Re-Barreling SKS possible

One would have to modify the receiver greatly for 7.62x51mm, by either setting the barrel back and milling a larger opening for the magwell, or by making the reciever longer. For a project like that I would not bother. One could switch the SKS to 5.45x39mm, but ammo is very scarce up here and you would need to use AK74 magazines which are also quite rare. 6.8SPC could be an option and use AR15 mags with it...
 
I would make it blowback (not enough gas) and with Tokarav mags are stated above. Just need a 308 barrel (or blank), some sheetmetal for the magwell, lathe, press and a lot of patience and elbow grease. Might be a nice winter project...
 
On the ,223 SKS front, the gas port has been drilled with a #38 bit (factory for the 7.62x39mm is #28) so I can get it adjusted just right for 55 grain ammo. First couple of shots may experiance some short stroking till I get the gas port the right size. Should be only a few weeks of tinkering to get it to run 100% I hope, then I can get some optics and use it on gophers. I will be sure to post of video of it going through a LAR15 10 round mag when its up and running!
 
Very cool, looks sort of PPSH'ish only more fun. Wonder if it'll be more accurate than a Mini
 
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I have not shot it yet... I value my face too much! :)

I have figured that the reason for not feeding is the M4 feedramp on the right hand side is not big enough. I need to take the dremel to it, and then fix the problem of the magazine falling out everytime the bolt is cycled. Also, the chamber needs a good polish as I can not chamber factory ammo, its pretty tight and then I need to hammer the rounds out with a rod from the muzzle. Also, the extractor needs a bit more tweaking to hang on a little harder to the .223 cases. Once I actually get more than 2 hours with nothing to do, I will gear up and go nuts on this project!
 
Still working on the feeding issue... I got it to feed out of the left side of the magazine but the right side eludes me. Not sure how much more metal I can remove to make the M4 feedramps better. Also, I believe that the magazine will blow out the bottom after each shot. I need to tweak the mag housing and the mag release a bit and maybe narrow the bottom of the bolt a little more to reduce the bolt hitting the magazine lips. There will be no workable system for the bolt hold open device. I may also relocate the mag catch to the rear of the mag well and file a notch in my Ar15 magazines, might hold them in a little tighter. The extractor seems to be properly tensioned now, had to relieve the underside of it a wee bit more. Tomorrow night I have a few spare hours and will go hard on it, should post another update then.
 
Well, project has been abandoned now. The barrel is simply too close to the chamber to get that little shouldered 5.56 round to feed. I opened the Swiss Arms rifle and saw that it is like the AR15, the barrel is about an inch away from the mag, that lets the 5.56 round feed properly. The angle is far too steep in the SKS, and if you rework the mag well to have the mag sit at an angle you can not get the bolt to reliably pick up the cartridge. Tonight I fixed the feed ramps and proceeded to destroy a full box of UMC trying to cycle through the rifle with the firing pin removed. Shoulders were crushed, bullets pushed into the cases and necks bent. Was a learning experiance and I guess I have a bunch of parts I can sell to recoup some money from the el cheapo donor SKS.
 
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