WASR Bolt Hang

[strat81]

Picked up a new WASR-10 at the gun show this weekend. It had a rough bolt, but I've read that's common. I dismantled it and cleaned out all of the cosmoline and have reassembled and lubed it. However, the bolt hangs like crazy and will not close without assistance. It stops about an inch before closing completely. A good shove on the handle will close it.

-I am not riding the handle. I pull it back and let it fly.
-I have oiled the rails, bolt, bolt carrier, back of the hammer, gas piston, recoil spring, and gas tube. Depending on the spot, I used Hoppe's Oil, Breakfree, or aerosol Lithium Grease swabbed with a Q-Tip.
-The gas block is not canted.
-I have manually cycled the action, with and without the recoil spring in place a good 4-5 dozen times. It doesn't feel any smoother.
-It has a G2 trigger group installed by Century.
-It hangs EVERY time I pull the bolt back.
-It looks like it might be hitting the dust cover, but it still does it with the dust cover off.

Thoughts? I don't want to go to the range with a jam-o-matic. Thanks in advance!

 

[jlbraun]

Check to see if the ejector is dinged or bent.

 

[glimmerman]

make sure the cover is not warped, take the action cover off and try cycleing the action.

 

[Plink]

Being a Century build, that doesn't surprise me. They let out a large percentage of lemons. In my case, it has been 100%. Anyway, try shooting it. If it functions at all, it may break in after a couple hundred rounds. If it doesn't, consider sending it back for warranty work.

 

[MudPuppy]

I had a century that ran flawless.

I had at least one Global Trades (5.45x39) that had a similar problem. In my case, the top of the receiver (top rails?) where too narrow. I little work with a file to relieve the area where the bolt was binding fixed it up.

I had a different one that had a problem where the bolt would ride up out of the rails at the rearmost of the travel and jam. A buffer fixed that (normally not a buffer fan on an ak, but it's been flawless sense then.)

 

[benEzra]

My SAR-1 is a Century and works perfectly.

I'd take it to the range and fire a couple of magazines through it. If it starts working, great; if it doesn't, send it back to be fixed under warranty (I've heard Century is fairly good about fixing things, but don't have any firsthand experience with that).

Does it still do this with the magazine out?

 

[strat81]

jlbraun, I don't know what the ejector looks like. I'll have to dig up a schematic online and see. The bolt and carrier seem to look okay, assuming the ejector is on there.

glimmerman, see the last bullet of my original post.

Plink, yeah, I'm not surprised. I did my research beforehand and knew that there was a good chance I'd get a rifle that needed some massaging to get it to work. Shooting it may be my last option before shipping it to CAI.

Mudpuppy, after reading your post, I removed the piston. The bolt carrier moves relatively easily, much better than with the piston on. About what I expect a cheap commie rifle to feel like.

benezra, I haven't bothered to even put a magazine in yet and cycle the action.


Since removing the piston freed things up a bit, I think I'm going to try knocking out the retainer pins on the gas chamber and release catch on the gas tube and cycle the action a bit that way, maybe loosen it up some. Thanks for the replies guys, keep them coming!

 

[blackhawk2000]

MudPuppy, I read of a similar problem on a different board, about the bolt jumping off the rails. The owner was warned not to shoot that gun, because the bolt could come out and wack you in the skull. His was also a 5.45 FWIW.

My issue: when I racked the bolt with my support hand, the carrier would sometimes jump off the RH rail and bind up the action. I could deliberately induce the malf by (lightly) pulling up on the bolt handle while running the bolt.

You do realize about the only thing keeping that BCG from embedding itself in your head was the guide rod-spring being hooked into the rear trunion? Damn, dude, you are pretty lucky. Hopefully Century will replace it in short order.

 

[MudPuppy]

How is your gas piston attached to the bolt carrier that you can remove it easily? That could be the culprit, if that's binding.

The pistons can have a little wobble and that's fine, but if it's excessive it could bind up.

(Thanks for the info on the bc potential danger--I'll double check it, but I think its safe. I probably need to move the rear trunnion a tad fwd, but was a pain to demil, weld, redrill and rerivet...but beats a bolt carrier in the brain pan...maybe...)

 

[jrfoxx]

mine did the same thing for the first 50 rds or so.I just kept smacking the bolt closed and firing.after a couple range trips, it cleared up and has fired 1000's of rounds flawlessly.Was probly just some burrs/rough machining that need a litle smoothing out.....