SKS mods

They use to go for $60 dripping in cosmoline. Today they go for $400 in a crazy market. (AK's are going for $1200 at the corner pawn shop) Now I'm wondering if mods can be done to upgrade SKS to an AK competitor.

Looking at the detachable magazines for the SKS it seems someone could cut the bottom of the bolt rails to alow the magazine lips to miss the bolt, meaning you can change mags without the bolt being open. Has anyone done this?

Trigger work. Who's the king of SKS trigger work?

If you have the YUGO, Do you load your own ammo to shoot the inert grenades. Those blank cartridges suck.

[Coffee]

I'm not a fan of detachable magazines in an SKS unless it's an M or D. For triggers, look here: Kivaari Match Trigger

Sgworks.com

Detachable mags generally don't work very well with the SKS except for the chinese models specifically designed to take detachable mags. Trying to make an SKS into a "poor man's" AK is like trying to turn a mini-14 into an AR. In the end you generally spend more and still have something that doesn't work quite as well. My yugos were all terribly front heavy with creepy triggers. There is simply no way to make them balance and handle like an AK. They were neat pieces of history and worked very well with the fixed 10 rnd magazine, but in the end I gave one to a buddy and sold the other to finance a real AK.

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Originally Posted by mutt

Detachable mags generally don't work very well with the SKS except for the chinese models specifically designed to take detachable mags. Trying to make an SKS into a "poor man's" AK is like trying to turn a mini-14 into an AR. In the end you generally spend more and still have something that doesn't work quite as well. My yugos were all terribly front heavy with creepy triggers. There is simply no way to make them balance and handle like an AK. They were neat pieces of history and worked very well with the fixed 10 rnd magazine, but in the end I gave one to a buddy and sold the other to finance a real AK.

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I generally agree with you but do feel that reasonable modifications, like the Kivaari trigger can help improve the SKS into a fine rifle. It will never be an AK but shouldn't be discounted in it's own right.

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Originally Posted by blacklabel

I generally agree with you but do feel that reasonable modifications, like the Kivaari trigger can help improve the SKS into a fine rifle. It will never be an AK but shouldn't be discounted in it's own right.

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Sure. I think the SKS on its own is a fine rifle and I don't discount it. If it's all I had when SHTF, it would do. However the OPs desire to modify it into an AK competitor isn't really viable. They are different platforms.

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Originally Posted by mutt

Sure. I think the SKS on its own is a fine rifle and I don't discount it. If it's all I had when SHTF, it would do. However the OPs desire to modify it into an AK competitor isn't really viable. They are different platforms.

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This. You will invest more money that will never be realized. Trying to sell what if done would be an easy $1200 SKS, just not seeing it. Once you get the basic mock up done for the bbl / receiver area, you then need to make an adapter for the trigger group that allows lock up o fthe ak mag (oddly enough, i actually have this item) THEN you need to rework the stock, cut out wood fill in, fab magwell boxed area and get front mag lock up set.

Hi Madusa
The Tapco 20 round Mags are very dependable. I did the bolt modification that you are talking about. I had a SKS m at the time so it was easy to copy that bolt to make my other SKS able to accept the mag without holding the bolt back. Here is a article about the bolt mod and Kivaari is the trigger guru. http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=23876.0

I will add one more to those who dont like detachable box mag mods to fixed mag SKS models. the sks is a good little rifle that runs well with the fixed mag, and can be fed fast with stripper clips, so long as the ejection port is not covered by optics (this is a good application for a scout mount). However, it is seldom that i have seen a modified sks feed reliably from a detachable magazine modification. Id rather have 10rnds i KNOW will feed than 30 that might.

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Originally Posted by FireMoth

I will add one more to those who dont like detachable box mag mods to fixed mag SKS models. the sks is a good little rifle that runs well with the fixed mag, and can be fed fast with stripper clips, so long as the ejection port is not covered by optics (this is a good application for a scout mount). However, it is seldom that i have seen a
modified sks feed reliably from a detachable magazine modification. Id rather have 10rnds i KNOW will feed than 30 that might.

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The Flaming Butterfly is wise.
Heed his wisdom, I have yet to see a Simonov 100% reliable with a detach..