I traded my AR, for this sks a couple weeks ago. The ARs just dont really flip my switch anymore, and Id never owned one of these, and always kinda wanted one. SKS also hold a bit of a premium here as they LOOK like hunting rifles, and alot of us had them, or knew folks that used them as we were growing up.
This was just a regular Norinco, but someone in its past dropped it into a Timbersmith stock, and replaced a bunch of the guts with american made components. It ran mostly fine stock, tho it would bounce a shell back into the receiver where the bolt carrier could pinch it. It also shot pretty well, 2" at 50yds, which is as good as i can do with open sights.
Down sides?
Smooth, but very, very....very, long trigger pull @ about 5 lbs
It had about 1/4" of vertical play at the back when it was locked up.
So over gassed it would launch shells 20" into the air, AFTER banging them off the side of the receiver. Not what you want if you plan on reloading.
All the sticky out stuff on the barrel is just asking to get tangled in stuff while im hunting.
Couldnt put a magazine in, or remove one, while the bolt was forward.
I cant shoot open sights to save my life.
So, off to the work bench it went.
First I used a piece of carbon fiber arrow inserted into the spring hole in the bottom of the stock, to put tension on the trigger unit so when it was locked up the receiver was pulled snug into the stock (there was no lateral play in this one). I then bedded the reciever, and the rear of the trigger group into the stock. now to lock it up takes some force, but its rock solid.
The trigger only need to have the sear ground to reduce travel, that was done on my bench sander with constant wetting (pretty much the same way i sharpen knife blanks) I left all the angles the same, and polished the contact surfaces with 1500 grip paper backed by square stock. Pulls is now much shorter, tho i left plenty of take up to be safe, and very smooth.
Following some instructions online I started looking at the gas system and why shells would sometimes go flying straight up or even forward and left of my position. What i came up with was one, the systems way, way, over gassed, and two the shells WILL hit the side of the receiver on the way out.
To rectify the first issue, I found a guide to porting the gas tube to vent after sufficient energy is transferred to the gas piston.
Seemed simple enough. Three holes, two on the side .2 back from the front, and one on top .3 back.
So i went ahead with making the original holes. Ive now enlarged them to the max of what the guide recommended, and have made another hole behind the one on top, which was only suggested as a necessary on a few of the Chinese guns. Brass still goes about 15 feet, but not with nearly the gusto or height it did before.
Ive also noticed the recoil is smoother, and the firing cycle is a little less vicious. It sounds funny saying that about a semi that weighs 8lbs, but having fired that gun a watching only the bolt carrier, shell eject, thats the only way i can describe it lol.
The second part of adjusting the ejection was changing the of the rear edge of the ejection port, by bringing the rear lower edge back to be even with the upper....or pretty close.
Theres no way to keep cases from smacking the edge of the port/receiver on the way out (unless you remove alot more material), but changing that angle makes them bounce forward and to the right, rather than straight up, or even left. If the ejection ledge was a bit farther forward, or the port was more open to the rear I dont think this would be a problem, but i get the feeling the gun was DESIGNED to function like it does. Unlike most other semis ive shot brass ends up forward of the firing line....mostly.
Were i not trying to save my brass id have probably only changed the angle of the port slightly to keep it from bouncing shells back into itself.
The sticky out stuff on the barrel was easy, i just lopped it all of and rounded the corners. Its all attached to the front sight sleeve, and eventually im thinking ill pull it off and install a trueshot front sight .
To correct MY inability to shoot open sights, or even seen them adequately, I bought a williams click adjustable peep sight for a remington model 8 off ebay.
I know Techsights offers a very nice set of sights for the SKS, but i just dont like the way they look, and at nearly 100 bucks its more than i want to spend.
The williams is attached to the left side of the receiver by 2 6/32 screws, and while i cant take the top cover off with the sight installed, all i need to do is pull the slide part of the sight (which has nice marks so i can put it back easily enough), the base can stay attached.
In theory i could also still use this sight with some of the scope mounts available, IF they had a grove down the middle deep enough to be able to see the front sight thru them, im not sure if any do.
The other downside is i have to remove the rear sight blade, or run the front sight post way up and look over it. I went with just pulling the blade for now.
Lastly I disliked the fact i couldnt pull or insert a magazine with the bolt locked forward. To remedy this I took some time with the belt sander and my dremel tool to remove material from the rails on the side of the bolt that lock into the magazine feed lips. I removed just enough so that the mags i have could be inserted, and removed without having to force them.
I still have some parts to source or install, like a Wolff spring kit, and i want a flush mounted 5rnd magazine. Ive been looking at the Murrays sprung firing pins, and im considering installing one. Im also considering getting a lighter stock, and handguard. The Choate, for example is over a pound lighter than the Timbersmith.
All in all im already having a good time with this rifle. Its fun to shoot, fun to tinker with, and having used one before, it will make a decent short range hunter.
This was just a regular Norinco, but someone in its past dropped it into a Timbersmith stock, and replaced a bunch of the guts with american made components. It ran mostly fine stock, tho it would bounce a shell back into the receiver where the bolt carrier could pinch it. It also shot pretty well, 2" at 50yds, which is as good as i can do with open sights.
Down sides?
Smooth, but very, very....very, long trigger pull @ about 5 lbs
It had about 1/4" of vertical play at the back when it was locked up.
So over gassed it would launch shells 20" into the air, AFTER banging them off the side of the receiver. Not what you want if you plan on reloading.
All the sticky out stuff on the barrel is just asking to get tangled in stuff while im hunting.
Couldnt put a magazine in, or remove one, while the bolt was forward.
I cant shoot open sights to save my life.
So, off to the work bench it went.
First I used a piece of carbon fiber arrow inserted into the spring hole in the bottom of the stock, to put tension on the trigger unit so when it was locked up the receiver was pulled snug into the stock (there was no lateral play in this one). I then bedded the reciever, and the rear of the trigger group into the stock. now to lock it up takes some force, but its rock solid.
The trigger only need to have the sear ground to reduce travel, that was done on my bench sander with constant wetting (pretty much the same way i sharpen knife blanks) I left all the angles the same, and polished the contact surfaces with 1500 grip paper backed by square stock. Pulls is now much shorter, tho i left plenty of take up to be safe, and very smooth.
Following some instructions online I started looking at the gas system and why shells would sometimes go flying straight up or even forward and left of my position. What i came up with was one, the systems way, way, over gassed, and two the shells WILL hit the side of the receiver on the way out.
To rectify the first issue, I found a guide to porting the gas tube to vent after sufficient energy is transferred to the gas piston.
Seemed simple enough. Three holes, two on the side .2 back from the front, and one on top .3 back.
So i went ahead with making the original holes. Ive now enlarged them to the max of what the guide recommended, and have made another hole behind the one on top, which was only suggested as a necessary on a few of the Chinese guns. Brass still goes about 15 feet, but not with nearly the gusto or height it did before.
Ive also noticed the recoil is smoother, and the firing cycle is a little less vicious. It sounds funny saying that about a semi that weighs 8lbs, but having fired that gun a watching only the bolt carrier, shell eject, thats the only way i can describe it lol.
The second part of adjusting the ejection was changing the of the rear edge of the ejection port, by bringing the rear lower edge back to be even with the upper....or pretty close.
Theres no way to keep cases from smacking the edge of the port/receiver on the way out (unless you remove alot more material), but changing that angle makes them bounce forward and to the right, rather than straight up, or even left. If the ejection ledge was a bit farther forward, or the port was more open to the rear I dont think this would be a problem, but i get the feeling the gun was DESIGNED to function like it does. Unlike most other semis ive shot brass ends up forward of the firing line....mostly.
Were i not trying to save my brass id have probably only changed the angle of the port slightly to keep it from bouncing shells back into itself.
The sticky out stuff on the barrel was easy, i just lopped it all of and rounded the corners. Its all attached to the front sight sleeve, and eventually im thinking ill pull it off and install a trueshot front sight .
To correct MY inability to shoot open sights, or even seen them adequately, I bought a williams click adjustable peep sight for a remington model 8 off ebay.
I know Techsights offers a very nice set of sights for the SKS, but i just dont like the way they look, and at nearly 100 bucks its more than i want to spend.
The williams is attached to the left side of the receiver by 2 6/32 screws, and while i cant take the top cover off with the sight installed, all i need to do is pull the slide part of the sight (which has nice marks so i can put it back easily enough), the base can stay attached.
In theory i could also still use this sight with some of the scope mounts available, IF they had a grove down the middle deep enough to be able to see the front sight thru them, im not sure if any do.
The other downside is i have to remove the rear sight blade, or run the front sight post way up and look over it. I went with just pulling the blade for now.
Lastly I disliked the fact i couldnt pull or insert a magazine with the bolt locked forward. To remedy this I took some time with the belt sander and my dremel tool to remove material from the rails on the side of the bolt that lock into the magazine feed lips. I removed just enough so that the mags i have could be inserted, and removed without having to force them.
I still have some parts to source or install, like a Wolff spring kit, and i want a flush mounted 5rnd magazine. Ive been looking at the Murrays sprung firing pins, and im considering installing one. Im also considering getting a lighter stock, and handguard. The Choate, for example is over a pound lighter than the Timbersmith.
All in all im already having a good time with this rifle. Its fun to shoot, fun to tinker with, and having used one before, it will make a decent short range hunter.
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