Kentucky Armory Club

I have a buddies AK47 that is a total piece... Looks the same as any other WASR but doesn't function worth a shit. No plans of doing any major work to it but trying to help him figure it out. The bolt carrier seems to be sliding fine and not sticking or catching on anything. The gas port is open and as big or bigger than it's supposed to be. A 9/64 bit slides in but a 5/32 won't. The bits you can buy for this are .12?? and 9/64 is .14?? so my assumption is that it's large enough. It acts under gassed though. It has less recoil than any other that I have ever shot and it also only ejects shells 2-3 feet away. Every AK I've ever shot LAUNCHES the shells 10+ feet. Any one know of any thing we should look at and see if it's causing the problems?

Are you sure it's not an AR? LOL Jk something that comes to mind as a possibility is the ammo you have. Is it all the same batch? Maybe underpowered? I know you say it is sliding fine but you can polish the rails the carrier slides on which may help though doesn't sound like the problem it may assist with the symptom.

There is also the possibility that either the piston or gas tube (or both) aren't sealing enough, allowing blow by, causing a weak or short cycle.

From the WyldPhone

I'd be willing to bet the recoil spring is to long/short. I had one WASR that had the same issue. I ordered a replacement from Apex and that fixed the problem.

I tried 3 or 4 different kinds of ammo in 4 different mags. 4 mags with 5 rounds each, only one cycled all 5 rounds. It's pretty bad. He said it been like that since he got it. Took it to Firearm Services and they used what looks like jbweld to tighten up the mag well and said they couldn't find anything else wrong.

Any unusual wear on locking lugs? Unusual wear on gas piston? Unusual wear to under side of bolt/hammer?

I'll take it off his hands and fix it.

Niceguy wrote:I tried 3 or 4 different kinds of ammo in 4 different mags. 4 mags with 5 rounds each, only one cycled all 5 rounds. It's pretty bad. He said it been like that since he got it. Took it to Firearm Services and they used what looks like jbweld to tighten up the mag well and said they couldn't find anything else wrong.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa

Sounds like a gas leak, try Toddshovelpants fix first.

Niceguy wrote:I tried 3 or 4 different kinds of ammo in 4 different mags. 4 mags with 5 rounds each, only one cycled all 5 rounds. It's pretty bad. He said it been like that since he got it. Took it to Firearm Services and they used what looks like jbweld to tighten up the mag well and said they couldn't find anything else wrong.

I have warned people about them before. They are a joke. They told me they polished the bolt on my 597 when it had extraction problems and test fired it and it was fixed. They not only didn't polish one thing in it, they didn't change extractor (it had a burr on it and was there when I picked back up just as when I dropped off) it was still clean inside and was never fired.

bring it by and I will look at it and give you a quote

Comparing it to my AK I see nothing unusual. Not my gun to put money into. I'm hoping I can find the problem and he will sell it to me really cheap...haha

Niceguy wrote:Comparing it to my AK I see nothing unusual. Not my gun to put money into. I'm hoping I can find the problem and he will sell it to me really cheap...haha

Tell him the flux capacitor is bad or the rotor warped.

I second looking at the gas tube, piston and recoil spring for kosherness.

Swap recoil springs.
Just for my amusement.

richief wrote:I second looking at the gas tube, piston and recoil spring for kosherness.

Wouldn't that make it a Galil?

People are still going to that hack/crook?!

It's the recoil spring. Don't JB weld it, though.

It was like a year or two ago. I'll swap my recoil spring in and see what it does. I'll do my bolt and carrier also.

Swapped the bolt and carrier, recoil spring and didn't function worth a shit. Was afraid to even try and fire it. Swapped it all back except my recoil spring/rod and it's way better but still not perfect. Maybe 1 in 30 failure to feed. No ejection problems and it was tossing rounds out like most any other AK I've shot. About 8-10', was about 2' with his spring. I still think it's a piece of crap...haha