Getting Acquainted
Developments occur!
So yesterday’s post got some attention. Murray Himself checked in. Seems the argument is it’s the ammo, and not the firing pin, causing popped primers that melt the spring in the OMM pin.
You better believe this gave me a hard-on to test this. My SKS now has the original soviet pin, with the serial scratched in. I’m taking 40 rounds of Tula, 40 rounds of Silver Bear, and 40 rounds of Wolf down to the range on Saturday. This will be documented in pics, possibly some video. I will force my daughter to fire rounds/hold the bag to catch brass, trading off with her for 120 rounds. We will keep the ejected brass separated by brand. All of it will be fired using the original soviet firing pin.
I see this going one of two ways.
– Primers pop on the Wolf ammo, in which case I issue an apology to OMM here, and blame the fucking ammo. And I will write the manufacturer, to see about some form of recompense.
– No primers pop, in which case I think we can safely say the OMM firing pin is causing the problem. And in that case, I will be sending the pin back to OMM in a bag, demanding a goddamn refund.
Gun drama! Gotta love it. I’m just looking forward to an excuse to shoot my SKS at the range.
Ahahaha lucky bastard, that’s the whole reason I’m on fetlife.
While it’s been many years since I have fired an SKS, and only one time at that…I would think a shooter would notice the blowback from a popped primer…no? It’s semi-auto, so the increased gasses blasting out as the bolt comes back should be kind of unpleasant I would think…
I’m not familiar witht he SKS but certain rifles have built in bolt channeling to pass the gas away from the shooter. If the SKS has that it might not be noticeable.
As far as the testing goes… Well to be honest to get the proper test to find out what exactly is going on you’re not going to be able to tell with the OEM firing pin alone. You’ll need the exact brand of ammo you were shooting before, the OEM firing pin and another one of Murray’s spring replacements.
First test will be to fire normally with the free floated firing pin and inspect each casing as it’s ejected. Roughly half of whatever ammo you have on hand.
Then will be to do the same thing with the spring loaded firing pin installed inspecting each primer. That’s going to be the only real way to find out if it’s an ammo or a firing pin problem.
I’ve always been an advocate of brass inspection though. On my bolt guns and long range shooters each round is inspected after it’s fired. Scrape marks on a backed out primer, neck blow out, sidewall bulging. But I also handload and the like so it’s not a big deal. On my semi-auto’s I’m not as particular but I usually try to grab 2 or 3 rounds out of each spent mag to inspect and see if my rifle is showing any signs of issues.
Be surprised at what a spent casing can tell you sometimes.
This.^
Seriously.
Scientific method is called for… Replicate original conditions as much as possible. Change only one variable at a time. Thoroughly document each step. Take many pictures.
Who knew science could be fun, eh? 😀
Science be damned, you’d have to be nuts to put the same junk back in your firing pin channel that you could just barely get out after hours of work last time.
My test WAS NOT scientific, per se, for this reason.
I’d have to buy another OMM firing pin and test it on the same ammo. No thank you. Nyet. If the problem is the ammo, then it should have popped as well with the original pin. Tomorrow you begin to find out…
Fair point on the firing pin.
OTOH, you’re not going to have a definitive answer. Only part of one. If you’re OK with that, well, it’s your rifle, and your call. Can’t say I’d call you wrong; I’m just a dork for complete answers. 😉
Predicted response if you get zero popped primers.
The OG Soviet firing pin head is different shaped so you won’t see the same effect on primers.
Such a response would reinforce my contention that the OMM firing pin is the culprit.
I think the testing J. Grant outlined is more than sufficient. Obviously the failure is either with the firing pin or the ammo. You don’t need to test both of them, you just need to determine whether or not the fault lies with the ammunition. J. Grant blames the firing pin. The manufacturer blames the ammo. If the ammo works properly with the original firing pin, then the fault cannot be with the ammo and thus must like with the new firing pin. Statistically speaking, there are two variables at play here; the firing pin and the ammo. By controlling the ‘firing pin’ variable it becomes simple to determine if it’s possible that the ammunition is faulty or not without question. Firing off rounds with the questionable ammo and the questionable firing pin wouldn’t produce any helpful data, since it wouldn’t answer the question.
Not to mention that your testing method involves buying a product that J. Grant already thinks is not worth owning.
Changing channels from Mick probably screwing up his relationship royally,
to his uncle’s adventures in fetish-land with god-knows-who..
…and then cliffhanging it over the weekend,
might just give me an aneurism, bro…just sayin’…
Obviously you don’t follow Girl Genius or read A Song Of Ice And Fire. Those two harden you to cliffhanger aneurysms.
Sluggy Freelance and even Schlock Mercenary will do the same to you.
oh, crap, now I will have to check THOSE out… 🙂
My work here is done. 😀
Even IF you are popping primers the spring shouldn’t melt!!
Looking at OMM’s link… its a bolt issue, and not a firing pin issue. is the area of your firing pin hole raised at all? (Gonna check my soviet guns tonight)
Not that I can tell.
Someone asked a few strips ago for more Omar. Who knew you did requests?
My money is on her having been a him at some point.
Annnddd… Bingo.
Or still being one, for certain values of “being”.
Poor Omar, destined to have penises flying at him one way or another.
(from THE FUTURE)
I think your money was well spent.