firing pin on SKS

janxster · Jul 29, 2013

I just got my 1st SKS and in disassembling to clean it I see the firing pin has a nic out of the corner. Is this safe? if i need to replace it anyway should i get a spring loaded one that resists the slam-fire i read about. So far what i have read is you just need to keep it clean. But what is the down side to replacing it with one of those?

thanks,
janx

hvymax · Jul 29, 2013

Get a spare and keep it handy. I hear most who go spring loaded switch back.

winterfaust · Jul 29, 2013

Should be ok. its easy enough to clean these bolts and pins up so they free float well. The Murrays Spring loaded firing pin is a MUST if you plan on shooting brass cased ammo. I however found the springs have a tendency of getting weak quick and end up breaking inside of the bolt. Maybe this is why they give you a spare spring from jump. IMO I would not feel worried about firing with that pin, how ever I would probably get a spare just in case its not hitting the primer sqarely.

chevellenut71 · Jul 29, 2013

Run it/ get a spare..you dont need a spring if you keep it some what clean..

CasualObserver · Jul 29, 2013

My sino soviet Chinese SKS has a pin that looks the same way. If works fine. I agree, get a spare.... I actually shot one of my sks's so much I cracked the bolt and had to replace it. Wasn't too hard to strip it down and swap parts (which would include the firing pin). I wouldn't do it in the field though (if I remember there was a little spring maybe behind the extractor that went flying) As far as slam fires, just clean the heck out of the bolt before using it... I use and ultrasonic bath, but others use small parts washers, boiling water, compressed air, ect to get the inside clean. I suspect that 9 out of 10 slam fires in an sks was due to gunk up in the bolt.

yellowsled · Jul 29, 2013

Looks good to me. I dont think there would be any problem with that.

Oldcarjunkie · Jul 29, 2013

That pin is fine. id shoot it. I'd stay Away from the spring loaded pins. If you want to replace tha pin. You will have to knock out the retaining pin on the bolt. The best way I have fond that works every time and protects your bolt while making sure your retaining pin don't get lost is to take a short piece of 2x4 and take a 1 inch paddle bit and drill half way through the board. Now you can lay the bolt on the 2x4 and when you punch out the retaining pin, it just falls into that hole. Remember when assembling...NO OIL! It's fine to leave it dry, oil will just cause crap to get in there faster and cause slam fires.

If you want to order another pin, you can get both the firings pin and retaining pin here from aim. I've used these pins before in guns that had pins that were catching insd the bolt and on my buddies yugo that slam fired and broke his original pin.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=72&name=SKS+Replacement+Parts

yellowsled · Jul 29, 2013

Oldcarjunkie said:
That pin is fine. id shoot it. I'd stay Away from the spring loaded pins. If you want to replace tha pin. You will have to knock out the retaining pin on the bolt. The best way I have fond that works every time and protects your bolt while making sure your retaining pin don't get lost is to take a short piece of 2x4 and take a 1 inch paddle bit and drill half way through the board. Now you can lay the bolt on the 2x4 and when you punch out the retaining pin, it just falls into that hole. Remember when assembling...NO OIL! It's fine to leave it dry, oil will just cause crap to get in there faster and cause slam fires.
If you want to order another pin, you can get both the firings pin and retaining pin here from aim. I've used these pins before in guns that had pins that were catching insd the bolt and on my buddies yugo that slam fired and broke his original pin.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=72&name=SKS+Replacement+Parts

'

Yup That ^^^^

janxster · Jul 29, 2013

thanks for the advice. $5 for a stock replacement is sure better than $40 for the spring loaded. i'm off to aim.

Shane762 · Jul 29, 2013

Just to back up what everyone else is saying. I have a Chinese SKS that was regularly doubling. Nearly everytime I had it out it would do it at least two or three times. I finally stopped being dumb and pulled the bolt apart, cleaned the hell out of it and put it all back together dry. I had it out Friday morning and ran 200 rounds through it without a single slam fire. The factory design is fine. It just needs to be clean.

Boom Boom · Jul 29, 2013

Looks okay to me. To be sure, pound out the retaining pin and inspect the entire firing pin.

OP, in case you don't know, *never* shoot brass rounds with a standard firing pin, since the pin is strong enough to rupture a brass primer and cause a kaboom. The spring-loaded firing pins are for brass rounds.

MikeSP · Jul 29, 2013

Boom Boom said:
Looks okay to me. To be sure, pound out the retaining pin and inspect the entire firing pin.

OP, in case you don't know, *never* shoot brass rounds with a standard firing pin, since the pin is strong enough to rupture a brass primer and cause a kaboom. The spring-loaded firing pins are for brass rounds.

Does that apply to Yugo M67?

TapRackBang · Jul 31, 2013

MikeSP said:
Does that apply to Yugo M67?

Mike beat me to the question. I have a case of M67...

yellowsled · Jul 31, 2013

Anyone of you guys want to trade any of that horribile old crated M67 ammo, Ill swap rd-for-rd for new production stuff.

MikeSP · Jul 31, 2013

yellowsled said:
Anyone of you guys want to trade any of that horribile old crated M67 ammo, Ill swap rd-for-rd for new production stuff.

New production brass? when can we meet up?

yellowsled · Jul 31, 2013

Boom Boom said all brass is bad in a SKS, so I will be happy to trade new and improved steel case for the older brass. Arent I a good guy?

myuen021078 · Jul 31, 2013

I shot 100 rounds of Fiocchi Brass with my SKS with no problems.

Half-cocked · Jul 31, 2013

The small nic in that firing pin *could* eventually cause stress cracks in primers, after multiple strikes. So if you reload, I'd recommend that you use new primers each time.

MikeSP · Jul 31, 2013

Half-cocked said:
The small nic in that firing pin *could* eventually cause stress cracks in primers, after multiple strikes. So if you reload, I'd recommend that you use new primers each time.

If you reloaded your own primers couldn't you put a new striking surface on them after a few uses? :rolleyes:

I thought everyone knew that...

smdub · Jul 31, 2013

Half-cocked said:
The small nic in that firing pin *could* eventually cause stress cracks in primers, after multiple strikes. So if you reload, I'd recommend that you use new primers each time.

Good idea. And here all this time I've been hammering them flat and refilling.

firing pin on SKS

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