I just had a Romanian AK built for me. It is failing to feed every fifth round or so. When I drop the mag and inspect the round, the nose of the bullet is dented, leading me to believe it is not feeding because the round is hitting too low to chamber properly.

I know the guy who built it for me (another ARFCOMMER) and have the test target, and he does good work; so I am almost positive the mags I bought used are the culprit here. According to the builder, 60 rounds tested without a hiccup, and I have no reason to doubt him.

I am using both Wolf and Silver Bear, hp and sp, respectively. But I am new to AKs and ARs, for that matter, and I'll ask the stupid questions because, after all, asking is how we learn.

The ammo functions flawlessly in my SKS.

Can a mag really make the gun jam like this, and this often? Or is this strictly a prodigy of the break in period? Can anyone recommend the best mags for the Romanian AK that have the combat lock built in?

And no, I have no idea what kind of mags they are. I have returned them and kept only one, and it has a plastic follower so I would say it is el cheapo. When the AK fires, it is a damn tack driver, and fun like all get out to shoot. So, obviously, I want her to work! Can someone here help me out, please?

And if you are even thinking of replying just to mock my level of knowledge because God ordained you with the all-knowing spirit of everything out there, please don't.   I came here from the team forum because I don't want to get slammed about my lack of knowledge of these things, and I am trying like hell to learn.

I have heard that there are mags specific to the Romy, but then I've also heard all 47 mags work the same, sans the bolt hold.   Sorting through the myths, rumors, and outright attitudes is getting frustrating.

I want a 30 round mag that works in my AK, and will hold the bolt open after the last round (combat lock).  That's all I need, LOL.  Or, I want to know that my rifle is phucked up and I need to bitch slap the builder.  

Help me out here, and make an AK believer for life!

ETA:  I would buy from the EE, but I have no clue what I'm looking for as far as price or if they are junk.  If one of you sees a reasonable deal on the EE that you believe will work in my AK, I will go with that.  And again, please try to avoid slamming me for being new to the AK world.  

Quoted: Sounds to me like the mag isn't the problem. Have you tried putting pressure upward from the bottom of the mag while firing? I think the mag is setting too low in the receiver.

My Romy AK does the same thing...is there an easy way to make it sit a little higher up without allowing the bolt to hit it?   PS: I have had good success bending up the feed lips on my mags to make them more reliable with hollowpoints, but with FMJ ammo every mag works flawlessly even unmodified with the feedlip trick....It would be nice to find a fix for the gun that would make every mag work without modifications with all ammo.....I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone has found the silver bullet repair of this problem...Good-Luck.

Yugo mags will hold the bolt open. You can get them on centerfire.com. I would talk to the builder about the problem. I used to have 2 WASR romanians, never had a bullet jam once.

There is a very simple test.  Just get a couple more magazines and see if it works with them.  You may have that one in a thousand bad magazine.  It could be dirty, weak spring, or eve the lug was off its spot a couple thousands of an inch.

Is the mag follower made of black plastic and labled TAPCO?

Quoted: There is a very simple test.  Just get a couple more magazines and see if it works with them.  You may have that one in a thousand bad magazine.  It could be dirty, weak spring, or eve the lug was off its spot a couple thousands of an inch.

Every mag I've ever tried has done the same thing with hollowpoints....how would I fix the "Lug" if that was off a couple thousands? Thanks for any help!

Quoted: Quoted: There is a very simple test.  Just get a couple more magazines and see if it works with them.  You may have that one in a thousand bad magazine.  It could be dirty, weak spring, or eve the lug was off its spot a couple thousands of an inch. Every mag I've ever tried has done the same thing with hollowpoints....how would I fix the "Lug" if that was off a couple thousands? Thanks for any help!

Well, this is doing it with soft points, too, as I said.  Have you had the same problems with sp's?  

Quoted: I just had a Romanian AK built for me. It is failing to feed every fifth round or so. When I drop the mag and inspect the round, the nose of the bullet is dented, leading me to believe it is not feeding because the round is hitting too low to chamber properly. I know the guy who built it for me (another ARFCOMMER) and have the test target, and he does good work; so I am almost positive the mags I bought used are the culprit here. According to the builder, 60 rounds tested without a hiccup, and I have no reason to doubt him. I am using both Wolf and Silver Bear, hp and sp, respectively. But I am new to AKs and ARs, for that matter, and I'll ask the stupid questions because, after all, asking is how we learn. The ammo functions flawlessly in my SKS. Can a mag really make the gun jam like this, and this often? Or is this strictly a prodigy of the break in period? Can anyone recommend the best mags for the Romanian AK that have the combat lock built in? And no, I have no idea what kind of mags they are. I have returned them and kept only one, and it has a plastic follower so I would say it is el cheapo. When the AK fires, it is a damn tack driver, and fun like all get out to shoot. So, obviously, I want her to work! Can someone here help me out, please? And if you are even thinking of replying just to mock my level of knowledge because God ordained you with the all-knowing spirit of everything out there, please don't.   I came here from the team forum because I don't want to get slammed about my lack of knowledge of these things, and I am trying like hell to learn. I have heard that there are mags specific to the Romy, but then I've also heard all 47 mags work the same, sans the bolt hold.   Sorting through the myths, rumors, and outright attitudes is getting frustrating. I want a 30 round mag that works in my AK, and will hold the bolt open after the last round (combat lock).  That's all I need, LOL.  Or, I want to know that my rifle is phucked up and I need to bitch slap the builder.   Help me out here, and make an AK believer for life! ETA:  I would buy from the EE, but I have no clue what I'm looking for as far as price or if they are junk.  If one of you sees a reasonable deal on the EE that you believe will work in my AK, I will go with that.  And again, please try to avoid slamming me for being new to the AK world.

Thats alot of your problem,break it in with FMJ.

Quoted: Sounds to me like the mag isn't the problem. Have you tried putting pressure upward from the bottom of the mag while firing? I think the mag is setting too low in the receiver.

Yes.  It won't go up at all, but if I pull back on it (pull backwards towards the stock with my hand on the bottom of the mag) I have about 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch the rear will raise into the receiver.  Is this normal?

Quoted: Yugo mags will hold the bolt open. You can get them on centerfire.com. I would talk to the builder about the problem. I used to have 2 WASR romanians, never had a bullet jam once.

Well, thanks for the link, but it's nothing but a bunch of other links, and not a one of them has a Yugo mag.  How do I know if my Romy is WASR?  

Quoted: There is a very simple test.  Just get a couple more magazines and see if it works with them.  You may have that one in a thousand bad magazine.  It could be dirty, weak spring, or eve the lug was off its spot a couple thousands of an inch.

I've tried 3 (one 40 and two 30's), and all of them did the same thing.  But then again, all were well used and very difficult to load and unload, so I was hoping maybe the Romy was just picky about the mags.  I got a newer one, and it did much better, but it is still FTF 5 times per mag of 30 rounds.  

Could I just have a finiky one that wants new mags?

Quoted: Is the mag follower made of black plastic and labled TAPCO?

Actually, I was incorrect.  The follower is indeed metal.  There is not a single marking ANYWHERE on the mag...  Is that normal - no markings?  

Quoted: Quoted: I just had a Romanian AK built for me. It is failing to feed every fifth round or so. When I drop the mag and inspect the round, the nose of the bullet is dented, leading me to believe it is not feeding because the round is hitting too low to chamber properly. I know the guy who built it for me (another ARFCOMMER) and have the test target, and he does good work; so I am almost positive the mags I bought used are the culprit here. According to the builder, 60 rounds tested without a hiccup, and I have no reason to doubt him. I am using both Wolf and Silver Bear, hp and sp, respectively. But I am new to AKs and ARs, for that matter, and I'll ask the stupid questions because, after all, asking is how we learn. The ammo functions flawlessly in my SKS. Can a mag really make the gun jam like this, and this often? Or is this strictly a prodigy of the break in period? Can anyone recommend the best mags for the Romanian AK that have the combat lock built in? And no, I have no idea what kind of mags they are. I have returned them and kept only one, and it has a plastic follower so I would say it is el cheapo. When the AK fires, it is a damn tack driver, and fun like all get out to shoot. So, obviously, I want her to work! Can someone here help me out, please? And if you are even thinking of replying just to mock my level of knowledge because God ordained you with the all-knowing spirit of everything out there, please don't.   I came here from the team forum because I don't want to get slammed about my lack of knowledge of these things, and I am trying like hell to learn. I have heard that there are mags specific to the Romy, but then I've also heard all 47 mags work the same, sans the bolt hold.   Sorting through the myths, rumors, and outright attitudes is getting frustrating. I want a 30 round mag that works in my AK, and will hold the bolt open after the last round (combat lock).  That's all I need, LOL.  Or, I want to know that my rifle is phucked up and I need to bitch slap the builder.   Help me out here, and make an AK believer for life! ETA:  I would buy from the EE, but I have no clue what I'm looking for as far as price or if they are junk.  If one of you sees a reasonable deal on the EE that you believe will work in my AK, I will go with that.  And again, please try to avoid slamming me for being new to the AK world.   Thats alot of your problem,break it in with FMJ.

OK, I'll try that.  How many rounds of FMJ do I need to run through her before she'll settle and accept the soft points without smooshing them and, hence, not feeding?

Yes Richard,its normal for most Com Bloc mags to be sterile,Do your mags fit tight?Have you tried FMJ?

As for the breaking in with FMJ,if it functions with FMJ but still mal-functions with SP,chances are it never will.AKs were designed for FMJ,try it out.

Quoted: Yes Richard,its normal for most Com Bloc mags to be sterile,Do your mags fit tight?Have you tried FMJ? As for the breaking in with FMJ,if it functions with FMJ but still mal-functions with SP,chances are it never will.AKs were designed for FMJ,try it out.

Sterile?  Does that mean without markings?  

Yes, they are EXTREMELY tight - all the ones I have had, and the one I have hung onto.  Except for the 1/32 - 1/16 of an inch I mentioned if I pull rearward on the bottom of the mag...  Then it seats a little higher in the rear end (stock side).  

I will try the FMJ and see does that make a difference.  I really appreciate all the help guys!

Well, this is doing it with soft points, too, as I said. Have you had the same problems with sp's?

Yes, it does it with softpoints too.....Any round that is flatter on the end than a FMJ round, which is really pointy, it fails to feed. Like I said previously it seems that I have found somewhat of a solution for it though...all my mags I have taken the front part of the mag feed lips and bent them out slightly..on both sides...this causes the top round to have a slight upward, and foreward tilt to it, sortof automatically feeding the round towards the chamber...once I did that My FTF  problems went away...it's a little bit of a pain in the ass, but it seems to work for me...Good-Luck.

OK, just another thought:

Is there supposed to be a shim between mag catch and the receiver?  Mine has one, and if it is not feeding I wonder if it has something to do with it, like a shim between the starter and housing on a vehicle?  

Here's some quick pictures of what I am calling the shim:

Alrighty,.........I've ran into this one a few times before.When you have a mag inserted,is the mag release straight up and down or does it maintain an angle,like when no mag is inserted?

My guess is,its straight up and down and not holding the ramp of you mags rear lug all the way up.All you have to do is file a little off of your mag release,the part that holds the rear lug of the mag.The rear lug is ramped,so you have plenty of room to work.File and fit until you can remove a mag fairly easily.

Whats happening is the mag is applying too much upward pressure on the bottom of the bolt,the mag the builder used,may have been well worn.I went around and around with Global Trades a few years ago on an SSR 99P that was doing the same thing,I finally figured it out and my problems were solved.

Quoted: Quoted: Yugo mags will hold the bolt open. You can get them on centerfire.com. I would talk to the builder about the problem. I used to have 2 WASR romanians, never had a bullet jam once. Well, thanks for the link, but it's nothing but a bunch of other links, and not a one of them has a Yugo mag.  How do I know if my Romy is WASR?

It's www.centerfiresystems.com.  Centerfire.com is a way for scumbags to make money on your mis-type.

Quoted: Alrighty,.........I've ran into this one a few times before.When you have a mag inserted,is the mag release straight up and down or does it maintain an angle,like when no mag is inserted? My guess is,its straight up and down and not holding the ramp of you mags rear lug all the way up.All you have to do is file a little off of your mag release,the part that holds the rear lug of the mag.The rear lug is ramped,so you have plenty of room to work.File and fit until you can remove a mag fairly easily.

Damn...  I got my hopes all up and files out.  But, alas, the mag catch is riding in almost the same exact position whether the mag is locked in or not.  

Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!   I love this fucking gun!  But where the hell I am I supposed FMJ?  It's all friggin backordered now!  Man, I was hoping this was an extremely easy answer, like, "Richard, you dickhead!  You're not holding your lip right and the AK needs at least 1,000 rounds before it will ever feed correctly."  

Sigh

Quoted: OK, just another thought: Is there supposed to be a shim between mag catch and the receiver?  Mine has one, and if it is not feeding I wonder if it has something to do with it, like a shim between the starter and housing on a vehicle?   Here's some quick pictures of what I am calling the shim:

That's your selector stop.  

How do I know if my Romy is WASR?

It's not a WASR if it was built from a kit.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yugo mags will hold the bolt open. You can get them on centerfire.com. I would talk to the builder about the problem. I used to have 2 WASR romanians, never had a bullet jam once. Well, thanks for the link, but it's nothing but a bunch of other links, and not a one of them has a Yugo mag.  How do I know if my Romy is WASR?   It's www.centerfiresystems.com.  Centerfire.com is a way for scumbags to make money on your mis-type.

Sorry It is centerfiresystems. Just trying to help

If your Rifle says this on it:



To translate: GP WASR 10
                     Cal. 7.62x39mm

Sorry for the crappy pic, but that's what's scratched onto the reciever of my WASR...Yours looks to have dimples, so it was made from annother kind of reciever...probably purchased by your builder and assembled from a romanian kit..Cheers!

Quoted: Quoted: Alrighty,.........I've ran into this one a few times before.When you have a mag inserted,is the mag release straight up and down or does it maintain an angle,like when no mag is inserted? My guess is,its straight up and down and not holding the ramp of you mags rear lug all the way up.All you have to do is file a little off of your mag release,the part that holds the rear lug of the mag.The rear lug is ramped,so you have plenty of room to work.File and fit until you can remove a mag fairly easily. Damn...  I got my hopes all up and files out.  But, alas, the mag catch is riding in almost the same exact position whether the mag is locked in or not.   Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!   I love this fucking gun!  But where the hell I am I supposed FMJ?  It's all friggin backordered now!  Man, I was hoping this was an extremely easy answer, like, "Richard, you dickhead!  You're not holding your lip right and the AK needs at least 1,000 rounds before it will ever feed correctly."   Sigh

Richard,even if you have enough angle,you're still way too tight.I'd go ahead and take it down a little,your mag release should operate smooth.

Quoted: Quoted: Alrighty,.........I've ran into this one a few times before.When you have a mag inserted,is the mag release straight up and down or does it maintain an angle,like when no mag is inserted? My guess is,its straight up and down and not holding the ramp of you mags rear lug all the way up.All you have to do is file a little off of your mag release,the part that holds the rear lug of the mag.The rear lug is ramped,so you have plenty of room to work.File and fit until you can remove a mag fairly easily. Damn...  I got my hopes all up and files out.  But, alas, the mag catch is riding in almost the same exact position whether the mag is locked in or not.   Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!   I love this fucking gun!  But where the hell I am I supposed FMJ?  It's all friggin backordered now!  Man, I was hoping this was an extremely easy answer, like, "Richard, you dickhead!  You're not holding your lip right and the AK needs at least 1,000 rounds before it will ever feed correctly."   Sigh

Hey you_____ you need a couple thousand rounds through that gun to break it in!

Go with FMJ, go to a gunshow, they should be back in season now.

OK, an update of sorts here:

I went to the www.centerfiresystems.com link you two gentleman provided and ordered 2, 30-round Yugo mags and 1k rounds in FMJ.  Already sent in my DL and everything.  How long do they usually take to ship?

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took their time to help me with this problem in this thread!  I learned a lot, and hopefully the problem will be resolved with the FMJ.  If not, I will file the mag release - as it is right now, they are easy to remove, just tight side to side.  Like I said, I can move the mag back and forth about 1/8 of an inch, so I am hesitant to take the release down anymore...  Unless, of course, you say it definately is still too tight and can give me an idea about how much play I should have (remember, I am an idiot and a newbie with this, so I really have no clue whether I have a great rifle or the shittiest contraption on the planet someone stole my money from).  

I know I am a fan of anything that shoots.  My AK has proved to be a blast, and I can't wait to buy some more!  Next time, though, I am coming here to ask if I am getting a deal or getting my dick swathed by a con artist.  Lessons learned this time.

Again, thank you all so very much for your time and knowledge.  If you're ever in AZ, the beer is on me.  I will post an update when I get my new mags and the FMJ.  

Quoted: OK, an update of sorts here: I went to the www.centerfiresystems.com link you two gentleman provided and ordered 2, 30-round Yugo mags and 1k rounds in FMJ.  Already sent in my DL and everything.  How long do they usually take to ship? I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took their time to help me with this problem in this thread!  I learned a lot, and hopefully the problem will be resolved with the FMJ.  If not, I will file the mag release - as it is right now, they are easy to remove, just tight side to side.  Like I said, I can move the mag back and forth about 1/8 of an inch, so I am hesitant to take the release down anymore...  Unless, of course, you say it definately is still too tight and can give me an idea about how much play I should have (remember, I am an idiot and a newbie with this, so I really have no clue whether I have a great rifle or the shittiest contraption on the planet someone stole my money from).   I know I am a fan of anything that shoots.  My AK has proved to be a blast, and I can't wait to buy some more!  Next time, though, I am coming here to ask if I am getting a deal or getting my dick swathed by a con artist.  Lessons learned this time. Again, thank you all so very much for your time and knowledge.  If you're ever in AZ, the beer is on me.  I will post an update when I get my new mags and the FMJ.

Richard,that being the case,I would'nt work on the mag release.Its OK to be tight side to side.

If you want hollow points not to catch on the barrel breech rims, I have ever so slightly with a dremel smoothed a very slight feed ramp. Result, no FTF with hollow points or any other ammo type.  Ive got well over a case btw the 2 AKs without a single HP snag nor failure of any kind. As far as fit of magazines with WASR's I have had to file the catch lip on most and that nice pronounced quick slide in and "CLICK" is the result. Now getting the Romy drum to fit I sweat 10lbs shape fitting toget the same nice click. And I had to file even more to get it to fit my Yugo M70AB2.

Quoted: If you want hollow points not to catch on the barrel breech rims, I have ever so slightly with a dremel smoothed a very slight feed ramp. Result, no FTF with hollow points or any other ammo type.  Ive got well over a case btw the 2 AKs without a single HP snag nor failure of any kind. As far as fit of magazines with WASR's I have had to file the catch lip on most and that nice pronounced quick slide in and "CLICK" is the result. Now getting the Romy drum to fit I sweat 10lbs shape fitting toget the same nice click. And I had to file even more to get it to fit my Yugo M70AB2.

Pics?

On my home build I had the same problem. It ended up being the selector stop needing to be notched (trimmed) sow the mag would rest on the receiver. The mag should be all most touching the lower rails.

Quoted: Quoted: If you want hollow points not to catch on the barrel breech rims, I have ever so slightly with a dremel smoothed a very slight feed ramp. Result, no FTF with hollow points or any other ammo type.  Ive got well over a case btw the 2 AKs without a single HP snag nor failure of any kind. As far as fit of magazines with WASR's I have had to file the catch lip on most and that nice pronounced quick slide in and "CLICK" is the result. Now getting the Romy drum to fit I sweat 10lbs shape fitting toget the same nice click. And I had to file even more to get it to fit my Yugo M70AB2. Pics?

Just 10 seconds with a cone dremel tip and some polishing, and HP,SP,FMJ all have fed 100%