Hakim Problem

[Domino]

I took out my dad's Hakim today and ran into problems. More powerfull ammunition would tend to expand greatly in the chamber and cause extraction failures, which leads my dad to believe that it is a headspace problem. He believes that the use of old surplus 8mm that fired fine and functioned when he first got the Hakim was the culprit. He noticed that firing the same ammunition in a mauser would nearly make it inoperable due to the high pressures, and he thinks that ammunition might have damaged the Hakim after about 200 rounds or so. My question is how can I check the headspace and what kind of gauge do I need? Do these symptoms point to a headspace problem or something else, and how can I fix it? This was my first time shooting the gun and I actually really liked it. It is powerful, extremely loud, and quite accurate (some groups were under 1" at 80 yards) so I would like to make it a good shooter. Any advice would most certainly be appreciated.

 

[Domino]

No ideas?

 

[P95Carry]

I was half hoping another Hakim afficionado would slip by ... I have one of these but am not as aux fait with them as some.

I use Turk surp ammo in mine but many warn me to only use the lower load ammo like Romanian is it .. Chzec? I keep my gas setting at lowest possible ... which for this ammo is first notch ... and it does not seem to beat up the gun or give any probs over chambering, extraction etc. (yet!).

Re the headspace question ... no idea right now. Maybe post this question in Gunsmithing .. see if any responses. Sorry not more help.

 

[Domino]

Thanks for the reply P95carry, I am glad to see other Hakim owners out there. So far, I like what the Hakim has to offer but mine doesn't seem to give the results I want. They seem kinda like an Egyptian BAR or something and I like that. Anyways, I fear my dad might have ruined it with surplus machine gun ammo which would stink because they are much more expensive than they used to be. Oh well, good luck with yours and do be careful with that Turk ammo.

Just for you information you can get Olympic (Greek) or FNM (Portuguese) new production ammo for around $5 per box of 20. Midway has the Olympic and Cole Distributing has the FNM. Both of these should be milder than the Czech made Sellier & Bellot which is quite powerful. The 198g FMJ chronographed at nearly 2600 fps! The Greek and Portuguese should be a little closer to 2300-2400 so you might have to adjust your gas setting to get it to function properly. My Hakim was VERY accurate with the the S&B so I would recommend trying some better ammo just to see what it will do. Thanks again!