AK extractor spring question

[swift]

The extractor was stuck, so I disassembled the bolt. How stiff should an AK extractor spring be?

[thedrickel]

Pretty stiff.

[TonyM]

Pretty stiff.

LOL...

Yeah, that's about the best answer I have too.

[Ford8N]

Pretty stiff.

This

[Utha Schleigle]

Pretty stiff but move-able.

Did you clean and reassamble with the firing pin in the proper aligment. Does the firng pin jiggle when rotory bolt is rock back & forth in yout hand. (edit) extractor bevels in proper alignment when reinserting retaining pinn (edit)

Then push on extractor. Under heavy thumb pressure should move and snap positively but smoothly back.

Then check with magnify loop from $1 store. Look for cracks - chips - shell like fracture the are scoop like.

For extractor hold-ablity test. Gauge or previously fired shell should be able to be clipped under extractor and held there. The gauge should be pull on straight and the guage/casing should not be pull off bolt. Pull straight like the bolt going back to the ejector. Depending on who made the ammo the casing lipps vary.

Ammo 1.36 to 1.40 (edit) 1.45mm lipp possible(edit) lipp - My GO Gauge lipp - use already fired case
Pass - will hold 1.625 to 1.63 mm lipp - My NO GO gauge lipp
Fail - should not fit under extractor 2.1mm lipp. (I don't have a Feild Gauge to measure - but I think it will mic at 2.11) Repaire/replace retention pin or replace extractor spring or replace extractor.

I am trying to get or make the different armorers gauges for AKM - but still working on it.

If you have head space gauges look at lipps on the head space gauge. Mic or caliper measure your head space lipps.

[swift]

I took apart a bolt with a working extractor and found the bolt to be pretty clean. The spring looked shiny and new. The bolt with the frozen extractor was very dirty - it looked almost like mud in the extractor well. Nothing a long soak in WD40 won't fix. The spring was somewhat stiffer than that from the working bolt, but the fired case fits and is held in place. The case does not seem to fit in as smoothly as the bolt with the shiny spring. I guess a new spring is in order.

BTW, the CD from toten kopf provided really easy step-by-step directions.

[motorhead]

old burnt up cosmo. thououghly clean bolt or the new spring will soon toast. wd aint strong enough, brake cleaner, acetone, etc.