AK FTE Problem

[rattlesnake]

Some More

Here you go.

[rattlesnake]

More Pics

More Pics, Thanks for your feedback.

[4thSBCT]

ejector appears to be ok, and if you said you've cleaned the exctractor it should be good also. When you say its really tight to cycle do you mean its hard to pull the bolt carrier back when a round fails to extract? does a round ever fail to lock into battery 100% when your loading a new round?

[rattlesnake]

Nicoroshi,

I just messured the distance from the ejector to the chamber face and it was 2 1/4". I think that would be 2.25". If so, is my ejector to far from the chamber face?

My extractor is all good. I am nurotic about gun cleaning. I can freely move the extractor with my finger no problem. I doesn't feel like there's debris or gunk in the bolt.

Thanks,

[rattlesnake]

4thSBC,
When I cycle it by hand and am pulling it back, it seems like the bolt is rubbing preaty hard against the hammer. That is the place I see the most wearing from the mettle rubbing. I have shot other ak's and they seem to hand cycle much easier than mine. I figured it's because it's new and needs to break in. Also, would it be a good idea to file the back of the hammer where it comes into contact with the bolt? I don't think it fails to lock into battery but i'll check right now. Thanks for the help.

[rattlesnake]

4thSBC,
I just hand cucled a couple mags. It locks into battery fine. I definely have an extraction problem. With dust cover on, every other round failed to exit. With the dust cover off, 3 out of 10 failed to exit between the carrier and reciever. It seems like they are shooting straight back also. Could this be because the ejector it too far back from the chamber face? Or is it an ejector issue?

[JamesY]

4thSBC,
I just hand cucled a couple mags. It locks into battery fine. I definely have an extraction problem. With dust cover on, every other round failed to exit. With the dust cover off, 3 out of 10 failed to exit between the carrier and reciever. It seems like they are shooting straight back also. Could this be because the ejector it too far back from the chamber face? Or is it an ejector issue?

From the pics, it looks like the ejector length is fine but from your description, it seems like it's too short. Manually cycle it slowly and pay close attention to the ejector and see if it's contacting the round. If some aren't, then the ejector is your problem. Also, when you cycle it, push on the carrier so it "hugs" the right side of the receiver. If all rounds don't eject this way, then you definitely have a short ejector and need it lengthened.

[Roccobro]

If you have a set of calipers, measure from the outside of the receiver to the tip of the ejector. This can help figure if it is too short. Every AK is slightly different in length needs, but there is a ball park that they fall under.

As for filing the hammer, can you get the carrier to stay open by resting it gently on the hammer? Like a bolt hold open mag follower would? If so, I'd recommend removing some material from the hammer. This will aid in cycling and overall smoothness as well.

Justin

[nicoroshi]

Nicoroshi,

I just messured the distance from the ejector to the chamber face and it was 2 1/4". I think that would be 2.25". If so, is my ejector to far from the chamber face?

My extractor is all good. I am nurotic about gun cleaning. I can freely move the extractor with my finger no problem. I doesn't feel like there's debris or gunk in the bolt.

Thanks,

Distance is good.
Follow the advice given above to check the ejector length.

[Ub3rD0rk]

It almost sounds to me as if the ejector is to long. from the pictures, It almost seems like the ejector is pushing the bolt over to one side. I would remove the fire control group, strip the bolt, and then run the stripped bolt and carrier through the action and see if it still sticks. If so, a little filing on the ejector may fix the problem.

[SVT-40]

Nodak had some issue with their DDS-3 receivers when used with the Tapco G2 single hook fire control sets.

Here is a link to their site and info related to the issue they had. Maybe changing to another fire control group would solve the issue.

http://www.nodakspud.com/troubleshooting.htm

Basically their modification to the hammer makes the hammer sit just a tad bit lower without removing any steel from the top contact area where the hammer rides against the bolt carrier..

[rattlesnake]

JamesY, I did as you said and even when I pushed the carrier to the right, the ejector still contacts the round fine. In all cases, the round contacts the ejector very well.
Roccobro, The distance from the outside of the receiver to the end of the ejector is 17/32". Also, the carrier will stay open quite easily without enough foreword pressure. I'm sure the carrier and hammer are coming into contact too much. I have shot other ak’s and there are much smoother than might. The one I have feels very tight. There's plenty of metal on the hammer, maybe I should start grinding?
UB3RDORK, I think my ejector is long enough for sure as it occupies all the space in the bolt. Could to long of an ejector cause a rearward ejection? It seems like it would cause a foreword ejection. Without the dust cover, the shells come almost straight back.
SDVT-40, It sounds like this is likely my problem. I have a Nodac NDS-3 and a Tapco G-2. I will read up on this further.
Gentlemen, all your comments are appreciated and I am open to more. Do you think I should change trigger, grind hammer, or file ejector? If so what order? I sure wish there were more people like you in my town. Anyone know a solid AK man in the South OC or North San Diego area? Around here there’s just a bunch of liberals and sissies. Oh well! Guess that make me the strong man in town. Ha!

[rattlesnake]

Just read up on the Nodak website. The problem I have is different than the one mentioned. So I gues it's down to the hammer rubbing the carrier or the ejector being too long? Now I guess I need to know what order to start grinding. My inclination is to start with the hammer as this part is the easiest to replace if I jack it up.

[Sky_DiveR]

Does the carrier stay open by itself when you pull the carrier back and slowly release forward? If so, you may have too much drag on your carrier from the hammer or a worn/weak recoil spring. If you know somebody else with an AK see if you can swap recoil spring assemblies with them to see if it helps.

You can file alittle bit off the face of the hammer and polish it up so that it may drag less on the carrier. That would be better than filing on the underside of the carrier. Don't file off too much or the hammer won't reset (lock) on the disconnector properly.

You didn't mention if you removed the FCG to see if the ejector was dragging and/or just the hammer. I can't tell from your pics but it seems like it may be too long and may (also?) be dragging on the bolt.

[rattlesnake]

Skydiver, The carrier does drag on the hammer allot and it does remain open if I pull back and release slowly. It will remain open if I don't really slap back and let go. I can keep the carrier open on the hammer no problem. I think that's bad because all the ak's i've shot were much looser. I just chalked it up to being a new gun. Also, I didn't remove the fcg. But there is a liitle play between the ejector and bolt with the mag out. When I put the mag in, there is likely more drag between the bolt and ejector because there's little to no play, mag in. How much metal can be removed from the hammer before I jack it up? Should I start with filing down the mags?