MMcfpd
Member
Well, I got my cosmoline queen SKS a little while ago ($170 M59/66 at a gun show) and cleaned it up. After putting, by now, about 250 rounds through it (my first rifle) I've decided I really do like it.
So, I just packed up my trigger for a trip to kivaari, and sent the breech block off for a firing pin spring from Murray. There's $115 more into it. A friend gave me a Combat exchange folding stock he had lying around, but it had no handguard. I purchased a ventilated metal handguard and gas tube from Rifletech for another $50.
Once I'd tried it, I decided I don't like the CE stock as much as I do the wood. But the wood on this rifle is a bit rough. That led me to researching refinishing the stock, as I've never fooled with any wood finishing, and I encountered various inputs from the military/historical preservationists that persuaded me to stash the original stock and spend $10 (+$5 for shipping) for a new hardwood stock that I'll experiment on (presently thinking I might try for that AK blonde - who knows?).
Several examples I've seen look great with the bolt carrier polished and buffed, but some cautionary tales made me decide to spring for a new bolt carrier for $20 (+$5 for shipping) with which to experiment.
OK, so I've got $50 in likely superfluous parts (stock and bolt carrier), but throw in about $25 for refinishing stuff and some Perma-Blue and...YIKES! This has become a $400 rifle!
That's without really doing much to change it. If you start looking at a muzzle brake, sights or a scope, detachable magazine (and thus compliance parts) and what have you, the rifle could easily hit the $500-600 area.
So how much do y'all regularly put in these things?
*****
Fortunately, I spent only $1 on the butt pad extension at a gun show - the thing looks like a tumor installed and will probably begin a new career as a doorstop.
So, I just packed up my trigger for a trip to kivaari, and sent the breech block off for a firing pin spring from Murray. There's $115 more into it. A friend gave me a Combat exchange folding stock he had lying around, but it had no handguard. I purchased a ventilated metal handguard and gas tube from Rifletech for another $50.
Once I'd tried it, I decided I don't like the CE stock as much as I do the wood. But the wood on this rifle is a bit rough. That led me to researching refinishing the stock, as I've never fooled with any wood finishing, and I encountered various inputs from the military/historical preservationists that persuaded me to stash the original stock and spend $10 (+$5 for shipping) for a new hardwood stock that I'll experiment on (presently thinking I might try for that AK blonde - who knows?).
Several examples I've seen look great with the bolt carrier polished and buffed, but some cautionary tales made me decide to spring for a new bolt carrier for $20 (+$5 for shipping) with which to experiment.
OK, so I've got $50 in likely superfluous parts (stock and bolt carrier), but throw in about $25 for refinishing stuff and some Perma-Blue and...YIKES! This has become a $400 rifle!
That's without really doing much to change it. If you start looking at a muzzle brake, sights or a scope, detachable magazine (and thus compliance parts) and what have you, the rifle could easily hit the $500-600 area.
So how much do y'all regularly put in these things?
*****
Fortunately, I spent only $1 on the butt pad extension at a gun show - the thing looks like a tumor installed and will probably begin a new career as a doorstop.