Romanian PSL question

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Dazen

Dazen

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I was thinking about adding a Romanian PSL to my collection due to the fact that i have lots of 7.62x54r surplus ammo. I do understand that this ammo is corrosive and the rifle needs to be cleaned accordingly.I have never owned nor really cared to own a AK47 type rifle till now. So I was wondering how hard is it to strip down the gas system and would i need to wipe down the piston and gas tube with Windex or something similar right after shooting?Just how hard is corrosive ammo on the gas system of a rifle like this?
 
Dazen,

I have shot about 500 rounds through my PSL now and I think I have done a thorough gas tube cleaning twice. The corrosion is very light to mild. I use Corrosion X http://www.corrosionx.com/gun_use.html to clean the inner gas tube with a tooth brush. Breaking down the gas tube system is very easy, you may need some pliers until you burn off the cosmoline and be careful when removing the wood hand guards they are a bit delicate and can crack easily.
 
Tearing down the gas system was simple on mine. used a pair of needle nose pliers to move the lever that locks the gas tube otherwise very simple. I would hose my rifle down and then dry and oil (WD40) plus light grease on the right parts. Never had a hint of corrosion.
 
Hot soapy water on the bolt, gas piston, down the barrel and gas tube then clean with CLP and you won't have any problems with corrosion
 
Dazen, I bought my PSL about a year ago and it was my first AK. It's still my only AK, actually, although I am looking to add a Romanian WASR in 7.62x39 soon.

Anyway. When I got my PSL, I decided to strip it all apart. And this is what most impressed me about the AK design: I was able to take the rifle apart, down to the rivets, just by intuition. I didn't need to read the instruction manual. It's put together in such a simple and intuitive way.

You literally push a button at the rear of the receiver, and the receiver cover pops off. Then you just take out the mainspring, slide out the entire bolt carrier assembly (which includes the carrier, bolt, and piston).

With that out of the way you have free access to the breech, and you can clean breech-to-muzzle very easily.

That's all that is needed for regular cleaning. if you want to take it down further to clear out cosmoline and such, it's also extremely easy.

So: If you want a PSL, don't let concerns about cleaning/maintenance prevent you from getting one.
 
On my PSL I field strip it at the range and spray Windex down the barrel, gas system, and bolt while its still warm. The heat will evaporate any residule moisture left by the Windex. Then I wipe it down and run an oily patch down the barrel and gas tube. After I get it home, I give it a proper cleaning.

I have never had a problem with rust at all using this method even after letting my rifle sit a week before I clean it at home. The PSL is also easy to field strip and you shouldn't need any tools to do it. Also, don't leave oil in the gas system or it will carbon up and could choke off the gas bleed hole in the barrel.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! You all have helped me decided to take the plunge and place an order for a PSL.
 
I just got one myself a couple weeks ago, but I haven't fired it yet. I have a couple hundred rounds of corrosive ammo here; but it is ignorance of the projectile weight rather than worries about cleaning that have kept me from firing it. Most everything I've read indicates you should fire only light ball in your PSL.
 
I have a couple hundred rounds of corrosive ammo here; but it is ignorance of the projectile weight rather than worries about cleaning that have kept me from firing it. Most everything I've read indicates you should fire only light ball in your PSL.
Click to expand...
Describe the ammo that you have. Maybe we can help you ID it. If it has a silver tip, it is most likely light ball. If it has a yellow tip, it is most likely heavy ball. That may not be true in all cases (silver tip actually means steel core and yellow lead core), but seems to hold true for most of the ammo recently imported in the last 10 years or so.

Also take a look at the pictures and descriptions here:

http://www.7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmo.htm

http://www.7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmoID.htm
 
Most of it is wrapped in little bundles of 10 rounds. The wrapping is something like brown wax paper tied with string.
The cartriges don't have colored tips; they're just plain fmj of some kind.
On the case head, there is a star at the 12:00 position.
At 3:00 there is a 10.
At 6:00 there is a 53.
At 9:00 there is a 3.

Any information you can give me about this ammo will be greatly appreciated.
 
JPwilly, neither did I, instead I saw it on Youtube! I can't remember which video, but if you look at the lower, thinner slot in the cleaning kit storage tube in this pic (click here) that's the one. Does the PSL come with a kit like this?
 
I'm pretty sure mine came with it. I just never use them. I have a pretty good collection of cleaning products and the issue stuff is just for field use IMO.
 
believe your shooting Bulgarian LPS or type Dhttp://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmoID.htm

You should use alot of water to wash the salts out of the rilfe, just letting the windex dry does nothing to remove the salt, the windex just acts like a soap to cut through the crude and let the water dissolve and remove the salts. Lots of good info about shooting corrosive with the MN or Lee-Enfeild available.
 
Most of it is wrapped in little bundles of 10 rounds. The wrapping is something like brown wax paper tied with string.
The cartriges don't have colored tips; they're just plain fmj of some kind.
On the case head, there is a star at the 12:00 position.
At 3:00 there is a 10.
At 6:00 there is a 53.
At 9:00 there is a 3.

Any information you can give me about this ammo will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's Bulgarian for sure. Take a magnet to the projectile. If it's steel core, I'm pretty sure it's light ball. I don't think the Bulgarians made a steel core heavy ball. If it's lead core, you have a 50/50 chance, but without the yellow tip, I'd put my money on the light ball. I have some ammo with the same markings, wrapped in brown paper, tied with a string and I know it's light ball.
 
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So I put 60 rounds of the Bulgarian ammo down range this afternoon. I have the scope more-or-less zeroed, but I need to go back on another day and see if I can fine tune it a bit. It was easy to keep centered hits on silhouette targets out to the 300 yards the range permits. The scope's reticle was a limiting factor, it didn't lend itself to really fine shooting for me. I definitely prefer crosshairs to those little chevrons.

The gun and both magazines functioned perfectly. No malfunctions of any kind. As an AK-based design, I expected nothing less.

What really surprised me is the lack of recoil. I've fired MN bolt guns and didn't much enjoy getting belted by them, especially the carbines. Firing the PSL felt a lot like firing an SKS, recoil-wise.

All in all, I had a great time and the PSL is a seriously cool gun.
 
Joe those were my same thoughs. Easy to shoot, kind to the shoulder, accurate enough etc. But in the end I fell out of love with mine pretty fast. The M1 Rifle I got with proceeds from the sale of said PSL was the best trade I've ever made!

Just make sure the scope turrets are tight...there's a downloadable manual on how to set that scope up. Also, if you make sure the wood handguards isn't putting any pressure between the barrel and reciever your groups will improve. The thin barrels are prone to stringing shots if you don't let it cool down between shots when shooting for groups.
 
Any lefties out there that shoot PSL's? How does the stock work left handed?
Also is the scope position OK for a southpaw?
I'd like to buy one, but don't want to get beat up shooting it.

Steve
 
this thread ain't too old for me to revive. what ammo did best in your psl? I got one about a month ago and it likes prvi partisan the best with about 1.5" groups so far. Although I have yet to fully break in the rifle with only about 70 rounds through it.
 
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