Psl

[Ricochet]

Last night Century sent out an E-mail advertising new Romanian PSLs (the SVD lookalike that's really an overgrown AK with a scope) at a good price, so I've got one on the way.

I plan to treat it the way I have most of my "newer" (to me, that is) rifles, by starting it on a diet of boolits from the start. I searched the board and see that some of you are already doing that.
:-D

[pbbutz]

I have one, interesting rifle. Haven't tried alot, but mine will not feed CB's reliably. Used the 314299. Sometimes,but not all the time. Shoots ball just fine, the best being the Russisan 7n1 sniper rounds, very accurate. Let me know how yours works out.

[Ricochet]

Will do.

[Ricochet]

Just got the PSL. Pretty thing! Can't say anything about how it shoots yet, haven't had the chance.

[pbbutz]

Just got the PSL. Pretty thing! Can't say anything about how it shoots yet, haven't had the chance.

Yee-haw....I feel your happiness, like toys at X-Mas!

[Ricochet]

Yeah, it's great fun, especially with something new and unfamiliar. I've never had an AK before. Been cleaning up the accessories, adjusting the scope rail clamp to fit properly and so on. I'm going to have a blast with this thing!

[Ricochet]

One thing I think is cool is the gray hammered paint finish on the scope. Looks just like one of those old Bell & Howell film projectors we had in school.

[Ricochet]

One thing I've learned about this rifle, I'm never going to use any primers but CCI #34 in my handloads! Letting the bolt slam shut puts a deep primer dent in #34s that looks like a weak hammer fall. It needs to be pointed in a safe direction when the bolt closes.

I fired 10 #311291s through it this afternoon over 40.5 grains (3.1 cc Lee dipper) of IMR 7383. Works the action and has potential, but I didn't shoot enough to tell much. The rifle tends to take a big bite out of the round nose as it hits the edge of the chamber. It's designed for spitzers. I think basically this wants to be a jacketed bullet rifle.

3.1 cc of 7383 is marginal to work the action under 136 grain jacketed bullets. I got a few bad smokestack jams. Needs more powder.

I've got a problem to solve with it. The action is often stubborn about closing, stopping about 1/4" short of battery, requiring a tap on the handle to finish closing and locking it, and once it's closed with a cartridge in it I can't pull the handle back without first tapping it back. At first I thought this was due to boolits of too large a diameter or seated too long, flare not taken out of the case mouth, or some such. But I found that with freshly sized empty cases that will drop into the chamber and fall out by their own weight, the action binds as I just described. Could it be that a case rim under the extractor somehow causes it to bind in the barrel recess?

[Catshooter]

Ricochet,

Does it stumble with factory ammo like that? If you place a sized case under the extractor does it lock up too?

I have a PSL also and love it to death. I haven't had the oppertunity to try much in the way of cast in mine yet but it doesn't like much of a meplat. I tried the original Fat 30 and some would feed fine, some wouldn't. Shot nicley though:)

Mine likes Czech silver tips just fine. Have fun with yours.


Cat

[Ricochet]

Yeah, it stumbles with factory ammo and with a cartridge placed under the extractor.

I think it's a dirt/debris issue. I disassembled it and found some hard gritty black stuff under the extractor lip and around the bolt face edges. Cleaned that out, but there's a space lateral to the extractor that I suspect has more junk in it. The thing's still jamming tightly as ever, the cleaning I've done hasn't helped yet. And when I coat a cartridge with black ink and chamber it, it's not scraping it off anywhere. No jamming with no cartridge, it works slick as a whistle then. Got to be that extractor jamming.

[Ricochet]

I took it apart again, extensively flushed out the inside of the bolt head around the extractor with spray degreaser, dug some crud out of there with a piece of guitar string, flushed some more, oiled it, degreased and flushed crud out of the locking recesses in the action, reoiled everything in there and put anhydrous lanolin on the bolt locking surfaces. For the first time, it'll chamber a case, lock shut like it's supposed to, and I can pull the bolt open by the handle like it's meant to. It was just plain old hard, nasty grit around the extractor.

I also noticed when I had the inside of the receiver degreased that it's lightly rusted in all the corners. I suspect that's from firing with corrosive primed military ammo without cleaning the inside surfaces of the receiver. Some gas comes back along the operating rod as well as out of the breech with the cases. These are supposed to be brand new commercial receivers specially made without the hole for the selective fire lever, mated with the rest of the parts from a retired military PSL. I knew this one had been fired, as the head of the gas piston was black and the operating rod had some rust tinged grease on it when I got it. The stock of course shows some wear. The scope was dirty and the rubber covers were filthy. The sling needed cleaning and oiling. I was surprised to find the rifle dirty inside, though. It would be a plus if the accessories also received some cursory cleaning before sale. Anyone who buys one of these, be ready to spend some time on remediation.

Bet it'll shoot better now.