AK74 extraction failures.

[Mr_Willson]

My father recently aquired a waffen werks bulgarian ak74 and after the first magazine we started getting some problems.

Several times per magazine we would either get a stuck round in the chamber after the bolt comes back and tries to feed a second round. OR the bolt carrier slams down on an empty case that didnt eject...its a real pain in the ass.

Ejection of cases isnt quite consistent in their direction either

Is there anything I can do to the rifle aside from sending it back to waffen werks?

 

[dwr461]

Is the chamber dirty or pitted? What does the rim of the empty case look like? Is it rounded like the extractor slid over it, bent, or broken? What does the extractor on the bolt look like? Is it intact? Is the spring still working? That's a good place to start.

Dave

 

[SpeedRacer]

Is the chamber dirty or pitted? What does the rim of the empty case look like? Is it rounded like the extractor slid over it, bent, or broken? What does the extractor on the bolt look like? Is it intact? Is the spring still working? That's a good place to start.

Dave

This + what kind of ammo?

We need details man!

FWIW a Google showed a few other WW 74's with the same issue, it seems some had to go back, some were fixed with a good scrubbing and break-in period, and some just didn't like Silver Bear ammo.

 

[Kurt D]

I had this happen on a build with original surplus barrel before. I hit the chamber with a bronze brush and Hoppes, checked the extractor to make sure there was nothing in there and the problem went away. If that fails, back it goes.

 

[Knave]

When you say stuck round, you mean the case is still in the chamber right?

If so, IMO my first guess would be an extractor problem.

 

[Mr_Willson]

When you say stuck round, you mean the case is still in the chamber right?

If so, IMO my first guess would be an extractor problem.

correct.

and this seems to be the issue. because after I clear the live round that could not feed due to the stuck case. I was able to close the bolt over the stuck round and smack the charging handle ejecting the spent round.

had to do this a few times.

cases didnt seem like they were marred up but I really should have examined them more closely

 

[Mr_Willson]

This + what kind of ammo?

We need details man!

FWIW a Google showed a few other WW 74's with the same issue, it seems some had to go back, some were fixed with a good scrubbing and break-in period, and some just didn't like Silver Bear ammo.

surplus.

rim didnt seem like it was stripped off at all because I was able to close the bolt and smack it back open to get it out.

I will check out the bolt when I can and post here again

 

[dwr461]

I'm not understanding what you're telling me. You have a case stuck in the chamber but you're able to close a bolt over it with a live round and then knock the live one back out by hitting the bolt??

So I'm assuming I'm not understanding the situation. But if you need to hit the bolt handle hard to clear a live round than I'd say you got something wrong in the chamber, very dirty, pitted, rusty, incipient case head failure.... My Bulgarian AK74 will clear on a live round with a pull on the bolt handle with one finger and no real effort.

Dave

 

[Knave]

I'm not understanding what you're telling me. You have a case stuck in the chamber but you're able to close a bolt over it with a live round and then knock the live one back out by hitting the bolt??

I think the situation is:

- Spent case is still in the chamber
- Bolt slides forward and jams a new round up against the spent case in the chamber
- After removing the live round, he can force the bolt forward against the spent case in the chamber to the point that the extractor will engage it, then pull the charging handle back and the case will eject


So for whatever reason, the extractor cannot reliably pull the spent case from the chamber.

However...

OR the bolt carrier slams down on an empty case that didnt eject...

If this situation is happening where a new round is not being fed at all, totally unrelated to an extractor or chamber issue the gun could be short stroking.

 

[dwr461]

IF it is an incipient case head failure. STOP shooting it. It's no longer safe to shoot until the remainder of the case head is removed. You'll need to either buy a 5.45x39mm case head extractor or bring it to a gunsmith who has one.

http://www.parts4ak47.com/ak-47_accessories/category/Broken_Shell_Extractor.html

I have not dealt with that company or heard anything good or bad about them. But that's what you'll need to remove a broken case that's stuck in the chamber. There's also a dirty method with a good cleaning rod, a hammer, break-free, etc.

Dave

 

[Mr_Willson]

I think the situation is:

- Spent case is still in the chamber
- Bolt slides forward and jams a new round up against the spent case in the chamber
- After removing the live round, he can force the bolt forward against the spent case in the chamber to the point that the extractor will engage it, then pull the charging handle back and the case will eject


So for whatever reason, the extractor cannot reliably pull the spent case from the chamber.

However...



If this situation is happening where a new round is not being fed at all, totally unrelated to an extractor or chamber issue the gun could be short stroking.

all of this.

one thing I noticed when my father first brought the rifle home... I was impressed with how it looked and just about everything about it. EXCEPT when I went to rack the charging handle... it was not smooth, and required an unnecessary amount of force to move. it would frequently hang up... but it kind of became easier to rack after moving it more and then lubing the rifle.