Making an SKS reciever

[Novus Collectus]

As an academic excercise, how hard would it be to make an American made reciever?
I know that SKS are super cheap and there is no need to make one for economic reasons, but I was thinking about an SKS pistol.
I also know that it might cost more to manufacture an SKS reciever as a pistol than it would be to turn an existing SKS into a short barreled rifle with the $200 tax stamp, but like I said this is for academic purposes.

The reason I thought about this was because of my state's laws about so called "assault pistols". Pistols such as AR15 pistols or AK47 pistols are banned and illegal to posses (unless registered as AOW, SBR or machine guns with the feds), but there is no state restriction on possessing an SKS pistol if one were even possible to make.

I know the Chinese SKS were stamped, and the Russian and Yugo are milled. How hard and expensive would it be to fabricate on or mill one up on a CNC machine?

 

[eliphalet]

A much easier way would be to buy a new never registered AK receiver and make it into a pistol. IIRC a new receiver can be made into whatever firearm you like long or short but once a rifle always a rifle without the stamp and all that goes with it. New AK receivers are all over the net and at many gun shows for sale at quite reasonable prices.
Some of you current smiths correct me if I am wrong on this as my update on these laws are over 20 years old. Has anything changed?

 

[Novus Collectus]

That would work in other states, but not mine. In Maryland possession of a semi-auto AK47 pistol is a serious felony.

 

[rcmodel]

I know the Chinese SKS were stamped, and the Russian and Yugo are milled.

I believe all SKS receivers are forged & milled, regardless of country of origan.

The dust covers are a different matter.


rcmodel

 

[Novus Collectus]

Didn't know that, thanks.

 

[Gingerbreadman]

Couldn't you get an SKS, strip it down to the receiver, and proceed from there?

 

[rcmodel]

You can't make a handgun out of a rifle receiver.

It is against federal law (1934 National Firearms Act) unless you receive permission and pay the BATF a $200 tax on it.


rcmodel

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Stamped SKS Recievers

There are a few stamped receiver SKS rifles out there. IIRC there are not many because most of them are still in China. They look like this

 

[Jim K]

Under federal law, you can make a receiver as long as the resulting firearm is legal to own and is not under the NFA. If it is under the NFA, you need to submit a Form 1 and $200 tax before starting work. (Note: full auto weapons are now banned, but not other NFA firearms like suppressors, short barrel rifles, etc.) So you could make an SKS semi-auto receiver and finish it as a rifle or a regular pistol. In MD, you cannot make an "assault pistol", but I believe that is defined as having, among other evil features, a detachable magazine, so the SKS would be OK (if I am correct).

But if you decide to make a receiver, you must do it yourself. If you get anyone else in the act, that person must have a federal manufacturers license. So you can't get the local gunsmith to work on the thing.

Jim

 

[Novus Collectus]

In MD, you cannot make an "assault pistol", but I believe that is defined as having, among other evil features, a detachable magazine, so the SKS would be OK (if I am correct).

No, incorrect. The MD "assault pistol" ban is comprised of a list of specific semi-auto handguns and their copies. If it is not a copy of one of the specific handguns, then it can have any feature except for ones that would make it an NFA device.

An assault pistol is defined as any of the following specified firearms or their copies regardless of which company produced and manufactured the firearm:
AA Arms AP-9 semi-automatics
Bushmaster semi-automatic pistol;
Claridge HI-TEC, semi-automatic pistol;
D Max Industries semi-automatic pistol;
Encom MK-IV, MP-9, MP-45 semi-automatic pistols;
Heckler and Koch semi-automatic pistol SP-89;
Holmes MP-83 semi-automatic pistol;
Ingram MAC 10/11 semi-automatic pistol and any variation including the Partisan Avenger and the SWD Cobray;
Intratec TEC-9/DC-9 in any centerfire variation;
P.A.W.S. type semi-automatic pistol;
Skorpion semi-automatic pistol;
Spectre double action semi-automatic pistol (Sile, F.I.E., Mitchell);
UZI semi-automatic pistol;
Weaver Arms semi-automatic Nighthawk pistol; and
Wilkinson semi-automatic "Linda" pistol.

Notice, except for the Tec 9, they all say semi auto. So if someone had an UZI full auto pistol, then it is legal in MD (if registered fed and state).
Also since AOW and SBR are not considered "handguns" (pistols), it seems as if they are legal versions too. So if someone had an UZI semi auto pistol with a forward handgrip and registered it with the feds as an AOW, then it too should be legal.