eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 just picked up a psl thats stamped fpk dragonov on the bottom, will the normal psl scopes work on this or were there any differences between psl's? also wheres a good place to get one at? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XdamagedX 248 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 is it stamped or electropenciled? IIRC one of the importers was using the name "dragunov" as an eye catching selling point Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Yeah he has a PSL.. The real question is if it's an imported Cugir build or parts kit-built rifle. The correct scope for a PSL is the LPS TIP-2. This is a Romanian clone of the PSO-1 optic. Personally I would recommend against looking for a genuine TIP-2 as the illuminated reticule uses either a tritium or radium element, and often this is worn out by now. It can be replaced but is a royal pain to source the tritium/radium and install it. See this AKFiles thread: http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95554 I would suggest you source a Russian/Belorussian PSO-1 or equivalent from Eastwave Optics or Kalinka - just beware that Kanlinka has lots of mixed reviews as of late. You want an optic with an SVD clamp, not an AK clamp. The PSL's rail is different an requires this specific clamp for the optic to secure. Any of these will have an illuminated reticule that is powered by common cell batteries. Edited January 14, 2013 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 i am not sure if it is stamped of penciled, i ordered a scope from j&g for 100 i hope it works out, it had a modified ak mount and a cheap 3-9 scope when i got it, all i can find is the ones that came built from romania had fpk dragunov on them at least from one source i will keep looking. is there any source for parts like firing pins or barrels avaliable? it would be peace of mind to at least have a good source for a extra firing pin or two. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jpanzer 1,265 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Tritium vials are not as hard to come by as they once were. I replaced the tritium vial in my SUIT Trilux scope for my FAL, works like a charm. You need to know what size vial you need and I can point you to a commercial source... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) here is the scope description Romanian PSO style military scopes 4x power, marked LPS TIP2, with the sliding scale rangefinder reticle, famous for its quick and easy ranging capability. Aluminum body for light weight, with extendable sunshade on the front objective. Has a mounting clamp that fits standard Com-bloc style PSL and some FPK side rails. May be used on some AK rifles also, but may not have correct eye relief. May or may not include a rubber eyepiece. Does includes a carry pouch. do you know if it uses tritium? Edited January 14, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jpanzer 1,265 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) here is the scope description Romanian PSO style military scopes 4x power, marked LPS TIP2, with the sliding scale rangefinder reticle, famous for its quick and easy ranging capability. Aluminum body for light weight, with extendable sunshade on the front objective. Has a mounting clamp that fits standard Com-bloc style PSL and some FPK side rails. May be used on some AK rifles also, but may not have correct eye relief. May or may not include a rubber eyepiece. Does includes a carry pouch. do you know if it uses tritium? Check this site out: http://www.dragunov.net/lps_scope.html Look it over, decide what you have, and then I'm pretty sure you can find a tutorial online of how to replace the tritium. For tritium I used these: http://gardnertackle.co.uk/products/betalights/tritium-max-betalights/ You can find them on Ebay. They are actually used in Carp fishing lures in the UK. They work great, you just need to know what size vial fits in your scope... Edited January 14, 2013 by Jpanzer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) does it need to be replaced to use the scope or does it just light it up when its dusk or dawn? i really dont need to fix it if thats the case unless it is pretty cheap.what size did you end up using? also why do the fish for carp? lol Edited January 14, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Good info on the tritium vials - they are definitely easier to get than they were a few years ago I guess. Without the tritium, the reticule just won't light up in low light or darkness. It's really a good feature to have, so if yours is worn out I would go ahead and work on doing the replacement. Carp are actually pretty tasty, not that different than catfish. Just as long as they aren't eating human waste or fertilizer runoff. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) good to know, when the scope gets here i will be able to id it. how many of your have replaced the tritium? i also noticed there is some marks on the rear of the receiver where the bolt has been hitting it, i will fire it for the first time today as i just got it last night, the guy i got it from said he has shot a couple boxes through it since he cleaned off the cosmoline to make sure it worked, would a buffer help this or is it normal wear and tear? all the ammo i have is 148gr and nothin of heavy ball. Edited January 14, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MT Predator 2,294 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) The previous owner was shooting ammo too hot for a PSL. Edited January 14, 2013 by MT Predator Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Probably, but all AKs I own have some marks more or less on the rear trunnion, even when brand new or with new recoil springs. I blame this more on inconsistent powder charge of the average commercial combloc ammo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 the guy i bought it from was shooting surplus ball ammo im not sure on the weight but is it possible it could have came like that? anyway to tell when the gun was made or imported? it has a low serial number but i dont know if that means much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 If he was shooting surplus heavy ball (for MG use) x54r then it could cause some trunnion battering. A PSL should generally have the original core parts manufacture date on the front trunnion. This would indicate the manufacture date of any other serial-matching components. However, keep in mind that the entire rifle is "rebuilt" on a new receiver, as even though the PSL is a semi-auto firearm by design, the original military receiver utilizes a third axis pin for an out of battery safety, and is therefore classified a machine gun per ATF regs. The remanufacture date is generally not something that will be marked. You can get a general ball-park figure based on the actual model name marked on the receiver, as well as the general style and layout of the import and model markings. If you could post some photos of the front trunnion, receiver markings, etc, it would help. Here is the serial/datecode layout on a Romanian RPK/PSL style trunnion: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 i will take some pics after i go shooting in a bit for you guys to check it out, on a side note how realiable are these are they saiga reliable? i want to have a extra bolt handy with a extractor and firing pin but have not had any luck finding any. well beside mags for 100 each glad it came with 2. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Despite what anyone says, Romanian AKs are just as reliable as any other. My Romanians have never failed once in thousands of rounds fired. Just don't feed it heavy ball ammo. They are designed to operate with loads in the 145-160gr range. Make sure to practice corrosive cleanup methods if you choose to shoot surplus ammo. I suggest you also do a thorough corrosive cleanup of the gun given the unknown practices of the previous owner. Edited January 14, 2013 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) ok just got back, out of 50 rounds i had one that either had a slight seperation on the head or it put a hole in the primer, i think it was a hole in the primer. i picked up some i shot and it looks like its a really deep pocket to it, i will try to get a few pics up of the gun and the primers i shot, it smoked a bit out of the dust cover and ejected fine and loaded a new one, i cleared the weapon and checked the barrel and shot another 20 or so out of it with no problems, im thinking of taking a bit off the firing pin but im not sure what do you guys think? the only other thing i noticed i did not expect was a quick few shots a case would get stuck sideways as the bolt was trying to close, but if i shot it slow it did not happen? Edited January 15, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) Do not modify the firing pin, at all, ever. That's my only suggestion on that one. The ammo is most likely to blame. Edited January 15, 2013 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 ok but whats the reason? if it is sticking to far forward wouldnt taking a bit of the back fix that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) . Edited January 23, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) the firing pin was also full of red gunk, im guessing cosmoline? also there is no number on the trunnion just the serial number on the bottom of the receiver that starts with RR Edited January 15, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 The primer indents look pretty normal to me. You may have just hit a bad primer. I'd suggest you shoot the rifle some more with different types of ammo before you decide that it has a problem. Regardless, I would suggest you do a detailed field strip of the bolt to ensure that the firing pin is not deformed in any way, and that it floats freely within the bolt when the bolt is shaken in hand. Modifying a firing pin should always be a last resort for several reasons. For one, the firing pin is hardened and really shouldn't be filed/ground because you will damage the case hardened surface. If you remove too much material from the pin, then you introduce the potential for light primer strikes. The rear trunnion looks fine to me. Just standard rough milling marks and some light carrier indents. It's a nice looking PSL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) thanks, i noticed the stuff i was shooting was made in 72 and the silver tips i have are 82 i think. also some shots it would toss the brass a couple feet and other at least 15. i got it all cleaned out and now it floats back and forth like my saiga i didnt lube it or anything because i dont want grit and shit to stick, i will try it out. Edited January 15, 2013 by eric1785 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 shot it again today, all 50 rounds went great, i had the bolt hang up on something about 5 times though not sure if its the hammer or the bolt hold open? also the last round in one mag fell off the extractor and was laying on top of the mag. any ideas guys? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 anyone? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Bolt hang up is pretty common on an AK if you cycle the bolt slowly by hand. What happens is that the bottom of the bolt carrier rides up against the "hump" of the hammer and is caught by it. It's more noticeable on some rifles than others It shouldn't happen while firing the rifle. If it does, then the hammer face profile may need to be modified, especially if it is a Tapco G2 trigger which is notorious for having a pretty severe "hump" that will cause it to hang up unless modified or well worn-in. I've never had that happen to me though, and it's pretty rare as far as I know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 yea its hanging up when i was firing it, it didnt do it everytime though. any idea why the case fell off the extractor? it seems nice and tight. btw thanks mancat your the only one who replys! i also canceled the scope order as im thinking of going with one from kalina but havent decided yet. i have the mount the previous owner modified im not sure what its from but it goes on nice and tight with a weaver rail on top and sits up high enough to still see the iron sights, i have a few scopes im not using i could use but i like the look of the foreign scopes on it. although the redfield i have would probably be better than any old surplus scope. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Keep in mind the better combloc military scopes are built to better shock and moisture resistance specs than a Redfield. Otherwise I would agree with the idea of putting a US commercials scope on a PSL if you just intend to use it for target/hunting. The only problem if you order from Kalinka is getting one that's not already broken. No idea why your round fell off of the bolt other than what I already told you. Usually this would indicate that the extractor spring is broken or weak. It could also happen if the rifle was short-stroking, but it sounds like this is not the case with yours. If this was happening, it would mean that the bolt carrier went back far enough for the case to hit the ejector and start to come out of the receiver, but didn't have enough rearward force to cause the ejector to actually spring the round out. You can make this happen by slowly ejecting a round by hand. Usually it will fall out of the bolt and into the receiver. You could've had a short-stroke from a bad round, sort of like your primer issue. Gotta realize that this stuff can sometimes happen when shooting 30-40 year old surplus ammo in a semi-auto rifle. A better test of its function would be to pick up some new commercial x54r. Also where are you? If you're close by me maybe I can help you out in person. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eric1785 15 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 the bolt seems really tight, even pulling it back and closing by hand, when the bolt hold open is holding it back it slams forward with enough force to close but it feels nothing like my x39. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Tritium vials are not as hard to come by as they once were. I replaced the tritium vial in my SUIT Trilux scope for my FAL, works like a charm. You need to know what size vial you need and I can point you to a commercial source... you can also find them dirt cheap on ebay listed as beta lights. The canadians use them a lot for fishing at night. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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