Has anyone else had problems with "enhanced" SKS firing pins and Tulammo?

[EVEgreen2001]

I bought my Chinese SKS at a gun show in November 2011. I disassembled it asap and found a firing pin that was different from the original type. I later came to find out that it was a Murray's "enhanced" pin. I went to clean my boltafter a weekend of shooting and found the pin had snapped in two and the pin spring was jammed up inside. That very last weekend of shooting, I used 20 Winchester rounds (flawless) and 20 Tulammo rounds (2-3 cycles each before firing). I even stopped halfway through those and finished the Wins' with no issues. I also found two "popped primers that fell out of my bolt" I just recently orderd two original type pins. No more Tulammo or aftermarket pins.

 

[Sky]

One of our guys had a problem with his but I do not think the pin was broken. Do a search on the SKS threads or the Murray enhanced pin and you might find something.

 

[HJ857]

I had a very similar problem a number of years ago. The spring basically crumbled in to a mess inside the pin channel and it's been a little rough in the channel ever since. As long as you clean the cosmoline out of the pin channel, the Murray pin is a waste of money in my opinion.

 

[dprice3844444]

google "sks firing pin problems"

 

[EVEgreen2001]

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/533148_10150644114677691_651262690_9785933_632920554_n.jpg

Here is a picture of what happened to that firing pin. On the shop rag there, you can see the pin, what's left of the spring (had to use a round file to get it out), and the two popped primers (on top).

 

[EVEgreen2001]

I will post a range report with the new pins asap.

 

[pseudonymity]

I can understand the caution about Tulammo (although a SKS will eat just about anything), but Murrays has always been pretty stand up about replacing any part that is defective as far as I have seen. Seems like the spring is something that I have seen mentioned over on Survivors SKS board and Murrays always seems to send another piece out no questions asked.

Do you know which ammo popped the primers? When you had to cycle the Tulammo 2-3, do you mean it took 2-3 firing pins strikes to ignite? If you can not ignite Tulammo regularly but can get Win commercial to fire I think you may have the lower power Wolff hammer spring as well as the Murray firing pin. I do not think a Murray firing pin would cause the FTF with Tulammo, but the Wolff lower power spring is known to cause issues with harder milsurp or imported berdan primers.

The Murray pin definitely has its place, especially if you plan on shooting commercial boxer primed ammo. Those SKS firing pins have a fair bit of mass and the commercial boxer primers are relatively soft. I am not sure that a clean bolt will slamfire even with commercial primers, but the Murray spring loaded pin certainly reduces those chances I think.

 

[clone]

You have the right idea, toss the Murray firing pin and get an original. As long as you clean your rifle(firing pin channel to) once in a while there is no problem. I have had no problems firing boxer primed ammunition with the original firing pin in either of my SKS's.

 

[carbine85]

That snapped in an area of stress and it looks like a heat treatment problem. I would ask for a replacement.
I also recommend keeping the spring loaded pin. The SKS has more slam fire problems than people want to admit. They are great guns and lot of fun but they aren't the safest around either.