Scope now mounted on SKS

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but your receiver cover mounted scope will have to be zeroed after every disassembly/cleaning if not after every shot. Too much play in the mount and too much 'smack' in the bolt action. Also, the ejected cases are going to smack the daylights out of your scope on every shot, unless you install a case deflector. Been there done that. I now have a drilled and tapped Choate mount system which is absolutely perfect (it's low and doesn't have to be removed to strip the gun) and my scope has the scars to prove the case ejection theory. Sorry, man. You will not be happy and I hate to see an unhappy SKS owner. Check out CharlesT's thread for one good solution to your problem.

Prospector said:
I know there are a couple (or more) threads showing mounting of scope rails for an SKS but I thought I'd put up some pics of mine as it was a fairly simple process of replacing the receiver cover with no drilling and tapping required. I did have to grind down the length of the two front ends that butt up against the bolt carrier. The part cost about $22 delivered so I thought that was reasonable. I found the vendor for this part on Ebay. PM me if you can't find it.

IMG_3099.jpg



Here's a close up of the mount:
IMG_3102.jpg


The scope is an AIM 3-9 x 40. I haven't had it out to the range yet but hope to do that this week to sight it in.

The thing I liked about this carrier is it has a gap beneath the scope so you can still use the iron sights if you want to.

Here's an angled view showing that:
IMG_3103.jpg


Happy shooting.
Click to expand...
 
svt1940 said:
Well... high for sure,i dont see the point having a scope that big on a sks(its just me) but let us know how's the setup shoot.
Click to expand...

I was *hoping* I could use it to whoop-ass some coyotes and wanted to be able to zoom right in. If that doesn't happen those pesky paper targets or bowling pins seem really threatening. :)
 
woodlotowner said:
I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but your receiver cover mounted scope will have to be zeroed after every disassembly/cleaning if not after every shot. Too much play in the mount and too much 'smack' in the bolt action. Also, the ejected cases are going to smack the daylights out of your scope on every shot, unless you install a case deflector. Been there done that. I now have a drilled and tapped Choate mount system which is absolutely perfect (it's low and doesn't have to be removed to strip the gun) and my scope has the scars to prove the case ejection theory. Sorry, man. You will not be happy and I hate to see an unhappy SKS owner. Check out CharlesT's thread for one good solution to your problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up on this, especially the case-deflector. It's a nice scope so I don't want to see it getting dinged.
 
SoBored said:
It's called the "SKS: Optics, sights & mounts...." sticky at the top of the Red Rifles section. If they can't find and read the sticky there isn't much that we can do for them.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=439418
Click to expand...

Lol I actually did see and read that. Because replacing the receiver cover seemed a different "fix" from the Choate system I thought that might work. Naturally, it can't be that easy. Thanks for all the feed-back guys.
 
thumbs up to CGN to read constructive advice rather than destructive criticism...they are right any kind of optic fails after all the hammering with that mount because i too have one
 
Has anyone seen one of the AIA Enfield #4 Mk II models with the butt - cheek riser? IIrc, 2 threaded bushings are secured into 2 holes drilled in the top of the stock, and the riser screws into the 2 holes. I was thinking if you plugged the cleaning kit recess in the buttstock of a spare SKS stock, you could drill it for 2 similar inserts, and experiment with different heights of risers. With a scope base that is detachable, you could remove the scope, remove the riser, and go back to using the irons if you feel like it. . .

Edit: of course, if you wanted to clean your SKS, you would be completely out of luck and would have to keep buying new ones when the old one rusts away to nothing. . . . :ninja: :p
 
Last edited:
Bicycle inner tube at least for scope protection. Lower mounting rings.
If you can fit the receiver cover by hand it is loose, and the forces on the high mount will destroy the scope.
 
Another factor to consider: the scope blocks the use of "stripper clips" that you can use to load surplus ammunition from quickly. This is why many SKS's are seen with compact/short optics that stop before the action area. There are exceptions of course, like the PSO based scopes (Russian style sniperscopes most often seen on the SVD Dragunov, but available here), but they are offset enough to allow stripper clip loading (I think??).

But don't fret, it was inexpensive parts, you can sell them on the EE to recover your money, and look for advice to help achieve what you want!
 
I suppose you could weld something on the top cover mount to allow it to key into a block fastened to the side of the receiver, but again you are looking at a lot of machinining and hand fitting to get it to work, and the scope will still be getting a lot of shocks as other members have mentioned here, and you would still have to remove the whole issue for detailed cleaning. (I am not talking about the 'set screw' top cover mounts).
 
Last edited:
ive got a setup like that. i file fit it into place and it was very tight when i finished. had zero play to it. after about 100 rounds down the pipe its now flopping side to side, but for some reason is still fairly accurate. at 60 yards we were shooting tight groups through it and i even managed to shoot an old shotgun shell at 60 yards. its ok for what it is but it wont be a great precision shooter with this cover. so ill end up likely using a side mount on mine just for consistent accuracy.
 
Since I hear that it`s going to be warming up to about 8 C on Saturday, I`ll wrap the scope tube in the protective foam cloth that it came in to protect it from the shells and fire a few rounds just to see how it holds up. I believe you though guys and I accept that I`ll be going back to the drawing board on this one. We live and learn. Thanks to all who commented.
 
i did some thinking last night about the issue of the receiver cover moving around. the thought had crossed my mind to buy another cover that bolts down, theyre cheap and i could do the work in my own shop to secure it properly. but i think im gonna try something else first. since theres some play in there im gonna try to shim the cover to the gun. so i got to thinking, how can i shim it and not have the shims come out. ideas started to run through my head and i came up with a solution. since im a bit of a backyard mechanic ive got the rails that sockets mount onto. paticularly half inch sockets. they clip onto these half moon looking things that have some spring to them. im gonna see if i can bend up one or two to fit around the receiver cover and have the ends slide between the gun and cover. ill see how that works for me in the next few days or so and ill report any successful findings back. and if not ill just buy another cover that secures to the gun and make a deflector for the shells or find a way to protect the front of the scope :)
 
That's entirely possible. The metal feels nowhere near as good as the original. Time will tell how it lasts. If it ends up getting loose again i may just make my own mount for the gun
 
Tony, your mention of welding on an SKS receiver cover brought a smile to my face...

If you guys won't laugh too loudly, I'll tell you a story about trying to weld onto an SKS receiver cover.

It was a dark and stormy night...really...and I went out into the shop and plugged in the mig welder thinking I would just lay a couple of beads on the cover leads, which I would then file down a bit to refit the increasing slop that had been developing with the fit. I never stopped to consider the fact that the covers are cheap cast material, and, of course, as soon as I touched the cover with the wire it melted and 'went away'. Moral of the story - always have a spare cover in hand before trying something like this. Yes, I did. :)

That was the last straw, in terms of cover mounts, and I went with the Choate shortly thereafter.

fat tony said:
I suppose you could weld something on the top cover mount to allow it to key into a block fastened to the side of the receiver, but again you are looking at a lot of machinining and hand fitting to get it to work, and the scope will still be getting a lot of shocks as other members have mentioned here, and you would still have to remove the whole issue for detailed cleaning. (I am not talking about the 'set screw' top cover mounts).
Click to expand...
 
a polished turd is still a POS. maybe a bolt buffer and gas tube porting could help but the abuse the rear cover is subjected to will always loosen it back up. Drill and Tap side mounts are really the way to go
 
woodlotowner said:
Tony, your mention of welding on an SKS receiver cover brought a smile to my face...

If you guys won't laugh too loudly, I'll tell you a story about trying to weld onto an SKS receiver cover.

It was a dark and stormy night...really...and I went out into the shop and plugged in the mig welder thinking I would just lay a couple of beads on the cover leads, which I would then file down a bit to refit the increasing slop that had been developing with the fit. I never stopped to consider the fact that the covers are cheap cast material, and, of course, as soon as I touched the cover with the wire it melted and 'went away'. Moral of the story - always have a spare cover in hand before trying something like this. Yes, I did. :)

That was the last straw, in terms of cover mounts, and I went with the Choate shortly thereafter.
Click to expand...

How nice of them, they provided you with a receiver cover mount made of lead. You could have melted it down in a pinch to make Lee 155 grain SKS bullets out of. . . :pha:
 
A friend of mine got one of these and tried all day to sight it in! He got super frustrated. I never even thought about the fact that it was mounted on a removable part could contribute to it's inaccuracy.
I'll let him know for sure. I'm keeping my SKS stock just because it's basically a plinker for me. I just let 'em fly!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom