Question about the AK-47

[Shadow Man]

I was recently giving some thought to purchasing a semi-automatic AK-47 type rifle, when I ran across this:

"The firing pin is free-floating -- there is no spring to hold it retracted until the hammer falls. Consequently, if one manually cycles live rounds through the AK-47, one will observe light indentations on the primers where the firing pit hit against them as the action closed. Consequently, it is inadvisable to chamber live rounds unless you are prepared for the possibility of the weapon firing when you do so."

Now, I do not plan on sitting in my living room and manually cycling hundreds of rounds through an AK, but it gave me pause. If I have a fully loaded magazine in the weapon and go to cycle the action, is there a chance that the weapon could in fact discharge a round? A ND is not something I want to occur, and now I am curious about this. If I have a round in the chamber, do I have to baby the weapon for fear it could just fire a round? I have never heard of an AK firing because it was dropped, or otherwise knocked about. If you can shed any light on the subject, I would gratefully appreciate it.

 

[chevyforlife21]

i have heard of that but you wont see any dent at all if you do it at least with wolf ammo.

 

[cbrgator]

It's possible in lots of guns. It's far more dependent on how hard/soft the primer is on the chambered round than on the firing pin. AR's leave small indentations on primers as well but the chance of a ND is very slim. Does it happen? Sure. You aren't likely to have a problem, but it's not impossible.

 

[RatDrall]

I challenge you to find someone, out of the tens of thousands of AK owners, who has actually had this happen.

I bet that you can't fine a single first person account, although you may find a few "my cousin knows a guy who's brother's dad's uncle did it" that actually read about it on the internet.

 

[Shadow Man]

That is extremely comforting gentlemen, thank you much.

 

[benEzra]

Just use ammunition with the correct (hard) primers. If you handloaded 7.62x39mm with super-soft Western primers and then cycled a bunch of them repeatedly through the action, you might get a slamfire, although it would be more likely to happen with an SKS than an AK. I personally have never seen an AK slamfire, and I shoot one a fair amount.

If you use Russian ammunition and don't cycle the same round into the chamber over and over, you shouldn't have any problem at all.

 

[Shadow Man]

benEzra: So Wolf ammo should be fine? It sells fairly cheap, and I am not made of money, especially not these days...

I don't handload for any of my AR's, so I doubt I would for the AK. Glad to hear that about the SKS though, it was my fall-back weapon if the AK rumor was true.

 

[delta5]

This is more likely to happen with an SKS that is not cleaned properly..

 

[Zeke/PA]

Myself and my Grandsons have shot tons of Wolf ammo thru my SAR1 with no problems whatever.
It all started when we were buying Wolf rounds for $75.00 / thousand.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

More info. Most factory and military ammo is loaded with the appropriate "hard" primers to prevent slam fires. CCI makes the mil-spec primers for reloading of reloadable 7.62x39 cases. And one AK variant, the Chinese AK-47S, did come with a spring loaded firing pin bolt (IIRC), but it is rare and expensive. 99% of the AK's and AKM's are the standard floating firing pin, and as many have stated, although it CAN happen, by and large, it doesn't.

 

[chevyforlife21]

yea wolf ammo will be fine. its fine in an sks cycleing maunally.

 

[HardShell]

I own many semi AKs and have never had this happen, personally. But...

This is more likely to happen with an SKS that is not cleaned properly..

... yep, I have had a dirty SKS slam-fire on me.

 

[bri]

I've never experienced a ND, for any reason at all, after 1000's of rounds through an AK clone.

I wouldn't think twice about it, pick up your AK clone, be safe and have fun.

 

[rizbunk77]

negative, the firing pin is spring loaded on all my ak's. You have received bogus information.

 

[carbine85]

chevyforlife21 yea wolf ammo will be fine. its fine in an sks cycleing maunally.
Wrong. The SKS is known for slam firing. Mine has done so twice with the a clean bolt, spring and wolf ammo. I no longer allow the bolt to go home by just releasing the slide.
You have to check the length of the firing pin in the AK and SKS.

 

[zoom6zoom]

it is inadvisable to chamber live rounds unless you are prepared for the possibility of the weapon firing when you do so."

Basically one of the four rules, eh?

 

[Ian]

negative, the firing pin is spring loaded on all my ak's. You have received bogus information.

While a few makes of AK do have spring-loaded firing pins (like .223 Norincos), most don't.

 

[briansmithwins]

As was pointed out, the AR15 also doesn't have a spring loaded firing pin and will dent primers also. My Arsenal SLR107FR has a spring loaded firing pin and my AES-10B does not. I've never had a AD with either.

Ideally, you should always load any weapon with it pointed into something that will stop the bullet. Never cover the muzzle with anything you aren't willing to see destroyed. BSW

 

[mljdeckard]

+1 for the SKS being more likely. More than once I've ejected unfired rounds with dents in the primer. I'm going to get one of the Tapco bolts with the sprung firing pins.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Now, I do not plan on sitting in my living room and manually cycling hundreds of rounds through an AK,

That is how you are SUPPOSED to watch Red Dawn!

Mythbusters tried to get several SKSs to do what you mention and eventually resorted to using explosives to make it happen. I wouldn't worry about it at all with an AK. I'd be more worried about it with an AR but only if you are handloading with some uber-soft primers.

 

[femoralis]

If I were you, I would keep ANY gun pointed in a safe direction when chambering.

Machines break, and it is better that they be handled safely, rather than count on them always working the way they should.

 

[rizbunk77]

never owned a 223 norinco, but all my ak's have spring loaded firing pins. I think this may be a bunch of folks posting with no knowledge of their rifles. Take the bolt out of the bolt carrier and push on the back of it. If it is spring loaded it will push back.

 

[Sam1911]

I think this may be a bunch of folks posting with no knowledge of their rifles.

I'm certain you don't mean to offend, but there are a lot of knowledgable folks here at THR. This isn't gun-kindergarten. Some contruibutors have probably seen some things that you haven't.

If they tell you that a few AKs have spring loaded firing pins and a lot of them don't you should probably be happy in that you've learned something new.

For my small part I'll say I currently have two Kalashnikov rifles I built, personally, from Romanian and Bulgarian military parts kits. Neither features a spring-loaded firing pin.

-Sam

 

[highorder]

rizbunk77,

what makes and models of AK variants do you have, for information's sake?

 

[RobMoore]

Happened with an AK [ ]
Happened with dirty SKS [ X ]