Well I "EFed" up My rifle!! Guy's, specially the new owners, watch Your bolt faces. Or more appropriately "WASH" Your bolt faces!!

I pull the bolt on arrival from every shooting trip. Ya see I have three kids "under 5" and curse the day one figures out how to get to Dad's big ass gun I keep the bolt safely away from it's rifle.

Point? Well, it would seem that I also promptly forget to give it the same "clean the piss outta it" attention I pay to the rest of the rifle.

Take a look at this.

This, is an etched bolt face. This is the result of pierced primers bleeding gases onto the face. Followed by a negligent gun owner "Me" not cleaning it properly. Those of You who read My shnit, know I love this rifle. Don't be like Me. Scrub the crap outta Your bolts dudes!!

So, Obviously the FP is stickin primers. I have noticed on several occasions, heavy white smoke flowing out of the open bolt. How do I fix the FP? Can the bolt be fixxed? If not who has an extra bolt?

Awwee dammit I was gonna buy a scope this year!!!

Damn..what is this gun again?

ok.. for psl..mmm I havent fired mine yet..got a guy who wants to buy it..maybe I will sell it to him now

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Originally Posted by azurevirus
ok.. for psl..mmm I havent fired mine yet..got a guy who wants to buy it..maybe I will sell it to him now

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Maybe it is just me.., it does not look that bad in the low quality pic.. I've fired several Yugo's and other firearms with much worse bolt face pitting. What kind of ammunition are you using. ? Hacve you inspected the fired casings to verify the pierced prmers? Just take the pledge to clean after shooting and before the safety storage of the biolt. Unless I'm missing something I think you are good to go.
Finding a bolt and then headspacing and so forth. Not necessary and will be pricey IMHO. my .02 cents.

Hey I think AKBLUE is sorta right. I can't tell from the picture, but it doesn't seem to bad. But then again, you say you are getting the thick white smoke right? If its worst case, that is the mercuric primer smoke being released towards you through the bolt which is very bad, due to its toxicity. If you still want to shoot the rifle, it doesn't seem to badly corroded(the bolt) use wolf steel case or wolf gold ammo so you if the primer's gas gets to you its not murcuric vapors.

So my guess is that the bolt surface is corroded just bearly enough that the firing pin goes too far into the primer. Does the rifle still eject the spent casings ok, and when you fire do you feel as though there is a gas leak through the bolt's seal with the chamber? The worst thing that could happen is your bolt doesn't lock all the way and the rifle blows up, but your bolt doesn't seem that bad.

If the rifle does mean a lot to you, you can wait for a good deal on gunbroker and buy a full PSL parts kit and take the bolt/carrier off of the kit. Then sell the parts off the kit(like the trunnions and gas tube). Or try call copes distibuting, they may be able to get ahold of a spare bolt for you.

FYI- I do not think mercuric primers have been in use for many years. They were replaced by other compounds which did not degrade brass case and other ammunition components. No big deal but not really relevant to the cnversation.

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Originally Posted by AKBLUE
FYI- I do not think mercuric primers have been in use for many years. They were replaced by other compounds which did not degrade brass case and other ammunition components. No big deal but not really relevant to the cnversation.

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Just curious Alpine, How long did the bolt set without cleaning? Just wondering, It sure didn't become this corroded within a few days, right? I field stripped and cleaned mine the other day and swabbed everything with Windex before a regular cleaning. Now I want to get it out and scrub it again!
I hope you can find a replacement bolt, I wouldn't sale it unless you are planning on getting another one. I would like to know what cause's the firing pin to pierce the primers? Is it the ammo or the rifle?

Na, this rifle was out last in December, say, five or six weeks ago. I think i noticed a slight trace of the crescent shaped mark back then but didn't think much of it.

It actually looks worse in the pic. major magnified and slightly blurred. And No I will not sell My baby. I just over react when I see crap like this on the rifle. My wife is jealous of this rifle.


Honestly now that Ive thought it over a bit I am remembering a little guy on the history channel with an AKM using a knotted shoestring to maintain His rifle. It's a Kalashnikov!! I think I'll keep the wtb adds up and snag a bolt if it shows. in the mean time I'm gonna keep using the rifle. I'll be watching for pierced cases and follow up on correcting the FP if I find them. One way or another I'll get it all straightened out

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Originally Posted by azurevirus
ok.. for psl..mmm I havent fired mine yet..got a guy who wants to buy it..maybe I will sell it to him now

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http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62851

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Originally Posted by alpinemike
Why? Just don't forget to clean Your gun...all of it.

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If it doesn't have headspace issues, just correct the FP protrusion problem if it has one and keep on keepin on man. I usually refinish or top coat all my AK's with MolyResin. It won"t do anything for the bolt face, but if you take your time there's a lot of places on the gun that you can give additional protection to.

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Originally Posted by 6500rpm
If it doesn't have headspace issues, just correct the FP protrusion problem if it has one and keep on keepin on man. I usually refinish or top coat all my AK's with MolyResin. It won"t do anything for the bolt face, but if you take your time there's a lot of places on the gun that you can give additional protection to.

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wow, I was linked in this thread.

I don't think it's that bad,

check your headspace and firing pin protrusion.

I have one that's worse than that. It's my beater FPK.

I say run with it.

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Originally Posted by AKBLUE
http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62851

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I hope they will work it out for you and your baby will be up and running again soon!

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Originally Posted by alpinemike
Thanks but he doesn't seem to have a bolt. Talking it over with some folks here in Oregon this is beginning to look like a head spacing issue. I have registered at Century and will send an E-mail to them ASAP. I'm not sure how much good this will do but I'll give it a go.

So how would a rookie to AKMs go about measuring head tolerances? I have only owned a SA2000m.

6500rpm

Tell Me about it! I actually keep this rifle fairly neat.


See.........................

Man I hope My Babies gonna be OK.

Well I submitted a ticket to century, Wonder if I'll hear back.

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I agree with the others who feel the corrosion, in and of itself, is not a problem--at least from a safety standpoint.

Have you confirmed that the primers were indeed pierced or is the erosion just the result of poorly made ammo (leaky primer seal?)

If you know your headspace is good to go and you continue to pierce primers on some different ammo, maybe honing the firing pin tip will help.

Some quick links on headspace gauges, I don't have any in 54r (yet), but when building I typically use a round for a go gauge and buy no-go and field gauges to check for excessive headspace. I've had good luck with Clymer, maybe someone can comment on others. On x39 builds, some will say use 2 layers of masking tape on the bottom of a round as a no-go substitute. It might be good for a quick check, but I'm a firm believer in real gauges. If it closes on a no-go it still might be ok to shoot, if it swallows a field gauge I wouldn't shoot it until it's corrected.

Links about headspace and a few quick places I found on a search to purchase,

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shootin...space/index.asp
http://www.okiegauges.com/
http://www.nextag.com/7__62-x54-russian/shop-html

Edit, did some wecsog measures with my digital calipers on a recent Century import with 100 round fired count with no issues.
Firing pin protrusion is .074"
Bolt closes nice and snug on a copper washed Bulgarian LB 54r round, and just start to engage lugs on the same round with two layers of masking tape cut around the bottom of the round. By "just", I mean no measureable bolt rotation, but you can feel the lugs just start to engage.
The two layers of masking tape I used had a total thickness of .0095".
I haven't researched what the actual spec for this round should be, but it gives you something to compare to against a known good gun.

You guys are awesome. So one of the smithies here in Oregon seems to think the wear on the bolt lugs may be slightly uneven, He thinks this is causing gas to bleed by on the loose side and this is why the erosion is crescent shaped rather than perfectly circular. I think I'm gonna get it over to a good smith face to face so He can assess the issue properly. Century has sent a recomendation to return the rifle for a bolt replacment. However they will be sending a follow up message regarding Warranty shipping and all the other crap. I just had to send the S/N. So now I guess I wait.

Looks like the issue will be resolved one way or another. Thanks for the feedback dudes!!! I was in a BAD WAY for a bit there!!! I think it's all gonna be Ok..