Chamber issue with my AK?

[Indy_Guy_77]

I was finally able to shoot my AK-74 last weekend after several months of waiting... (nothing quite like having to sell something else to have the $ for mags & ammo!)

The extremely gracious host I was shooting with (lovemywoods!) picked up a fired case and noticed something odd:

See all the marks on the case? Yep, mirror image of the chamber.

Same 3 cases. Looking closely, you can see a slight bulge in the bottom-most of the fired cases. The bulge is just "above" the faint little line that rings the case just above the primer pocket. (And if anyone can tell me what this little line is, I'll be forever thankful)

Note: There weren't any issues at all with feeding, firing, nor extracting when using a surplus Bulgarian mag (Circle 21). The 1 ProMag that I have did allow a failure; but that's a mag issue and not relevant to this.

So, my questions: Should I be concerned about the condition of this rifle's chamber? More-so about the bulged case than the roughness.

Thanks in advance,

-J-

 

[dom1104]

uh wow.

If my AR15 spit cases out that looked like that lol....


I have no idea what to tell you. Very interesting tho. What make is that -74?

 

[ghitch75]

looks like someone tried to check the chamber.....when you drop in a loaded rd does it fall out if turned upside down?.....if it's tight i would polish it...


man thats rough...

 

[Clay]

the buldging worries me more than the marks per say. What kind of AK74, and who built it? Im wondering if maybe its a US barrel issue.

 

[ckcollins2003]

Have you tried different ammo with it? The bulge would be consistent with the powder/primer burn within the round IMO. As far as the scratches go, I'd clean the chamber thoroughly and see if they come back next time you fire the weapon.

The scratches I wouldn't worry about as long as you are not planning to reload those shells, but the bulges tell a different story. Too much pressure build up somewhere in there.

 

[Clay]

Too much pressure build up somewhere in there.

or the wrong chamber profile. Thats why I asked if it was a US barrel. So far the US barrel in 5.45x39 have been hit or miss on some aspects.

 

[indykid]

I would definitely be contacting the manufacturer. No chamber should look that rough.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

It's a WaffenWerks-built Bulgarian AK-74, Bulgarian chrome-lined barrel + gas system. Purchased from 21st Century.

The only ammo shot was 50 rds of Silver Bear. STopped shooting it when lovemywoods pointed out the impressions on the spent cases.

Cartridges slide in & out of the chamber pretty easily.

 

[Britton]

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

 

[sporter]

Chamber looks like hell.
The bulges are from the case forming to the chambers flaws.

Not a safe rifle to shoot IMO.

Also, it looks a little dark for being an "original Bulgarian" chrome lined barrel.
Does not appear to be chrome lined at all (of course it could be the lighting of the picture).

Either way, that barrel needs replaced.

 

[Mudcat]

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

That is awesome right there!

 

[MtnBiker6510]

Wish you the best with your AK repairs; hopefully its back on the range soon.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

If that ain't customer service, nothing is.

I'll contact you via PM to discuss.

-J-

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

 

[windellmc]

I saw one of those Waffen Werks AKs at the January 1500 and the chamber looked kind of like that. Some 7.62x39 Saigas put a circular bulge like that in the spent casing so that they can track crimes committed with them in Russia. I have never heard of a 74 doing that though.

 

[tradertator]

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

+1

 

[malern28us]

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

If nothing else, you have to love this response. +1

 

[dom1104]

I saw one of those Waffen Werks AKs at the January 1500 and the chamber looked kind of like that. Some 7.62x39 Saigas put a circular bulge like that in the spent casing so that they can track crimes committed with them in Russia. I have never heard of a 74 doing that though.

Wow. Just wow.

 

[anthony010]

Two options brother. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return your money in full plus all shipping and any gas money you spent. 2. Get the gun to me, if you need to ship I will pay for it, and I will return it to the manufacture for repair or replacement. I stand by every gun we sell, new or used. I stand by Waffen Werks 100%! No matter what, we will make it right!

Wish you were closer to me, you would definitely have my business. Thats the kind of customer service all companies should move towards.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I've told Britton this via PM and I want to say it here, too, for clarification.

I am in NO way complaining about this rifle, 21st Century, Britton (Or Gamez282573-3.1457847), or even WaffenWerks.

I am/was inquiring as to if this kind of thing is normal. I'm still relatively ignorant of AK rifles and trying to learn normal from not-normal.

So, a public thanks to Britton & 21st Century. Thanks for running a FINE gunshop and for having absolutely fantastic customer service.

He & I are currently working out the details on how/what I'm going to do with the rifle.


-J-

 

[indykid]

As someone who is very familiar with the AK/AKM/AK-74 family I can tell you that your rifle is not normal, and I personally have never seen an AK variant with a chamber looking like your's. If anything, an AK chamber might show light machining marks but even that is rare. Usually they are a smooth satin silver, with no visible marks.

Yes it is a pain to even ship a firearm when the person you are shipping it to is paying for everything, but trust me there is a remote possibility that over time you might have a case failure, that might leave a piece of the shell in the chamber. I can't say you could run into a catastrophic case failure, but I personally would not risk it.

If you have any questions about my knowledge of the AK family, check with Shooter521 (Mark). Even Fenway has purchased AK variants from me in the past.