Took the worng advice

[Madmartigan]

So I received a SKS from my uncle for a graduation present and there was a crack in the stock we noticed so we got a Tapco stock and being new to modifying guns went to youtube for advice and the guy on there said to file metal part at the back of the gas chamber. ( the piece that the little pin goes through) to make the new tapco part fit better. This didn't work and then we saw plastic is a lot easier to file which did work.
Here is the problem. When I shoot now the Piston flips up and the gas chamber doesn't stay seated great. I would love to fix this by getting a new metal part for the end of the gas chamber but I can't find anywhere to buy it. If anyone knows of a place that has it in stock I would greatly appreciate any help or advice I could get.
Also Last hunting season I was in my sitting in my tree stand and rested the butt of the gun on the foot platform, the gun went off about 4 inches in front of my face. I have cleaned it extensively since then but is there any way to make sure the weapon is safe to handle? Again any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Eghead]

You can try a Tapco bolt. Its supposed to help eliminate the problem of the firing pin locking forward.
http://www.tapco.com/products/sks/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=217

[Shipyard]

getting a new metal part for the end of the gas chamber but I can't find anywhere to buy it.

i'd stay away from any gun that has a gas chamber on it. probably bad news. but then again, i'm Polish - i have a tendency to get nervous around such things

the gun went off about 4 inches in front of my face. I have cleaned it extensively since then but is there any way to make sure the weapon is safe to handle?

(is this **** for real? assuming yes, i will continue with...)

i'm not sure why you havn't...
A) turned this thing into scrap

B) taken it to a competent gun smith

C) read the basic take down/care/assembly/safety check manual for the SKS?

before you start hacking more into your weapon, a sit down a a good read over the basic information and function of it is a good place to start. there are a couple hundred good sites out there dedicated to SKS pattern rifles. i bet you could even find a few folk with the same issue with a bunch of ready pattern advice to give on it.

also, probably a good idea to quit hacking into your weapon when it discharges 4 in from your face. i'm not a lawyer, nor do i play one on TV - remember what you paid for this advice.

[Pezhead]

I'd agree witht the above take it to a gunsmith.

[Stradawhovious]

I'd agree witht the above take it to a gunsmith.

Yes. Before you injure or kill yourself or someone else with it.

This isn't a toaster. Trial and error repair is not a good idea on any level, since it could result in serious injury or worse. If you don't know exactly what you are doing, take it to someone who does or sell it to someone who will.

Please.

[Bitter Bastard]

Can you post pics of the parts you modified? SKS's are pretty simple guns and we should be able to get you up and running.

As to firing when you set it down, that sounds like more of a concern. Make sure the firing pin channel is clear of any grease and debris. Dissassemble the bolt completely to clean it properly. You can't do it right without removing the firing pin.

Make sure the trigger group is also free from grease. I really don't like dissambling those and you can hose it out completely with brake cleaner or other solvents, blow it out with an air compressor if you wish, and then re-lube with your favorite gun oil.

Once clean, make sure the rifle is clear and run through the safety checks - does it fire when the trigger is pulled? Does it not fire when the safety is on? When the safety is then moved to fire, does it then fire? If you hold the trigger back, does the hammer get caught or follow the bolt home? Things like that. If that's all good, try to induce a failure by hitting the buttstock on the ground and so on.

Only once you have done all the above, take it to the range, load 1 round with it pointing down range, and see what happens. Then load and fire 2 rounds. Do that a few times. Then run through the safety checks again (keeping it pointing down range at all times) and see what happens with it loaded with a single round. Don't try to induce a failure by hitting the stock of a loaded rifle, though. That's asking for an accident.

[minnesotatv]

So I received a SKS from my uncle for a graduation present and there was a crack in the stock we noticed so we got a Tapco stock and being new to modifying guns went to youtube for advice and the guy on there said to file metal part at the back of the gas chamber. ( the piece that the little pin goes through) to make the new tapco part fit better. This didn't work and then we saw plastic is a lot easier to file which did work.
Here is the problem. When I shoot now the Piston flips up and the gas chamber doesn't stay seated great. I would love to fix this by getting a new metal part for the end of the gas chamber but I can't find anywhere to buy it. If anyone knows of a place that has it in stock I would greatly appreciate any help or advice I could get.
Also Last hunting season I was in my sitting in my tree stand and rested the butt of the gun on the foot platform, the gun went off about 4 inches in front of my face. I have cleaned it extensively since then but is there any way to make sure the weapon is safe to handle? Again any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

its unfortunate that you learned a lesson about the reliability of youtube videos this way.

did you dismantle the bolt and clean the firing pin and channel?

its my understanding that slam fires are not uncommon in SKS'
I suggest you call Murray's gunsmithing and talk to them about what you did and what
problems you're having.

Murray's also makes a replacement firing pin and spring to eliminate this slam fire problem.
I have no personal knowledge of the product, but since you're already having problems you
might want to check into that as well.

also, there's always http://www.sksboards.com

[Madmartigan]

I appreciate all the advice guys. I was hoping that I would be able to be a little more handy with firearms but I yeah I think that you guys are right about looking into a gunsmith. I included a pic of the part of the SKS that I filed trying to get it to fit. Thanks for your help guys.

[Bitter Bastard]

Get another picture or two. Open them in Paint or another rudimentary photo editing program and draw some lines and circles showing exactly what you filed on. If you filed on the latch on the gun, you're probably SOL. If you filed on the gas tube itself, you should be able to replace that for just a few dollars at a gun show or order one online. But I think we still need more info on what you did.

[Doc Harvey]

Sounds like negative engagement of the trigger. Also, have you removed the firing pin from the bolt to make sure it's clean?

[Madmartigan]

I have not taken apart the firing pin yet but everything else, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it back together but I will be looking into that as well. I have a mac so I will look into seeing what I can edit photos with. I just got it and haven't played with it too much. But I will post more pictures for sure. Thank you

[Countryfried Frank]

I have a mac so I will look into seeing what I can edit photos with.

GIMP

[yuppiejr]

You're not the first person with the Gas Tube issue thanks to the Tapco stock "upgrade" which includes a replacement gas tube that's often out of spec:

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/sks/47 ... oblem.html

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/inde ... 03696.html

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/show ... p?t=483348

Seriously, rip that crappy Tapco stock set off and put the original wood and gas-tube back on the gun. Hopefully you didn't remove enough metal from the receiver trying to fit the Tapco gas tube unit that it's beyond repair, if the rifle doesn't function properly with the original gas tube (with the wooden top handguard attached) installed you are pretty much screwed ...

The more troubling aspect of this is the unintentional/negligent discharge... The SKS has a very obvious safety mounted on the trigger guard, was this engaged (flipped "up") when the gun fired in your tree stand? Did you simply bump the rifle against the base of your stand when it discharged? It could be a number of problems including a stuck firing pin (rusted/bent so the pin protrudes from the bolt, if this is the case you are lucky you did not get 10 rounds in the face when you dropped the bolt into battery), prior trigger modifications by a previous owner, etc... If you are going to own and operate a surplus gun like this you HAVE to understand how to completely strip and clean it, including tearing the bolt apart to remove the firing pin, extractor, etc... Most of these were soaked with cosmoline (a thick, jelly like preservative grease) that has to be removed from nooks and crannys to operate safely - simply blasting some bore cleaner into the bolt and trigger mechanism is not going to cut it. The Yugoslavian models (with the funny flip-up grenade launcher sights) are notorious for firing pin/internal rust problems that can make them unsafe without proper cleaning and maintenance before shooting them for the first time and are very common in the current marketplace.

There are a TON of resources available on how to completely disassemble and service the SKS rifle, Google is your friend, they are one of the easier milsurp rifles to break down and completely clean in my experience if you are willing to spend the time. A new wooden stock for the rifle is only $25 (http://tickbitesupply.com/sksstk.html) and would probably be a better direction than continuing to fool with the Tapco aftermarket upgrades. The SKS is well designed and reliable in it's original form when properly cleaned and maintained, there's pretty much no functional improvement in the weapon that comes from adding anything Tapco to the gun but a large risk of making it less reliable.

My honest advice at this point... if you are in over your head, sell/trade the rifle to someone who knows the SKS platform and wants a parts/project rifle and chalk it up as a lesson learned - save your pennies for a value priced hunting bolt or level action rifle like the Remington 700 ADL/Marlin XS7 (scoped kits for $400), Marlin 336 lever action ($400 or less new), etc...

[Bitter Bastard]

I have not taken apart the firing pin yet but everything else, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it back together but I will be looking into that as well. I have a mac so I will look into seeing what I can edit photos with. I just got it and haven't played with it too much. But I will post more pictures for sure. Thank you

Take apart the bolt and get it cleaned. There's nothing difficult or magic about it. You just need a hammer and punch. There are lots of online resources for this if you are nervous but it's really pretty easy. Cleaning around the firing pin is very important with surplus SKS's. After you do it once, unless you shoot a lot or shoot corrosive ammo, you may not have to do it again. Just make sure the firing pin channel is clean.