SKS trigger work?

[FC]

I can't figure out how the SKS trigger functions. There is an "O" shaped piece behind a spring, then a small, then shaft of metal. Is there a way to lighten and crisp up the trigger pull?

[Guest Unregistered guest]

I can't figure out how the SKS trigger functions. There is an "O" shaped piece behind a spring, then a small, then shaft of metal. Is there a way to lighten and crisp up the trigger pull?

6037[/snapback]

 

 

Hi Chicken. There is a website you can find pretty easily, probably just by typing in SKS Trigger repair, or some thing like that, which takes you step by step through a complete teardown,repair and reassemblie of the trigger group. Use this to complete your chosen chore. If you find the one that I am thinking about, there are photos for each step, which are printable from the screen. It might be WWW.SKS.Net. It might not.

 

Also, there are a variety of disks out there, for money of course, which will take you to many different aspects of reworking the trigger group for differing goals (i.e. target type shooting, increased rate of fire etc.), which will have way more than you need.

 

Anyway, if you don't find it, let me know, and I'll dig it out of my notes and send you the link.

[karlunity]

Hello FC.

 

The trigger on the SKS.

 

The trigger has a fail safe bar a disconnector which pushes the trigger bar and prevents the sear from being disengaged.

 

When the bolt is closed "in battery" the disconnecter is pushed down and the sear can be released by pulling the trigger.

 

Many SKS's, at least the Chi-com ones, I have seen, rough gooves in the trigger housing where the where the sear slides.

 

I polish them with 400 to 1500 paper and reworked the sear, this gives a better trigger pull, while still keeping the rifle safe and legal to use.

 

Karl

[FC]

Greg, is that you? Thanks, and Karl too.

A picture is necessary at a minimum, and suplusrifle.com had some stuff (he always has great instructions and pictures).

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/wolffsksspring/index.asp

http://yarchive.net/gun/rifle/sks_trigger.html

[Guest Unregistered Guest]

Hi Tony, it is me.

[FC]

You can put your name on without registering Greg. I was getting to missing your posts.

It sounds like the SKS trigger is a pain to deal with, but I'll tackle the job in the near future. I'm thinking that it would be a good candidate for my old dental lab trick of rubber wheeling the parts so they are satiny smooth without removing much metal at all. It only takes five or ten seconds to do the job. It worked really well on the K-31 triggers, but, of course, they are a lot easier to work on.

[Guest Unregistered Guest]

Tony, I went back and looked at your links. The second was a pass (although he is correct on SKS self disassembly - these are great litttle rifles, just not made for full auto, allthough another guy and myself got ambushed one day by a couple of vc who had them running full (must have been them soft civilian primers). The other issue with any rifle/carbine of this ilk is cook off. These always close the bolt if there is any ammo in there). The first is obvious quality. The guy is right on and has done his home work.

 

A foot note on this might be never fire one for the first time with more than one round in it, for the first couple, then only load two, and see what will happen.

 

In advance of all of this, it truly is a must to pull the firing pin, regardless of the aggrevation that this might be, and beyond a doubt clean the pin and the pin galley. You can change the tip length with sone fine sandpaper, and also reround it if necessary. A lot of these rifles never got the pin cleaned right by the troops, and if one had leaky primers blowing corrosive powder gas into the galley, then it is usually welded tip out, like one of those old Italian sub guns which had no hammer or firing pin, just a slight delay to lock up.

 

As far as dripping in Hoppe's and oil and spraying with brake clean etc., nice but don't do it. Any spray promotes localized rusting, and there are frequently balls of crud and rust that won't disolve, but will wedge the pin, tip out. Cosmoline with a high wax content will do this.

 

BTDT (Been there, done that).

[Gothmog]

Hi Greg, it's nice to hear from you again ... I was just wondering if you might post here once more, as registration is again unnecessary on MFRC.

[FC]

Well, I hope you killed those VC who disobeyed the law and shot those full auto!

 

Greg, I don't recall seeing a breakdown on disassembling the bolt, but I imagine Surplusrifle.com has something on it. So, look out for too sharp of a firing pin?

 

Thanks for the good advice.

[Guest Unregistered Guest]

Hi Dave, it is good to be here, especially. In fact, at my age it is good to be anywhere I don't need spf 2 billion to avoid iminent crisping.

 

Hey, ya know what? It is Hallow'een, maybe Evil Paul will show up!

 

FC, as far as the firing pin, either pointy, or too flat will aide in blowouts. Pointy speaks for itself, but too flat will act like a die cutter and cookie cut the primer face, and it'll blow right back, and maybe shed a very small disc of partially melted metal. Who knows, maybe right into an eye.

 

With regard to the teardown of the bolt - MOST - that is most - SKS bolts have a firing pin, bolt body, extractor spring, extractor, and retaining pin. The retaining pin is a basic round metal shaft with a flat top. This is behind the extractor. It is your choice on how to remove. When there is little inside rust, it usually can be driven out fairly quickly, once the bolt body is out of the rifle and where you can control/pound on it. If speed is not an issue, a couple of your favorite anti seize drops and let soak as long as convenient.

 

Sometimes these will suffer from boogeritis, and be a bear to remove. One thing you can try is to put it into a vise with an oversize socket behind the head, and close the bolt with a push driver of some type in front of the small end (kind of like doing the u joints on a '57 insert your favorite resto-rod here). Sometimes I get away with starting it with a ball bearing (they do come apart sometimes and slivers can be an issue if they do). Sometimes I use a huge 4 pound (OK, bigger than a tack hammer) hand sledge, and a good quality pin driiver, and one pop and they are out. The rest speaks for itself. The firing pin should come right out. If it doesn't, and you are not working a really early SKS (40's to maybe '50 or '51), then you likely got rust issues, compounded with cosmoline etc..

 

I have seen at least one SKS with a two piece pin and a sleeve spring (probably a lot like the two piece set up on an FN 49). What ever its problem was, it had apparently fired out of battery as the cartridge rim support lip was busted off around the extractor, and the extractor was busted. I didn't want to laugh at the guy, but he was looking for one just like it. I think what he had lucked onto was an early trials rifle.

 

Anyway, scrub a dub dub, clean it spotless as well as you can (pipe cleaners are great for this, or gas system cleaners from an M-16/AR-15), lightly lube after checking pin length and shape, and re-assemble. There is, of course, one gotcha, you have to check for proper pin alignment with the retaining pin/firing pin assemblage. If you get the pin lined up wrong it will lock the firing pin tip out. No big deal, just push the retainer out, and by then you will understand what to do, realign, and reassemble. This is a must check, however. I use Hoppe's #9 for all gun cleaning, all. It is excellant for corrosive ammo clean up, I use Hoppe's gun oil for all lubes. Outside the gun (pistol or rifle), I use Johnson's Paste Wax (Not their Johnson's Floor Wax, I say parenthetically). The Johnson's will not turn white, and provides real protection from handling, and prints wipe right off. The gun stays dry, and there is less chance for dry rot.

 

Now the good news: Once you have gotten the retainer out and back in properly for the first time - AND REMEMBERED TO LIGHTLY LUBE IT BEFORE REASSEMBLY - never again will it be much of a problem to remove. In fact, it really should just tap right out.

 

Or, you can use the candle trick.