Lancaster Arms AK-47 damage

[JOB]

Hi
I bought what I thought to be a quality Lancaster Arms AK-47 full stock #LM01034 for a price of $1594 (with Tax) at the Harrisburg gun show on 9-11-10. I only got to shoot it twice since then using less that 150 rounds of Wolf ammo. I always lubricated the gun almost monthly and also cleaned and lubricated the gun before and after shooting. It shot flawlessly and WAS my favorite weapon.I noticed after the shooting on 3-12-11 upon cleaning the weapon a divet on the bolt carrier and a matching defect on the receiver. I sent the manufacturer this information that I'm posting here. I haven't heard back from them, yet. I'd like you opinions. Enclosed are 3 pictures.
John

[brian]

looks like the recoil spring isn't up to par, or it's getting to much gas.

[Asmodeus6]

looks like the recoil spring isn't up to par, or it's getting to much gas.

Yup. I'd contact Wolff and get a replacement recoil spring.

After that, you could do what I did. If you search the gunsmithing section here for my thread about severe recoil / through the stock you can see I installed a restrictor in the gas block to drop the orifice size at the gas port. This will greatly reduce carrier slamming into the rear trunion.

The people who suggest "buy a recoil buffer" ignore. It will not fix your problem, if anything it will make it worse.

As it will take up space and make the bolt carrier hit SOONER with even more momentum. Even if it dissapates this slightly by being an absorbent material... it won't stop the gun from pounding the rear rivets out eventually.

I found that even by reducing the gas port size a considerabla amount the gun still functions extremely well. (no reliablility issues, or extraction problems) Even in the bitter cold, and when the gun is smoking hot. It will also greatly reduce the amount of percieved recoil if you are getting trunion hits, as the actual recoil of the round will be all you feel. Not the heavy secondary rearward smash of the bolt carrier.

As a bonus, you can do the modification for the cost of a tap, and a few set screws. So we're talking <$10 here.

I've since done quite a few guns this way and all saw a reduction in bolt carrier speed / zero trunion hits, and no more chucking empties into orbit.

Hope this helps.

[ruggerio]

Hi
I bought what I thought to be a quality Lancaster Arms AK-47 full stock #LM01034 for a price of $1594 (with Tax) at the Harrisburg gun show on 9-11-10. I only got to shoot it twice since then using less that 150 rounds of Wolf ammo. I always lubricated the gun almost monthly and also cleaned and lubricated the gun before and after shooting. It shot flawlessly and WAS my favorite weapon.I noticed after the shooting on 3-12-11 upon cleaning the weapon a divet on the bolt carrier and a matching defect on the receiver. I sent the manufacturer this information that I'm posting here. I haven't heard back from them, yet. I'd like you opinions. Enclosed are 3 pictures.
John

$1600 for an ak? i am curious, what makes it worth so much as compared to run of the mill ak's?

[Asmodeus6]

$1600 for an ak? i am curious, what makes it worth so much as compared to run of the mill ak's?

I didn't even see that. For that money it should have came with a prepaid escort.

That's absolutely ponderous. For another $400 you could have gotten a mint RPD.

[brian]

that's only 3 or 4 romanians.

[JustinM]

I didn't even see that. For that money it should have came with a prepaid escort.

That's absolutely ponderous. For another $400 you could have gotten a mint RPD.

Or 2 Arsenal AKs, instead of a Lancaster POS.

[Steelblitz]

Your gas port is likely to large. Common problem on that Lancaster you got there. Lancaster has well known issues with their guns and equally poor customer service. You got taken to the cleaners on that, about 3 times the price of what a respectable AK runs.

[vinman]

Your gas port is likely to large. Common problem on that Lancaster you got there. Lancaster has well known issues with their guns and equally poor customer service. You got taken to the cleaners on that, about 3 times the price of what a respectable AK runs.

I recently bought a Lancaster Arms AK with a quadrail and paid about $550.00 transfer and sales tax included. No issues at all. I believe the OP got hosed paying that price.

[Enfielder]

Measure the gas port hole size with either gage pins (if you have access to them) or with drill bits gently by hand (not in the drill of course). See if the 1/8 drill bit fits in there. AKbuilderdotcom uses a .1275 diameter drill for drilling gas ports. I use 1/8 (.125). So if the 1/8 (.125) bit slides in with almost no wiggle, the port is sized OK. Next drill size that an average person will find is 9/64 (.1406...) If the 9/64 slides in there you will know the gas port hole is too large. Then you can follow Asmo's guide to port reduction.

Try a Wolff (2 f's in Wolff) Extra Power recoil spring. Brownells has them.

From the photo it looks like a milled receiver. If the rifle functions OK, then file off the burr and keep blasting away. Trunnion hits on stamped receivers can loosen up the rivets; while trunnion hits are an issue on a milled receiver, its even more of an issue on stamped receivers with the riveted structure.

Sorry to hear about the insane price.