SKS free floating firing pin and cosmoline

[toad]

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=SKS ... A8D76A7A0A

There are several videos on YouTube showing how to remove the firing pin retainer on an SKS. The big problem is that the bolt doesn't sit flat, it has bumps on the side of it, so it rocks around an bounces when you try to set it flat and beat out the retaining pin. The solution seems to be to support the bolt around the retainer and let the rest of the bolt over hang. One guy uses the corner of a two by four with a hole drilled out for the bolt, the other one I saw had what looked like a fly cutter with a hole in it clamped in a bench vise. He knocked the retainer out with a four ounce hammer.
One video that I watched had a guy who had gone from spring loaded firing pin back to free floater. His problem had been that for some reason his return spring had collapsed and locked the firing pin back. It was apparently a pain in the behind to fix. He decided he'd rather run the risk of locking up the pin and still having a firing weapon than having a weapon that wouldn't shoot at all.

In the pro free float camp the consensus seems to be to hose gun shot residue and other grit out of the bolt after you fire it.

[JustinR]

My SKS was pretty clean cosmoline-wise when I bought it, and I keep the firing pin channel clean and have never had any problems, but I've primarily shot Russian and Chinese ammo in that gun and they usually have hard primers.

I remember having to punch out the firing pin retainer when I got the gun, but it hasn't been a problem since. I might have polished the surfaces a bit, I don't remember it's been long enough.