Pave's new SKS... literally NEW

P

pavmentsurfer

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I just got my PAL and decided since my brother has a Mini 30 that shoots 7.62X39 so having a gun that shoots the same made sense but I certainly don't have $800-100 for a mini 30.

I bought my SKS from Marstar along with a case of their surplus ammo. I then picked up a Tapco stock, fore grip and some 5/20 round mags for it. When I got the gun it was super packed in cosmoline. This gun is a chinese SKS but was brand new. Has a stainless bore. I removed the stock immediately and cleaned all the metal parts by soaking them in mineral spirits. Worked great and I got the gun perfectly clean. The benefit of this is that I was forced to completely disassemble it so I got familiar with it right away.

I also installed a rear sight rail and the extended mag release. I have 4 mags... all tapco. One of them has a plastic plate that the rounds push down on... the other 3 have beige plates. The ones with the beige plates wouldn't allow the bolt lock to drop when rounds were in the mag. After comparing it to the one with the black plate that DID work I found that it simply a case of a bit of extra material holding the bolt lock plate UP... so I filed that extra plastic off and they all work perfect now.

The last thing I installed was a cheaper red dot scope and I'm very happy with the result. Unfortuantely its raining here today so I can't get out to shoot it but if the rain lets up I'm going out to fire at least a few mags and get a feel for how it shoots. Heres a pic of my new gun. I love it so far.

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I think the only other 2 parts id like to pick up for it is a shell deflector and a different mag release. This tapco one is crap IMO. It didnt fit right and needed modification and it doesnt slide smoothly at all. Id like it if the bolt release lever ended up in front of the trigger guard... like a LONG extension. Anyone know of anything like that.

Finally, does anyone think my factory chinese parts are worth anything. They are all brand new, unissued. I have the stock, gas tube guard, box mag, bayonet (with slide and spring) and the oil bottle... is this stuff worth listing or is just junk? I have no idea.
 
Looks very nice! I don't really like those rear cover mounts though. I had one on one of mine and ended up taking it off. I've seen but not yet tried a mount that replaces the rear site, much more solid mounting solution and easier to clean the gun as well.
 
Hang on to them for now. When you have a few hundred rounds through her you might decide to return to the stock configuration especially if you break something. If your stock breaks in the same place mine did you'll be glad to have something to tide you through until you get a replacement.
 
Nice looking setup but, as has been mentioned, you're soon going to learn to hate that receiver mount. The damned things just won't hold zero (I had one - never again).
 
Yup, the receiver mount is crap. Its loose so it rattles, then after about 5 mags the allen bolts rattle loose. For now I'm going to mount my sight on the gas tube cover but ill look into buying a better mount for the rear. Any suggestions? I don't mind the one that goes over the front sights... but id like something to go over the receiver... it just doenst look finished there.

Shot the gun today. LOVE it. Worked flawlessly, no issues at all. Sure is loud. But thats a good thing... its supposed to be loud. Has some decent kick too. I think a rubber butt pad would be good. Anyone know of one for the SKS stock?
 
Looks good. But found fish, what's wrong with modding a Russian one? I plead ignorance; I've got a Tula refurb that I've put a Tapco stock on and a recoil buffer, but no permanent mods in case I want to go back to factory. The Tapco stock has the cutout for the bayonet, so I wouldn't have to take it off.
 
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Just my opinion that's all. I suppose there's enough of the russians out there that it really wouldn't matter; I'm just a fan of the original russians. The mods do look good though! I may need to grab a 'new' chinese from marstar and have fun modding it up!
 
Agreed with Fish, the Russian ones I'd leave alone for their authenticity. Chinese, swap out as much as you'd like. This looks good. Might find some sort of bolt covers for the rear of the stock. I expect those bolts are not stainless and will rust, ugly.
 
I think it is the same story as Enfields. We have a lot of them now but soon they might be gone :)
Noltz said:
Agreed with Fish, the Russian ones I'd leave alone for their authenticity. Chinese, swap out as much as you'd like. This looks good. Might find some sort of bolt covers for the rear of the stock. I expect those bolts are not stainless and will rust, ugly.
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Bolt mod is next on my list. But I actually like the duck bills... they are easy to use and fit perfectly every time. Im not looking for anything super fast or anything. Just reliable. But I do hate that i have to lock the bolt back to put the clip in. So thats gotta be fixed.

I installed the tapco mag release and I hate it. Does anyone else have a problem with it not holding the Tapco mags tight enough to push the bolt lock up when the mag is empty? Theres like a 1/8 gap between the lock and the mag when the mag is pushed all the way up. Im thinking about trying to fix it but I havent checked the stock release to see if it works better or not.
 
All you anti-bubbas need to give it a rest. If someone feels their gun is better modded, then they should mod it. Its not your gun. You're never going to see it, use it, or otherwise have anything to ever do with it. Its not hurting you, or anyone else.
 
It is not a good idea to bubba a light refurb Russian, my own 3 one Tula 54, one Izzy 53 and one Izzy 54 are refurbs for sure but so lightly all matching, bore new, would not touch them... JP.
sks001-1.jpg
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I have 3 Traxxas RC trucks (2 Sledgehammers and a 1994 stampede) that are in brand new condition, completely restored and perfect. These are the only items I own that will never get touched or modified. Everything else I buy I buy to use and mod/upgrade to be as good as it can be for me. I didnt buy my SKS to keep it original. I bought it because it was cheap, shot cheap ammo, was reliable and had an endless list of upgrades and mods that could be done. It cost me $75... hardly a collector piece.

I very much appreciate a perfectly restored piece (anything really). But not for my gun.
 
I just bought a BC Scout mount and a cantilevered scope mount. Should put my red dot far back enough to be comfortable but still stable.

What are some good choices for a different mag release lever than the Tapco plastic one. I know theres the Tactical extended release... which ill probably end up with. But is there anything else. There was one a while ago that bolted on to your stock release but it appears the guy who made them died.

Any other options?

Also got a rubber butt pad as the plastic tends to dig into my shoulder. Hopefully that will make things more comfortable.
 
caramel said:
It is not a good idea to bubba a light refurb Russian, my own 3 one Tula 54, one Izzy 53 and one Izzy 54 are refurbs for sure but so lightly all matching, bore new, would not touch them... JP.
sks001-1.jpg
[/IMG]
Click to expand...

It's hard to explain, but I do like looking @ some tacticool units, but I just don't like when an original SKS gets cooled up. To each their own. I'm sort of a leave it like it was built type of guy when it comes to firearms...
 
pavmentsurfer said:
I just got my PAL and decided since my brother has a Mini 30 that shoots 7.62X39 so having a gun that shoots the same made sense but I certainly don't have $800-100 for a mini 30.

I bought my SKS from Marstar along with a case of their surplus ammo. I then picked up a Tapco stock, fore grip and some 5/20 round mags for it. When I got the gun it was super packed in cosmoline. This gun is a chinese SKS but was brand new. Has a stainless bore. I removed the stock immediately and cleaned all the metal parts by soaking them in mineral spirits. Worked great and I got the gun perfectly clean. The benefit of this is that I was forced to completely disassemble it so I got familiar with it right away.

I also installed a rear sight rail and the extended mag release. I have 4 mags... all tapco. One of them has a plastic plate that the rounds push down on... the other 3 have beige plates. The ones with the beige plates wouldn't allow the bolt lock to drop when rounds were in the mag. After comparing it to the one with the black plate that DID work I found that it simply a case of a bit of extra material holding the bolt lock plate UP... so I filed that extra plastic off and they all work perfect now.

The last thing I installed was a cheaper red dot scope and I'm very happy with the result. Unfortuantely its raining here today so I can't get out to shoot it but if the rain lets up I'm going out to fire at least a few mags and get a feel for how it shoots. Heres a pic of my new gun. I love it so far.

DSC02568.jpg

DSC02570.jpg


I think the only other 2 parts id like to pick up for it is a shell deflector and a different mag release. This tapco one is crap IMO. It didnt fit right and needed modification and it doesnt slide smoothly at all. Id like it if the bolt release lever ended up in front of the trigger guard... like a LONG extension. Anyone know of anything like that.

Finally, does anyone think my factory chinese parts are worth anything. They are all brand new, unissued. I have the stock, gas tube guard, box mag, bayonet (with slide and spring) and the oil bottle... is this stuff worth listing or is just junk? I have no idea.
Click to expand...

Nice job. I always liked the Dark Earth colour on the SKS!
 
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