Another Baur Arms 5/30 SKS mag thread

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EDIT: Here is a youtube link (hope this is allowed) showing how the new version of Baur SKS mags hold bullets and feed properly as well as how to make them fit your SKS. It also addresses the FTFs and issues in the earlier versions. Kind of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nPKbSw6RTY

After seeing another thread about the Baur Arms 5/30 SKS detachable box magazines here I decided to pull the trigger on a couple.
They are priced really well. It's nice to actually be able to buy something up here for a price similar to what our Southern neighbours..neighbors..pay. I often see even Tapco SKS mags sell for under $30 online but when we try to order one the price almost doubles usually.

WAIT!!! First, YES..the stock 10rd SKS mags are great. They are FAST with strippers and their low profile doesn't get in the way when shooting prone or on a bench. A big old "banana clip" sure looks cool to Bubba but I don't think they are what's (practically) best. Then again, with some minor mods, the high cap mags can also accept stripper feeds so they don't HAVE to be slower than using the stock mag.

OK so I got a '54 Tula SKS from CT for $179 about a month ago. I did a bunch of reversible mods to it...you know..a Tapco Intrafuse etc..
Started shopping for mags and quickly learned that the Tapco 5/20s work great and just about everything else does NOT. They say to especially avoid the 30+rd metal ones.

OK so after reading a thread here and learning of the Baur Arms mags that are under 30 bucks each and get some decent reviews, I ordered a couple.
They arrived (from HighCal in Mission BC) lickety split!
Two 5/30 mags SHIPPED for under 60 bucks (I used a discount coupon code)!! :-O
Wow..I feel like an American. Who can I bomb??

I got busy and didn't get around to trying them out till a couple days later. I unpacked one and inserted the duckbill portion and rocked it to clip it into the latch and...EEERCH. Nope. Wont GO!!!
I remember having seen some youtube vids where people had issues installing aftermarket SKS mags had to file/remove material from their stock SKS wooden stocks to make the mags fit. Seemed that SKSs with Tapco stocks didn't need the..or as much modification?

I searched youtube trying to find a vid showing how to fit a Baur Arms 5/30 into a soviet SKS. I couldn't find any :-O :-(

I used to be a machinist so it shouldn't be too hard to figure-out. Just couldn't really see what was causing the hang-up. Forced one in and out a few times and then the "pinch" spots revealed themselves where material was scraped off the mag.
Went crazy with a file for a few minutes and got them both to fit.
THEN I was like...awe MANNNN!!! WHY didn't I only do one first and then with the second one I should have videoed the process and posted it on youtube as an instructional video. DAMMIT!

Well...GREAT NEWS!!
I have 2 more Baur Arms 5/30 mags inbound. As SOON as they get here I'm gonna fire-up a camera and record the fitment process for everyone. I think it will come in real handy for people.
It will let people know that we Canadians have access to some sweet SKS mags for UNDER $50ea. Actually for under $40 ea. Under THIRTY bucks each!
And it will show how much material to remove from where on the mags.

For now though and until they arrive I HAVE to send an huge Shout-Out to High Caliber Svcs in Mission BC. They offer great prices, they have discount coupon codes available out there if you google it, ship VERY quickly and are really fast to reply to questions/emails.
To me, as important as product quality and pricing...or maybe MORE important/valuable is Customer Service.
And an even BIGGER Shout-Out to Baur Arms themselves.
Again awesome product and pricing and PHENOMENAL CUSTOMER SERVICE!! Fast to reply and SO friendly.
Do the Baur Arms SKS mags work as well out of the box as the Tapco 5/20s? NO!
Are they cheap crap with flimsy lips? NO!!!!!!!!
Will they require some fitting in order to fit YOUR SKS? Probably. Remember..there are about as many different SKS variations as there are grains of sand in the desert. It would be all but impossible to make mags that will fit EVERY SKS and every SKS with EVERY aftermarket stock etc...

Sorry for the rant. This is just a preliminary HEADS-UP letting people know that the Baur Arms mags are great items at incredible prices and that there will soon be a youtube vid showing how to make the fit a Tula SKS better.
And to let everyone know that Baur Arms offers outstanding customer service and they stand behind their products.
As well as to announce that High Caliber in Mission is a great place to buy.

Keep your eyes peeled and your receiver tuned to this forum for links to youtube vids on how to make your Baur Arms 5/30 mags fit your Tula SKS!!

THANK YOU for everything High Caliber Svcs and Baur Arms. You have a lifer in me.
 
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Baur 5/30 mags are terrible, the feed lips are weak, they need to be stronger.

I bought two, both have weak feed lips, one functions most of the time, but the second spews the cartridges everywhere at the slightest bump.

3/10 would NOT buy again.
 
statixstorm said:
Baur 5/30 mags are terrible, the feed lips are weak, they need to be stronger.

I bought two, both have weak feed lips, one functions most of the time, but the second spews the cartridges everywhere at the slightest bump.

3/10 would NOT buy again.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm... Was considering buying a couple of these mags. Thanks for the heads up.
 
I would have used them first before buying a stockpile of them.
The lips aren't the problem, its the ramp that tilts back and frontwards way too much. Live rounds get prematurely ejected along with the last spent casing too.
I've got two of these paperweights now. One sanded and modded to fit. The other I didn't bother with.
 
Baur 5/30 mags are terrible, the feed lips are weak, they need to be stronger.

I bought two, both have weak feed lips, one functions most of the time, but the second spews the cartridges everywhere at the slightest bump.

3/10 would NOT buy again.
Click to expand...
This
 
How are they pinned? Is it possible to drop the follower? With a follower in hand i could design and 3d print a follower with anti-tilt function.

EL34/6L6 said:
I would have used them first before buying a stockpile of them.
The lips aren't the problem, its the ramp that tilts back and frontwards way too much. Live rounds get prematurely ejected along with the last spent casing too.
I've got two of these paperweights now. One sanded and modded to fit. The other I didn't bother with.
Click to expand...
 
Mine are pinned in the side. The problem I have with the follower rising to much is due to the weakness of the poly, if I gently squeeze the feed lips together, it sits fine, but once I release my grip the feed lips spread and all bets are off.
 
Wonderful I bought two as well...perhaps they should be returned collect to where they were purchased?.........Harold
 
Hmm. Perhaps they have changed them recently?
I have only put 20 rounds through mine (10ea) and they worked just fine once I got them to fit the rifle. Of course 10 rounds is not enough to gauge their functionality though. The follower definitely wants to flop and dive. Maybe it depends what brand of ammo you're putting through it (length? bullet shape?)? I put a box of Barnaul FMJs through them.
I have another pair of them coming. When they arrive and after I record the fitment procedure I'll take the camera and the toys out and send some rounds through the SKS. Whatever happens will be right out in the open for everyone to see.

They have great customer service so I have a feeling that if the mags are problematic, well I have a feeling that Baur (Bauer?) Arms will do whatever is the right thing to do.
In the meantime...sure, maybe slightly pump the brakes. Maybe don't go ordering a "clutch" of them right away but I wouldn't avoid them completely. I mean o one wants to throw perfectly good $ out the window but they're only like 25 bucks or so. If you're even considering "banana clips" it's probably partly/mostly for the looks? It's pretty hard to beat the stock mags with strippers for speed and having a 30rd mag sticking 4' out the bottom of your gun doesn't really lend to accurate bench shooting (but neither is an SKS to begin with I suppose) so...IF your middle name is Bubba and you have or will "tactical" or modernize your SKS, even if mostly as a wallhanger...

In the end though. if you want a perfectly functional high-cap detachable box mag for your SKS you should probably stick with the Tapco 5/20s. They work (for me) flawlessly and I have put more than 10 rounds through mine ;-).
And/but yes...if/when you buy something...anything...even if it's a big plastic banana clip for 25 bucks, you kinda and rightly have the expectation that it's GONNA WORK.
My money is relatively hard to come-by.

And yes...the Baur arms do NOT EVEN FIT into my Tula SKS. Maybe the work great with a Yugo or Norc?

The more I think of it (thanks a LOT fellas), it's like...hey you should buy these cool wheels for your car. They cost like half what the proper ones do. Oh sure, they don't fit the car, you cant put rubber on them without modding the CRAP out of them and once you DO get them on and with tires, they wobble and blow within 10 miles. But theyre cheap and they look GREAT! lol

I'll try to wait till the next ones touch down before I go blow my load (I could say shoot my wad but we aren't talking shotguns here) at the range to test/demonstrate how they cycle and hold rounds. When they do I will not only make a vid of how to get them INTO your SKS but also how they function (or don't) once they DO fit the gun.
Stand-By.
 
Your approach is more than rational. I hope they work out for you. They just might....
As you said, the Tapco ones are good and are what I use, but more options are always good for this great Russian platform that we all have access to today.
 
Hmm again.
I don't really have to be at the range to test the "weak lips" thing.
I can put 5rds into each mag and cycle them with my finger. I know it isn't the same as under actual use and it's a lot slower and less violent with my thumb stripping rounds off instead of the boltcarrier but...it kind of serves a purpose.
Hang on. Let me try each mag a few more times.
OK yeah...
I mean when I tried them in the SKS, when I first charged them after fitting them I did have a few come flying out of the mag while I was charging (loading?) them or one of them. I dismissed it and both mags performed fine in the gun.
It wasn't hot out but it wasn't real cold either. I'm trying to give the mags an escape clause...hey it was REALLY hot out and our polymer was "soft" that day.

Right now in the basement it's probably 17DegC.
One mag especially wants to fling the last 3 of the 5 rounds into the air as I "finger cycle" them. These are not the same brand of rounds I used when I shot using these mags. I don't know what these ones are. Steel case fmj. The Barnauls were brass.

I also have a Tapco 5/20 here for comparison. When I make the youtube vid I will point-out the following things I'm noticing.
I'm no expert on box mag nomenclature so please forgive my misuse of nouns lol.
The thickness of the "lips" aren't much different between the BA and Tapco. Both are just under .100" (using verniers and not wearing my glasses) at the rear below the radius.
I know some metallurgy and I have machined a fair bit of plastics but I'm again, no expert on polymers and stuff but...while the finish and looks and "workmanship" externally looks nicer on the Baurs, the material doesn't feel or seem to be different or much different. By just looking at them and feeling them you would think the Baur Arms mags are the more expensive ones.
Someone mentioned the rock and slop of the Baur's followers. Definitely. But it isn't the fault of the follower or the spring I don't think cause once you get it down below the opening above the duckbill it's as stable as the Tapco.
And THAT is where I think the issues stem. Well first though, the length of the "lips" themselves are about .100" longer on the Tapco. That gives a bit more surface area for the lips to mate with and hold the rounds down onto the follower and into the mag.
But I think the main place that needs some shoring-up is on the front of the lips.
The Baur mags' openings start to taper right after the leading edge of the lips, downwards to where the duckbill meets the mag's body. The whole front end of the follower is wide open. In fact, the bottom of the follower sits ABOVE the mag's opening on the Baur. There is nothing to stabilize the follower but also, that taper robs the lips of a lot of rigidity.
Another "side-effect" of the larger frontal opening is that it allows the front of the follower to rise-up (and out of the mag's body/box) which angles the rounds up at the front and that almost puts the shoulder in the perfect spot to act as a wedge to open those lips up a bit more again.

I have some ideas to firm things up a bit. Maybe loosen the spring a bit? That will put less force on the lips...but can and probably will cause other issues.
Somehow build-up that oversized opening at the front? Modify or alter the bottom of the follower?

But first, I'm going to send Baur a wee message letting them know about this.
I have a lot of faith in them. After speaking to them a bit the other day regarding the fitment issues I felt reassured that these guys offer great Customer Service and reply fast. Maybe we can get them to slightly alter the design and maybe they'll give me a free mag to try lol. Not counting on that but they DO reply really fast with helpful and useful suggestions.
I'll try a box or two at the range tomorrow and if they don't hold with these rounds I have, maybe I'll really give their Customer Service a test ;-)

If you're an SKS owner who is interested in affordable high-cap (well I guess they ALL only hold 5) detachable box mags, keep the dial locked onto this thread. I'll continue to post progress reports.

Ohoh. I might get to REALLY give their CS a workout. I have 2 more of these things coming. I didn't buy direct (if you even can) though and I don't want to stress the HighCal guys out. Suppose I probably should give them a heads-up though in case they are unaware. They might want to also start pumping the brakes on these a bit too. Then again, maybe the brand of ammunition has something to do with it?
Stand-By
 
statixstorm said:
Baur 5/30 mags are terrible, the feed lips are weak, they need to be stronger.

I bought two, both have weak feed lips, one functions most of the time, but the second spews the cartridges everywhere at the slightest bump.

3/10 would NOT buy again.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I had the same experience. I can only imagine if there was no capacity restrictions and you tried stuffing 30 rounds in there it would be like a jack in the box of bullets.
 
I had a problem with my Mags Spitting out rounds. emailed Baur and they said springs where too strong. cut 4 loops off the bottom drilled out rivet lowered spring and reinstalled rivet. all works well now.
I have had no problems fitting them into my Russian SKS with the bolt open.
 
Just added a youtube link to the original post that shows the new version of Baur Arms magazines and how to make the older ones fit the rifle and hold, cycle, and feed rounds properly.
 
Thanks for the video.

A few things.

- I don't believe Baur has made a new version of these mags, as they are a brand new offering. The difference in the follower/ spring tension likely has to do with intolerances/inconsistency of manufacturing.

- Inserting the mag was never a big issue with mine. I removed some material where the magwell was biting into the front of the duckbill, similar to the Tapco.

- Something you didn't touch on was an operational issue that I found with these, as well as my Tapco mags.
It has to do with the bolt catch not dropping when the ramp is pushed down (loaded) This is as a result of the bolt catch getting hung up on the mags follower/spine.
All my mags require that spine to be filed/thinned out and reduced by at the least half of its original thickness. This mod is fundamental to proper field operation IMO.
 
EL34/6L6 said:
Thanks for the video.

A few things.

- I don't believe Baur has made a new version of these mags, as they are a brand new offering. The difference in the follower/ spring tension likely has to do with intolerances/inconsistency of manufacturing.

- Inserting the mag was never a big issue with mine. I removed some material where the magwell was biting into the front of the duckbill, similar to the Tapco.

- Something you didn't touch on was an operational issue that I found with these, as well as my Tapco mags.
It has to do with the bolt catch not dropping when the ramp is pushed down (loaded) This is as a result of the bolt catch getting hung up on the mags follower/spine.
All my mags require that spine to be filed/thinned out and reduced by at the least half of its original thickness. This mod is fundamental to proper field operation IMO.
Click to expand...

This guy is right. I have re installed my baur mag today. My sks has been functioning nicely since I fixed my trigger spring problem. My magwedge rail is removed so I can use stripper clips. The answer to using the baur mag without modifying the follower spring might be to use stripper clips.
 
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