So, tomorrow I'm getting a Chinese SKS, no bayonet, not modified in any way from the original, and since this will be my first SKS I'm thinking if doing a little bit of modification to it. I mean, I'm not going to ruin the rifle like some people do, with unneeded accessories like 10 billion rails, 3 different grips , a flashlight, and 2 red dot sights ( I know that's major exaggeration, but you know what I mean). Anyways I'm having no problem finding tapco detachable 20 round mags, but I'm not finding any non detachable 20 round mags, which is what I want. Any suggestions? Also , I was going to purchase a pack of 20 stripper clips from Amazon , but the reviews are not so good. Where can I find affordable good quality stripper clips for my SKS?
Non-Detachable SKS Mags?
- Thread starter A Person
- Start date
- Status
TheLostOtter
Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2011
- Messages
- 24
I personally would keep the original fixed magazine on it. It Works. Everytime. That can't be said for most of the aftermarket mags. Though Tapco seems to be the most reliable brand, it's just my opinion SKSs and plastic mags don't mesh.
Yugo surplus ammo is available on nice stripper clips (112 clips per case) and is some of the best 7.62x39 you can buy. I also have some of the cheap Ncstar stripper clips and they seem to work fine after a few uses to wear them in.
Yugo surplus ammo is available on nice stripper clips (112 clips per case) and is some of the best 7.62x39 you can buy. I also have some of the cheap Ncstar stripper clips and they seem to work fine after a few uses to wear them in.
25cschaefer
Member
I modified a 30 round detatchable mag to feed with strippers because it was a bear to remove, it worked fine.
Steel Horse Rider
Member
If you want to use it as your base weapon then the first thing I would do is send the bolt off to have a spring return firing pin installed. There is a gun shop in Texas that will do a great job in short order. I have the address in my desk drawer at the office so I will try to post it here tomorrow, but the surplus ammo on stripper clips is a great suggestion. I have bought several thousand rounds of it.
@Steel Horse Rider I heard that the first russian SKS's had those, but that makes me question why they stopped making them.... probably for cost issues. Personally, I see no benefits from that other than decreasing the risk of slam fire... sounds like a bit of a waste of money to me, no offense. But if there are more advantages about adding a spring loaded firing pin, I'm willing to listen.
Wildcat_Charlie
member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2012
- Messages
- 32
A guy named Murray sells spring return firing pins. But most SKS's are ok as long as you aren't firing soft primer ammo. The hard primer Russian suff very rarely will fire without a full strike from the firing pin. Those Murray pins are designed just to work with the soft primer stuff according to Murray and he's considered to be the expert on this stuff. You can check out his web page if you like. The guy knows his stuff. BTW USA brand mags that were sold mostly back before the AWB are the very best detachable mags but I'd stick with the stripper clips if you can get them to work. It's hard to find good stripper clips actually. Most of them are too thick or too wide and they won't go down in the rifle. I've bought several of them from different places and none of them have worked.
http://www.murraysguns.com/
http://www.murraysguns.com/
The firing pin spring IMHO, needs to be installed
I also would recommend seeing if you have a positive or negative engagement on the sear
If its negative, the gun might fire from a hard bump, even with the safety engaged.
Search Kivaari, you can mail him your trigger group and he will update it to safer engagement.
Do yourself a favor and dont try to put a scope on the rear of the rifle. It wobbles too much
There is a mount that is out by scout scope mounts, that fits on the back sight that is very stable.
I also broke my own rule and have purchased a non usa made scope by NCStar a Pistolero...(I started buying USA made gun stuff 4 years ago, i alraedy had the SKS)
Its a long eye relief scope that works pefectly in a scout scope setup. So far has held up very well
I like my SKS very much. (but my trigger has been updated, and the spring FP has been installed)
It requires a tweak or two, but it will reliably fire EVERY time
Accuracy isnt the best, but if you do your part 2-3 inch groups are attainable
(better than an AK)
IMHO the SKS, with a couple of tweaks, is the best low end semi auto out
there.
I also would recommend seeing if you have a positive or negative engagement on the sear
If its negative, the gun might fire from a hard bump, even with the safety engaged.
Search Kivaari, you can mail him your trigger group and he will update it to safer engagement.
Do yourself a favor and dont try to put a scope on the rear of the rifle. It wobbles too much
There is a mount that is out by scout scope mounts, that fits on the back sight that is very stable.
I also broke my own rule and have purchased a non usa made scope by NCStar a Pistolero...(I started buying USA made gun stuff 4 years ago, i alraedy had the SKS)
Its a long eye relief scope that works pefectly in a scout scope setup. So far has held up very well
I like my SKS very much. (but my trigger has been updated, and the spring FP has been installed)
It requires a tweak or two, but it will reliably fire EVERY time
Accuracy isnt the best, but if you do your part 2-3 inch groups are attainable
(better than an AK)
IMHO the SKS, with a couple of tweaks, is the best low end semi auto out
there.
Last edited:
OARNGESI
Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,098
just get one of these http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=298356241
Yes. I have one I picked up in the 90's for cheap. The price is surprising but mine does work well. It is the 2nd one I bought, the 1st one I returned because it wouldn't feed properly.
This is the only magazine I would consider as an alternative to the stock magazine.
I agree about leaving it stock. Don't bother with aftermarket magazines. Reloading with stripper clips is not slow enough to matter, and reliability is your most important feature. The only thing I have ever done to mine is "Tech Sights". And only due to aging eyes. Can ring the 18" gong rapid fire at 200 yds all day.
Good luck,
LNK
Good luck,
LNK
BadWool
Member
Mine is a Norinco SKS, which I bought from Big5 back in the late 80s. I tried both a 20 round and 35 round attached magazines and found both of them to flatout suck when it came to loading, so they are nothing but clutter in the cabinet now. The 20 rounder just doesn't like being force fed the stripper clips nearly as much as the stock 10 rounder, so I ended up putting the 10 round magazine back in it's place.
In a SHTF moment, you would most likely be loading the 10 rounder a second time before you finish getting the 20 rounder loaded once. Meaning you already sent some business downrange to tell them how serious you are.
You would be well off leaving it as a 10 rounder.......
In a SHTF moment, you would most likely be loading the 10 rounder a second time before you finish getting the 20 rounder loaded once. Meaning you already sent some business downrange to tell them how serious you are.
You would be well off leaving it as a 10 rounder.......
Neo-Luddite
Member
If this SKS is to be your SHTF rifle, then PLEASE keep the semi-fixed mag it comes with. 99 out of 100 times (with most all SKS rifles) this is the BIG guarentee of super reliability.
Don't go down the 'I'm trying to make my SKS into an AK' road; it leads to broken hearts. Leave the SKS stock and buy an AK asap---after all, they make good stabvle mates and eat the same ammo. Anyway, good luck.
Don't go down the 'I'm trying to make my SKS into an AK' road; it leads to broken hearts. Leave the SKS stock and buy an AK asap---after all, they make good stabvle mates and eat the same ammo. Anyway, good luck.
Wildcat_Charlie
member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2012
- Messages
- 32
I've seen some good SKS setups with detachable mags but mostly they were around a long time ago. It takes a Norinco rifle and a USA brand mag. That combination seemed to work pretty much all the time but finding a USA brand mag now is tough to do.
fireman 9731
Member
I haven't had a spring loaded firing pin in any of my SKS's, and I've had a few. Never had a problem yet, just make sure the firing pin channel is clean on your bolt and you wont have any problems.
I also reworked the triggers on mine. There are a few good youtube videos on it if you are comfortable doing it yourself.
The factory ten round magazine works. Period. You can reload with stripper clips as fast as you can a detachable magazine. The Yugo surplus ones are great, the cheaper ones will need the machining edges of them smoothed out to work well.
There are some fixed 20 round magazines out there that look like a bigger factory one and I have heard that they work ok. Try buymilsurp.com maybe.
I also reworked the triggers on mine. There are a few good youtube videos on it if you are comfortable doing it yourself.
The factory ten round magazine works. Period. You can reload with stripper clips as fast as you can a detachable magazine. The Yugo surplus ones are great, the cheaper ones will need the machining edges of them smoothed out to work well.
There are some fixed 20 round magazines out there that look like a bigger factory one and I have heard that they work ok. Try buymilsurp.com maybe.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Pictured below is an early Chi-Com SKS from the late 80s early 90s when they poured in from China. I never had an issue with a slam fire using military surplus or factory Winchester ammunition as well as my own loads. When the rifle was unloaded after firing a few rounds the chambered round generally would generally have a small divot on the primer but nowhere close to the strike needed to detonate the primer.
One of the two detachable magazines is a USA Magazine, I have no clue what the other is. Both of those always performed flawless in the pictured rifle and were easily loaded from stripper clips much like those pictured. Back in the day we sold hundreds of the rifles with about every gizmo for them known to man. The bi pod is a genuine $1.98 plastic piece of junk but they served well at gun shows for props. Made the rifles look cool anyway.
All in all the 30 round really good magazines while looking cool and working well were a pain as they make the rifle more difficult to manage. I like the little rifle as it was originally designed and it is very reliable that way. I no longer have any of those fixed 20 round magazines lying around but they were also very good. When a SKS rifle uses those long 30 round mags with the original stock design they just seem to gangly (for want of a better word) for my liking.
Hell, if you feel the need for more ammunition just keep a strip clip around to warm your heart, takes seconds to load from one.
Just My Take
Ron
One of the two detachable magazines is a USA Magazine, I have no clue what the other is. Both of those always performed flawless in the pictured rifle and were easily loaded from stripper clips much like those pictured. Back in the day we sold hundreds of the rifles with about every gizmo for them known to man. The bi pod is a genuine $1.98 plastic piece of junk but they served well at gun shows for props. Made the rifles look cool anyway.
All in all the 30 round really good magazines while looking cool and working well were a pain as they make the rifle more difficult to manage. I like the little rifle as it was originally designed and it is very reliable that way. I no longer have any of those fixed 20 round magazines lying around but they were also very good. When a SKS rifle uses those long 30 round mags with the original stock design they just seem to gangly (for want of a better word) for my liking.
Hell, if you feel the need for more ammunition just keep a strip clip around to warm your heart, takes seconds to load from one.
Just My Take
Ron
Attachments
I got the SKS today, guys. Got three stripper clips with it. Have some ammo on the way from Natchez, but Ive only fired 10 rounds from it. I decided to keep it stock and not go down the mall ninja route. I am going to get a bayonet, sling, and maybe a cleaning kit and stripper clip speedloader. I decided not to Tapco it into an AK47, if I wanted an AK I would buy an AK, but I have no desire for high capacity "tactical" rifles and such. Not that I don't think they're cool, I just have no desire for them. Another reason I decided not to modify it is because I found out it was actually a Type 56, the military version. Who knows, it could have even of been shipped from China to Vietnam in the 60's and used in the Vietnam war. Now I know the chances of that are very slim, but a man can always dream BTW, thanks for all the suggestions and help guys. Can't wait to really have some fun with my new rifle
BTW, thanks for all the suggestions and help guys. Can't wait to really have some fun with my new rifle
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Enjoy your rifle, they really are a "fun gun".
Ron
Ron
HoosierQ
Member
The original 10 rounder is easy to load with stripper clips, fast to load with stripper clips, and is very reliable. The detachable magazines are notoriously unreliable. I'm sure somebody's got one that works great. I think that 10 rounder is a very good feature and I'd leave it.
- Status
