SKS questions and possible answers

[Neuro]

for #2 are you rotating the catch up and above the detent stop? You need to pull it away a bit and rotate up to at least 10 o'clock to get the plunger out.

So i need to rotate the lever towards the sights? away from the barrel? will try this and report back.

I also recall, there is a part that I am not supposed to oil? is it this assembly or the larger piston.

 

[SKS Ray]

The only oil mine ever see is a light wipe down inside and out with Break Free CLP.

 

[jpm]

yeah you keep rotating it up from where you start, past where it stops and the top handguard/gas tube releases.

Supposedly the gas assembly, but after I clean mine I do oil all the parts and just wipe the gas parts so they feel pretty much dry. I don't like the idea of no oil on metal.

 

[Neuro]

yeah you keep rotating it up from where you start, past where it stops and the top handguard/gas tube releases.

Thank you that was it!!!! YEA!!!!! Now the only spot with cosmoline is the stock....

 

[jpm]

now when you put it back together, you need to put that spring plunger thing in and hold it in there and rotate back to the first detent where it will be held in place. Then you can put on the gas tube/handguard.

 

[rlee]

now when you put it back together, you need to put that spring plunger thing in and hold it in there and rotate back to the first detent where it will be held in place. Then you can put on the gas tube/handguard.

And if your finger slips while pressing down the gas rod extension, both it and the spring will fly across the room and hide behind the workbench leg.

 

[jpm]

And if your finger slips while pressing down the gas rod extension, both it and the spring will fly across the room and hide behind the workbench leg.

Precisely! Expect swearing to follow.

 

[mclina]

And if your finger slips while pressing down the gas rod extension, both it and the spring will fly across the room and hide behind the workbench leg.

This exact thing also happens when you take the screw out of the bayonet. That thing must have flown 10 feet.

 

[Neuro]

now when you put it back together, you need to put that spring plunger thing in and hold it in there and rotate back to the first detent where it will be held in place. Then you can put on the gas tube/handguard.

yea, I was careful here.
all back together....

 

[SKS Ray]

My only mistakes in reassembly when I first started were not securing the extractor while tapping the retainer pin back in which sometimes resulted in the spring flying out, and making sure the recoil spring was in right.

Straight end towards the back of the receiver.

 

[rlee]

I obsessed over the gas rod extension spring, trying to figure out which end went on first.

 

[Neuro]

My only mistakes in reassembly when I first started were not securing the extractor while tapping the retainer pin back in which sometimes resulted in the spring flying out, and making sure the recoil spring was in right.

Straight end towards the back of the receiver.

Im doing the tear down of the bolt today, tried to remove the pin last night, but it was in very tight. I didnt want to force it. Any advice on break down of the bolt parts?

 

[rlee]

I steamed the bolt, then soaked in mineral spirits overnight before disassembly.
I also have a compressor, so air blasts helped.
I ended up having to boil it to get the last traces of stickiness out.

 

[Neuro]

I steamed the bolt, then soaked in mineral spirits overnight before disassembly.
I also have a compressor, so air blasts helped.
I ended up having to boil it to get the last traces of stickiness out.

This could work, but I want to disassemble it to be sure to get in all the nooks, UNLESS I could do damage by full disassembly...

 

[mclina]

You really have to beat the hell out of the cross pin to get the bolt apart. The you have to beat the hell out of it again to get it back in.

I haven't damaged one in the process yet, but I suppose it is possible.

It's a good idea to put some tape around the bolt to hold the extractor in place while you are beating on it. The only other place to be careful is making sure the firing pin is aligned right before you pound the cross pin back in.

 

[SKS Ray]

I've heard of people putting them in the freezer for a while.
Myself I just soak them in Kroil. Using the right diameter punch is the key! Too small and you'll have trouble.

 

[DW357]

Im doing the tear down of the bolt today, tried to remove the pin last night, but it was in very tight. I didnt want to force it. Any advice on break down of the bolt parts?

I use a small block of wood with a hole drilled through it (to allow room for the pin to be punched out). Then put the bolt on it and align pin with the hole and then hammer it out with a small punch. Takes a few good whacks to get it out but it's not terribly hard, at least on my norinco sks.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Im doing the tear down of the bolt today, tried to remove the pin last night, but it was in very tight. I didnt want to force it. Any advice on break down of the bolt parts?

My Yugo was extremely tight in there. I thought it was welded LOL.

Also the best cleaning method is what Ray told me. Hair dryer and air compressor.

 

[jpm]

Right sized steel punch and a few good whacks with the hammer should do it.

 

[rlee]

This could work, but I want to disassemble it to be sure to get in all the nooks, UNLESS I could do damage by full disassembly...

I disassembled after the overnight soak.
I drove out the pin with a steel pin punch using a 3/4" socket as a base.
Steel on steel on steel meant I didn't have to hit it hard.

 

[Neuro]

From another post by sksray

Its shellac. Scrub it clean first and see what type of finish is left on there and we'll go from there. Most likely its flaking shellac and there are several ways to improve that.

I am in the process of bleeding the cosmo out of my stock. Did a radiator and hair dryer method and got a good amount out. Is there anyway to know when finished?

My stock looks like the shellac is missing in a lot of places, since the stock is original matching for the rifle, is there anything I can do to protect the wood once cosmoline is all removed? I dont think I will re-schellac it or anything, just want to protect the wood. Would Tung oil or something else like that work?

 

[SKS Ray]

You can probably find a furniture care out there that's suitable to use on shellac finishes. If you decide to refinish the stock, practice on some scrap wood first. Shellac isn't the easiest to work with and takes a little practice to get a nice thin finish.

 

[Neuro]

You can probably find a furniture care out there that's suitable to use on shellac finishes. If you decide to refinish the stock, practice on some scrap wood first. Shellac isn't the easiest to work with and takes a little practice to get a nice thin finish.

Since there are scratches and gouges in the wood, I dont think an even shellac will help. My main concern is keeping the wood for as long as I can. I may just get a second stock to use (keeping the original away, untouched).

 

[jpm]

Tung oil would color it I think, I would probably just go with boiled linseed oil. Put on a nice coat of it, wait 10-15 mins and wipe it off, let dry at least 24 hours and repeat several times.

 

[The5thDentist]

Shellac needs several thin coats, sanded between applications, working toward a finer and finer grit, just like a polishing process.


Oh, and one quick question. My SKS has a droopy bayonet in the folded position. ----->Insert Viagra/Cialis jokes here.<----- Anyone see this before? And anyone know what the issue might be?

 

[Neuro]

Shellac needs several thin coats, sanded between applications, working toward a finer and finer grit, just like a polishing process.

Would adding more shellack, be considered refinishing the stock? or preserving it?

 

[SKS Ray]

Would adding more shellack, be considered refinishing the stock? or preserving it?

I'd say a little of both. I had one that was flaking so bad that I rubbed it down with denatured alcohol. Then thinned amber shellac with the alcohol roughly 30% shellac, 70% alcohol and wiped a few thin coats on the stock. Unless you really looked close and felt it, you couldn't tell when I was done that it was ever flaking.

 

[Neuro]

I'd say a little of both. I had one that was flaking so bad that I rubbed it down with denatured alcohol. Then thinned amber shellac with the alcohol roughly 30% shellac, 70% alcohol and wiped a few thin coats on the stock. Unless you really looked close and felt it, you couldn't tell when I was done that it was ever flaking.

looking at my stock in the sun, the shellac seems to be missing over most of the rifle, with only some areas around the butt and in the finger grooves having any evidence of shellack to my eye (most of it cracking). Ill wait to show it to someone more experienced before doing anything to it. So this will be untouched (but not unfired) until the next group shoot.

 

[MrMollusk]

Of late my SKS has been feeding the 10th round into the space just below the chamber and locking the bolt back. It is matching to the rifle it is the stock 10 round capacity. There seems to be plenty of tension on the magazine spring, but the follower seems to have a lot of "wobble" left to right. I typically load the magazine one round at a time instead of using the stripper clips.

I double checked and the recoil spring is in correctly and it cycles fine for the first 9 rounds.

Is the magazine worn out or should I only load using the clips?

 

[martin08]

AT THE RANGE, cycle a full mag through by hand. Then examine the tips of the bullets. They may show signs of hitting low on the very sharp edged feedramp. If so, you can open the front of the mag lips (start with right lip only) very slightly. Or, you can gently file the squared edge of the feedramp, 4-8 o'clock, being very careful not to run the file into the chamber itself.