"Topping Off" an SKS

[smince]

In various "SKS vs ______" threads, it is often mentioned that the SKS can be topped off, but in rifles such as the M1 Garand it can't easily be done.

Can someone explain this procedure? I've had an SKS or 4 for several years, and I can't figure it. Best I know to do is hold the bolt back with one hand, reach in with the other, and lift the bolt hold-open. Then load a partial stripper or single rounds.

Seems to me that in a "lull" in the action, you would be better served to dump the rounds and fully load with a new stripper clip. Am I missing something here?

Hopefully, I'd never need a reload, or to even use it other than for "sporting purposes".

 

[grimjaw]

I know this doesn't answer your question, but it really doesn't seem worth the trouble to make 10 into 11. There's probably not a fast AND safe way to do it.

jmm

 

[PirateJoe]

you can always turn it upside down and load it from the bottom.

 

[Norton]

With the SKS it seems you could just manually lock the bolt back and then insert rounds until back up to 10.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I've never tried it. However, seems that you could hold the bolt open and thumb in a few more rounds.

Don't think I would call it a huge advantage over other rifles. I would take the Garand's range, accuracy advantage, and power over this very minor "advantage".

 

[smince]

I guess I should make my question more clear. I have understood the people on the other threads to mean after firing a few rounds, the bolt could be locked open, and a few rounds fed in to top off the SKS. It was suppossedly a "combat advantage" over similiar rifles of the time. I wasn't referring to adding a round in the chamber plus the ten in the mag.

With the SKS it seems you could just manually lock the bolt back and then insert rounds until back up to 10.

Other than the two-handed method I already printed, how do you do this easily? Not something I'd want to try in an emergency situation. I know there are better fighting rifles, but if this happens to be the one on-hand, I'd like to know if I'm missing something in its operation.

 

[joab]

I just tried it with mine

By dropping the mag the bolt will not lock back

I tried everything I could think of to lock it manually

The only thing I could come up woth is locking it back with the thumb of my firing hand and topping off with my non-firing hand, same as you.

I suppose it might be faste to lock it back far enough to insert a full clip but I didn't try that

 

[carterbeauford]

The only way to get the bolt to lock back with a loaded magazine is to reach down inside the action and push the bolt stop up.

SKS with a factory 10 round magazine is a marginal defensive rifle at best, compared to the AK and its variants, or more modern, true assault rifles. SKS with a detachable magazine is about as good as a heavy stick.

 

[rbernie]

The only way to get the bolt to lock back with a loaded magazine is to reach down inside the action and push the bolt stop up

Agreed - the only way I could see to do it would be to hold the bolt handle back with my right hand and try to stuff single rounds down with my left, or try to get my fat fingers under the bolt stop and pry it up.

Either way looked like a good way to hurt myself.

 

[MechAg94]

Considering the cheap prices, the SKS is a very good value if you want an effective shorter ranged rifle cheap. I can hit target easily at 100 yards. If you don't waste ammo, 10 rounds can be plenty. Not everyone has the money to buy the better rifles. It will do the job.

I have a WASR2 that is not yet reliable. If I only had those two, I would certainly pick of the SkS for defense at this point. (thankfully, I have other rifles and pistols that have higher capacity.)

Back on topic: I agree that topping off with an SKS is almost as troublesome as dumping a partial clip from a Garand and reloading.

 

[Norton]

The only way to get the bolt to lock back with a loaded magazine is to reach down inside the action and push the bolt stop up.

Mea culpa....I just went and dug the SKS out and tried my own advice and see that I was mistaken. I do need to shoot that thing more often than once a year

 

[carterbeauford]

Or one could hold the bolt back with their right hand and attempt to top off with their left. I have never had the pleasure of the bolt slamming into my fingers, but as stiff as that recoil spring is I don't think I'll try this anytime soon.

 

[1911user]

Here's an easy way. Turn the rifle over, flip up the bottom of the magazine, then drop in pairs of rounds until 9 or 10 are in the mag and close it. The bottom round has to be on a certain side of the mag to fit the follower and that is why you only drop in 2 rounds at a time never singles. Otherwise a jam on the last or second to last shot from the mag is very possible even likely.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

With the M1 Garand, how hard is it to hold the boilt back,
eject a partial clip and load a full clip?

That sounds easier to me than holding an SKS bolt open.
manually raising the hold-open device, and loading loose
rounds or a partial stripper.

Good excuse for a range trip.

 

[Newton]

I don't believe there's a practical or efficient way of doing this unless you have an SKS with a detachable magazine in which case you just slap in a fresh one.

For the 10 rounders, you need to do a Garand style reload.

 

[smince]

Yes. I believe people were just repeating something they had heard as the truth without actually ever trying it(how often does that happen?).

Today I thought that maybe they were referring to single-loading instead of topping-off.

 

[buck00]

If I ever have to be in a firefight with my SKS and 10 round stripper clips, then I'm in trouble. The SKS, while neat to own and fun to shoot, is outdated for modern combat. I'd rather have an AR-15 or my AK with the 75 round drum during a shoot out.

JMO. Not trying to ruffle your feathers.

 

[joab]

I don't believe there's a practical or efficient way of doing this unless you have an SKS with a detachable magazine in which case you just slap in a fresh one.

Any chance that the guy talking about topping off had a detachable mag SKS

 

[smince]

Any chance that the guy talking about topping off had a detachable mag SKS

Although I can't find the specific post, I remember the words to the effect "that like a lever gun, the SKS can be topped off during a lull in the action" or something similiar.

 

[mrmeval]

Grab stripper, pull back bolt and let round fly. Insert stripper and top off. Pull out and do something with it. Bolt should release when stripper is removed.

 

[rbernie]

BINGO - use the stripper clip to hold the bolt open. Bloody brilliant.

I just went upstairs and pulled out the SKS to try this. To make it work, you have to jam the stripper clip down while the bolt is all the way to the rear, effectively using the clip as a bolt stop. In doing so, you cannot actually use the strip to load rounds, since the clip is too far to the rear to align with the magazine. But it WILL hold the bolt back and allow the loading of single rounds.

 

[mrmeval]

The shells would go in from the stripper but it wasn't pleasant on the 'old' Norinco I had. I'd not thought of just using the stripper as a bolt hold open so that's to your credit.

For the contortionist you could pull the bolt back some with the stripper clip in place then while holding the bolt back try and strip rounds in.

I'm wondering if the Yugo would be harder since it seems to be pretty tight tolerance wise. I'll try it at some point.

The easier option is to get the 20 round magazines that work.

 

[Hazwaste]

SKS Marginal

"SKS with a factory 10 round magazine is a marginal defensive rifle at best, compared to the AK and its variants, or more modern, true assault rifles."

One could make that case. Still wouldn't want to be shot by one.

 

[spartacus2002]

Don't discount the SKS as a battle rifle. At RWVA, once guys get zeroed, they hit the 200 and 300 yard popups first time every time with the SKS.

 

[mrmeval]

Agreed on the SKS accuracy, the Norinco is good for 200 - 300 and a bonus is there is little or no flash compared with the AK. Barrel length does count for something in that case.