Advanced Soviet Tactical Entry Carbine

[NCLivingBrit]

Of course without the bolt handle part of the combo, the only really tricky part for us fumble fingered hobbyists is the barrel cut and re-crown.

But Dravur has a point. Put that mods package into a modern, non 2x4 stock with more traditional lines (Choate seem to be the best bet for that far as I can tell) that can still use the Tapco mags, I'd probably be figuring out how to finangle the cash for it right now. If I can avoid fitting the flash hider, shortening the barrel and refitting the front sight group my own self, I will.

And Skypirate, is the name is all that offensive, just call it Bubba the Handy Truck Gun. That's what I'll be calling mine.

 

[Desertscout]

I think I mentioned originally that there were 3 stock options, the Tapco T-6, Dragunov stocks by Choate (best quality and highest priced) or Advanced Technologies (lower quality but cheaper) and a folding stock. You're not limited to the T-6. That's just what happens to be on the one in the picture.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

I saw the other stocks, they just don't include the standard (rather than the Druganov) Choate stock I'm not sure about the ATI stocks, I hear pros and cons, just not enough to have drawn a conclusion. I tend to shoot a lot in a limited time frame due to lack of opportunity, how do the ATI stocks cope with the hot gas system?

 

[blitzer0101]

1) Will you mod my Yugo SKS?

2) Does the gas port need enlarged to compensate for a shorter barrel?

3) Is there any way you can do the mod to allow the use of 30 round AK magazines?

 

[Desertscout]

NCLivingBrit,
The other stock could be included just as easily it's just that it's not a particularly popular stock for the SKS, at least around here.

blitzer0101,
I'll send you a PM in a few minutes and, yes, the most Yugos require quite a bit of gas system work. On some of them, it's much more than just opening up the ports. Many times, it requires a new tube, piston and gas valve in addition to enlarging the ports. On a few of them, we have had to enlarge the gas valve slightly after all else has failed but we have made them all work eventually.

 

[Pitt762x54r]

quick question

Desertscout:

First off, love the podcast.

Suppose I had all the other accessories needed on the SKS and JUST wanted to try out the left handed bolt. Would it be posible to just order a bolt carrier with the handle and still have my original to swap to if I change my mind? The Russian is in really nice condition and I don't want to ruin the value by swapping things around.

Thanks,

Brian

 

[Desertscout]

PM sent, Brian

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

You know, one man's junk is another man's treasure.


While many of us wouldn't want to bother with the SKS in this way, there are millions of people around the world who can only DREAM of being able to even own a simple semi-automatic rifle like that SKS or even just a firearm at all. If that is all they could own, they would cherish it more than gold. Look at all the desperate situtions around the world and throughout history where great freedom fighters or resistance fighters used some pretty heinous firearms - and got the job done. They treated these firearms with the utmost respect and never complained one bit, because A firearm is better than no firearm.


So, before yall go on bashing guns ...just remember and be grateful for what you have. It's kind of like being thankful for food on your table, there are many out there who are less fortunate.

 

[Desertscout]

DToM,
That's a little-thought-of point about some of the stuff we do here. We try provide options to high-end stuff that is both affordable and functional. I have a real problem with some of these high-end rifle makers charging $2700 for a rifle and then GUARANTEEING that it will shoot 1.5" groups. Well, for crying out loud! I can make the average, used, $200 Marlin .30-30 shoot at least that good. Why in the hell would someone pay nearly 3 grand for a rifle that didn't shoot any better than that? Why do people pay $1200 for an AR that is not always as reliable as an AK or an SKS? Some of us with limited budgets might be interested in functional, reliable guns with a few frills that we don't have to take a second mortgage out on our house for.

 

[full metal]

Bwaaahaaaa haaa haaa oh ah coff coff hrumm nice,: tee hee

 

[dm1333]

DesertScout,

I never stopped by the store on my way from California to Michigan but sometime this winter I am sending you an SKS to do some work on. Do you refinish guns by any chance? Somehow my SKS and a pistol both picked up some moisture and had some surface rust that makes the finish unsightly.

I would have done it as soon as I got here buy a new quad and an AR15 plus ammo ambushed me! The only thing I don't want done is the charging handle mod because I am a lefty.

Don

 

[Desertscout]

Yes, we can either touch up the affected areas or refinish the whole thing. We also do DuraCoat if that is something that interests you. Just give us a call when you're ready and we'll see what we can do for you

 

[Josh M.]

Desertscout,
I like it, I've always liked LH charging handles with pistol grips...FALs always felt right to me.

However, I do have a knitpick:
"* Includes an American-made 20-round, detachable magazine which adds 3 parts towards 18 USC 922(r) compliancy."

You can't add parts to reach 922 compliancy. You can add a billion US made parts, and if you have more than 10 listed foreign parts, you are not compliant. So, it is not how many parts you add that count, but how many you take away. The origional (Russian) SKS has 14 922r listed parts, so you need to remove 4 of them. Yes, magazine body, follower, and floor plate count as three parts - IN MOST RIFLES. However the SKS never had a floor plate, only mag body and follower. So removing the stock box magazine, and installing a Tapco 20 round detachable only reduces your parts count by 2. From 14 to 12. The good news is that installing the Tapco T6 stock reduces 2 more 922r parts - The handguard and buttstock! So unless you have a evil foreign muzzle devise, Tapco stock, and Tapco mag makes you compliant.

* American-made gas piston and operating rod added to complete 18 USC 922(r) compliancy.

Adding the gas piston is a good way to go if you feel some sick need to stick with imported muzzle attachmants, but if you read the ATF's 922r list again, you will note that the SKS has no operating rod. So ANY money spent on replacing the short piston is wasted.

Hope this saves you some money.

PS - any chance that we'll see a US-made bolt carrier from you? Left handed or otherwise? Those of us who want to stick with out origional fixed mags need more US made parts. - JM.

 

[Desertscout]

No sir, that's not exactly correct.
There cannot be more than 10 imported parts.
For the purposes of 922(r) compliancy the term "imported parts" include the ones list below:

(1) Frames, receivers, receiver castings, forgings or stampings
(2) Barrels
(3) Barrel extensions
(4) Mounting blocks (trunions)
(5) Muzzle attachments
(6) Bolts
(7) Bolt carriers
(8) Operating rods
(9) Gas pistons
(10) Trigger housings
(11) Triggers
(12) Hammers
(13) Sears
(14) Disconnectors
(15) Butt stocks
(16) Pistol grips
(17) Forearms, hand guards
(18) Magazine bodies
(19) Followers
(20) Floor plates

The stock SKS is legal until you start putting some things on it. It is legal as imported. There are 16 of the 20 regulated parts on the standard SKS as manufactured and up to 19 are possible. If you take any 6 or more of those and replace them with domestic parts, VOILA'!, you are legal again. It doesn't matter which 6 that you replace or if you subsitute one for another such as a muzzle attachment that doesn't come with the gun but WILL count if added. Let's say that there are no gas pistons available but you can get a pin-on muzzle brake instead. That's OK.

Of all the parts listed, the trunnion block is the only one that is not possible on the SKS and there are several that are made commercially like bolts, bolt carriers, trigger housings, triggers, sears, hammers and disconnectors. That's 7 parts that cannot feasibly be changed. You are stuck with them and they count as imported parts. Not counting a trunnion, that leaves 9 parts that are in ALL SKS's and 3 more that COULD included.

The American-made T6 stock includes 3 parts that count. The stock, forearm and pistol grip. If you use a more conventional stock or a Draganov, it would only count for 2 parts. The Tapco mag still counts for 3 even though the original mag did not have a floorplate. The original stock did not have a pistol grip either but adding an American-made one counts as one part.

Yes, the operating rod is listed and yes, if you replace it with an American-made one, it counts for one more part. If you can't find one, put a muzzle brake on it and it will be fine.

If it's on the list, it counts whether it was on the original gun or not.

 

[Girodin]

It is my understand that when it comes to 922 adding parts is not what matters at all. You can add as many US parts as you like and the gun can still be illegal. What is important is that you subtract foriegn parts by replacing them with US parts.

For example I am about to start a saiga conversion. If I add a US made pistol grip and a US made muzzle device that does absolutely nothing to put me in compliance because the gun didn't have foreign one on it. I have subtracted zero foreign parts. I have come no closer to having 10 or fewer parts. If I change the stock, the fore grip, the FCG, and gas piston I can subtract those parts form my total part count.

Again adding X number US parts is not what is really important it is subtracting X number of foriegn parts. When it comes to 922 you do not add up you subtract down.

Now inversely if you start adding non US parts like muzzle devices you can run yourself a foul of the law. Yes the parts count towards the total number of imported parts whether it was on the gun or not to begin with. But what is important is the number of imported parts the number of US parts really isn't. Thus adding a US made part that wasn't on the gun to begin with does not help get you compliant, it will help you stay compliant though.

Another way to think of it is to take that list of the 20 parts above and start crossing of parts until you get down to ten. You can start by every part the gun doesn't come with. If you put a US made part on that it did't come with it can stay crossed off. IF you put an imported part on that it didn't come with then it cannot be crossed off. You can see that putting a US made part on is the same as just not having it. Next you can cross of a part every time you change an imported part to a US made one. You need to keep changing things and crossing parts off until you have 10 or fewer.

This is not at all the same as saying my gun has 16 imported parts so if I add six US parts I will be compliant, which is not forcedly the case at all. If it is not clear why I can give you an example of how that can be.

 

[pflug]

The correct list of parts pertaining to the SKS per BATFE is as follows:

1. Receiver
2. Barrel
3. Bolt
4. Bolt carrier
5. Gas piston
6. Trigger housing
7. Trigger
8. Hammer
9. Sear
10. Disconnector
11. Stock
12. Handguard
13. Magazine body
14. Follower

For the regular SKS, there is also a Muzzle Attachment on the Yugoslavian M59/66 (15 parts)- not an issue if you're hacking the barrel

As stated previously the BATFE doesn't recognize an operating rod, and even though Tapco advertises its mags as providing "3 US compliance parts" they only actually replace two imported ones (body and follower). The SKS doesn't have a pistol grip so a Tapco stock with "3 US compliance parts" again only replaces two imported parts (stock and handguard) from the list. Adding a U.S. made part that's on the BATFE list of 20 parts in general but doesn't apply to the particular weapon as it was imported does nothing to alter the count

The "six parts to change" is accurate for AK type rifles and likely the source of some of the confusion

 

[Mike 56]

I like it. I think is possible to build a CA modal Tapco makes a 10 round US made fixed mag to go with their stocks.

Mike

 

[LongRangeInternational]

DesertScout is defining taking the High Road here.

Looking forward to updates on the mag releases and AK work, Desert Scout.

 

[Vegaslaith]

Great idea

Let me get this straight. You take an SKS, shorten the barrel, put the charging handle on the left, enable it to accept AK mags, and install a LRBHO? If only it could take 75 rd drums Either way, sign me up!

 

[Desertscout]

Looking forward to updates on the mag releases and AK work, Desert Scout.

Thanks Guys.
We're gonna try to take up some new projects this summer. We've been so hammered with Glock work for the last few months that everything is taking a back seat. When we started doing AK conversions, the SKS stuff nearly died. We still do a few of them but the prices of SKS have gone up so damn much that it's not as attractive as it used to be.

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

Originally posted by Don't Tread On Me:
You know, one man's junk is another man's treasure.


While many of us wouldn't want to bother with the SKS in this way, there are millions of people around the world who can only DREAM of being able to even own a simple semi-automatic rifle like that SKS or even just a firearm at all. If that is all they could own, they would cherish it more than gold. Look at all the desperate situtions around the world and throughout history where great freedom fighters or resistance fighters used some pretty heinous firearms - and got the job done. They treated these firearms with the utmost respect and never complained one bit, because A firearm is better than no firearm.


So, before yall go on bashing guns ...just remember and be grateful for what you have. It's kind of like being thankful for food on your table, there are many out there who are less fortunate.

I just want to chime in to say that DToM makes an EXCELLENT point that we should all keep in mind. Thank God for our freedoms!

 

[akodo]

I still don't see it on the website, am I looking in the wrong place? (the website in your sigfile)

I don't think everything that is included in shortening the barrel can hardly be called trimming but, yeah. I'm sure we are not the first to this by any means and anyone that has actually done it knows what is involved.

have you ever thought of leaving the barrel the standard length and simply trimming the cost?

Is desert tan, or pea-soup-green the only color options? What about good ole black?

 

[Tomac]

I don't own an SKS but have fired them. Didn't care for the way they felt/handled. However, *this* looks very promising for those who want the SKS's basic reliability in a more modern & ergonomic package. Hmmm...
Tomac