grr* sks reciever cover mount filing problem

[silverlance]

well i got a really nice red star reciever cover weaver mount for my yugo sks. but the darn crosspin for the reciever cover just won't go all the way in.

well, I've filed down the cover points some, but after an hour of meticulous filing the pin still won't go in all the way. it goes in smoothly with the standard cover.

can someone help me? am i not filing enough? did i file too much? (i dont' think this is the case since it ws like this before I even began filing)

well i'm uber frustrated right now and can't think properly.

i have this very nice red dot scope and it is gathering dust.

 

[50caliber123]

I know the chinese stuff can be crap. Even there stuff won't fit their own rifles sometimes, its really hit or miss. I have a reciever cover similar to the one you mentioned. Low-mount weaver style. I never use it, but it fits snuggly. I would be willing to sell it if you're interested. My SKS is also Yugo, so I know it should fit fine. By chance, do you know if it is legal to use detachable magazines with the yugo? Many people don't know so I thought I would ask.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Fit

Silverlance--Nonfitting parts can be VERY frustrating.

Had I a situation such as you describe, I'd mebbe try enlarging the hole in the bolt carrier cover, rather than modifying the bolt carrier cover locking pin on the rifle. For one thing, the bolt carrier cover (the thing you're calling a reciever cover) is off the rifle and can be turned one way and the other, easier. The locking pin is trapped by its cross-pin inside the reciever.

You need to determine if the cross-pin on the locking pin is too long for its slot, or if the locking pin itself is too large for the round hole, or (ugh) a combination of the 2, before you start filing.

The hole through which the pin slides should be fairly easy to drill/polish to a larger diameter. And if the slot in the bolt carrier cover is too short or too narrow, a slim jewelers' file should be able to handle that, too, albeit with a bit more hassle.

Anyhow, that's how I'd approach the problem.

Hope you get something worked out--good luck!

 

[james481]

I know the chinese stuff can be crap. Even there stuff won't fit their own rifles sometimes, its really hit or miss. I have a reciever cover similar to the one you mentioned. Low-mount weaver style. I never use it, but it fits snuggly. I would be willing to sell it if you're interested. My SKS is also Yugo, so I know it should fit fine. By chance, do you know if it is legal to use detachable magazines with the yugo? Many people don't know so I thought I would ask.

My experience has been that the "reciever cover" rail mounts are a waste of time and money. This part simply cannot hold to the rifle tightly enough, along with the battering it takes from the back of the recoil spring, makes for a shifting zero when you are firing the rifle. Don't even try to get a reapeatable zero when removing for cleaning with one of these things. My suggestion for scope mounting on the SKS? Get one of the Scout Scopes sight mounts that replace the rear sight. They are rock solid, maintain zero even with removal for cleaning, look good, and are easy to install (no gunsmithing required). Before anyone asks, no, I do not work for or sell products from this company, I am just a satisfied customer. You can find their website here. A little pricey, but worth every penny, IMHO. Also, their customer service is top notch (USPS lost my order, and they sent me another FREE OF CHARGE, that's service!).

As to putting detachable magazines on an SKS: You may only put one on an SKS if you first replace a number of parts with US made equivilents. You have to replace enough parts to make the rifle Sec. 922 compliant, because as soon as you replace the magazine, you have voided the C&R status of the rifle. If you void the C&R status of the rifle without being 922 compliant, you are now in possession of an illegally imported assualt rifle, and are subject to prosecution (although this has never actually happened to my knowledge). I would highly encourage you to ensure your rifle remains legal, as the penalties for 922 violation is pretty severe (10 years in club fed, IIRC).

 

[Smokey Joe]

Detatchable mags for SKS

James--IMNSHO, and in the experience of many reporting on this forum, almost all of the detatchable mags available for the SKS are a POS and a pain in the patoot. So the question becomes, instead of can they be used, why would you want to?

Except for one model of Chinese SKS that was made for the detatchable AK-style mags, the SKS has its own built-in 10-round mag which works really well, ultra-reliable. It can be loaded singly or with stripper clips, and the stripper clips work nice and quick with a little practice (and with the right clip--some clips work better than others; buy a 10-pack and 6 or 7 of them will be fine. The clips appreciate a little lube, BTW.)

The AK-mag compatible SKS of course commands a premium price on the market. And the SKS in question here--Silverlance's Yugo--isn't it.

So, as the man said, stick with what works, and if it's not broke, don't fix it.

BTW, just bought one of the unissued 59/66 Yugos myself. Boy does it look sweet inside! Plan on cleaning it up (esp. the firing pin channel of course) and going to the range.

 

[james481]

James--IMNSHO, and in the experience of many reporting on this forum, almost all of the detatchable mags available for the SKS are a POS and a pain in the patoot. So the question becomes, instead of can they be used, why would you want to?

I totally agree with you. I feel that, due to the "duckbill" design of the detachable mags (save the SKS-M model which uses AK mags, of course), you can reload an SKS faster with stripper clips that you can with another full magazine anyways. Plus, stripper clips are about $5 for 10. So, for $30 you can get a 30 round detachable mag that probably doesn't work, or you can get enough stripper clips to hold 600 rounds, which work perfectly. Doesn't even seem like a choice to me. However, the previous poster asked about the legality of these aftermarket magazines, so I was obliged to answer him, hopefully saving him from creating an illegal rifle.

 

[lawson]

i had one of the bolt cover mounts, and it rattled around too much to be accurate. that SKS wasn't accurate enough to warrant spending money on one of the scout scopes.

i just finished cleaning and restoring the stock on my new unissued Yugo SKS, and it's night and day from my old one. very accurate. this one will get a scope.

i'm also looking for a 5 round fixed mag for it, i suppose that would technically be illegal, but it doesn't seem like reducing the magazine capacity would get me in much trouble.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Couple more items

James--Thx for the vote of confidence.

However, the previous poster asked about the legality of these aftermarket magazines, so I was obliged to answer him, hopefully saving him from creating an illegal rifle.

Your advice on this was correct according to my understanding.

Lawson--Why replace a perfectly good 10 round fixed mag with a 5 round fixed mag? Legal need for hunting? How about rigging a "plug" inside the original mag (as is done with waterfowling shotguns) to simply reduce its capacity if that's what you need?

Took my new 59/66 out to the range today. Shooting steel-cased Russian ammo it was OK. Shot a few "real" rounds, i.e. with brass cases; commercial American stuff. That seemed to go much better. Need to do further testing of course. BTW, her name is Comrade Princess Anastasia. (Yeah, I know, she's Yugoslavian, not Russian, but a. I don't know any Yugoslav names, and b. When a gun tells you her name you don't argue. And her design is Russian.)

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! Have discovered a way to remove cosmoline from the SKS firing pin channel without dissasembling the bolt. It takes 2 products, brake cleaner and Kroil. Pulled the bolt carrier cover, return spring assembly, the bolt carrier, and the bolt off the gun, that's all. Just worked on the bolt--everything else on the gun seemed to function normally so I left it alone. (Trigger assembly was gooey with cosmo, for example, but it functioned as it should, and I wanted to get out to the range! ) I alternated brake cleaner and Kroil for about 5 applications of each, and at the end the Kroil was running out with next to no brown cosmoline discoloration at all. And, best of all, the firing pin rattled up and down when the bolt was shaken! In the reassembled gun, with the bolt locked open, the firing pin would slide back and forth of its own weight when the gun was tipped perhaps 45° above or below horizontal. Took the SKS out to the range, gave it every opportunity to slam-fire, in 20°F weather, and no problem. Ran at least 40 rounds through, with more in the magazine. ZERO slam-fires! Now, I won't guarantee this down to zero or anything, but when I started cleaning, the firing pin was literally jammed in place by the cosmoline, and only a hard push with a finger would move it in either direction. Plan to leave the whole gun overnight, and examine it in the a.m. to see if there is any change.

 

[silverlance]

bah

looks like i got suckered into wasting a whole lotta money on crappy bc cover mounts. lol* and i always make fun of the folks who bubbafy, and now I just did it..hehe and got burned too!

i have two bc cover mounts (ty for the correction btw) sitting around, one is a total joke, the other wont' fit.

gawd, i want to buy the scout scope so badly. i've already spent more than 60 bucks on scope investments for my 180$ sks anyway.. hehe.

so much for saving up for a kel tec su16..=(

 

[lawson]

Lawson--Why replace a perfectly good 10 round fixed mag with a 5 round fixed mag? Legal need for hunting? How about rigging a "plug" inside the original mag (as is done with waterfowling shotguns) to simply reduce its capacity if that's what you need?

i would like to be able to switch between 10 round mags and 5 round mags without having to plug it.

 

[W Turner]

If you're just looking to make that rifle easier to shoot more accurately, one of these may be an option..


www.tech-sights.com


I plan to get one for my SKS soon.

W

 

[cracked butt]

Took my new 59/66 out to the range today. Shooting steel-cased Russian ammo it was OK.

Did you get an arsenal book with yours? If you did, take a look at the grids showing the test firings, it might give you an idea of how the rifle will shoot. The grid is in centimeters per 50 yards I think. I figure that a guy at the Yugo arsenal who test fired rifles day in and day out would probably be pretty good indicator.

 

[cracked butt]

gawd, i want to buy the scout scope so badly. i've already spent more than 60 bucks on scope investments for my 180$ sks anyway.. hehe.

There is also a mount out there that screws into the side of the receiver (not the cover) but requires a bit of trimming of the stock and probably a gunsmith to install.

 

[Number 6]

I've heard very positive things about this scope mount for an SKS.

http://161.58.206.244/store/merchan...opes&Product_Code=SK-1B&Category_Code=skscope

 

[Smokey Joe]

My new 59/66

W Turner & Cracked Butt--Thx for yr interest. Did NOT receive an arsenal book with my 59/66--Or mebbe I just don't know what I'm looking for. But there didn't seem to be any papers with it except the reciept from the gunsmith. I do have a tech-sight; may put it on this rifle. They come well reccommended.

Before I start buying all sorts of goodies for Comrade Princess Anastasia

BTW, her name is Comrade Princess Anastasia.

I want to see how she shoots commerical ammo, and my handloads. The standard Russian design rear sight, and the standard awful SKS trigger will still let me determine if I want to spend any more $$ on her.

Before I start handloading for her, I need to determine her bore diameter. I expect about .311, but you never know.

My source for almost all things SKS, BTW, is D C Engineering, in Detroit MI. www.rifletech.com will get you there. They don't have the rubber recoil buffer, nor the tech-sight, but they have just about everything else you could possibly want. Knowledgeable, helpful, prices aren't out of line. Have done business with them in the past and they have always shot more than square with me. I can reccommend them whole-heartedly.

Lawson--BTW, I just remembered that DC Engineering has a 5 round plug to go in the 10 round mag, if you relent and decide going the plug route is OK. If you give DC a call or an e-mail (check their website for number & address; don't have 'em to hand, sorry) they will probably be able to advise you further on this issue.

 

[cracked butt]

There's a guy that goes by the name of "Kivaari" on several gun sites that does sks trigger jobs that are highly reccommended, you should be able to find him by googling his handle. On some of the stock sks triggers, you can feel exactly where the trigger is going to break because the hammer moves slightly before the sear releases. While not exactly light and crisp, a situation like this is far better than most mushy triggers found on combloc rifles.

 

[Smokey Joe]

More items

Cracked Butt--Thx on the trigger worker. Will bear it in mind.

Bore diameter--There is an XLNT article on slugging yr bore using local materials, not an expensive kit, at www.surplusrifle.com/reloading/slug/index.asp

Surplusrifles also has a neat 2-part article on modifying the SKS, called "Li'l Miss the SKS" parts 1 and 2. It includes the Kivaari trigger, BTW. The first article has a link directly to the second. First one is at www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/lilmiss/index.asp

One modification I will surely do on this and any SKS is a recoil buffer. Have one in my present SKS (NOT Comrade Princess Anastasia, yet) and I think it cuts down a bit on the recoil, as well as making firing easier on the gun. Ditto on the one that came in my 1911 pistol. Buffer Technologies does these; they are also reviewed and linked in the above Li'l Miss articles.

 

[MechAg94]

I have a Tech sights mount that I am working on mounting. I may have to get some wood out of the way though as the pin channel is real low against the wood and I need to drop it down about 1/16" more. We'll see how it goes. The gun seems to shoot good groups though it still shoots a foot or two to the right and the front sight is adjusted all the way over. I had to get something since I felt I would have fun shooting it if I could get the sights working. I have a new K31 to play with over the holidays as well so I will have to post some stuff later next week.

As far as removing cosmoline, I soaked the bolt in Mineral Spirits a while. It dissolves the cosmoline pretty good.