"I'm selling my AK because it won't cycle . . ." OR: You CAN get an AK to fail.

[Noah_Zark]

. . . said the young gentleman walking a "tactical" AK around the funshow today. "It will fire, but it won't automatically chamber another round," he continued.

I asked to see it, and how much was he asking. "I'd let it go for $350 right now. I need a new starter for my 7.3 Powerstroke."

I commended him on owning a truck with a great Diesel engine, and we chatted 7.3s for a bit while I examined the AK.

It was a "Made in Romania by Cugir" but machine EP'd "M&M LLC in Colorado," model M10-7.62. No dimples, so it's a WASR-like single-stack imported by this M&M outfit. Black poly stock, gloss black anodized upper and lower Picatinny rail handguard assembly with rubber grip pads covering the cheesegraters. Crapco vertical foregrip, and a bracket was mounted on the side rail holding an LED light and a red laser. The light lit up, but the laser did not. The interesting part was the gas block, a 90-degree affair with a totally enclosed front sight (think: Krinkov, Beryl, etc.). On the end of the 16" barrel was a 4-pronged open-front birdcage with some holes behind the slots, presumably for muzzle braking. It's a deep shiny blued finish, and looks out of place against the rough phosphate finish on the rest of the weapon.

The thing that caught my eye was the "cosmolene" covering the rear trunnion tang at the top of the stock. It filled the Phillips recess screw. There was the same grease-like substance in the nooks and crannies of the scope base on the left side of the receiver, and on and around the front trunnion and the gas block. I sniffed, and it was unmistakable NLGI 2 grease odor.

"Lotsa cosmo," I observed.

"I did that," he said. "That's grease. I put that on all my tactical guns to prevent rust. Except my AR. I run that wet with CLP." I asked if I could remove the top cover and he gave permission. The inside of the receiver was SLATHERED in grease, and the spring coils in the recoil spring assembly we not visible in places for all the lubricant.

"So tell me again how it's acting up," I asked. He reiterated that between the holidays he and family members went shooting, and the AKM would not cycle. It would cycle by hand, he said, and would fire every time a round was chambered that way, but would not feed and chamber on its own. "It's kinda stiff," he summed up." It wasn't that way last summer, and that's the last I shot it. "Anyway I need $$$ for the starter."

I asked if he was firm, and he told me to make an offer. "The laser doesn't work, but it's probably the battery, I said. "And it does feel stiff. I'm taking a lot of risk, because I don't know if it's been messed with. I'll do $250."

"Sold. That pays for a rebuilt starter." So I paid him. He gave me three mags; two Crapco 30s and a Crapco 40. Then he told me that I was the ONLY person to ask to see the AKM, and this was 10:20, almost an hour and a half into the show.

Then I spent late afternoon cleaning #2 grease out of an AKM, after I left it set in the shade outside. The carrier was REALLY stiff. After the cleanup, and stripping off all the tactical crap and putting on a set of old SAR-1 furniture, I took a loaded 30 rd mag and headed 3 miles to the closest range, and fired off 30 rds without issue, one after the other. And I'm going to sell the handguard assembly, light/laser combo (it was a dead battery; the laser works fine), vertical foregrip, and black poly AKM buttstock that will reduce the cost of acquisition.

We both got greasy, him changing the 7.3's starter and all, but I'm pretty sure we're both happy if his truck's running again. Too bad inexperience/ignorance is so expensive.

Noah

[Gunsnwater]

You beat the snot out of a retard. Retard is still happy. imagine that. I guess I'm a bad person laughing at him. Oh well great deals work like that.

[ExFlyinguy]

There's no pics in this book

[Gunsnwater]

[Noah_Zark]

There's no pics in this book

And it's nonfiction.

Noah

[bug]

He didn't grease his starter, did He?

[bogey1]

Noah, you need to get out more.

[raxar]

You beat the snot out of a retard. Retard is still happy. imagine that. I guess I'm a bad person laughing at him. Oh well great deals work like that.

Yes and no, there could have been a more serious issue that the grease was covering up.

[Noah_Zark]

Yes and no, there could have been a more serious issue that the grease was covering up.

That was in the back of my mind, but the carbon on the piston and wear/peening on the Crapco G2 hammer nose suggested that it had ran for several 100 rds at least at some point in the past. So I took a chance.

Noah

[P89]

Next time you go to a gun show let me know...I'll drive.

I'll try to get there without the speeding ticket this time.