Brought the Yugo SKS to annual NE Bloggershoot last weekend. Fired a few hundred rounds through it and took it down to clean it today. Yeah, I know screw me for waiting a week. Well, I am happy I waited because if I had done it right after getting home from a 5 plus hour drive last weekend I may have had a coronary if I added what happened tonight to the aftermath of the drive.
What a frigging pain in the arse it is to disassemble an SKS bolt, at least one in a Yugo SKS anyway (and this is a common problem with the Yugo SKS). I remember having taken the bolt apart some time back and that the firing pin retention pin was a bit of a pain to remove but it came out without too much trouble. Well, that was not the case tonight. It must have taken me the better part of two hours getting that one pin to come out. Most of that time the bolt soaked in mineral spirits in the hope that would loosen it up somewhat (or should I say the false hope cause it did not work).
After soaking it in the mineral spirits, I pounded on that bastard using my brass punch set and the tiny lightweight hammer that came with the punches. Two of the punches bent. I switched to a bigger hammer and wailed away again, this time the punch I was using snapped in two and it was not one of the ones that had already bent. I tried a small steel punch I had as it was the only straight steel punch I had (actually have 4 of them all basically the same). That one bent too.
Then, in desperation, I grabbed a center punch. They are tapered and the tapered end becomes much too wide for the hole that the retaining pin was in. I figured if I was careful, I could give some much stronger whacks to this punch because it is steel, thicker than the other steel ones I have, and very strong. After about 25 to 30 hard hits, the pin finally budged. It took another 5 to 6 good strong whacks to get it far enough out that I became fearful if I hit the punch again it would go too far in and widen the hole (remember this punch is tapered or conical). So I stopped, straightened out one of the bent brass punches by hitting it with the hammer and used that for the rest of the way. Talk about a pain the arse - that was one but it was not finished there was yet another.
Apparently the firing pin in my Yugo SKS is also a pain to remove. I had to use pliers. I would think it should have just slid right out as there was minimal fouling in the channel and on the pin. Not only did it come out with difficulty but it went back in the same way. I had to whack it with the nylon end of my punch set hammer to seat it. I do not recall whether or not I had that difficulty last time I disassembled and cleaned the bolt (maybe I did have some difficulty last time because its been awhile and that would have been incentive not to do it often). Even though it was difficult - the firing pin moves freely enough not to slam fire (which is sometimes a problem with this type of firing pin). I am thinking of ordering a replacement firing pin to see if that makes a difference, that is if I can find a reputable source for one. Actually, it seems I have already found a couple of them. I am not too sure if I want to get a firing pin of the same design as in my rifle like this, or go with an enhanced version like this one.
Before I change the firing pin though, I am going to look for the receipt for my punch set. I am hoping I got it from Sportsmansguide because if I did, I can either get my money back or get a replacement as part of their satisfaction guarantee. Took a break, looked for the receipt, and yes indeed it came from Sportsmansguide.com - so an email is on the way to them requesting a replacement or a refund. In the meantime I will decide on which firing pin to go with once I get paid next month.
All the best,
Glenn B
What a frigging pain in the arse it is to disassemble an SKS bolt, at least one in a Yugo SKS anyway (and this is a common problem with the Yugo SKS). I remember having taken the bolt apart some time back and that the firing pin retention pin was a bit of a pain to remove but it came out without too much trouble. Well, that was not the case tonight. It must have taken me the better part of two hours getting that one pin to come out. Most of that time the bolt soaked in mineral spirits in the hope that would loosen it up somewhat (or should I say the false hope cause it did not work).
 |
| The bent and broken punches from the set with the center punch that did the job underneath them. |
Then, in desperation, I grabbed a center punch. They are tapered and the tapered end becomes much too wide for the hole that the retaining pin was in. I figured if I was careful, I could give some much stronger whacks to this punch because it is steel, thicker than the other steel ones I have, and very strong. After about 25 to 30 hard hits, the pin finally budged. It took another 5 to 6 good strong whacks to get it far enough out that I became fearful if I hit the punch again it would go too far in and widen the hole (remember this punch is tapered or conical). So I stopped, straightened out one of the bent brass punches by hitting it with the hammer and used that for the rest of the way. Talk about a pain the arse - that was one but it was not finished there was yet another.
Apparently the firing pin in my Yugo SKS is also a pain to remove. I had to use pliers. I would think it should have just slid right out as there was minimal fouling in the channel and on the pin. Not only did it come out with difficulty but it went back in the same way. I had to whack it with the nylon end of my punch set hammer to seat it. I do not recall whether or not I had that difficulty last time I disassembled and cleaned the bolt (maybe I did have some difficulty last time because its been awhile and that would have been incentive not to do it often). Even though it was difficult - the firing pin moves freely enough not to slam fire (which is sometimes a problem with this type of firing pin). I am thinking of ordering a replacement firing pin to see if that makes a difference, that is if I can find a reputable source for one. Actually, it seems I have already found a couple of them. I am not too sure if I want to get a firing pin of the same design as in my rifle like this, or go with an enhanced version like this one.
Before I change the firing pin though, I am going to look for the receipt for my punch set. I am hoping I got it from Sportsmansguide because if I did, I can either get my money back or get a replacement as part of their satisfaction guarantee. Took a break, looked for the receipt, and yes indeed it came from Sportsmansguide.com - so an email is on the way to them requesting a replacement or a refund. In the meantime I will decide on which firing pin to go with once I get paid next month.
All the best,
Glenn B
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