AK failure to fire

[powderedtoastman]

So my Dad gave me a Century AK last summer, and I've been having issues with it every now and then. Every so often, it will cycle and I'll squeeze the trigger, the hammer falls, and I get a light strike on the primer. I've cleaned out the flash hole, and the channel that the firing pin rides in, so I have it down to this:

-hammer spring is weak
-bolt isn't completely locking
-firing pin is bad?

What else could it be?!

[69Mach1]

So my Dad gave me a Century AK last summer, and I've been having issues with it every now and then. Every so often, it will cycle and I'll squeeze the trigger, the hammer falls, and I get a light strike on the primer. I've cleaned out the flash hole, and the channel that the firing pin rides in, so I have it down to this:

-hammer spring is weak
-bolt isn't completely locking
-firing pin is bad?

What else could it be?!

Which AK? WASR10, WASR3, etc...

Highly doubt it's the hammer spring. Pictures of the firing pin tip, and how much it's protruding through the bolt face would help. If the bolt is failing to lock completely, your carrier would not close fully, so that's out too.

[4thSBCT]

he has spoken

[Bigdaa]

I can't tell you how many cartridges I've found that way. People just chuck em.

Tell me what 'every so often' means.

If it's a parts gun (virtually guaranteed of that) you may have gotten an out of spec bolt.

Push your firing pin forward in the bolt and check protrusion. AK's I have seen have been pretty generous on how far they stick out.

I too have doubts about the hammer spring, but check smooth rotation of the hammer on the cross pin.

[lelandEOD]

Like Mach said... I doubt it's the spring.

Make sure that both legs of the hammer spring are perched on either side of the trigger properly. Disassemble the bolt and examine the firing pin. As others have said make sure the pin head is not mushroomed or damaged. If you have access to headspace gauges, use them to make sure you are in the green zone.

lastly, try a different lot of ammunition (if you have not already done so). Just to rule it out.

[Jerkdog]

Like Mach said... I doubt it's the spring.

As others have said make sure the pin head is not mushroomed or damaged.

Also take a look at the bolt face. I've seen this in SKSs - the firing pin channel is sometimes "volcano'd" (usually poor workmanship from the factory) and impedes the proper striking of the primer because it sticks out from the bolt face. The "volcano" would need to be machined (w/a stone) to a smooth surface, but you'd have to be careful about affecting headspacing, etc.

[powderedtoastman]

It's a WASR-10, and it happens about once or twice every 30 rounds. Sometimes it won't happen for 100 rounds. When I first got it, it happened 4 or 5 times every 30 rounds, but it's "settled down" a bit. I've tried several different lots of ammunition, all with the same result.
The firing pin will protrude about 2mm(5/64") out of the face of the bolt, and there is no resistance. I can hold the bolt in my hand and shake it forward and back and it moves freely. When I perform a function check, everything goes fine, and I've done the function check well over a hundred times in the past several months on this thing!

[lelandEOD]

It's a WASR-10...

Well, right there's your problem... Bury it in the back yard. Should fix it.

[Ryan in SD]

Well, right there's your problem... Bury it in the back yard. Should fix it.

lol, an unmarked grave. So much hate toward the wasrs.

[lelandEOD]

My two favorite WASR quotes:

"WASR= What A ****ty Rifle."

"WASR's make most politicians look straight."

[bigboy]

So my Dad gave me a Century AK last summer, and I've been having issues with it every now and then. Every so often, it will cycle and I'll squeeze the trigger, the hammer falls, and I get a light strike on the primer. I've cleaned out the flash hole, and the channel that the firing pin rides in, so I have it down to this:

-hammer spring is weak
-bolt isn't completely locking
-firing pin is bad?

What else could it be?!

Try looking at the hammer, it could be that the hammer is touching the receiver floor. Caused maybe by a loose hammer pin or not much clearance on the hammer and receiver floor.

[liveinthedirt]

Also some primers are harder than others, Yugo primers are the strongest I've come across..

[Roccobro]

I'd check head space while your cleaning and inspecting the bolt.

Justin

[BlooDSMeaR]

Nothing wrong with the WASR's. Mine is just fine. It goes boom and with a scope it hits tomato paste cans at 300 yards.

As for the light primer strike, I was using the Yugo surplus and had around 1 out of 30 do this. After switching over to the wolf military classic, I did not have a single FTFire out of the 1k rounds I shot off last weekend. Check your firing pin, and change your ammo. should be ok

[powderedtoastman]

I forgot to post, I swapped out the firing pin from another bolt, and shot about 300 rounds this past weekend out in the desert. Seems good now