[Boba Debt]

I was told that AK "marks" ammo and make the casing unusable.

Is this true of Saigas?


I would like to test the function of my gun before i fire it and would like to manually run some ammo through it

[wunhunglo]

Bullcrap!

Manually cycling ammo through the gun does no harm as long as all the proper safety precautions are taken.
I should however, add that some semi-autos can be prone to slamfires.

[.22hustler]

Quote:       Originally Posted by wunhunglo

Bullcrap! Manually cycling ammo through the gun does no harm as long as all the proper safety precautions are taken. I should however, add that some semi-autos can be prone to slamfires.

Good advice.

[Cyrano]

My understanding is that the bolt on the AK is not all that dissimilar in concept to that of the SKS. I know that with the Yugo SKS, if you set the gas piston switch to the grenade-launcher position, it in effect turns the rifle into a straight pull bolt action. When I want to shoot to maximum accuracy, thati's what I do. I have not observed any difference in cases fired in straight-pull mode as opposed to semi-auto mode. I'd expect the same to be true of AK-series rifles.

[jmp8927]

I've never heard or experienced that, so I gotta say bull hocky.

[Madcat455]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Boba Debt

I was told that AK "marks" ammo and make the casing unusable. Is this true of Saigas? I would like to test the function of my gun before i fire it and would like to manually run some ammo through it

Manually cycling the ammo first will be fine, just make sure you're doing it at the range while pointed down range, just in case.

as far as making the casing unusable, some AK's (mine before I hade it rebuilt) have an issue with the casing hitting the dust cover, and denting it. Whether or not this ruins it is beyond me.

"Some" Saiga's bulge the case neck area, and it was believed that made it unusable, but ppl have been reloading it with no issues that I've read about.

I don't reload, so I can't offer any first hand advice.

Keep in mind tho, that manually cycling the ammo won't give a good idea of how it'll eject brass, as the empty brass is lighter, and the recoil is working the action much harder that you ever will by hand.

[Sprout47]

Every AK I have ever shot makes a dent in one end of the top of the casing when fired, this doesn't happen when manually cycling because, one it is not be ejected as violently, and two, there is no firing taken place. When the round is exposed to the temps of firing I believe it changes the temper of a steel case, I could be wrong but it seems to make sense.

[imarangemaster]

+1

On that topic, hand cycling, even if you release it and let it slam forward is not the same as firing. It is a good indication if it cycles by hand, it will cycle when firing. The reverse is not necessarily true, though. My 10 round Saiga mag modified to 15 will always cycle the first 13 to 14 by hand, but occasionally will not cycle the last one or two reliably. When I fill it with 15 rounds and fire it , even as fast as I can, it always feeds 100%. I have fired about 150 rounds through it with zero malfunction. I believe the recoil and impact of the bolt carrier rearward helps cycle them up in the magazine.

I think I cut the coil one loop too short, but can't justify cannibalizing a 30 for a new spring when it works in live fire.

[gandog56]

My Saiga puts a crease in every single shell it ejects.