Conversion Kit for SKS

[flyingcircusboy]

Just picked up a Yugo for $150, want to convert it to take AK mags. Are there kits for this or do I have to invent my own method for doing it? FCB

[1911crazy]

There isn't a kit that i know of yet but there was a guiy who was doing it somehwere I read about it.  Its a totally different setup between the two guns. I have compared the two i have.                    BigBill

[HouseofCash]

You can just buy 30 round mags for it. There made for the SKS and sell for about 15-25 dollars.

                            Dave.

[1911crazy]

Getting magazines to feed properly isn't rocket sceince you can tweek a bad mag in if you just go slow and don't get frustrated  but you must find whats wrong and it can be a few things that are wrong at the sametime.

First: Your not going to always get a perfect operation of a magazine right out of the box.

Second; I have seen two military guns and the mags wouldn't interchange and they were the orginal mags for both guns. Yet both guns with their orginal mags would perform flawlessly.  So two guns maybe different too. So what works in one gun may not work in another one its not the mags fault the guns are different.  

Third; I have purchased expensive replacement mags for one gun and 3 of the 4 worked and the other one needed fitting. So the magazines may vary in size in manufacture too.

Fourth;  With badly twisted mag bodies I have cut a piece of wood the exact thickness or a few different thicknesses to start out thin and work my way up to the correct size to make the inside width more even so the pusher can slide without sticking.

All isn't perfect in the world of magazines not even with the AK47 mags too. Because i have had bad mags in the AK47 mags too. Stay away from the sleezy looking replacement mags there in the discolored plastic and its a sh!tty sheetmetal job it stands out from an orginal AK mag because of the sheetmetal over lap where it goes into the gun. So buyer beware of AK47 mags too when its a manufactured replacement like in the 5rd,  10rd and 20rd mags. look for that overlap of sheetmetal about 1/3 way down the loc up.  I have found these to be the worst but they can be fixed too but i'd rather not buy them. These are the sleezy replacements.  Sometimes we have no choice with the 5rd for hunting.

All the detachable duckbill mags aren't bad.  If your lucky to get one that isn't twisted and it works properly consider yourself lucky.  The very first duckbills that were manufactured were awesome and worked flawlessly after just fitting the loc-up. The ones we have today just don't have the same quality but they can be fixed in most cases.

Another problem I have ran into is the plastic pusher inside the steel body mag.  The inside diameter can vary in the longer steel mags and the plastic pusher can bind were this thinner spot is.  I take the mag apart and sand the sides of the pusher thinner so it can smoothly slide up and down in the mag body. I have found the plastic pusher to be too wide in some mags too they were tight top to bottom. I just sand both sides evenly until its free in the mag body.  Then you need to lube the mag just a little.  I use a little CLP with a rod and patch to lube it up.  Just a light film will work it doesn't need to be dripping wet.  Then assemble the mag and with a rod i push the pusher all the way down and let it come up slowly to make sure it functions ok.  This can be with any replacement mag with a steel body with a plastic pusher.

Improper Feeding;  Ok your mag is free and lubed up ready to go. This part should be done at the shooting range. Put the safety on first, point the gun in a safe direction, then I like to put a few rounds in the mag first by hand check the rounds to make sure they come out and go into the chamber ok by going slow with the bolt by hand. If it feeds out of both sides of the magazine right into the chamber now your ready to fire it.  I  put a few rounds in it first to try firing it to see how it cycles during live operation.  If the feeding ramps need adjustment its either up or down with the front lip most of the time their usually not too far off.  Just a little bending can make a big difference.

Now with the orginal sks 10rd or 20rd FIXED mag on the last shot or two rounds still in the mag.  We can also have malfunctions at this time too. I have seen live rounds just fly out when the mag is almost empty at this time by itself.  The cause is the thin orginal pusher isn't centered in the mag its off to one side thus allowing the cases to sit to one side so they fly out instead of staying captured in the mag.

There ya go i covered some of the problems so you should be able to fix your mag feeding problems.  Just take your time and go slow.  When it feeds correctly you will see how easy it was to do. All isn't perfect in the magazine world but you can fix it most of the time.       BigBill

On the badly dented mags I have used heat with the block of wood too. You take the mag apart and heat the dented spot and shove the wood in with a hammer to remove the dent.

[HouseofCash]

Hey you go, ever thing you could want for your SKS. Stocks, scopes, mags. and more.


http://www.gungarage.com/sks_accessories.htm

           Hope it helps.
                      Dave.

[New Hampshire]

Please be aware your attempts could potentialy lead to an illegal gun!  I wouldnt be saying this if you had a Russian or Chinese SKS, but the Yugo falls under different rules because of year of importation.  To make a removeable magazined Yugo SKS you will be requiered to replace a number of parts with US made ones to officially make it legal.
Brian M.

[1911crazy]

Please be aware your attempts could potentialy lead to an illegal gun!  I wouldnt be saying this if you had a Russian or Chinese SKS, but the Yugo falls under different rules because of year of importation.  To make a removeable magazined Yugo SKS you will be requiered to replace a number of parts with US made ones to officially make it legal.
Brian M.

But you left out there are some other evil features it can't have too meaning you can't have them all on one rifle or its illegal too.  I wonder how many illegal sks's there is out there as we speak?  Its so confusing you can't have the bayo lug and the muzzle brake with the flash supressor(example) and it just goes on and on.  It depends on how many parts you change too and how many evil features you have they do add up.  Like 9 out of 10 times that bayo lug has to go!!!  Its very bad!!!  I'm sure if one searches the net there is an article on it.  I believe you have to watch the combination of evil parts too.                            BigBill

[New Hampshire]

Here is a great place to get any answer anyone could ever need on the SKS and any legality issues:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/surplusrifle?forum=4870
The Pinned "Legal Warnings" post has it all pretty much summed up.
Brian M.

[flyingcircusboy]

That is very interesting but how does that all fit in with the recent lifting of the Assault rifle ban? Is the 1989 one different from the one that just expired? Are you telling me that if I buy a 30 round magazine and put a folding stock on my rifle I will be out of compliance with the law? FCB

[New Hampshire]

Yes you would be UNLESS you add the required 10 American made parts (please don't ask me to explain the reason WHY, its just as inane to me as it is to you.)  Luckily its not super difficult to get the parts you need to make it legal.  Again, check the website I have linked above.  It will give you the parts you can easily change out to make it legal.  Tapco sells some parts that are clearly marked "MADE IN USA" so there is no doubt about it.  Parts like the gas piston.  I believe the stock can count as an American made part as well, but again its better you check the link above.
Good luck,
Brian
P.S. Your right, this has NOTHING to do with the AWB and its expire.  This is about the importation ban and its silly rules.

[1911crazy]

Here's another site for info too; www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/index.htm

[1911crazy]

There's another way to solve the legal issues too its just get a Chinese Norinco SKS that takes AK mags.                     BigBill

[New Hampshire]

Or an AK that takes AK mags  :-D .
Brian M.