SKS Drum mag --- bolt must be retracted to insert/remove?

S

Sirl

Member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
South Saskatchewan
A friend got one of these for some ridiculous reason. Aside from the fact that they are ridiculously more difficult to load five rounds with, compared to stripper clips, I am having issues helping him fit the thing.

I did a bunch of filing on the mag lips, and the bolt functions properly now with not much friction, but I still have about 1 mm of filing on each side to do before the thing has any chance of being possible to insert/remove without having to hold the bolt back at the same time.

If the bolt would lock back, of course, this would be a non-issue, but it doesn't.

I just don't want to file too much off and leave my friend with a miss feeding block of steel.

I suppose this could be an issue with anyone using detachable mags, and not just drum mags... So feel free to chime in.
 
Last edited:
Do not file the lips of the mag unless it interferes with the bolts normal motion. SKS's have a groove machined into the bolt where the mag lips rest. The sks was not designed to have a removable magazine. If you like to make mags removable you will need to do the bolt modification. This involves removing the lips on the sides of bolt. There might be a YouTube video on it.
 
The bolt does lock back. Pull it to the rear and lift the bolt catch and ease the bolt onto it. And if you file the feed lips off until they fit over the bottom edge of the bolt you can toss your buddies expensive new toy in the garbage.
 
Got it. Mag lips are fine but yeah I should have realized sooner.

Kinda ridiculous. The way the follower works, you can't load it into the gun with all five bullets in it anyway, unless you pull the bolt first.

Anyway, not my problem. At least Buddy can go to the range now and unload all four bullets as fast as he can pull the trigger.
 
Don't do the bolt modification. It's a fruitless endeavor.

Lift the bolt catch with your finger to hold the bolt open for the initial loading of the detachable mag.
The bolt will then hold open automatically after the final round is fired.
Making the bolt modification pretty much useless when compared to the work put into making the mod happen.
Especially considering you will only employ the mod once an outing, when you first begin using the rifle.
 
Find someone with a SKS M or D and take a gander at the bolt. There is also machining done on the underside of the bolt as well that also helps with a loaded mag insertion on a closed bolt.

I had to replace a bolt on my M and had to fully modify a stock SKS bolt in order to get it to fit and work in the M. Took a while, went slow but it turned out perfect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom