SKS mags, stocks.

[N3rday]

Well, its 9 months and two days until my 18th birthday (No, I am not counting!), and I've got my sights set on an SKS. I have heard some bad things about the fixed magazines over ten rounds, so I am wondering:

Which ones are reliable, and how do they compare to the ten rounders?

Also I am thinking about putting a synthetic stock on mine, with a vented handguard probably. How hard is it to change the stocks on an SKS? I know there are probably sites with instructions on this but I haven't found any...
The synthetic will probably be fiberforce or dragunov style, so any opinions on either would be appreciated.

Finally, how are the sights on the SKS, and how hard would it be to put new ones on? Also, any pictures of any 'decked out' SKS rifles would be cool

Thanks!

 

[eatatjoes]

sks pics

in my experience the 10+ magazines for the sks are terribly unreliable. remember; the sks is not a sniper rifle, and it is not an AK47. it is a handy little wood-stocked rifle that works well in it's original configuration. (just my opinion)

good sks site

complete disassembly

changing the sks stock is not hard at all, just follow the directions and it should be a snap.

 

[RepublicanMan]

www.sksboards.com


If you do decide to go with a synthetic stock (I tried a couple and HATED them) stay away from ATI...I'd suggest Choate instead. The only magazines I've ever found to be totally reliable on my chicom SKSs have been the fixed 10 rounders. The others don't screw up constantly but they do so enough that I sold them all. You'll love your rifle, they're the best thing since sliced bread.

Right now the Yugos are the cheapest but my personal favorites are the Chinese. Figure on paying between $150 and $200 for one of them, $80 - $180 for a Yugo depending on what grade you get and where you get it from. Don't plan on shooting 1 inch groups at 100yds but it's definitely minute of man capable.

 

[theCZ]

I did the same thing you are thinking about. I bought a synthetic stock from Bushmaster, it was very easy to put in. I also bought a vented hand guard. I'm very happy with the stock, I forgot to put in the shims for the handguard so it moves around in the brackets a little bit, but next time I am home from college I'm going to tack it in place underneath with the wire feed. Here's a picture of my roomate firing it this fall. You can see the muzzle blast as well as the ejected casing.

 

[litman252]

I went and shot my SKS, Chinese, this weekend. Shot twice at 20 yards to sight in. Shot low, jacked up the rear sight for temp adjustment and managed to hit the gallon jug of milk filled with water on 4th shot at 100 yards. Seems to be accurate enough, lots of fun as well. Just watch the brass if you plan on picking it up, mine ended up ~20 feet in front of me.

Tony

 

[jafey99xj]

Hmm...

I never had a problem with my hi-cap mags. I had a Yugo M59/66 with an ATI Dragunov style stock, 4x scope, cheap-o bipod, and a 20rnd or 30rnd mag. Sorry, no pics. I sold it to fund my SAR-1. If you've got any ?'s feel free to ask.

Like the others said, you can't expect moa groups, but 3-4moa groups are entirely possible.

 

[N3rday]

Well, I don't understand MOA

All I know is 3-4 MOA is larger compared to what you would get with, say, an AR or a rem700. Besides that, Minute of Angle is french to me...

Oh, and Jafey, what brand mags were you using, and how often?

thx all!

 

[Matt_S]

1 Minute Of Angle (MOA) is approximately 1 inch of distance at one hundred yards. MOA is sometimes used to describe the overall occuracy capable of certain rifle/ammo combinations. Think of it as a cone extending from the end of your barrel to the target. The angle of the cone is referenced as MOA. So if you shoot a 4 MOA rifle, you can expect to get 4" groups at 100 yards.

I really like the standard fixed 10 rounders. Rock solid reliablity. I have a friend that installed a fixed 20 rounder a while back, it works okay he says, but he can only get 19 rounds in the mag which is frustrating when loading from stipper clips.

Stocks are a matter of personal preference, I like the originals only because I'm a purist.

Sights are standard commie fair notch and post arrangment. A good way to get better sights is to replace the rear sight with a MOJO aperature sight. Many people claim some accuracy improvement with this sight. I have the standard sights on mine, I generally get 6" groups at 100 yards.

Excellent fun gun to have, rock solid reliability, cheap to shoot, easy to maintian, plenty of customization.

Be safe and have fun!

 

[litman252]

Edited, Matt said it much better^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tony

 

[albanian]

If you do decide to go with a synthetic stock (I tried a couple and HATED them) stay away from ATI...I'd suggest Choate instead.

I agree. The Choate stocks are the best. The ATI are O.K. but they don't fit the gun or the man quite as well.

There is absolutly nothing wrong with leaving a SKS in stock form. Aside from a Choate Monte Carlo stock, there is not much that can improve a SKS. They are simple and work as is. The sights are a week point only because they are open and not peep. If you get a peep sight that fits into the rear sight (I think Mojo makes one) it can be cheap and easy to do. The good thing about peep sights is, the cheap ones work just as well as the more expensive one unless you plan on adjusting them alot. A hole is a hole.

 

[jafey99xj]

Ditto to what Matt_S said about MOA.

As far as brand of mags, I can't help you there. I don't even know what country they were manufactured in. But, beware of some 'sks' mags that look like AK mags, I got screwed out of $20 once. Detachable SKS mags should have an extra amount of metal at the top toward the barrel end of the rifle (look around the internet and at gunshows, you'll see what I mean). Also, if you look in certain flyers/websites, you might see a 'quick detach' mag release that is designed to function like an AK mag release, I have heard of these things being somewhat unreliable. The detachable mags were the only kind of mags I used after I put on the ATI stock.

Getting the full 30 rounds into my SKS mags was more difficult that in my AK mags. I could only usually get 25-28 rounds in a 30, but I think I got the full 20 rounds into the 20 round mag.

Also, accuracy might depend on what country's SKS you purchase. I seem to remember my Norinco being more accurate than my Yugo. They are indeed very fun rifles to have.

A note on installing ATI pistol-grip/dragunov style stocks: Make sure you have a screw driver for the trigger group, and be careful when removing the wood from the upper fore-arm. I damaged the brackets, and had to purchase a new set.

Jason

 

[Feanaro]

I would stay away from any of the magazines with more than 10 rounds. They normally end up being a royal pain the butt. If you have the time and money, go ahead and get some but don't expect them to work. (Exception: Norinco[aka Chinese] made SKS that came with 30 rounders are supposed to be much more reliable)

As for changing stocks, it is not particularly easy compared to many of the rifles out there but neither is it hard. The sights on the SKS are, like the accuracy, adequate. They work. They are not very good but they don't exactly suck either. There aren't many sight replacement options that I know of. I seem to remember Cheaper Than Dirt carried these bright neon( ) plastic front sights. Mojo also offers a rear aperture sight for the SKS. http://www.mojosights.com/ak47_sks.html

 

[Badger Arms]

Stay away from ATI At all costs... ALL COSTS!

I would also recommend you stay away from the Choate Dragunov stock. The reason is that you must remove the front of the grip in order to remove the trigger-group and stock assembly. This involves removing two wood screws that are screwed directly into the plastic stock. This isn't an issue for regular cleaning and field stripping so long as you don't mind leaving the stock on like you would with a bolt action. Just a thought.

The Choate standard stock is worn by both of my Norinco SKS rifles. It's comfortable and has a high enough comb for me. It's the right length and it's practically bullet-proof. They fit great too and are about one-third the weight of the ATI Monte-Carlo stock.

 

[M2HMGHB]

Badger i never had a problem with my dragunov stock, i think it might be ATI even. Had it for 2 years or so without any problems and simple to instal or take apart to clean.

 

[Badger Arms]

Yes, I was speaking about the Choate being difficult to take down, not the ATI. ATI stocks are bad on the Quality control. If yours fits and you don't mind the pound of extra weight, then count yourself lucky. I think they look ugly too, but that's just me. I stocked and sold the Choate stocks for years. I bought a few ATI stocks and sent them back. I had been installing the stocks for customers and I had such a pain installing the ATI stocks that it wasn't worth my time. I'm talking about sanding, chiseling, grinding, drilling, and all kinds of trouble just to get them ugly boat anchors to fit. As for the diassembly, it's not difficult but I'd worry about the plastic wearing out after installing and removing the screws every time you want the trigger group to come out.

Choate Standard:

Choate Dragunov:

ATI Monte Carlo:


ATI Dragunov:


Butler Creek Standard:


Ram Line Standard:


Boat Anchor:

 

[LynnMassGuy]

in my experience the 10+ magazines for the sks are terribly unreliable. remember; the sks is not a sniper rifle, and it is not an AK47. it is a handy little wood-stocked rifle that works well in it's original configuration. (just my opinion)

I agree. It's a great rifle. Shoot it a bit before you run out and buy a new stock. I bet you will fall in love with te original configuration. Also keep in mind that you have to be very careful how you modify your SKS. The assault weapon laws that apply to the SKS will make your head spin. Also, a lot of aftermarket stocks will not accomodate the bayonet and it is a pain in the @$$ to get the bayonet off.(Especially without damaging the lug.) You can reload just as fast, if not faster, with stripper clips as you can with an aftermarket magazine.

No matter what you decide you will love your SKS.

Oh, if you do decide on an aftermarket stock, tuck the original away safely. You'll probably want it someday.

 

[jafey99xj]

I know it may have been a while, but I don't remember having to take out any screws for the trigger group. As I remember it, it was held in place by a (I'm not sure of the terminology here ) retaining flat spring. I was talking about having a screwdriver to depress the spring so the trigger group could get on, because the angle was weird with a pistol grip in the way.

I never had much trouble installing the stock set though. I also seem to remember the bayonet coming off reasonably easy.

I do agree with LynnMassGuy, though. You should spend some time with it unmodified.

 

[Badger Arms]

it was held in place by a (I'm not sure of the terminology here :confused retaining flat spring. I was talking about having a screwdriver to depress the spring so the trigger group could get on, because the angle was weird with a pistol grip in the way.

You must have the ATI Stock. The Choate stock has a two-piece grip with a part that screws onto the main body of the grip. At any rate, you can drill a large hole through the rear of the stock and, if you're careful, have it line right up with that little tang you have to push. Me, I use a phillips screwdriver.

I agree completely with what others have said about the 30-rounders. I certainly hope that the sunset of the AWB will spawn a new generation of reliable aftermarket magazines for the SKS. I'd also love to see a US-Compliant kit to allow us to put folding stocks on the SKS... Would need Hammer, Sear, Trigger, and Operating Rod methinks. I'll have to check the parts count. It wouldn't take that much trouble to manufacture these parts in the USA. I'd buy a Choate folding stock and a US parts kit for $150 bucks!

 

[N3rday]

Which stocks won't involve screwing around with the bayonet? That's the collest looking part of the gun, albeit it has no real purpose besides the cool factor...

 

[N3rday]

I checked that dissasembly site earlier today...it looks as if there's no spring for the integral mag?

If so, that would be excellent! You could store it loaded ala the Garand.

 

[Badger Arms]

Nope, there's a spring in there. It's not below the rounds but further up towards where it attaches to the barrel-band lug. You can, however, store it for a significant period of time fully loaded if you wish.

 

[LynnMassGuy]

That's the collest looking part of the gun, albeit it has no real purpose besides the cool factor...

No real purpose?! You obviously haven't tried charging around your house in your underwear with the bayonet extended!!!! I'm pretty sure the dragunov style stocks are thin enough under the barrel to accomodate a spike style bayonet but probably not the blade type which is found on the yugo.

 

[Kaylee]

Congratulations on a first centerfire!

One piece of advice I have to leave anyone looking at tarting up an SKS off the rack, particularly if it's their first "evil" rifle..

"If what you really want is an AK.... GET AN AK"
After you're done adding plastic stocks, long curvy magazines, and all the other swoopy bits, you will have spent more and gotten less than if you'd just bought a SAR-1 in the first place.

That said, the SKS is a fine little rifle. If you're getting it because you WANT an SKS, go for it! Were I to go looking for an SKS today, I'd probably not change anything other than cleaning up the wood. Well.. on a Yugo I'd likely ditch the grenade launcher attachment and the bayonet as they're basically useless dead weight on a civvie rifle, but that's a personal thing I guess. (And the bayo at least is an easy on/easy off kinda thing anyways)

As far as the plastic stocks... the pinned folder is among the lightest, and pretty handy. The Monte Carlo made the whole thing feel like a brick to me -- REALLY upped the weight of the rifle and threw it's handiness all to heck. Again, I'd prolly stay with the original, but then I like wood better anyways.

have fun!

-K

 

[Braz]

Bager's right,

Plus the Choate Dragunov stock has no channel for a bayonet on the model I bought. That was ok, as I planned to make a sporter anyway. The handle screws are a small pain that requires a mini-screwdriver stay in the case. But it is a solid, good looking stock, and I'm pleased so far.

 

[BowStreetRunner]

stay with the fixed mag, stripper clips aint that bad
and remember, it may be illegal to add certain things to an SKS
ex: putting a bayonet on a Chinese one that didnt have one before
BSR