Silly Yugo SKS thought

[Marko Kloos]

Lately, I've been giving some thought to having my gunsmith remove the grenade launcher on my Yugo SKS, thread the barrel, and put a birdcage flash hider on it...so I can then file for the tax stamp for a .30 caliber suppressor. The Yugo has a shut-off valve for the gas system, so it could be used as a straight-pull bolt action gun when fitted with a can.

That's when you know you have a gun problem....when you think of $100 gunsmithing work, a $200 tax stamp, and a $400 suppressor, all to play around with a $100 rifle.

 

[Dionysusigma]

Heck, slap some Tech sights on it too! Might as well...

You could try to get UltiMak to make a railed gas tube, too. Just a thought.

 

[jonnyc]

Just a thought...
Can you legally do all that to a C&R rifle?

 

[PAC 762]

Just a thought...

From my understanding, you can do anything you want to a C&R after purchase (within fed & state laws, of course), it just might not qualify as a C&R after modification.

 

[Crosshair]

I was thinking about mabee getting a supressor for my Saiga AK. Good to know I'm not the only one with this idea. BTW, what thread do 30 cal supressors take?

 

[jonnyc]

PAC, I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that's correct. I think some modifications to C&R weapons renders their possession illegal. I am sure this has been covered many places before. Any legal eagles want to weigh-in with a definitive answer?

 

[444]

Two thoughts on the threading:
First of all, before you do anything, decide on what suppressor you want to buy and talk to the manufacturer about the threading. Don't get all this stuff done only to find out that it was done incorrectly.
Second, a lot of suppressor manufacturers want the threading done by them or a gunsmith they recommend. If you do this yourself or have some local guy do it and later have a baffle strike, the manufacturer may not honor the warrenty. This isn't some kind of gimmick to milk you for more money the suppressor has to be exactly straight on the barrel. A baffle strike can be caused by other factors but this is what is going to be blamed if you don't follow their advice.

One thing to keep in mind: if you are going to put all that money into the gun and wait for months on the tax stamp, don't try to save $50 by shortcutting some aspect of it. Do it right and you will be happy for the rest of your life.

 

[VorpalSpork]

From my understanding, you can do anything you want to a C&R after purchase (within fed & state laws, of course), it just might not qualify as a C&R after modification.

Right, but all legal firearms must fall into at least one of four sections of law. C&R, "Sporting", U.S. manufactured (less than 10 imported parts), and NFA. The Yugo 59/66 SKS only falls under C&R, so it would be illegal to alter it in a way that loses its C&R status, without also gaining status in one of the other categories.

My understanding is that to be considered "sporting" by the BATFE, the SKS can't have the grenade launcher or bayonet, and possibly not the night sites either. I'm not really shure what you can do without losing C&R status, if the modifications your looking at do, you either need to stip off the rest of the non-sporting parts, or get to 10 or less imported parts, or pay a $200 tax to get it in the NFA registry as an SBR.

It all hinges on what the BATFE feels is "sporting" and what they feel is still C&R. It would seem that even the BATFE isn't sure sometimes what's what. Arn't orwellian bureaucracies great! Stupid laws.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

You could try to get UltiMak to make a railed gas tube, too. Just a thought.

My brother and I inquired as to why Ultimak didn't make a forward mounting rail for the SKS and they replied telling us they had researched the idea heavily but could not figure out a way to do it. That was a few years ago and we still don't see an SKS rail offered so I think it is safe to say that for some reason or another, an Ultimak for the SKS is out of the question.

However, Millet offers a scope mounting base that replaces the rear sight and you can find quality side mounting brackets as well.

 

[Darth Ruger]

SKS & AK scout scope mounts:
http://161.58.206.244/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=scoutscopes&Category_Code=skscope

 

[dolanp]

The barrel is actually already threaded for the grenade launcher. If you can find a suppressor that can be threaded to match then you won't need to do that extra step. Also, you pretty much just have to knock out a pin and then twist the grenade launcher off. It's not 'easy' but if you have something that can get a good grip on it you can torque it out.

 

[444]

:banghead:

 

[VorpalSpork]

You could just unpin, and unscrew the GL, and screw the suppressor on to the existing threads, but I tend to agree with 444, get it done right. You are going to want to put that suppressor on any other .30 cal rifles you have now or may get in the future, and it would be easier to get a good common mounting setup on this one rifle, than have to setup the others with the relatively unique threading that the SKS has.

The one plus to the simple unpin, and unscrew approach is you wouldn't lose C&R status, so long as you keep the GL parts around, because you are only temporarily altering the rifle for shooting purposes.

 

[444]

Or you could try duct tape.

 

[mrmeval]

Only if you did not buy it as a C&R. I'm not sure if adding that would force you to add all the american made parts to it as well.

Just a thought...
Can you legally do all that to a C&R rifle?