Norinco AK service life?

[Frank Klein]

How long can I expect my Norinco "BWK92" .223 AK to last in normal use? Which parts will be the ones to wear out? Most of the parts can be replaced fairly easily, but the receiver (stamped) and barrel aren't. I seem to recall having read 6,000 rounds somewhere on this site, but I can't seem to find that now. 6,000 seems like a very low number... I tend to shoot a lot, and I can do 6,000 in less than a year.

Any input appreciated. I've already ordered a recoil buffer, btw.

Frank

[Necron99]

Most military rifles, AK's included have service lifes of well over 50,000 rounds, assuming they are well taken care of (unfortunately most of the my friends that were soldiers treat their firearms like crap, because it isn't their property). Your receiver should hold up fine. Hell at 6,000 you've just gone past breaking the gun in. Western sniper grade rifles (eg. Steyr SSG or accurized Remington 700) usually have a life of under 10,000 rounds, for some organizations less than 1,000 rounds (a little extreme I think) due to incredible levels of accuracy demanded out of these guns. The barrel is not useless after that many rounds but the groups tend to open up just a bit. Parts prone to where out are firing pin, hammer spring, ejector, ejector spring. Barrel life and subsequent accuracy can be dramatically reduced with extended firing at high temperatures. You might consider looking for a spare Chinese barrel assembly in .223.

The manual for my Norinco MAK-90 states
service life, rounds: 6000
Well it passed this mark about 4 years ago. I can't tell any differince in shooting it now than when it was new. Still hits the 8 inch round steel plate at 124 yards every time. It did not explode at the 6000 round mark. Spare parts? It don't need no stinkin spare parts! Nothing has worn out/broke yet.

[TinMan99]

You can do things to extend the life of your rifle. Recoil buffers that insulate the receiver from impact with the bolt carrier. They really work, look at www.buffertech.com (http://www.buffertech.com) for the AK versions. Making certain the ammo you use is non-corrosive. Properly clean your rifle after every use, that's just good common sense. Make certain you clean everything that comes in contact with the gas (barrel, receiver parts, receiver, gas block, gas tube, gas piston, etc). I also spray the exterior of the rifle down with Rust Prevent, it's a penetrating aerosol oil that keeps the rifles finish nice looking and free of rust. I touch up the bluing and keep the rifle in a foam-lined clam-shell case. Plain ol' proper care and routine maintenance.

TinMan99

PS. I still keep a set of spare parts handy in case something goes bad.

[Floyd]

I hope that's a closed-cell foam case. An open-cell foam case can draw moisture. AK's have been abused all over the world for over 50 years and they still go bang!

[Ay-K]

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG........that was my 75 rounder

I think I woke up my neighbors.

[Johan762]

J.A. and everybody else:

I think the term "service life: 6000 rounds" arose from bad interpretation. I think what the interpreter really meant something like "maintenance periods: every 6000 rounds". Remember, Chinese and English are two completely different languages, unlike English or German, which are really close kins. I think what the PLA interpreter (let's face it Norinco is owned by the PLA) meant that after 6000 rounds, you should have the rifle looked over to see if you need new firing pin, hammer, springs, etc, etc, etc. He or she probably got that from the PLA manual, telling the soldiers: after 6000 rounds, make sure an armorer check your rifle, or you'll be digging ditches all year long! But maybe "service live" in Chinese really means "maintenance periods", or something to that effect.

Johannes