Thinking of getting a firing pin return spring kit to avoid slamfires and double/triple taps. Has anyone had any experience doing this ?? How hard is it ??? Is one manufacturer better than another ??? Thanks for any help....
If you are getting slam fires you should remove the firing pin from the bolt and clean it or replace it. Don't shoot it.
I was getting doubles with one of my sk's. I removed the firing pin and noticed that it was slightly bent so I replaced it.
I never put a spring under the pin to help prevent slam fires. The firing pin is held in by a pin that has to be drifted out.
If your weapon's firing pin won't rattle when you shake the bolt, you should disassemble it and clean it or if bent replace.
Checking to see if the pin is clean is very easy.
Remember the SK is designed to shoot military ammo and should not be shot with commercial ammunition as they have much softer primers and chance for slam fire.
Ouch had it right. Usually slamfires are caused by something "gumming" up the firing pin, causing it to stick out. Sometimes it's just simple inertia or soft American primers. FWIW, I've put the Murrys springs in all my SKS's & haven't had a problem since.
If you are getting slam fires you should remove the firing pin from the bolt and clean it or replace it. Don't shoot it.
I was getting doubles with one of my sk's. I removed the firing pin and noticed that it was slightly bent so I replaced it.
I never put a spring under the pin to help prevent slam fires. The firing pin is held in by a pin that has to be drifted out.
If your weapon's firing pin won't rattle when you shake the bolt, you should disassemble it and clean it or if bent replace.
Checking to see if the pin is clean is very easy.
Remember the SK is designed to shoot military ammo and should not be shot with commercial ammunition as they have much softer primers and chance for slam fire.
put one round in the mag,pull the bolt back and let it fly forward chambering that round from the mag,pull bolt back again to eject round,look at the primer.
All of my SKS's left a slight dimple in the primer.
A really soft primer could cause a double.
If you deside to remove the pin yourself place your bolt in the freezer for a about 5 hours makes removing the retainer pin allot easier.
Also
1. Use a Big Hammer
2. Place the bolt on a steel socket & solid surface ie concrete floor
3. Use a punch such as ground down nail set that matches the size of the pin you knocking out.
4. Keep your bolt clean at all times and don't lube the firing pin or channel.
My old Norinco would slamfire occasionally with Winchester commercial ammo - soft primers. The Sino-Soviet and Yugo I have don't - they run like Timexes with any ammo.
My Bushpup .223 will also slamfire with Winny ammo only - it's a known problem with those softer primers.
My buddy said, "A cheap way to get full auto!"
I replied, "A cheap way to get a Club Fed vacation!"
I don't do it.
Most slamfires I've seen were cause by cosmolene in the bolt. Another problem was the bolt was too heavy and a lightening cut was added to the side of the bolt to fix the problem. If your gun doesn't have the lightening "slot" cut into the side of the bolt, this could be causing the problem as well.
I recently joined this here very informative and useful forum. I spotted the link for the SKS's and after reading about slamfires, I decided to be on the safe side and followed the link to Murray's and went ahead and ordered the firing pin kit, for the post'51 SKS's.
I must ask though, why can't or couldn't we just put a spring on the existing firing pin? I mean, in looking at mine (the firing pin) there is the little "bump" which prevents the firing pin from backing out when the firing pin retaining pin is in place. So that would also hold a spring from slipping back beyond that point if we were to put a spring on the original/existing firing pin.
Remember, I did go ahead and order the kit from Murray's but I had to put it out there, about just adding a spring and was merely just thinking out loud about it.
Any other thoughts on just adding a spring to the existing firing pin?
One other note I'd like to add, well, more FYI then anything else. When I first got my Yugo 59/66 SKS, I took it apart and thoroughly cleaned it. Well I thought I did anyhow. After reading this post about slamfires, and then after going ahead and ordering the firing pin kit, I decided to take my SKS back out and I remove the bolt.
I immediately noticed it wasn't as loose (the firing pin didn't rattle as freely) when I shook the bolt as it did when I first put it in the safe after that "first initial thorough cleaning". So I took the retaining pin back out, took out the firing pin and then removed the ejector and ejector spring. I noticed the reason for that "lack of rattle when I shook the bolt". It was tacky. Evidentially, there was still more cosmoline lingering in the nooks and crannies of the bolt and after a while in storage, it had found its way out and back onto those once cleaned parts. I guess I wasn't as thorough as I thought I was now was I. DOH!
So, for those of you who've done similar, get it, clean it and then put it in the safe until you get the opportunity to shoot it, you might want to pull it back out and take another look at it, especially if you decide against getting the kit! That damn cosmo likes to bleed its way out of everywhere when it gets to room temp.!
Thank you for posting such informative and useful information.
The Murray kit consists of a turned down firing pin. The spring fits over the turned down portion of the firing pin. Murray himself states that the spring is just a feel good addition. The real anti slam fire feature is having the firing pin shaped differently than the firing pin channel. You know having two tapered surfaced butting against each other can cause binding. That being said I haven't installed the Murray kit in any of my SKS's. I just pull the bolt down and clean the pin and channel. I also polish the firing pin to make is smooth.
Ahhhhhhhhhsoooooooooooooo, correct you are mercman. Thank you for pointing that out. FYI, I was emailed earlier today and informed my NEW SS SKS F pin kit is being shipped today. Again, Thank you to whomever first posted the slamfire problem and Thank you to whomever informed us of the replacement firing pin kit that is out there.
And Thank you to and for all the many forums such as this with all the (and to borrow the wise words of swedesteve) "good poop" on them. GOOD POOP, CRACK ME UP!
I have 3 SKS's, 2 Yugos and a Norinco. I have never had a slam fire. If you are having problems maybe you need to clean the firing pin and firing pin channel.
Just letting you all know, my Murray firing pin kit arrived yesterday,1/31/2007, I installed it the same day and it was a breeze. Works great,fit great. I urge you to do the same. It can't and won't hurt. Thanks again for posting about the slamfire possibility as well as posting about the kit.
Wasn't having a slamfire or any other kind of problem. Just preventing and guarantying I don't is all. Besides, if a $37.00 shipped price is all it costs for the added security, I consider it well worth the price. Still have the original firing pin, can always put it back in... No harm no foul...
In the mighty wise words of swedesteve, keep the good poop a coming. It still cracks me up!
I have owned the original style Russian, the Chinese and now a recently acquired Yugo versions. The Russian and Chinese easily saw 10,000 rounds each during my possession and never had a slamfire. They rode in the toolbox on my truck or behind the seat all the time. I don't think I ever cleaned either of them. They were at the time just cheap coyote guns you could find anywhere for $50-$75. However a hunting buddy of mine with a Norinco pulled the trigger on a deer one morning and put 4 holes in the deer and 1 hole in an oil storage tank when it went full auto on him. He said that he didn't know how many rounds a minute an SKS was capable of but he was glad that he only had a 10 round mag. When he took the bolt apart to see what happened everything was clean and nothing was bent but the cone shape of the firing pin was just stuck in the cone of the bolt. A wood block and a couple of smacks with a hammer and the pin turned loose. He replaced the pin and never had another problem. We figured that there was enough wear on the pin that it allowed the jam.
so far i have never had a problem with my yugo sks! i will say this when i purchased the rifle it was oozing with cosmolene and required a good cleaning! I can see especially in cold weather were the cosmolene would gunk things up compouned by using a cartridge with soft primers could become a serious problem.
). I appreciate the information alot. Have a very Merry Christmas and a GREAT New Year. Tom 
