I was thinking of buying a mini 30 becasue i like shooting the 7.62x39 in my sks becasue its so cheap and wanted another semi auto but then i got to thinking id much rather have a norinco m14 clone re chambered in 7.62x39 because i already have one that shoots .308win and i love it. So would it be possible to buy another and convert it and if so what would all be involved here. New barrel possibly shorter, would the original mag work? any thoughts?
M14 in 7.62x39 Possible?
- Thread starter pklassen
- Start date
not even close- action is too long, ( cartridge for one is 39mm, the other 51mm) have to change mainspring, you'd have to put some sort of spacer in the mag, change the follower, probably redesign the whole rifle to get it anywhere close to working- the mini-30 is by far the smarter way to go- way back when, springfield DID offer the m1a in 243, but that's just a matter of a barrel change, not a change of cartridge length- moreover, the 7.62x39 is BOTH a different diameter ( about 311vs 308) and a substantially WEAKER cartridge-
Just note though, that the Mini 30 is not chrome plated in the barrel nor the gas system, so a thorough cleaning in order to avoid serious rust problems is critical after every firing of Czech surplus or other Potassium Perchlorate primed ammo. I have also heard of Mini 30s hammer springs being slightly too weak to dent the hard primers as well. For commercial or handloaded ammo, you are perfectly fine. Personally, I'm going the hand-loaded route for my 7.62 x 39 firearms (CZ 858 and SKS).
I have a mini 14, and I love mine: Accurate, light and dependable, so a Mini 30 is a good choice. Just keep those two flaws in mind.
I have a mini 14, and I love mine: Accurate, light and dependable, so a Mini 30 is a good choice. Just keep those two flaws in mind.
if i had to choose a 7.62x39 semi ..... hard to beat an sks ...... personally i'd rather have a rack full of innacurate sks's than one mini 30.... I've owned 3 and all three were junk and gave me nothing but headaches..... throw the sks in the truck, in the mud, leave it in the closet for a year...... they still go bang every time 
Two more alternatives to the SKS are the VZ 52/57 and the Rasheed, both of which are generally $500+ guns. They are well made and durable, but not necessarily more accurate or reliable than the SKS. Some SKS's shoot well "out of the box", others, with some trigger and other work can shoot very well.
MauserMike
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if i had to choose a 7.62x39 semi ..... hard to beat an sks ...... personally i'd rather have a rack full of innacurate sks's than one mini 30.... I've owned 3 and all three were junk and gave me nothing but headaches..... throw the sks in the truck, in the mud, leave it in the closet for a year...... they still go bang every time
Sometimes bang bang bang bang BANG with one pull of the trigger after that kind of storage LOL
