SKS Magazines

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kd7nqb

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First of all I can make arguments for this to be in Rifle Country, Legal and political and general so I opted for general, if the mods move it thats cool too.

I am in the Market for an SKS, I like how they shoot from the ones I have shot and I like the possibility of using them for deer hunting as well as my eventual hunt of Bore. However I need some clarifications

1. I get the difference between Russian, Yuko and Chinese SKS's. From what I read condition matters much more than country of Origin but Russians are suppose to be the best but most expensive. Currently leaning towards the Yuko option but not dead set for it.

2. What is a Norinco SKS? Who made these why are they always discussed different?

3. I want to put on the detachable mag's on this, I know they have had reliability issues but supposedly tapco ones are suppose to be as good as any.

4. Is it true that SKS's are a special C&R status as opposed to other C&R rifles and thus adding a detachable mag makes it illegal?
 
Most of the Chinese Norinco SKSs were new and specifically built for US consuption. They are commercial endeavors.

The current Yugo versions, among others, are foreign surplus.

IIRC, when you add a detachable mag to a C&R SKS, you've changed it signifcantly from the configuration that was granted C&R status by the BATFE.
 
1. I get the difference between Russian, Yuko and Chinese SKS's. From what I read condition matters much more than country of Origin but Russians are suppose to be the best but most expensive. Currently leaning towards the Yuko option but not dead set for it.
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The Yugo does not have a chrome bore, is a pound or so heavier than the others, and a couple inches longer. The Yugo is also apparently the worst for detatchable mags.

2. What is a Norinco SKS? Who made these why are they always discussed different?
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Norinco SKSs are made by the Chinese military industrial complex and are no longer allowed for import. They are also the only ones (SKS-D, IIRC) which take the detatchables consistently.

3. I want to put on the detachable mag's on this, I know they have had reliability issues but supposedly tapco ones are suppose to be as good as any.
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I've heard that generally it requires a little fiddling to get them to work reliably, to the exception of the SKS-D, which was designed for them (or was that designed for AK mags?)

4. Is it true that SKS's are a special C&R status as opposed to other C&R rifles and thus adding a detachable mag makes it illegal?
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Head over to sksboards.com - they've got a listing of the parts you would need to replace if you wanted to use detatchable mags. The rule is, IIRC, 10-or-less import parts, with the rest having to be made in the US. It has something to do with the fact that altering it from C&R (removeable mag 'mod') would make it an 'assault rifle' or some such nonsense; I think it's a throwback from the AWB; the pertinent legal code (whatever it's called) is 922(r).

You'll end up sinking more into the SKS than a new AK would cost - and AK mags are cheaper.
 
Is it true that SKS's are a special C&R status as opposed to other C&R rifles

NO--ALL CR guns are in this same boat to keep their C/R status. The big ho-ha is because if the yugo sks becomes non-c/r it can't be legally imported as it would be a naughty non-sporting assault weapon. Bottom line, the C/R status for most guns doesn't draw attention if they are altered from original config a bit. In theory, you could 'ugly up' an old mil-surp mauser and put it into the same naughty catagory as a Yugo SKS with a new hi-cap mag. Yes, the parts can be swapped out--but when you get to that point, my money would be on buying a new USA made AK-type.


Also SKS-D does take AK mags and costs (nowadays) as much as a new AK varriant.

That said, there is an outfit in Mich. that makes EVERY toy you can think of for dressing out all varriants of sks (The name escapes me at the moment). They claim some amazing things.

For the money, the yugo is pretty nice. My only beef is that my firing pin was (I think) defective and snapped. Oddly, the wepaon STILL worked for 80 rounds without a stoppage.
 
Outfit in MI

Neo-Luddite and Kd7--
That said, there is an outfit in Mich. that makes EVERY toy you can think of for dressing out all varriants of sks
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The outfit in question is D. C. Engineering, in Detroit. I've dealt with 'em--the stuff they market is what they say it is, they are square shooters, and if you call 'em on your nickel they will knowledgeably advise you on SKS matters.

D. C. Engineering, 8633 Southfield Freeway, Detroit MI 48228 'phone 1 (313) 271-7111. Oh, now they have an 800 number: 1 (800) 886-7623. Website: www.rifletech.com E-mail [email protected]

They handle almost everything you could possibly want to attach to an SKS.
 
Ok I am still confused on if I buy an gun already imported and add a detachable mag to it if I make it illegal. But I may call that DC engineering and see what they have to say.
 
sks questions

I am still uncertian if a very good shape numbers matching norinco w/spike, what it might be worth, adding a new ar type stock, and is bayonet and adding a detachible mag legal
 
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Thanks Smokey Joe.:)

You would need to mostly leave the yugo as it was except that you could;

add optics, replace worn parts with similar new made parts (gas system, firing pin), remove the bayonet (for weight), remove the grenade launcher (if threads are covered in a perm manner with solder). From what I've read, the stock needs to be a similar wood design. ATF has said for the Yugo these mods are A-OK. But 10 rounds is what you get.


To be kosher, as Caimlas points out, and have that hi-cap mag, you need to make it a legal on sight de-facto USA made gun. This is done by achieving a certain number of bona-fide USA made parts on the weapon. DC has these goodies but they will cost some money.

Look, I don't think anyone should advocate breaking the law--and I'm not here. You SHOULD be able to buy whatever goodies you want, and you can. MANY people deck out their Yugo's however they want. I haven't done it because I don't have a compelling reason to mess with the thing and (honestly) don't have the $$$$.
 
kd7nqb-If you add a detachable magazine to an sks (other than the sks-d and sks-m already mentioned which came in already designed to take AK mags), you have to swap out parts with U.S. made ones to have 10 or less foreign parts in the gun (thus it "magically" becomes a U.S. made gun, not a foreign one that wouldn't be C&R, and unable to be imported.Pointless BATFE crap as usual). USC 922(r) is the code dealing with this.
 
so is it legal to own and what could i do to improve this weapon? and are bayonets legal? I am farily new to this and appreciate your help
 
Hi-caps on SKS are over-rated considering what it takes to get them to run correctly. Invest in some stripper clips and go to town. Ten rounds is plenty and the piece needs to cool in between anyway. I say this after trying to get a Norinco to run with one, finally sold it and got a nice Tula Russian. Never complains. N7TRZ by the way.
 
Sounds like I save myself a lot of time and money by finding an SKS-D I assume I pay the price for it though.
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Pretty much. -D or -M (I have -M),If you want truly reliable (and cheap) detachable mags. They are also a bit handier, as they are shorter (barrel).I like mine because its more accurate than most AKs I've seen(although heavier).And there's a novelty factor as they are relatively rare.
 
From a practical standpoint one would come out better just purchasing a SAR-1 rather than a SKS and converting to a detachable magazine especially the TAPCO version. $100 plus for the composite stock and $20 bucks for the mags 20 rounders. The AK-47 mags I have been getting are between $8to$12 each for a 30 rounder.
 
If you want detachable mags and 30rd capacity buy an AK.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/NEW_AK_WASR_RIFLE_w__Bayonet_Lug___Muzzle_Break.html

Putting a detachable mag on an SKS is a PITA and IMO a waste of time.
When I got my first SKS I did the detachable mag thing. After a few trips to the range I put in the box mag and sold all the hi-caps and bought some stripper clips.

The Russian SKS is more expensive due to quality and collectability.
The chinese is more expensive due to import ban they are also high quality.

Yugo's are good guns and are cheap just like the Russians and Chicoms were a few year ago. Prices are already rising. Yugos do not have chromed barrels or chambers and are more suseptable to corrosion (good cleaning habits will limit this problem).

In the end it is your rifle, do what you want to it.
Check the SKS boards on how to win the 922 10 or less game.
+1 on Tapco they have good stuff and many USA made compliance parts.
 
Hi-caps on SKS are over-rated
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So true.

At first, I convinced myself "It cant be as bad as they say"... Boy, was I wrong. I tried every SKS mag I could find. I've tried them all... steel, polymer, 20/30/40 rounds, etc. None of them worked worth a darn. The gun would jam more often than not, making it a total annoyance to shoot it.

I reinstalled the original fixed 10-round mag, and has functioned flawlessly.
 
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