SKS upgrades and disassembly vanity

me ^ | 2-28-09 | Wobbly Bob

[WOBBLY BOB]

looking for some good online source to show how to remove the old,tiny fixed mag on my old Chinese SKS so I can put in the new Tapco one.

no instructions came with the new mag.

[WOBBLY BOB]

lost my book on assembly and disassembly and need some advice.

thanks all, Wobbly Bob

next is the UTG tri-rail install...

[Jet Jaguar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X62p33CMYNI

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It's my experience with the SKS is that you're better-off just leaving it stock.

Most especially, don't try to cobble a scope onto one.

They're simple, accurate, rugged, dependable instruments straight from the factory.

It doesn't make sense to mess with that equation.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

And here is the official Tapco Fusion System assembly instruction video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ41BDO2NyU&feature=related

Of course, if you live in California this is very illegal as it converts your SKS hunting rifle into a deadly “assault weapon” capable of firing cop killer bullets from its high capacity magazine.

[SIDENET]

It's my experience with the SKS is that you're better-off just leaving it stock.

Totally agree.

[PUGACHEV]

My experience is a bit different. If you want a good, accurate, and dependable SKS, buy three of three of them, and the odds are you'll get one good one. Lucky for me, when I bought mine, they were cheap enough to do that.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I bought three Chinese made Norincos and sold them. Two of them shot so far off I couldn't adjust the sights enough to compensate.

I bought one milled, Russian-made rifle and it shoots one-inch groups at fifty yards with iron sights.

The Norincos were (are?) junk.

[labette]

Ditto what E. Pluribus Unum said.

This is still a free country for a little while so go ahead and fix it up however it pleases you. But don’t be surprised if you put it all back together original someday. Scopes and big magazines will work OK if you are willing to tinker with them a little. - Usually at a cost of the ruggedness and quick field serviceability that was designed into the little rifle.

About the only mod that worked well enough for me to keep is a Williams rear peep sight. A lot of the front sights on the SKS need the post aligned out of center with the sight hood to get the rounds on target. Replacing the commie u-notch rear sight with a windage adjustable rear sight lets you center up the original front sight. This really helps accuracy, especially on moving targets. No, you won’t be able to show up the guys with $$$$ M1As and AR15s. But instead of hitting your occasional milk jug at 100 yards, you will be hitting Pepsi cans more often than not.

[labette]

I would like to amend my last post.

Even though the bogus “assault weapon ban” has expired, a lesser known infringement called “section 922R” remains in force. You will need someone above my pay grade to explain all the nooks of this “gotcha” regulation. It regulates how the free citizen may modify his firearm with big brother's approval. I don't know where you are from and it may not be a good idea to post it, but ask around locally...Then get a couple more opinions.

[Charles Martel]

Survivor’s SKS forums have loads of info on that rifle and its many accessories. I believe, though, that adding the Tapco mag or collapsible buttstock renders the SKS subject to that 922(r) nonsense re: foreign vs. U.S.-made parts count. There sure must be a bunch of “illegal” SKS rifles out there by now.

[labette]

I’m not trying to be a fear monger, but consider this:

Someday, a newbie troll signs up and posts all sorts of questions on how to modify this weapon or that weapon outside established legal guidelines. {for the purpose of smearing Free Republic} Given the current political climate and the tactics of our enemies, we should expect this. At the least, it would not hurt us to keep a watchful eye on these topics.

[wastedyears]

If somebody does that, I imagine Jim Rob or one of the Mods will delete the thread as well as the account.

I notice they’ve given people some leeway in the last couple of months as far as content goes. But a new account openly and freely asking how to manufacture and add an auto-sear will result in deletion.

[labette]

I am one of those that never pushes the “report abuse” button. I would suggest we do just that - immediately - should such a thing ever happen.

[WOBBLY BOB]

I don’t expect it to be much more than what it is good for- a 100 yard service rifle.

I was thinking of the Williams rear site for the reason you stated. I’ve owned this own for 20 years and don’t plan on
adding a scope.I’ve just never seen the point of one.

[tet68]

Warning!

What ever you do, do NOT attempt to disassemble
the TRIGGER GROUP!!!

Pandora’s box has nothing compared to it.

If your trigger is rough and horrible, BUY a
remanufactured group, they aren’t too expensive.

You’ll be better off.

[MileHi]

You messed with SKS stuff, didn’t you HH? Mine is box-stock rusky and works fine that way.

[Charles Martel]

The Williams FireSight front SKS blade is worthwhile, too.

[omega4179]

Not if the SKS is pre 922r

[AngryJawa]

I put a Tech-sights rear sight on my Yugo SKS. An adjustable peep sight with an extra 10" of radius makes a big difference.

http://www.tech-sights.com/sks.htm

Other than that, just leave it alone, buy lots of ammo (if you can find/afford it these days), and practice with it to master the trigger as best as possible.

[hiredhand]

You messed with SKS stuff, didn’t you HH? Mine is box-stock rusky and works fine that way.

Ah yes... the SKS. :-) I'm like everybody else when I say that I have an opinion about the rifle. It's a GOOD basic rifle for being semi-auto. Now these are my opinions only, so take them at face value please. :-) I'm not the all knowing authority. I only know what works for us.

First off, we've experimented with a few detachable magazines for the SKS. We've got Yugo M59/66 models and are in (basically) unissued condition. The detachable magazines have the lock tabs extending from the front and can be difficult to stow in ammo vests. One in particular that we tried didn't function with the M59/66 at all. The Tapco magazines function well. Both magazines can require that a little wood be taken from around the area of the magazine on the stock. In the end, our opinion was that it was a much better value to practice good rifleman tactics (fast reloading under stress) and invest in stripper clips. :-) LOTS of them.

But magazines aren't my most serious criticism of the SKS. We've got TWO requirements here for individual PDWs (personal defensive weapons). One is that it has to have some "decent" electronic sight. The other is that it has to have a good weapons light. We like the Pelican M6 (light). HOWEVER... In order to put any sort of decent electronic sight on the SKS, you have to violate a fundamental premise of military weaponry...which is to NEVER do anything to the weapon that will require special tools to field strip/maintain. The sad fact is that unless you drill and tap the receiver for a side clamp style mount, you have to violate this rule. For the light, you can simply screw a Weaver rail onto the side of the stock, and Gorilla Glue the male velcro on whichever side your most dominant hand is on. Because you can't get an electronic sight on the SKS without "breaking the rules", you're pretty much limited to Tritium. There's nothing wrong with Tritium sights on the SKS, but you can't swap them around various weapons if you have to. You're pretty much stuck with having them ON the SKS that you bought them for.

What I'm trying to say here is that generally I like the SKS. We had concerns about future ammo availability so ours are currently put away. :-) We standardized on something a little more readily available. But our rules here for PDWs is that one must have sights that function in the dark AND a good light with remote line. The SKS is just a tad too much trouble to make this happen.

I can vouch for Tapco magazines though. They're good and function well. Their stocks for the SKS are also a worthy purchase.