TAPCO US-made 20 round SKS mags

[smince]

There is an ad and part # (MAG6620B) in the new Shotgun News for this product. It isn't on the website yet. Anyone have any additional info?

I've heard their US-made 5 rounders are very reliable. Maybe these would be, also.

 

[railroader]

Sks maybe. Mark

 

[smince]

Sorry. Left out "SKS", edited for correction.

 

[grimjaw]

smince, there was a thread on these on sksboards.com, including a picture. Unfortunately sksboards.com has been down for a few days.

jm

 

[smince]

I had tried to get on and see if they had any info. That is why I posted on other forums.

 

[1911JMB]

Now I have my hopes up. A reliable aftermarket SKS magazine would be so nice. The stock 10 round magazine is about as much fun as riding a Harley into an open car door.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I believe one of the recent issues of SWAT magazine has an SKS reworked by Denny Hansen and Kevin McClung that briefly used the TAPCO 20rd fixed mag. IIRC, it was discarded because it didn't work.

That is going from memory though, so consider that with a grain of salt.

 

[smince]

I bought two and received them today. I haven't fired them as of yet, but hand-cycling works better than with any aftermarket mag I've tried. They can be reloaded while in the gun with stripper clips, so they function as a fixed 20.

Here is a video link from the TAPCO site:
http://www.tapco.com/proddesc.aspx?id=96812788-3e7c-4e8f-8014-2dbeaf9e7191

And here is mine with the mag. Hope to get a function test soon:

 

[Denny Hansen]

I don't get on the boards too much anymore. Just to set the record straight, the POS magazine was not made by Tapco. I received one from them a couple of weeks ago and it worked fine, though I admit I only put a little over a hundred rounds through it. Can't say anything about the longevity at this point.

Denny

 

[Rexrider]

I don't get on the boards too much anymore. Just to set the record straight, the POS magazine was not made by Tapco. I received one from them a couple of weeks ago and it worked fine, though I admit I only put a little over a hundred rounds through it. Can't say anything about the longevity at this point.

If you got over a hundred rounds without a failure then that is a very good sign. Every after market mag I tried failed within 3 rounds, or 2..... or 1

I might just have to try this one. Even though every fiber of my being says not to waste my money. Oh well, what is life without risk, right?

 

[dfaugh]

So...are these "removable" mags (which I've never heard anything good about)...or just fixed 20 rounders (some of which seem OK). I would be interested in fixed 20 rounders, that were reliable, and clip fed. I don't have a need for detachable mags, as I already have an SKS-M which takes AK mags (and are as reliable as a brick---30 round---40 round, they all work great).

Never mind---just checked and they won't ship to NY, anyway. (We still have AWB)

 

[smince]

They are removable, but are not like any I've used before. The feed lips are substantial, and slightly longer than on the OEM 10 round mag. They seem to be able to function as a fixed 20. I didn't have any problems loading with strippers, but someone on another forum said they had to file a little.

 

[Simonovfan]

I have (3) steel 30 rounders "duckbills" that NEVER misfeed. That being said, I also have (3) Zytel (plastic) mags for the SKS. One is a fixed "black" 30 and the other 2 "red" are detachable 30's. The "black" 30 works 50/50, and you have to load it by way of strippers and it just seems odd to me to do that. The "reds" have to be drilled and tapped to fit and I don't want to do that to my baby. I would love to have a Norinco M or D, but they are getting rare.

Contrary to popular belief, the first trip to the range with my 1960 M59, the factory 10 round fixed mag stove-piped several times. Hasn't happened since with the detachables.

 

[smince]

I took some measurements of the feed lips on the TAPCO vs the OEM 10-round mag:

Feed lips are 1 3/16" forward to back on the TAPCO, vs 13/16" on the OEM; across is about 1/16" narrower on the TAPCO vs the OEM.

 

[busterbrown]

just got one - fits well, looks good in my norinco with composite stock.
I have hed lots of trouble with detachable mags in this gun but tapco seems perfect

 

[Drakejake]

I got three of the Tapco mags today. Like the steel duckbills, the Tapcos cannot be inserted or removed with the bolt forward, so far as I can tell. To insert one, you must pull the bolt back and then push up the bolt hold open piece with your finger through the mag well. My steel mags lock the bolt back after the final round has been fired, so that the empty mag can be removed. There are a number of differences in specs between the steel and plastic mags so one can hope that the new mags are an improvement. I will test them at the range very soon. I have never been able to get the steel duckbull mags to function with 100% reliability but I still prefer using them to attempting to reload witrh stripper clips.

Drakejake

Postscript: Granted that Tapco is close by in Georgia (I am in Nashville), they are fast shippers. I ordered Thursday, order was shipped Friday, and arrived today (Saturday) before 10:00 AM via FedEx. If they had used UPS, I would not have gotten the package until Monday.

 

[smince]

I sent a check on the Friday before Christmas and got mine the Friday after, and mine was USPS.