Slam Fire

SwedeSteve · 07-05-2008, 11:48 AM

Anybody having bad experiences with slam fires ??

res45 · 07-05-2008, 12:04 PM

None as of yet firing pins rattles freely,and I use CCI #34 Mil-Spec primers with my SKS reloads. It can happen more often commercial ammo with soft primers.

Capt'n Mil Coll · 07-05-2008, 12:09 PM

And just to be clear what is a slam fire?

toolman · 07-05-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt'n Mil Coll

And just to be clear what is a slam fire?

Unintentional firing when the bolt slams back into battery. They usually just double or triple-tap but some have dumped the full mag. On an SKS, it's usually caused by crud in the firing pin channel.

Palladin8 · 07-05-2008, 12:18 PM

My friend had one with his new Yugo that emptied his magazine. He didn't take his bolt apart like he was supposed to and clean out the cosmoline. Talk about turning heads at the range. Had to strip the bolt and spray lots of carb cleaner the get all the gunk out. After that it fired like it should.

res45 · 07-05-2008, 12:36 PM

You can have a clean firing pin channel and still get a slamfire. On free floating firing pin rifles such as SKS,M1 Garand,M1 Carbine etc. the forward momentum of the bolt transfers the energy to the firing pin being free floating it slams into the back of the primer making a dimple. On military ammo or reloads using Mil-Spec primers the cup is harder and the anvil inside the cup is designed to allow for this dimple and not set the primer mixture off. Also proper seating depth and clean primer pockets is important.

Standard reloading primers or commercial ammo is loaded with soft primer and are not designed to be used with rifles with free floating firing pins because the cups are made of softer metal and and the anvils are not spaced properly to allow for the dimple in the primer. If you want to use standard primer to load for the SKS rifle you need to install the Murrays spring loaded firing pin,be aware though that doing this can cause failure to fire issues with some of the hard primed Russian 7.62 x 39mm ammo

SwedeSteve · 07-05-2008, 12:47 PM

I've had exactly 2. Both times I was lucky and only had double taps. When a friend's rattled off the whole mag, I ordered a Murray. Since then I have had zero problems. I'm still burning up a bunch of Wolf I bought.

jimkim · 07-05-2008, 12:54 PM

Watch out the feds might get you if you go to the wrong range.

SwedeSteve · 07-05-2008, 01:19 PM

When my friend's happened, all sorts of people were sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

lunchbox99 · 07-05-2008, 01:28 PM

never have had one but I only shoot cheap Russian ammo like wolf, B. bear and G. tiger

SwedeSteve · 07-05-2008, 01:52 PM

I was shooting Wolf both times.

lunchbox99 · 07-05-2008, 02:05 PM

Maybe I should clean out my bolt so it doesn't happen to me. I have never taken it apart just sprayed down brushed and wiped

gandog56 · 07-05-2008, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

Anybody having bad experiences with slam fires ??

Not with my SKS. The only slam fire I have ever had was in my 10mm pistol. And it only slammed once. They do sell a firing pin spring mod if you are worried. Oh, I see you aren't.

GlockMeister · 07-05-2008, 04:23 PM

Swede, I hadn't ever even heard of them until I joined G&G. Honestly, I'd read a post I found before I even joined, from doing a search on SKS's, and one of the links that came up was to G&G. This particular link was to a post written by G&G's own Toolman. If I remember correctly, it wasn't entirely about slam fires, but it was important enough for me to join just so I could contact Toolman and ask him about whatever that was at that time.

Then as time went on and in searching the SKS threads, I found the posts on slamfires. Up until then they were foreign and I'd never heard of them, AT ALL.

What I ended up doing was going to the link supplied in one of the posts to Murray's SKS Parts, here > SKS Owners and getting myself one of his SKS firing pin/spring kits, just as and strictly only as a matter of precaution. Not because I'd ever experienced or had one.

When I found the Romanian, I thought about getting and still might, one of the kits for it, again, strictly out of precaution. It does however rattle quite freely so I, for some reason aren't in a big hurry for this one. The Yugo did rattle but not as much and the 2 other times after the initial cleaning where I took the bolt apart, I found still more cosmo on the firing pin and in the bolt and figured better safe than sorry. Have yet to have this with the Romanian, so that to is a reason I haven't felt the urge to hurry up and get one.

I'm glad to hear that the 2 instances you've had were minor, not to take anything away from the danger in using the word minor mind you. I can also honestly say, had it not been for G&G, and the good people on it who share information, not only on this but many things, I'd of never known and I guarantee all my Yugo would have slamfired, most assuredly. It would have fallen under the, "It's just my luck" category. lol

I personally feel, the slamfire thread, if it isn't already, and because it is and can be such a hazardous and dangerous thing, IT SHOULD BE STICKIED, again if it already isn't....

Capt'n Mil Coll · 07-05-2008, 05:05 PM

I have never had a slam fire. Now I feel like Ive been left out of something.

Dang GM that almost brought a tear to my eyes. But ya know I feel the same way. I was looking for a spring for my M1 Carbine and found this corner of the internet. I cant tell you how much I have learned here. And you know what I have really learned is I dont know s#|% about firearms.
Oh and I learned theres no place like home.

gandog56 · 07-05-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunchbox99

Maybe I should clean out my bolt so it doesn't happen to me. I have never taken it apart just sprayed down brushed and wiped

I do, but it takes a brass punch.

jmp8927 · 07-05-2008, 06:38 PM

I've never experienced one or known anyone that has(to my knowledge). However, after joining G&G many months back and reading about them, I did take mine and my dad's bolts apart and cleaned them thoroughly. Hopefully it'll never happen. That firing pin upgrade might be worth looking into at some point in the future, but right now it isn't at the top of my list.

billy · 07-05-2008, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunchbox99

Maybe I should clean out my bolt so it doesn't happen to me. I have never taken it apart just sprayed down brushed and wiped

i boil my bolts and all the small parts for a long time.
i know it sounds nuts but it works great.
cosmo you cannot see will rise to the top of the boiling water.
when you take it out it is very hot and dries completely very quickly.

WARNING
dont use moms best cookware for this.
it makes pahsketty taste funny.

jack007 · 07-05-2008, 11:44 PM

No slamfires for me yet

gandog56 · 07-06-2008, 12:12 AM

Probably won't be any if you can hear your firing pin rattle when you shake the bolt. (Unless you have the firing pin spring mod)

07-05-2008, 11:48 AM	#1
SwedeSteve Suspected Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Anchortown, Alaska Posts: 23,576 Images: 1	Slam Fire Anybody having bad experiences with slam fires ?? __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-05-2008, 12:04 PM	#2
res45 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 505	None as of yet firing pins rattles freely,and I use CCI #34 Mil-Spec primers with my SKS reloads. It can happen more often commercial ammo with soft primers. Last edited by res45; 07-05-2008 at 12:22 PM.

07-05-2008, 12:36 PM	#6
res45 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 505	You can have a clean firing pin channel and still get a slamfire. On free floating firing pin rifles such as SKS,M1 Garand,M1 Carbine etc. the forward momentum of the bolt transfers the energy to the firing pin being free floating it slams into the back of the primer making a dimple. On military ammo or reloads using Mil-Spec primers the cup is harder and the anvil inside the cup is designed to allow for this dimple and not set the primer mixture off. Also proper seating depth and clean primer pockets is important. Standard reloading primers or commercial ammo is loaded with soft primer and are not designed to be used with rifles with free floating firing pins because the cups are made of softer metal and and the anvils are not spaced properly to allow for the dimple in the primer. If you want to use standard primer to load for the SKS rifle you need to install the Murrays spring loaded firing pin,be aware though that doing this can cause failure to fire issues with some of the hard primed Russian 7.62 x 39mm ammo Last edited by res45; 07-05-2008 at 12:39 PM.

07-05-2008, 12:47 PM	#7
SwedeSteve Suspected Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Anchortown, Alaska Posts: 23,576 Images: 1	I've had exactly 2. Both times I was lucky and only had double taps. When a friend's rattled off the whole mag, I ordered a Murray. Since then I have had zero problems. I'm still burning up a bunch of Wolf I bought. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-05-2008, 12:54 PM	#8
jimkim Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Near the Little Ocmulgee river in GA Posts: 4,257 Blog Entries: 18	Watch out the feds might get you if you go to the wrong range. __________________ If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? Rabbi Hillel

07-05-2008, 12:09 PM	#3
Capt'n Mil Coll Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Right behind you. -NRA Member- Posts: 3,391 Images: 45	And just to be clear what is a slam fire? __________________ Let's light this fuse and see what happens!

07-05-2008, 12:18 PM	#5
Palladin8 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 2,451	My friend had one with his new Yugo that emptied his magazine. He didn't take his bolt apart like he was supposed to and clean out the cosmoline. Talk about turning heads at the range. Had to strip the bolt and spray lots of carb cleaner the get all the gunk out. After that it fired like it should.

07-05-2008, 01:19 PM	#9
SwedeSteve Suspected Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Anchortown, Alaska Posts: 23,576 Images: 1	When my friend's happened, all sorts of people were sticking their noses where they didn't belong. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-05-2008, 01:28 PM	#10
lunchbox99 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: washington Posts: 866	never have had one but I only shoot cheap Russian ammo like wolf, B. bear and G. tiger

07-05-2008, 01:52 PM	#11
SwedeSteve Suspected Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Anchortown, Alaska Posts: 23,576 Images: 1	I was shooting Wolf both times. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-05-2008, 02:05 PM	#12
lunchbox99 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: washington Posts: 866	Maybe I should clean out my bolt so it doesn't happen to me. I have never taken it apart just sprayed down brushed and wiped

07-05-2008, 04:23 PM	#14
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 9,676	Swede, I hadn't ever even heard of them until I joined G&G. Honestly, I'd read a post I found before I even joined, from doing a search on SKS's, and one of the links that came up was to G&G. This particular link was to a post written by G&G's own Toolman. If I remember correctly, it wasn't entirely about slam fires, but it was important enough for me to join just so I could contact Toolman and ask him about whatever that was at that time. Then as time went on and in searching the SKS threads, I found the posts on slamfires. Up until then they were foreign and I'd never heard of them, AT ALL. What I ended up doing was going to the link supplied in one of the posts to Murray's SKS Parts, here > SKS Owners and getting myself one of his SKS firing pin/spring kits, just as and strictly only as a matter of precaution. Not because I'd ever experienced or had one. When I found the Romanian, I thought about getting and still might, one of the kits for it, again, strictly out of precaution. It does however rattle quite freely so I, for some reason aren't in a big hurry for this one. The Yugo did rattle but not as much and the 2 other times after the initial cleaning where I took the bolt apart, I found still more cosmo on the firing pin and in the bolt and figured better safe than sorry. Have yet to have this with the Romanian, so that to is a reason I haven't felt the urge to hurry up and get one. I'm glad to hear that the 2 instances you've had were minor, not to take anything away from the danger in using the word minor mind you. I can also honestly say, had it not been for G&G, and the good people on it who share information, not only on this but many things, I'd of never known and I guarantee all my Yugo would have slamfired, most assuredly. It would have fallen under the, "It's just my luck" category. lol I personally feel, the slamfire thread, if it isn't already, and because it is and can be such a hazardous and dangerous thing, IT SHOULD BE STICKIED, again if it already isn't.... __________________ "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." "Edmond Burke"

07-05-2008, 05:05 PM	#15
Capt'n Mil Coll Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Right behind you. -NRA Member- Posts: 3,391 Images: 45	I have never had a slam fire. Now I feel like Ive been left out of something. Dang GM that almost brought a tear to my eyes. But ya know I feel the same way. I was looking for a spring for my M1 Carbine and found this corner of the internet. I cant tell you how much I have learned here. And you know what I have really learned is I dont know s#\|% about firearms. Oh and I learned theres no place like home. __________________ Let's light this fuse and see what happens!

07-05-2008, 06:38 PM	#17
jmp8927 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Walterboro, SC Posts: 2,277 Images: 18	I've never experienced one or known anyone that has(to my knowledge). However, after joining G&G many months back and reading about them, I did take mine and my dad's bolts apart and cleaned them thoroughly. Hopefully it'll never happen. That firing pin upgrade might be worth looking into at some point in the future, but right now it isn't at the top of my list. __________________ Fear not, for I am with you; Be not discouraged, for I am your God.

07-05-2008, 11:44 PM	#19
jack007 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: texas Posts: 321	No slamfires for me yet

07-06-2008, 12:12 AM	#20
gandog56 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Montgomery, IL. Posts: 11,797	Probably won't be any if you can hear your firing pin rattle when you shake the bolt. (Unless you have the firing pin spring mod)