200 Round Wear On My PSA AK-101

Good afternoon fellow AK comrades,

I purchased a PSA AK-101 this month and have 200 rounds through it so far. All AAC 55gr 5.56. The rifle shot very well and I only experienced two FTE.

I am familiar with the AK platform but this is the first I’ve owned and don’t quite know what to look for in regards to wear.

Two spots in particular grab my attention; On the barrel chamber lip (?) and the extractor.

From my research, I’m suspecting the barrel is incorrectly clocked in the trunnion? Reference:
(Reddit - Dive into anything)

Can anyone enlighten me on if this is acceptable wear? Also, how does that chamber look? Pictures below.


2 Likes

I assume you’ve had PSA look at the photos snd your concerns. If not that should be step one customer service request/ concers with uploaded photos. What I do know is that new PSAK that experiences signs of wear should be closely monitored for progression. If the wear is break-in, it will reach a point and stop. Not progressing to damage.

1 Like

Thank you for your reply! I’ve initiated a warranty claim request to get the ball rolling.

1 Like

Nothing in those pics would cause me concern, especially if it is shooting properly. I prefer my guns to “wear in” on the parts.

3 Likes

My pleasure.

1 Like

Thank you for your input! I agree with you on firearms breaking in and those surfaces “mating” to each other. Although, when I see parts machined a specific way beating each other out of their original specifications significantly at such a low round count (200) or under normal usage that starts to raise red flags for me.

Can you elaborate on why this wear wouldn’t cause you concern based off your experience?

2 Likes
  1. because it is so small 2) because its an AK.
3 Likes

That’s fair, lmao. Thanks man!

1 Like

The wear you pointed out does not look abnormal. I would load it up and keep shooting it till I wore the barrel out. :sunglasses:

And then I’d change the barrel and keep shooting it. :wink:

1 Like

Thank you for your input! As GuitarGuy mentioned; The marks are very small. It’s pretty hard to make out the wear without a camera and looks significantly worse by doing so. Doesn’t seem to effect function. Is this something you’ve seen before on the AK platform?

Reached out to Rob with AKOU and he mentioned his rifle did not have this wear but that it’s an easy correction.

He went on to say that they should do it and asked for me to keep him updated.

3 Likes

Update: Fired 198 rounds of .223 zinc plated steel case Tula and it ran flawlessly until around the 180 round mark in which it was spitting casings two to three feet to my right and then ended with a nasty FTE that is now stuck in the chamber. Extractor ripped the bottom of the case smooth and now can’t extract the fired round.

At this point, I’m pretty much done with the rifle. It runs great until it doesn’t but for $1,100 I expected a whole lot more out of this rifle. We’ll see what they do.

I would love to continue my support of them and give them a chance to make it right. What are my options as far as return, refund, or exchanging the rifle? Any chance I could exchange it for a rifle from another one of their lineups that is more reliable?