Okay, I have an SKS now what?

[orangeninja]

I am "evaluating" an SKS right now and seriously thinking of buying it. It is in PERFECT condition, not even a mark on the stock. It's one of the Yugo's and I got it from Hawk...(nice guy)...I tried loading it using stripper clips and out of about 10 tries I only succeded about 5. Is there any trick to these?

2.) Can I Choate stock this bad boy WITHOUT making any mods to the rifle itself other than remove the bayonett?

3.) If I remove the bayonett, is it easy to put back on?

4.) How come SKS high cap mags suck? Is it simply the springs?

5.) Is it legal to convert an SKS to take AK mags? How do you do this?

6.) Are the 20 round SKS removable mags any good or can the be MADE to be reliable?

Thanks

 

[Kodiak AK]

1. Yea you have to push hard , and some times the clips are a little bent out of shape.
2.Depends on the stock.
3.Yep.
4.Lots of reasons. The big one being most of them are USA mags . For what it is worth I could get my USA 30 rounders to work and feed with 38 rounds .
5.No.
6.With a lot of work most of the Chi Com ones can.

 

[DonNikmare]

Hey congrats on the purchase and good luck in the hot rodding process!

There's some useful info here:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp

Nik

 

[Bainx]

Don't change the rifle into one that accepts detachable mags.
If you do then, you lose the C&R status and other laws kick in.

When you push down at the base of the top round with your thumb, use your index finger of the same hand at the same time and lift the front tip of the bullet. This will stop the "binding" that you have been experiencing and help load the rounds.

Try it.

 

[NevadaPistolero]

Trying to make an SKS take AK mags is almost next to impossible ...all you will do is destroy your gun. if you change anything on a Yugo you take it out of C&R configuration and its illegal. I own 7 USA SKS 30 rounders and they all work great. If your in Calif. forget doing anything to the gun, 30 round mags in an SKS is jail time. Your much better off not doing anything to your gun.

 

[DMK]

Okay, I have an SKS now what?

Now you:

1. Go to www.dansammo.com and order a 500 round case of FMJ or HP, your choice.

2. Go to www.cdnninvestments.com and order a 20 pack of stripper clips.

3. Go to your favorite range and shoot the snot out of it until you run out of ammo.

4. Wipe the big s*** eating grin off your face.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Always Repeat.

 

[orangeninja]

It's not illegal to put a high cap SKS mag on there is it? I have heard of some people that say if you stay within the 20 round mag area and change the springs they are reliable. If this rifle had 20 round detachable mags it would be PERFECT....I like it, but I really need those 20 rounders to be totally happy.


I guess I just want to know if anyone has had any success with them and secondly, do I have to make a permanent modification to my rifle to use them.


I'm not a purist.

 

[Preacherman]

If you want 20- or 30-round mags, leave your SKS as it is and buy an AK-47 derivative. That way, you'll have two rifles using the same ammo, and you can play with one or the other as the mood takes you.

 

[orangeninja]

Well...it was worth a shot I suppose...I thought SOMEONE had the magical recipe.

Besides...I'm not a big fan of AKs oddly enough...my little Bro has a real live Kalishkinov...I'm not nearly as impressed with it as I have been with the SKS's I have shot...(accuracy).

 

[TooTaxed]

SKS Hi-Cap Mags

Depends on how you want to shoot the rifle. If you want to spray a large volume of fire downrange, the hi-caps are the ticket.

But, if you want to target shoot, the original 10-round mag is FAR better! The darn hi-caps are really in the way if you want to shoot from the bench or prone, and you will rarely load as many as ten rounds. I like to know how many rounds I have left and rarely load more than five. Thus, although mine came fitted with a detachable 20-round mag, I've converted it to a ten-round mag.

I like the SKS much better than the AK (which I used a lot in Vietnam), as I am primarily a 100-yd target shooter. Both use the same cartridge, but the SKS has a longer barrel and longer sight radius.

If you want to mount a scope, remember that the SKS ejects upward. You must either use a short scope clear of the ejection path, or, if you mount a conventional scope you must also install a case deflector, as I did.

You're really gonna have fun with your SKS...it's easy and a lot of fun to shoot! And, the recoil is about like that of .30-.30, which makes it popular!

 

[orangeninja]

Actually someone out there makes a forward mount scope or red dot....it sits where the rear sight would. I intend on keeping the open sights since the "night" sights on the Yugo's ROCK!!! I do want to put it in a sythetic stock to extend the LOP of the trigger an cut the weight...the Yugo's are heavy. Also the 20 round detachable mags so I can take a carbine class with it. I'm sure I'll be the only non-AR guy there, but for less than 50 yard shooting the SKS should be a winner. I sure like it. The 20 rounders will allow me to be able to more or less keep up.

 

[goon]

I would still stick with the stripper clips over some aftermarket 20 round mag. They aren't as fast as you think. I have even seen some of them that you had to pull the bolt back to get the mag out when it was empty. By the time you get done screwing around with it you could have just loaded 10 more rounds and been shooting again.
When I load strippers I put my thumb about a half inch out from the clip on the cartridge and then push down and sort of wiggle my thumb at the same time. The rounds go right in. I don't know what the parameters of this carbine class are but if it is hitting that counts the 10 round mag shouldn't hurt you any.