This is exactly why I wanted a manual - to know things like this - notice the possibility of a round fired just by cycling - Maybe I'm too safety paranoid, but I don't plan on being a Darwin statistic!
-S
When the trigger is pulled, the hammer falls, hits the rear of the firing pin, and the round detonates. Note that the AK-47 bolt is locked closed by rotating when the bolt carrier is moved forward (there is a cam on the top of the bolt that engages a slot in the bolt carrier to accomplish the rotation). The firing pin is free-floating -- there is no spring to hold it retracted until the hammer falls. Consequently, if one manually cycles live rounds through the AK-47, one will observe light indentations on the primers where the firing pit hit against them as the action closed. Consequently, it is inadvisable to chamber live rounds unless you are prepared for the possibility of the weapon firing when you do so.
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