $2 more per thousand, but are cheap insurance when reloading for mil-spec rifles.

 

[Drue]

I agree with 1911 user. I have had a couple of slam fires in my SKS with reloads with regular Rem LR primers. The SKS has a free floating pin. I have used the CCI "hard" primers and have had no trouble. With all of the surplus and cheap Russian ammo available I have not loaded 7.62x39 in a long time. I have never had trouble with this ammo. A lot of ammo, reloaded with Win SR primers has gone through my AR without any problems. The SKS firing pin must be heavier.

Drue

 

[beerslurpy]

My crystal ball says that the russian ammo manufacturers are loading to military specs with hard primers.

Given the weapons that use it, loading that cartridge with regular primers would be a foolish idea. Probably 99.99999 percent of guns in that caliber are semi or fully automatic. I would imagine that being smacked pretty hard by a bolt and then by the loose firing pin are something the round would just have to accept without going off.

As long as the firing pin doesnt lock in the forward position after firing, I dont think you will have problems.

 

[Ivy Mike]

SKS also tend to be soaked in cosmoline.
There is a story floating around about a man who bought an SKS, inserted a 30rd duckbill mag (fully loaded) and let the bolt slam home...and placed 30 holes in his refrigerator.

Regardless, hard primers are teh win.

 

[MagnumCaliber357]

stupid commie grease