SKS Slamfire question

[Balrog]

I saw a Russian SKS carbine recently that appeared to have slam fire issues. One trigger pull caused rifle to fire twice.

Why would that happen, and what needs to be done to fix it?

 

[briansmithwins]

Frozen or broken firing pin. Soft primer commercial ammo. There is a spring loaded firing pin that can be installed.

I've had one slam fire when the bolt closed on a chambered cartridge. Fortunately it was at the range with the rifle in a safe direction.

BSW

 

[M1key]

https://www.google.com/search?q=sks...57.7327j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

M

 

[eldon519]

When I first got my Yugo it did that. Turned out to have old hardened cosmoline gumming up the firing pin channel. A simple cleaning fixed it.

 

[Kp321]

The original Russian designed SKS had a retract spring on the firing pin so if the rifle in question was indeed a Russian model, the firing pin is either broken or severly gummed up. If it was another country's copy, it could benefit from an aftermarket pin with the retract spring. Available from Brownells.

 

[Nature Boy]

Could it be in the shooters technique? Doubling is different from a slam fire and can be caused by milking the trigger or shooting off of a bench and not having the stock well engaged with the shooters shoulder.

I have no experience with the SKS but my M1A will do this if I get sloppy with my technique.

When I think slam fire I think catastrophic out of battery bad stuff

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Need to take the retaining pin out and clean the firing pin channel. It's the one thing I hate about my SKS, dang thing is in tight and always scared I'm gonna break it getting it in and out but it's necessary to do.

http://cnqzu.com/library/Anarchy Folder/Firearms/Firearm Manuals/SKS Bolt Assembly.pdf

 

[Coyote3855]

Had a friend whose Russian SKS went full auto because he did not clean it thoroughly after shooting corrosive ammo.

 

[joem1945]

My one of my SKS had a slam fire after a stove pipe. A live round went into the chamber but the stove pipe was stuck and I couldn't retract the bolt. rifle on safe Got plier to pull out stove pipe and bolt went home and hammer followed and rifle fired. Happened twice and retired the rifle for a couple of years. I decided to replace the gas valve which cured the stove pipe issue.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

The slam fires I have experienced with my SKS's were the result of the firing pin sticking in the forward position. There is a gun shop in Texas that makes a new firing pin with a return spring and also stones the bolt for a very reasonable price. I have sent all of my SKS bolts to him and they have all worked great without any slamfires since. It has been a few years so I will have to dig through my files to find the name and address if you are interested.

 

[DPris]

You thinking of Murray's Gunsmithing?
Denis

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Yep!!!

 

[greenlion]

I always take the bolt apart and clean well inside. I've never had a slamfire. I still install a Murray's firing pin with return spring just in case. That is the way the SKS was originally designed.

 

[Ignition Override]

Murray's Gunsmithing is very professional, excellent.

I had a bad popped primer in each of my Yugo M59s (not 59/66, the original M59).
Murray's does precise chamber-reaming for about $40.

1) Some SKS chambers might have been manufactured with too little "free-space", as Mr. Murray suspects.
2) A secondary cause is using Tula ammo. Mine had Tula at the time.

Those guns never have any more nasty popped primers/firing pins and are considered to have the same accuracy as they had Before the work.

 

[Archangel14]

I recall being at a range once. A kid next to me placed his SKS down on a shooting table with the muzzle facing me (I was standing about 7 feet to his left). He started working the bolt like it was stuck. It had been slam firing earlier and for a quick second I thought I was done for......me and the guy standing to my left. Very lax range, haven't been back since!

 

[USAF_Vet]

A Murray's firing pin and a Kivari trigger will work wonders on an SKS.

The firing pin channel is tapered, so if anything gets stuck in there, it can cause the firing pin to get stuck forward. Then it acts like an open bolt gun, only much less safe.

Any newly acquired SKS absolutely needs to good hard cleaning on the bolt. A full break down isn't hard, once you've done it a few times. The firing pin retaining pin feels like it was pressed in, and can be difficult to get out for cleaning the firing pin channel. A good set of brass punches, a pin block and a lot of patience go a long way here.

Soaking the whole assembly in solvent works, too, if you can't get that retaining pin out.