30 round clips for SKS: What's your opinion?

[patriot2980]

I'm purchasing a Yugo manufactured SKS later this week, and I've been reading about the aftermarket clips you can install. I'm not a big fan of modifying a gun like that but I'm intrigued with the the idea of larger capacity.
I just want to knwo if any of you out there have done this. Have you had any jamming problems or failure to operate situations? Thanks for any input.

 

[tenbase]

Aftermarket magazines will most likely turn your perfectly reliable rifle into a jam-o-matic. Out of 6 30 round mags I had for my Norinco SKS, one works reliably, and that was only after several hours fiddling with the magazine feed lips. The rest I hammered flat and tossed.

Additionally, depending on where you are located and who is interpreting the law, it would probably turn the rifle into an evil, banned Assault Weapon™. Hopefully someone else can elaborate, I am when it comes to import rifle regs.

 

[Crosshair]

Not worth it, they have reliability problems. Get plenty of stripper clips and learn how to use them. Plus the 10 round fixed mag is nice when shooting prone.

 

[Technosavant]

1) Detachable magazines for the SKS have dubious reliability. Some work, some don't.

2) If you have a Yugo SKS, then simply attaching a detachable magazine places you in violation of the law. The Yugo SKS is imported as a C&R firearm. If you change it from stock configuration in any way, you must do the following: a) remove grenade launcher, b) remove bayonet and lug, c) remove night sights. If you wish to mount a detachable magazine, because the gun is considered a "non-sporting use" firearm and is completely foreign made, you also need to change out a certain number of foreign parts with US-made ones (Tapco sells compliance kits).

Unless you are just dying to have a SKS with detachable mags, just leave it as is.

 

[foghornl]

I have a Mdl 59/66 Yugo SKS. The standard 10-round mag, fed from stripper clips, works very well for me. I have tried 3 or 4 different after-market mags, and NONE worked worth a hoot.

I can reload from a 10-round stripper almost as fast as I can stuff another 8-round en-bloc into my US Rifle Cal 30 M1.

There were a few models of the SKS that had larger mags (Chi-Com, IIRC), but those that were made thay way seem to be the only ones that work with a larger than 10-round mag.

Your Mileage Will Vary.

 

[mljdeckard]

I asked the same question about mine, and after plowing through the ridiculous BATFE regs, and asking lots of people who have tried it, I very much agree. If you want a hi-cap, get an AK, they aren't that expensive.

 

[MechAg94]

Why would I want 30 round clips when the magazine only holds 10 rounds?



Besides, I just got a chest rig that holds the 10 round stripper clips.

 

[DogBonz]

My opinion?

Is that you shouldn't call magizines clips.

remember: every time you call a magizine a clip God kills a kitten.

 

[Hanzo581]

DogBone

he kills two kittens when you spell magazines wrong

 

[LeonCarr]

Worthless as t--- on a boar hog.

Jam-O-Matics, as Mr. Tenbase previously mentioned, and most require dremeling your stock around the magazine port to allow it to be easily removed (some folks due to the hassle of it leave it in place and load it from the top with stripper clips). The USA Brand Aftermarket Magazines are especially notorious for unreliability.

I prefer the standard basic 10 round fixed magazine. It can be loaded with the stripper clips just as fast as detaching and attaching a 30 round magazine.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Jackal]

Short answer. Mine works, most don't.

 

[Old John]

On The Other Hand..........

If you bought a Model "D" or "M" SKS, Also known as a "Sporter",
made by Norinco, it came from the factory, built to use the same
30 round Magazines as an AK47.
And, On these models it works just fine, every time. No Problem.

I'm not sure where they stand "Legally".
But they make a fine little rifle, with a 5-rounder, a 10-rounder,
or a 30-rounder.

And, they are factory built.

 

[Lonestar.45]

It's illegal unless you plan on swapping out a lot of parts for US made parts to make it comply.

That, coupled with the fact that most of those mags are jammo-matics, would make me NOT do it.

 

[Ohio Rifleman]

I tried one with my Yugo SKS, I couldn't get more than 15 rounds into it. And the only jamming problems I've had with my SKS have been with that 30-round magazine. It's currently collecting dust. As a general rule, stay away from aftermarket magazines. In my experience, they're a waste of money.

 

[Mainsail]

I like the way mine looks, totally stock. Plus it works.

 

[carterbeauford]

There are stories on sksboards.com of people getting detachable 30 round magazines to work. I have never seen this with my own eyes, every detachable I tried ended up back where I bought it, or in the trash.

See if you can find one of the rather rare 20 round Chinese fixed magazines with the star on the side. Talk to the guys at sksboards, I bought mine from a member there. They work.

 

[MCgunner]

The only extra round magazine I ever made work on my SKS is a chicom military 20 round fixed mag with the big commie star stamped in the side and that one didn't work out of the package. I wound up grinding down the mag where it fits the lower part of the mag in order to eliminate the lip that was causing the problems as the rounds hit it. Now, it's 100 percent functional. I like the SKS mag design, anyway, quite reliable. The springs in most of those aftermarket mags are junk.

I put a 5 round Chinese mag on my rifle and pimped it for hunting. My "paratrooper carbine" is the one with the 20 round Chicom mag on it, folding stock, laser, pimp city. LOL

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

See if you can find one of the rather rare 20 round Chinese fixed magazines with the star on the side. Talk to the guys at sksboards, I bought mine from a member there. They work.

I didn't know they were rare. I bought one in the early 1990s, and it still sits in a trunk, never installed. I thought it looked like Chinese junk, and decided not to install it on my very pristine Russian SKS.

 

[MCgunner]

I didn't know they were rare. I bought one in the early 1990s, and it still sits in a trunk, never installed. I thought it looked like Chinese junk, and decided not to install it on my very pristine Russian SKS.

So, I take it, your SKS has Ruskie junk for a magazine?

 

[Hazzard]

I have 4 30 rounders.

2 steel mags that work great.

1 zytel mag that works great.

1 zytel mag that functions as a fine blunt object to beat myself in the head with for ever buying it.

 

[Thin Black Line]

Yes, the Chinese fixed 20s are nice. I have one next to my tin can of
hens teeth.....

 

[preWWWIIbuff]

20 round star mag

I have made the 20 star mags work BUT.
All in All get good with strippers.
I have and have had lots and lots of sks,s
bought lots of them when the first dumped them on the market 69.00/89.00 bucks just could not beet them.
over the years I have made some of the HI caps work sorta with the twenty
star beeing the best. BUT allways keep the stock 10 rounder...if SHTF mine go back to the 10s they work allways allways allways
If you want to get rid of your10s Ill take them.
dont do it keep them you may need them.
Matter of fact I bought a junk sks off someone jammed would not function.
with 20 star mag. said he cleened it well not right you got to CLEEN the whole thing yes even the gas system.:banghead: cleaned and a 10 rd works great.
Thing is I pulled the 10 from anouther sks now I need one more.

I need a 10 rounder so if you have one and no longer have the rifle I need it

 

[DogBonz]

Sorry..

he kills two kittens when you spell magazines wrong

I forgot to spel chech.

 

[mainmech48]

The only aftermarket magazines that I've found that approach the reliability of the standard box are the aforementioned "Red Star" 20-rd fixed boxes. While they generally take some fitting/tuning for the individual carbine, the job is easy and intuitive. Basically, one simply matches the configuration of the feed path presented in the stock magazine by some judicious squeezing and such. It's worked for me on two makes of SKS.

IIRC, the device itself was developed by the ChiCom military for a short-lived select-fire varient of the carbine issued to some units in the early '60s before the AKM became widely available. I have seen archived photographs of troops armed with these, and of examples of the weapon, but I've never seen one "in the flesh".

If one simply must have an SKS-type carbine with 30-rd capacity, one of the versions factory-modified to accept AKM magazines imported by Navy Arms et al several years back would be the best way to go, IMO. The major problem is that there weren't nearly as many of them imported and demand has driven the prices up near what a ROTM AK varient brings.

The twenty-round fixed box doesn't affect the handling characteristics of the weapon nearly as much as the "detachables", operates the bolt stop reliably (something many "high-caps" won't), and recharges in the same manner with the same strippers as the stock unit.

FWIW, they're still out there. I see them fairly often at shows and they are frequently available from folks like The Real Hawkeye who either expected them to be a direct "drop-in" and took it back out after a couple of malfs, or never got around to installing them.

 

[carterbeauford]

I didn't know they were rare.

I've seen them sell on Ebay for $60, last I checked Paul's Guns wanted like $80 or something for one, so I figured supply and demand.