DontBurnMyFlag
Member
Hey everyone,
I own a standard PTR-91 GI model and had a peculiar problem the other day. The charging handle spring started to protrude from the handle itself. This was clearly due to a mangled spring. (The charging handle was always more difficult to manipulate than a usual PTR so I assumed it was either due to a gritty spring or some other issue. Now I know it was this chewed up and bent spring.)
It made the rifle almost impossible to charge and wouldn't allow it to close fully on an empty or full chamber. On a loaded magazine, the round would chamber but there would be about 1/4 inch gap preventing it from closing all the way. This all seemed in relation to the fact that the charging handle would not collapse into its regular position with the broken spring. On an empty chamber, the bolt would close in the normal position.
So I ordered a new spring from HKParts and assume this will fix the problem.
An inspection of the rifle showed no additional issues of concern. A Magpul PRS stock was just recently installed but the buffer and all other parts were installed correctly and function tested. And several rounds were fired before the spring became an issue. So the rifle is functional.
I understand a little bit about the bolt gap issues and how to check for the problem. However this is the first issue with the rifle I had, and it has fired flawlessly until now. I have seen nothing that indicates a bolt gap issue although I havent done the dime test or anything yet.
So my question to any HK aficionados is this: is this a common problem that is easily fixed? Or should I begin looking for other issues with the rifle? The spring arrives tomorrow. I will clean the weapon, install the spring, and hope for the best. Anything else I should consider?
Thanks in advance for your help with this issue.
I own a standard PTR-91 GI model and had a peculiar problem the other day. The charging handle spring started to protrude from the handle itself. This was clearly due to a mangled spring. (The charging handle was always more difficult to manipulate than a usual PTR so I assumed it was either due to a gritty spring or some other issue. Now I know it was this chewed up and bent spring.)
It made the rifle almost impossible to charge and wouldn't allow it to close fully on an empty or full chamber. On a loaded magazine, the round would chamber but there would be about 1/4 inch gap preventing it from closing all the way. This all seemed in relation to the fact that the charging handle would not collapse into its regular position with the broken spring. On an empty chamber, the bolt would close in the normal position.
So I ordered a new spring from HKParts and assume this will fix the problem.
An inspection of the rifle showed no additional issues of concern. A Magpul PRS stock was just recently installed but the buffer and all other parts were installed correctly and function tested. And several rounds were fired before the spring became an issue. So the rifle is functional.
I understand a little bit about the bolt gap issues and how to check for the problem. However this is the first issue with the rifle I had, and it has fired flawlessly until now. I have seen nothing that indicates a bolt gap issue although I havent done the dime test or anything yet.
So my question to any HK aficionados is this: is this a common problem that is easily fixed? Or should I begin looking for other issues with the rifle? The spring arrives tomorrow. I will clean the weapon, install the spring, and hope for the best. Anything else I should consider?
Thanks in advance for your help with this issue.