New AK-47 WASR a Complete Dud! Any Ideas?

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Bear2000

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I just bought five AK-47 WASRs for myself and other guys at the club from J&G. Package was about $515 after all fees/shipping/transfer etc - that included 500 rounds of Brown Bear.

Well, the mag went in okay, bolt racked okay, first round went off, then nothing. The - I think - Tapco trigger didn't reset, the second round didn't cycle and chamber, and repeated racking of the bolt didn't strip a round from the mag - got all messed up! Tried another magazine from another manufacturer, same thing. Field stripped and lubed, no dice. It just doesn't work in so many ways.

Any ideas? Maybe I got a bad one? J&G Sales was perplexed and may just offer an exchange if I can't get it worked out.
 
Did you REALLY hose out the firing pin channel with brake cleaner?

Huh? Umm, no? Should I?
 
Send it back. If Hadjis in the Hindu Kush can bang them out of scrap metal in a cave, then send yours back and have them replace it. I have a WASR (now for 2 years) and it shoots great-- not pretty, but it works-- and has never screwed me in probably 1500 or so rounds...
 
At one time that gun was packed in cosmoline. Maybe it was cleaned. Maybe it wasn't. But for some reason or other, that pin isn't hitting the primers hard enough. Russian ammo has hard primers. If the hammer is falling, but the primers aren't getting hit, you need to make sure that the firing pin is rattling freely back and forth in the bolt.
 
I'd at least try to fix or trouble-shoot it before shipping it back. They're easy to field strip and you'll learn things about the gun that you'll need later anyway.

You said it fired once. Did the bolt move at all? If it went off, but didn't cycle, maybe there's an issue with the gas port. Did the other four guns work OK?
Bob
 
When I used to live up the road from J&G a couple years ago I was in there several times a week. It's a good place with good people and I'm sure if you take it back to them and explain the problem they will offer you an exchange or refund. If I remember correctly they have a 30 day warranty on any firearm purchase.
 
+1 on folks saying that you need to remove cosmoline first.gas tube, firing pin chanel, recoil spring and rods. Could also be a problem of century (importer) not doing a good job enlarging the mag hole. If all else fails, just return it.
 
I agree with OrangePwrx9, it's worth field stripping and looking for the problem. And of course try commercial ammo to make sure it's not ammo related. I assume the other four work ok, can you compare against one of them? Maybe even swap parts to see if it's the bolt or something that would be easier to send in for repair. But then you have to worry about headspacing so maybe not a good idea if the bolt, but other parts aren't so critical.

The WASR I got three years ago has worked great since day one and most of them do. Just cleaned it and then tested all 5 magazines I have. I usually take it out with me every other time we go shooting. Great rifle.

Good luck with yours!
 
You have a place to get an AR including shipping and FFL fee for $515????? Most WASRs work great. You may have found the exeption. If a good cleaning doesn't work, send it back for a replacement.
 
First thing I'd check is that the mags are seating properly. If you've got surplus commie steel mags, they rarely have problems. Can't say the same for commercial aftermarket mags. Lubrication? I've found that AK newbies tend to under lubricate their AK's.
 
When my gun don't go bang, I throws it out the back door in the swamps. What be this gunsmithing thingy you all talks about?
 
Sounds like you're saying the charging handle was not forced back to reset the trigger, eject the spent round, and load a fresh one. The rifle went off so firing pin and trigger are probably OK. I would remove the gas tube and use the pin that comes in the cleaning kit to make sure the hole in the barrel or gas block are not clogged. Just guessing without seeing the rifle, it sounds like the problem is in the gas system, which on that gun is very simple. I'd bet it's something you can fix yourself. I know bad WASRs are out there, but everyone I know who has one, myself included, has had good performance from them.
 
send it to Jim Fuller at Rifle dynamics (he is the yoda of ak's) you will not think that it is the same ak when you get it back.
 
I had the same problem with a new Romanian AK-clone for the first hundred or so rounds. The rough finish on the rails and fire control group were causing the rifle to short stroke. Until the gun was broken in (yes, it needed to be broken in), the bolt carrier would not move sufficiently to the rear to reliably strip a round from the magazine or reset the trigger. A few more rounds and the gun now runs like it should.
 
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