The unthinkable question: Why is my AK Clone failing to extract?

[grreeknick]

I have a WASR-3 from Century.

It was a problem gun from the start, but after some additional "tuning," it became pretty reliable.

After 600-800 rounds, it's starting to have a weird mystery jam:

Rifle fails to eject, rim slips over cartridge, and it cycles a new shell into the casehead of the unextracted shell. Often times the spent shell is halfway out of the chamber.

Notes:

1. Brass is factory loaded Remington 55 gr. FMJ, a load this rifle has fired many times reliably.
2. Happens with all mags used reliably previously.
3. Shell's base is distorted somewhat on one side.
4. Spent shells are difficult to re-insert into chamber, and impossible to remove without a tool under the rim.
5. Spent .223 shells from other rifles slide into chamber and extract under finger pressure.
6. NOTICED: A small burr on backside of bolt which seemed to be hanging up action somewhat. Filed down burrs, inspected mating area on carrier, no burrs seen there. Action now smooth.

I'm wondering if the bolt surface's peening was hanging up the action just long enough to build chamber pressure and push the case out so badly that it's sticking to the walls? Maybe this disrupts the cycle and the rifle's timing is off?

I'm not tearing rims off or caseheads or anything.

The chamber is difficult to clean in an AK. What do you use to get in there?

Could the head-spacing be off on the rifle somehow? Would this cause that kind of problem?

 

[nalioth]

You should clean your chamber with a drill and a brass cleaning brush.

The .223 is the least reliable AK due to the cartridge shape, and you have likely built up a good amount of melted polymer/lacquer in the chamber and this is holding on to the cartridge case.

 

[grreeknick]

You should clean your chamber with a drill and a brass cleaning brush.

The .223 is the least reliable AK due to the cartridge shape, and you have likely built up a good amount of melted polymer/lacquer in the chamber and this is holding on to the cartridge case.

I had cleaned the chamber the last time I cleaned the rifle, hoping that the problem was that simple.

It's not.

 

[dfariswheel]

Inspect/replace the extractor and extractor spring.
The extractor could just be impacted with crud, or it could be worn or chipped, spring could be bad.

Inspect the ejector.
Make sure the ejector is not bent, broken, chipped, or deformed.

Buy a bronze chamber brush from Brownell's and scrub the chamber.
Inspect the chamber for fouling, rings, rust, pitting, etc.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1287/Product/BRONZE_RIFLE_PISTOL_CHAMBER_BRUSHES

 

[grreeknick]

To be honest, the extractor seems a little... weak in comparison to other .223 rifles.

I can't get it out. The firing pin retention pin is slam-hammered into the effin' bolt, and nothing I have that is thin enough to get in there is able to pound it out.

But the extractor is moving around OK, I guess, so there's nothing in there to prevent it from working. I guess I could take the bolt to a smith and have him take it apart, but I doubt any smith around here will know what the extractor on a .223 AK is supposed to feel like...

 

[MartinS]

"Shell's base is distorted somewhat on one side."
Picture? Maybe some measurements?