De-gassing the sks
- Thread starter yomomma
- Start date
Another weekend, another day at the farm. Cases are now dropping 6-8 feet from where I stand. I think I can improve it a little bit more.
I have noticed the cycling action is not as rough on the brass anymore.
Also shot some Chinese milsurp and it cycles just fine.
Next week one more tweek.
I have noticed the cycling action is not as rough on the brass anymore.
Also shot some Chinese milsurp and it cycles just fine.
Next week one more tweek.
Just try not to fix it until it breaks, that's my thing 
Interesting though. Might try this myself down the road. I find a lot of newbies like the SKS when I take them out, but the recoil get's to them. Do you find this softens it up much?
Interesting though. Might try this myself down the road. I find a lot of newbies like the SKS when I take them out, but the recoil get's to them. Do you find this softens it up much?
Why would you handload for an SKS?
Are you really that bored?
Sorry, I just don't get it. The only comment I've read that made any sense as to why is that your handloads are not corrosive, but handloading would require way more time than it would take to do a quick clean after each range trip.
I understand wanting to tinker but why not spend your time developing loads for decent rifles that would actually benefit from better ammo?
Are you really that bored?
Sorry, I just don't get it. The only comment I've read that made any sense as to why is that your handloads are not corrosive, but handloading would require way more time than it would take to do a quick clean after each range trip.
I understand wanting to tinker but why not spend your time developing loads for decent rifles that would actually benefit from better ammo?
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For an SKS? Why bother?
I completely understand if it was a decent rifle that was capable of shooting decent groups. But it's cheaper, easier, and takes almost no time to pick up a crate of surplus.
Maybe even for some other surplus rifle that ammo wasn't as easy to find or as cheap as x39.
Just seems like a waste of time to spend this much time on a crappy surplus 40's era rifle that has cheap ammo available for it in every gun shop.
I get that part and I do clean my rifle after every time it gets shot with corrosive ammo but it's a $250 rifle, does it really matter if it rots away? Just buy a new one for $250, or a couple off the EE for even cheaper.
I guess I'm not going to understand. To me rifles like this are toys to make noise with and bash around till it's junk then just buy a new one. I have way too many decent rifles that need load development to ever think about spending time working on loads or modifying one of these rifles.
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Maybe, just maybe, there are other rifles other than the sks that shoot 7.62x39.
Maybe, just maybe, being able to dial in a hunting load is a good thing.
Maybe, just maybe, having a plan "B" is a good thing.
Maybe, just maybe, with casting you can actually get cheaper ammo than surplus
Yes, but you're talking about degassing an SKS not developing handloads for a bolt action in x39
A hunting load with an SKS? Again, why? Just use a real rifle for hunting.
Plan B for what? Degassing the SKS isn't going to do anything but make it less reliable.
Ok, maybe just maybe you can load for less than surplus but I'll ask this. Is it worth the amount of time you're spending on a $200 rifle that regardless of the ammo you make is not going shoot much better than surplus?
I get the feeling that nothing you say is going to help me wrap my head around why you're spending time and energy on an SKS when you could just buy surplus ammo and spend no time working on it or messing with your rifle and still end up with the same results that you're going to end up with playing around with it.
Don't you have a 308 or something that all this time and effort would benefit a lot more?
Maybe you've already got all your other rifles sorted out and you have a lot of spare time on your hands, but my free time is limited, I have to spend it on things that actually benefit my shooting not just fiddling around trying to optimize or improve a 75 year old rifle.
I'll try not to ask any more questions on this, I don't think I'm capable of understanding the method behind your madness.
Enjoy your tinkering project, I hope you end up where you think you're headed.
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CR5, sometimes its about something that others may not get. For you it may be a cheap blasting rifle with cheap surplus being the reason to own one. That's big for me too, I love an afternoon of SKS and the stink of corrosive X39 in the air! But I too see it as an interesting military rifle and want to get into handloading for them too. Partly because we won't always have cheap surplus and partly because I enjoy reloading especially for milsurps. Bullet casting interests me as well and I geuss I just enjoy the fact I can make the bullets myself and handload them myself. Cost isn't the only factor when the rest of it is something you enjoy. Same for a hunting load, I enjoy hunting with milsurps so as a handloader I'd rather load my own hunting ammunition even though it costs me more than a box of S&B sp's. It all depends on where your interests lie. Different strokes for different folks. Also to yomomma, the ejection window mod will be your friend here. The upward ejection scatters the brass, with the ejection window mod and full power gas system/loads they are much less scattered. With a modified gas system you should see ejection like low power rounds in an M14. Nice neat pile, especially when shooting prone.
jmichelin84
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Big Land, nL
I laugh at this, because I had to search 3 acres for 100 brass, come to find out a kid piled them all in a hole and buried them 50 feet from me, kids playing ain't it cute hahaj
Will have to look into this, thanks
Post #60 on page 6 of the SKS optics sticky I have a writeup with good pics and info. Being a machinist I'm sure you can knock it out on your mill in no time!
