changing caliber of sks
- Thread starter slug1977
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was it you had the thread going on converting it, and adapting the sks to feed from an LAR mag? too bad it bombed.
That was myself, with DaveGP building it. Was an interesting exercise, all one needs is a magical 1/4" extension to the bolt, receiver and set the barrel back, make a new piston and then it might work.
i cant get on their site right now, but im almost sure noinco makes a .223 sks. why no one jumps on the import wagon, i dont know. if they were priced in the ball park of the x39 ones, they would sell a boatload.
yes, norinco do make SKS in .223 and marstar imported them in but from what i recall john said it wasnt popular , maybe not back then but i bet it will sell out fast now..... so john , what do you say ? please bring some in .
John had said they had "functioning issues". Norinco lists a 223 SKS, but does not make one at the moment. I am sure if they had a prepaid order for a significant amount they would start producing them. The Norinco 223 SKS must have a non standard bolt/carrier, gas piston size and some sort of feed ramp system. I would love to take a peek at one!
5.56x39
edit. holy sh*t thats a good idea. no changing the mag, no changing the bolt face.
5.56x39
edit. holy sh*t thats a good idea. no changing the mag, no changing the bolt face.
Funniest damned thing is, I was just thinking that EXACT same thing 2 days ago @.@
That or 6.5x39
It needs to be a cartridge with the same shape as the 7.62x39. The 556 has a case that is too skinny in relation to the bullet diameter. This causes it to not be able to chamber properly due to the steep slope it has to navigate. I tried cutting M4 feed ramps into the face of the chamber but that did not help much. If I had ground off any more we would have ended up with an unsupported chamber... which is a bad idea with a rifle round. The AR15 has the feed ramp in front of the chamber far enough to make the angle of the round coming in able to chamber. The damn SKS has the chamber right smack dab in front of the magazine. 5.45x39mm would work but the ammunition is not approved for import and finding AK74 magazines is not exactly easy. The AK has a feed ramp, which is why it is available in a variety of cartridges. If the SKS had a rotating bolt it would be easy to set the barrel back and make a 1/4" feed ramp. With the bolt locking in the rear it makes it quite a bit more difficult as the one needs to make a new bolt from scratch, modify the bolt carrier, trim 1/4" off the gas tube and piston and then verify the headspace. All thats left then is welding in a mag well and heavily modifying the stock to clear the magwell. So, long story short, to make a 556 SKS that works and feeds from an Ar15 magazine, it would cost around 1700 bucks, unless you are a good machinist and have access to equipment, then it will be cheaper.
556x39mm would be interesting. Should be no feeding problems, just have to decrease the size of the gas port slightly. No ten round mags though, I think you would only get 8 in a LAR15 magazine equipped with a proper follower. 6.5x39mm would also be a good choice. Anything that is not a skinny case like the 556 would work well.
556x39mm would be interesting. Should be no feeding problems, just have to decrease the size of the gas port slightly. No ten round mags though, I think you would only get 8 in a LAR15 magazine equipped with a proper follower. 6.5x39mm would also be a good choice. Anything that is not a skinny case like the 556 would work well.
no
no
Funniest damned thing is, I was just thinking that EXACT same thing 2 days ago @.@
ding ding ding!
could use common .224' projectiles, but the boltface and mag would stay the same on the gun.
im thinking, use the origional mag. LAR mag is ALOT of work. nono of the action would have to be modified.
do you think it would be easier to have a blank cut, threaded and reamed? or just sleeve a .311'' barrel down and have it rechambered to the wildcat?
no
no
ding ding ding!
could use common .224' projectiles, but the boltface and mag would stay the same on the gun.
im thinking, use the origional mag. LAR mag is ALOT of work. nono of the action would have to be modified.
do you think it would be easier to have a blank cut, threaded and reamed? or just sleeve a .311'' barrel down and have it rechambered to the wildcat?
Starting with a .223 barrel would be the easiest. We used a remington 700 barrel, lathed her down for the gas block, rear sight base and front sight, then recut the chamber. Used 700 barrels can be had in EXC shape for about 100 bucks shipped. The sporter contour works well as it saves on lathe time. A barrel blank needs a lot of time on the lathe. All you need to do then is make a chamber cutter for the 5.56x39mm round so you get the shoulder correctly done for the wildcat round. Finish with a finish reamer and the get the headspace set and you should be off to the races. Drill the gas port a couple of sizes smaller and then enlarge it as needed till your handloads cycle properly. With the smaller bore the SKS should be more accurate as it will have a stiffer barrel. I think Lee will custom make reloading dies.
Of course, in the end it will have cost about the same as buying an AR180B or a mini-14 Target Model...
Starting with a .223 barrel would be the easiest. We used a remington 700 barrel, lathed her down for the gas block, rear sight base and front sight, then recut the chamber. Used 700 barrels can be had in EXC shape for about 100 bucks shipped. The sporter contour works well as it saves on lathe time. A barrel blank needs a lot of time on the lathe. All you need to do then is make a chamber cutter for the 5.56x39mm round so you get the shoulder correctly done for the wildcat round. Finish with a finish reamer and the get the headspace set and you should be off to the races. Drill the gas port a couple of sizes smaller and then enlarge it as needed till your handloads cycle properly. With the smaller bore the SKS should be more accurate as it will have a stiffer barrel. I think Lee will custom make reloading dies.
Of course, in the end it will have cost about the same as buying an AR180B or a mini-14 Target Model...
I emailed pacific and they dont have any models for that caliber reamer, i would have to supply a round for them to copy.
their reply;
I have searched through our print and could not find a print on the caliber but we could build it for you. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.The cost is $138.00 plus shipping fees.Thank youKathleen
i dont know squat about wildcating, but lee makes custom dies, so id only have to design it on paper. OAL lenght and body would be the same as the x39. would the shoulder angle be the same?
is your SKS-223 project totally scraped or are there some salvagable parts?
im not machinist, so id have to pay someone to do the work.
