Here is a tip to make re-assembling your SKS easier.
(Long post warning; skip to “-----IMPORTANT PART----” marked below, it you want)
As simple & robust as the SKS is, sometimes it can be difficult to re-install the trigger group. Sometimes, REALLY difficult.
The first (& pretty well known) thing is making sure that you have the safety in the ON position when taking it apart and re-assembling it (and the hammer needs to be in the cocked position, too). This is not just for “safeties sake” but it physically works better in that position to re-insert the trigger group.
When I first had this problem, I did a LOT of reading on the internet about it, & assembled the trigger group & receiver without the stock to get a better look at what was going on. There were dozens (hundreds?) of people posting with that same problem, & hundreds of replies, but most boiled down to “rest the gun upside down on a firm surface & hit the trigger group really hard”. Most of the time, with most SKS’s, this works. Sometimes, though, people had to resort to stomping on it or using a sledge hammer, with a piece of wood to protect the metal. That usually works, eventually, but that amount of force really should not be needed! (And if you have optics mounted, not so practical, either...)
When I looked at the assembly & receiver without the stock in the way, the solution is so simple I was really surprised that it was only mentioned once or twice in all hundred-or-more ideas that I read through. I never did find a solution with photos, so I decided to make one.
Besides the position of the safety lever & hammer, & making sure that the cross-pin at the front of trigger assembly is all the way forward in the slot where it joins the receiver by the magazine opening (ie: push the trigger assembly forward as well as down)
, there is another area which can make it difficult to lock the trigger assembly back in place:
--------------------------------------------------the IMPORTANT PART:----------------------------------------------------
Where the rear of the trigger assembly meets the projection under the rear part of the receiver, there were sharp edges on both parts (at least on my SKS, and obviously some others, too).
I just filed a little bit off the sharp corners where they were binding, and made it MUCH easier to snap it into place. I took a little more off the trigger group corner than the receiver corner, since it’s easier to get at without scratching the latch that holds them together.
I’m sure that if you take off too much material, you might loose accuracy, since that tight fit helps keep the rifle stay together snugly. You don’t want to take anything away from the face where they touch after it’s together, just enough off the corners so when you press down, those two corners don’t bind, but slip past each other under tension.
*don't forget to re-blue & oil the areas you filed, to reduce rusting*
Mine goes back together much more easily now. I'm sure I could make it even easier by filing more, and I may, but I'll be doing that cautiously, a bit at a time, & testing as I go...
Hopefully this is helpful to anyone with this problem. It may already be out there on the internet, but if so, it's not easy to find...
(Long post warning; skip to “-----IMPORTANT PART----” marked below, it you want)
As simple & robust as the SKS is, sometimes it can be difficult to re-install the trigger group. Sometimes, REALLY difficult.
The first (& pretty well known) thing is making sure that you have the safety in the ON position when taking it apart and re-assembling it (and the hammer needs to be in the cocked position, too). This is not just for “safeties sake” but it physically works better in that position to re-insert the trigger group.
When I first had this problem, I did a LOT of reading on the internet about it, & assembled the trigger group & receiver without the stock to get a better look at what was going on. There were dozens (hundreds?) of people posting with that same problem, & hundreds of replies, but most boiled down to “rest the gun upside down on a firm surface & hit the trigger group really hard”. Most of the time, with most SKS’s, this works. Sometimes, though, people had to resort to stomping on it or using a sledge hammer, with a piece of wood to protect the metal. That usually works, eventually, but that amount of force really should not be needed! (And if you have optics mounted, not so practical, either...)
When I looked at the assembly & receiver without the stock in the way, the solution is so simple I was really surprised that it was only mentioned once or twice in all hundred-or-more ideas that I read through. I never did find a solution with photos, so I decided to make one.
Besides the position of the safety lever & hammer, & making sure that the cross-pin at the front of trigger assembly is all the way forward in the slot where it joins the receiver by the magazine opening (ie: push the trigger assembly forward as well as down)
--------------------------------------------------the IMPORTANT PART:----------------------------------------------------
Where the rear of the trigger assembly meets the projection under the rear part of the receiver, there were sharp edges on both parts (at least on my SKS, and obviously some others, too).
I just filed a little bit off the sharp corners where they were binding, and made it MUCH easier to snap it into place. I took a little more off the trigger group corner than the receiver corner, since it’s easier to get at without scratching the latch that holds them together.
I’m sure that if you take off too much material, you might loose accuracy, since that tight fit helps keep the rifle stay together snugly. You don’t want to take anything away from the face where they touch after it’s together, just enough off the corners so when you press down, those two corners don’t bind, but slip past each other under tension.
*don't forget to re-blue & oil the areas you filed, to reduce rusting*
Mine goes back together much more easily now. I'm sure I could make it even easier by filing more, and I may, but I'll be doing that cautiously, a bit at a time, & testing as I go...
Hopefully this is helpful to anyone with this problem. It may already be out there on the internet, but if so, it's not easy to find...
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