Wasr 10/63 jamming problem

SC4006 · January 11, 2013, 01:32 PM

First off this is my brother's ak, but he's not apart of this forum so I thought I'd ask for him. His wasr 10 has had problems with jams ever since he bought it, not sure why he didn't try and trade it back for another but he kept it. Probably about every 5th round jams, sometimes more, so we've even nicknamed it the "JamK-47". I don't know the exact specifics on what happens during each jam, but it definitely seems like every jam has a round that's angled up too far. He's tried different ammo and magazines and none seem to help. Sometimes we are able to close the bolt by pushing on the bolt handle, so I really don't know what part of the gun is causing the hangups. I don't have pictures so just any general idea would be helpful.

tahunua001 · January 11, 2013, 02:35 PM

have all of the magazines that you've tried been steel? I used to own a Wasr and my brother still owns one. both could not cleanly feed with steel magazines. they both feed tapco and promag plastic magazines well enough though, not jams to speak of once we switched to plastic and the problems always came back when we tried to go back. it's a problem that is caused by century Arms when they grind down the receivers to make it easier to fit the slightly larger plastic mags. the metal ones no longer function in some rifles and force the user to either use the plastics or send the rifle back to century and have the fix the issue they caused in the first place.

spacecoast · January 11, 2013, 04:18 PM

+1 Tahuna001. The OP should definitely try some polymer mags if he hasn't yet, they generally fit a bit different and might be different enough to make an annoying problem livable. Polymer mags require a bit of trimming to fit in my gun, but feed fine afterward.

Of course, if that works he has to sell me all his steel mags at cost.

SC4006 · January 11, 2013, 04:33 PM

Well recently, my brother did actually buy some plastic ones (I think tapco), and they didn't seem to help much. Maybe just the specific mags he has just don't work well with the rifle? Oh and I forgot to mention yes before the ones he just got, they were all steel.

Quentin2 · January 11, 2013, 05:53 PM

My WASR10/63 has no problem with surplus steel mags and I have quite a few of them. I've never tried a plastic magazine in it but would like to get a few reliable ones since they're much lighter than steel. Tapco mags kind of worry me, do most of you have good luck with them?

One other thing - I bought my WASR six years ago so I don't know if Century grinds out the magwell differently now. At that time they supplied steel mags but I hear they now give you plastic (so may open up the magwell more).

Mrgunsngear · January 11, 2013, 06:05 PM

What does his bullet guide look like (pics would be great)?

SC4006 · January 11, 2013, 07:37 PM

I will try and get some pictures posted of the internals soon, i will be seeing him in a few days.

Mausermolt · January 11, 2013, 07:47 PM

run it over with a jeep and throw some dirt in the action, that should bout do it

SC4006 · January 15, 2013, 12:45 PM

Sorry about the quality not being the best, but this is what the inside looks like. One picture has no mag, the other has the mag inserted, hope this helps.

chris in va · January 15, 2013, 12:48 PM

When was the last time the mags and gun were cleaned? It's awfully dirty.

SC4006 · January 15, 2013, 12:50 PM

Quote:

run it over with a jeep and throw some dirt in the action, that should bout do it

hahaha, yeah that might just do it...

SC4006 · January 15, 2013, 12:52 PM

Quote:

When was the last time the mags and gun were cleaned? It's awfully dirty.

To be quite honest I don't think he's ever cleaned it after maybe 750 rounds. He is one of those guys who thinks that AK's run forever without being cleaned.

spacecoast · January 15, 2013, 01:16 PM

Quote:

He is one of those guys who thinks that AK's run forever without being cleaned.

While that may often be true, any gun will benefit from being cleaned. It's definitely worth a try.

Mrgunsngear · January 15, 2013, 07:47 PM

Ok............

A couple things to try:

My WASRs have feedramps on the barrels so he may want to give that a shot (lots of youtube tutorials----go slow and check your angle often...). You can see the copper coming off where the nose of the bullet is impacting below the chamber.

Take a look inside the gas tube (after he cleans it) and see if there's uneven wear on one side or the other. This happens a lot on older WASRs. If there is, the resistance may be causing the bolt/bolt carrier to come forward very slowly allowing the nose of the bullet to move down slightly before going into the chamber.

A worn spring may have the same effect.

A clogged gas port may have the same effect. To correct that, just put a little sovent into the gas block with the muzzle down, it should work the gunk out (simple green will do this as well if you don't have solvent).

Lastly, clean the gun. Plenty of AKs can go forever without a cleaning but if problems are showing up time to clean it and start eliminating variables. Sure, you don't have to clean your AKs but you also don't have to shower for months at a time but no one would want to be around you.... Same for guns.

SC4006 · January 15, 2013, 09:20 PM

Thanks guys i'll tell him what i've found out. Cleaning should definitely be the first step as many of you have mentioned. I do actually have a sneaking suspicion that the gas tube might be a big part of the problem, because if you pull the bolt back then release it slowly it actually stays back... so you kinda have to give it a shove. By the way is it normal for ak's not to have feed ramps? I've never noticed that his doesn't but it seems a little weird?

Mrgunsngear · January 15, 2013, 10:07 PM

Quote:

By the way is it normal for ak's not to have feed ramps? I've never noticed that his doesn't but it seems a little weird?

It's not abnormal. Some do, some don't. It's generally not necessary but they became more 'standard' as companies/countries started making 556 AKs as they found they fed better with a slight ramp. It's since carried over to the other calibers in some companies/factories.

spacecoast · January 16, 2013, 08:01 AM

plouffedaddy -

Great ideas in your "things to try"

customaquatics · January 16, 2013, 08:20 AM

when these come in remember they were dremeled out to accept double stack mags but they also need to put a ramp inside it so the rounds can feed into the barrel before getting struck by the firing pin. i dont really see that ramp in that one maybe that is what is causing it to jam?

tobnpr · January 17, 2013, 07:01 PM

Well lubed/greased?

Just askin....

I've seen guys running these guns bone dry and wondering why they have problems.

spacecoast · January 18, 2013, 12:38 PM

Checked mine, no ramp. The bottom edge of the chamber looks a little worn, as you would expect from feeding steel-cased rounds, but it runs just fine.

January 11, 2013, 01:32 PM	#1
SC4006 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 525	Wasr 10/63 jamming problem First off this is my brother's ak, but he's not apart of this forum so I thought I'd ask for him. His wasr 10 has had problems with jams ever since he bought it, not sure why he didn't try and trade it back for another but he kept it. Probably about every 5th round jams, sometimes more, so we've even nicknamed it the "JamK-47". I don't know the exact specifics on what happens during each jam, but it definitely seems like every jam has a round that's angled up too far. He's tried different ammo and magazines and none seem to help. Sometimes we are able to close the bolt by pushing on the bolt handle, so I really don't know what part of the gun is causing the hangups. I don't have pictures so just any general idea would be helpful. __________________ I don't always go to the range, but when I do, I prefer dosAKs. They say 5 out of 4 people are bad at math.

January 11, 2013, 02:35 PM	#2
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	have all of the magazines that you've tried been steel? I used to own a Wasr and my brother still owns one. both could not cleanly feed with steel magazines. they both feed tapco and promag plastic magazines well enough though, not jams to speak of once we switched to plastic and the problems always came back when we tried to go back. it's a problem that is caused by century Arms when they grind down the receivers to make it easier to fit the slightly larger plastic mags. the metal ones no longer function in some rifles and force the user to either use the plastics or send the rifle back to century and have the fix the issue they caused in the first place. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

January 11, 2013, 04:33 PM	#4
SC4006 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 525	Well recently, my brother did actually buy some plastic ones (I think tapco), and they didn't seem to help much. Maybe just the specific mags he has just don't work well with the rifle? Oh and I forgot to mention yes before the ones he just got, they were all steel. __________________ I don't always go to the range, but when I do, I prefer dosAKs. They say 5 out of 4 people are bad at math.

January 11, 2013, 05:53 PM	#5
Quentin2 Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2009 Location: NorthWest USA Posts: 1,996	My WASR10/63 has no problem with surplus steel mags and I have quite a few of them. I've never tried a plastic magazine in it but would like to get a few reliable ones since they're much lighter than steel. Tapco mags kind of worry me, do most of you have good luck with them? One other thing - I bought my WASR six years ago so I don't know if Century grinds out the magwell differently now. At that time they supplied steel mags but I hear they now give you plastic (so may open up the magwell more). Last edited by Quentin2; January 11, 2013 at 05:58 PM.

January 11, 2013, 06:05 PM	#6
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	What does his bullet guide look like (pics would be great)? __________________ Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel

January 11, 2013, 04:18 PM	#3
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	+1 Tahuna001. The OP should definitely try some polymer mags if he hasn't yet, they generally fit a bit different and might be different enough to make an annoying problem livable. Polymer mags require a bit of trimming to fit in my gun, but feed fine afterward. Of course, if that works he has to sell me all his steel mags at cost.

January 11, 2013, 07:37 PM	#7
SC4006 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 525	I will try and get some pictures posted of the internals soon, i will be seeing him in a few days. __________________ I don't always go to the range, but when I do, I prefer dosAKs. They say 5 out of 4 people are bad at math.

January 11, 2013, 07:47 PM	#8
Mausermolt Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2007 Location: Ory-gun Posts: 508	run it over with a jeep and throw some dirt in the action, that should bout do it __________________ Molon Labe

January 15, 2013, 12:48 PM	#10
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	When was the last time the mags and gun were cleaned? It's awfully dirty.

January 15, 2013, 07:47 PM	#14
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	Ok............ A couple things to try: My WASRs have feedramps on the barrels so he may want to give that a shot (lots of youtube tutorials----go slow and check your angle often...). You can see the copper coming off where the nose of the bullet is impacting below the chamber. Take a look inside the gas tube (after he cleans it) and see if there's uneven wear on one side or the other. This happens a lot on older WASRs. If there is, the resistance may be causing the bolt/bolt carrier to come forward very slowly allowing the nose of the bullet to move down slightly before going into the chamber. A worn spring may have the same effect. A clogged gas port may have the same effect. To correct that, just put a little sovent into the gas block with the muzzle down, it should work the gunk out (simple green will do this as well if you don't have solvent). Lastly, clean the gun. Plenty of AKs can go forever without a cleaning but if problems are showing up time to clean it and start eliminating variables. Sure, you don't have to clean your AKs but you also don't have to shower for months at a time but no one would want to be around you.... Same for guns. __________________ Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel

January 15, 2013, 09:20 PM	#15
SC4006 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 525	Thanks guys i'll tell him what i've found out. Cleaning should definitely be the first step as many of you have mentioned. I do actually have a sneaking suspicion that the gas tube might be a big part of the problem, because if you pull the bolt back then release it slowly it actually stays back... so you kinda have to give it a shove. By the way is it normal for ak's not to have feed ramps? I've never noticed that his doesn't but it seems a little weird? __________________ I don't always go to the range, but when I do, I prefer dosAKs. They say 5 out of 4 people are bad at math.

January 16, 2013, 08:01 AM	#17
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	plouffedaddy - Great ideas in your "things to try"

January 16, 2013, 08:20 AM	#18
customaquatics Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2011 Location: illinois Posts: 678	when these come in remember they were dremeled out to accept double stack mags but they also need to put a ramp inside it so the rounds can feed into the barrel before getting struck by the firing pin. i dont really see that ramp in that one maybe that is what is causing it to jam? __________________ 23 year old NRA member AKaholic #158907 , 1942 Ex-Sniper Izzy Mosin Nagant, 1970's Marlin 30-30, Remington 870 tatical, Charter Arms The Pink Lady 38 Special.

January 17, 2013, 07:01 PM	#19
tobnpr Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2010 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 4,556	Well lubed/greased? Just askin.... I've seen guys running these guns bone dry and wondering why they have problems.

January 18, 2013, 12:38 PM	#20
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	Checked mine, no ramp. The bottom edge of the chamber looks a little worn, as you would expect from feeding steel-cased rounds, but it runs just fine.