SKS modification
- Thread starter marc.lam
- Start date
I know ONE man who has successfully shortened an SKS and made it work. He is a retired professional engineer who has been working on firearms designs since 1945.
But you asked a question, so I will predict a few of the results.
1. you would have nowhere for the bayonet to lock up onto
2. the gas-operated action of the SKS depends on a specific PULSE and DWELL of that pulse for sufficient power to operate the action. If you upset this more than a very small bit, you are going to REALLY affect reliability, quite possibly to the point that you will need to develop entirely new loads for your existing casings.
3.NOISE LEVEL and MUZZLE FLASH would increase dramatically. You then get to add a muzzle brake and increase it even MORE. Fire more than a few magazines and you end up a deaf old fart like me, having to SHOUT to make myself heard....
4. if you lop more than 2 inches, you get 5 years of FREE room and board in a secure environment, with FREE ### thrown in. You might not like that.... and the food is lousy. The Charge under the Criminal Code is "manufacturing a Prohibited Weapon".
5. you destroy what accuracy the thing has. That Industrial Hard Chrome liner in the barrel is the utter devil to cut evenly (wrecks hacksaws in no time flat) and an imPERFECT cutting will destabilise each and every bullet which leaves that barrel.
That's for starts.
I am sure that some of the guys who have worked with the Simonov Self-loading Carbine more than I have will chime in with their own reasons.
For what it was designed for (deliberate shooting at man-sized targets out to 300 metres), the SKS is just about perfect as it is. Why mess with a Good Thing?
But you asked a question, so I will predict a few of the results.
1. you would have nowhere for the bayonet to lock up onto
2. the gas-operated action of the SKS depends on a specific PULSE and DWELL of that pulse for sufficient power to operate the action. If you upset this more than a very small bit, you are going to REALLY affect reliability, quite possibly to the point that you will need to develop entirely new loads for your existing casings.
3.NOISE LEVEL and MUZZLE FLASH would increase dramatically. You then get to add a muzzle brake and increase it even MORE. Fire more than a few magazines and you end up a deaf old fart like me, having to SHOUT to make myself heard....
4. if you lop more than 2 inches, you get 5 years of FREE room and board in a secure environment, with FREE ### thrown in. You might not like that.... and the food is lousy. The Charge under the Criminal Code is "manufacturing a Prohibited Weapon".
5. you destroy what accuracy the thing has. That Industrial Hard Chrome liner in the barrel is the utter devil to cut evenly (wrecks hacksaws in no time flat) and an imPERFECT cutting will destabilise each and every bullet which leaves that barrel.
That's for starts.
I am sure that some of the guys who have worked with the Simonov Self-loading Carbine more than I have will chime in with their own reasons.
For what it was designed for (deliberate shooting at man-sized targets out to 300 metres), the SKS is just about perfect as it is. Why mess with a Good Thing?
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Gentlemen, thank-you for your input.
Dogbreath
yes I wanted a shorter rifle
Smellie: I was thinking of about a 19" barrel and wasn't interested in the bayonet. I was thinking somewhat along the lines of the CZ858. However, if there are going to be as many considerations as you mentioned, I'll leave well enough alone. Once again thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
Dogbreath
yes I wanted a shorter rifleSmellie: I was thinking of about a 19" barrel and wasn't interested in the bayonet. I was thinking somewhat along the lines of the CZ858. However, if there are going to be as many considerations as you mentioned, I'll leave well enough alone. Once again thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
You might have some better luck in the Red Rifles area. I know one or two members have certainly tried this, but as smellie mentioned, chrome's a b####..... Look for Lou the Pou's version, guy does nice things to ratty old rifles. Personally I find the SKS all kinds of fun in stock form. Though I did drop one into a folding stock to carry in the woods...
Easy enough (and quite cost-effective) would be simply to use a screwdriver and remove the bayonet assembly and put it away.
You would not have a SHORTER rifle but it certainly would be HANDIER and much faster to get on-target with.
You would not have a SHORTER rifle but it certainly would be HANDIER and much faster to get on-target with.
Smellie, no one can put this quite as eloquently and elegantly as you.
marc.lam, indeed messing around with a good thing often makes it less good. What I did, because I figured it would be a good learning exercise, was to salvage a really messed up SKS barreled action - which had had its tip hacksawed away and a few holes drilled in the receiver. Since it was a non chromed barrel, I was a bit lucky. I cleaned up the muzzle (what was left of it anyways...), a friend of mine threaded it and installed a FN FAL flash hider. I also asked what my teenage son thought this rifle should look like if we dressed it up to his taste... Let's just say there's not much wood parts on it now (well, it's not MY rifle, it's HIS - ok I had fun testing it and plinking with it )
Bottom line is, if you are patient, you'll find project guns - other folks projects gone bad, and potentially going good for you. No need to screw up a perfectly working SKS when there are a few here and there which are crying for attention...
Lou
marc.lam, indeed messing around with a good thing often makes it less good. What I did, because I figured it would be a good learning exercise, was to salvage a really messed up SKS barreled action - which had had its tip hacksawed away and a few holes drilled in the receiver. Since it was a non chromed barrel, I was a bit lucky. I cleaned up the muzzle (what was left of it anyways...), a friend of mine threaded it and installed a FN FAL flash hider. I also asked what my teenage son thought this rifle should look like if we dressed it up to his taste... Let's just say there's not much wood parts on it now (well, it's not MY rifle, it's HIS - ok I had fun testing it and plinking with it
)Bottom line is, if you are patient, you'll find project guns - other folks projects gone bad, and potentially going good for you. No need to screw up a perfectly working SKS when there are a few here and there which are crying for attention...
Lou
Removing the bayonet makes the only really noticeable difference, but cutting the barrel makes it look better. Not better than an SKS with bayonet but better than a bayonet lug hanging out trying to look cool with no bayonet. The weight reduction of 2" of barrel and FSB are nil. I still have the barrel stub if you want a hard number. The work involved is only worth it if you enjoy the work, just take the bayonet off if you want to shave a little weight. This rifle and cartridge is not adversely affected by cutting 2" of bbl and accuracy is affected only if the quality of the crown changes. If the rifle has a bad crown and then gets cut and properly crowned then of course groups will tighten up. And if its just fine and you bugger it up, well, you know what happens there too. After cutting and crowning, my Chinese SKS shot 3-4" @ 100 yds with Czech surplus. As for the work involved, its labour intensive and only worth it if you have fun doing it. I love metal working and guns so it was a fun project for me in the garage last summer. Reliability is unaffected, the only time it is is when our southern friends cut them to 16" without enlarging the gas port. At 18.5" it cycles just as hard as it did with a 20.5" bbl. There's still no daytime muzzle flash and the muzzle blast is the same.
Guess I'm gonna differ. Wacking the barrel should be no different than shortening the barrel on an AR. Besides, the Chinese have produced shortened guns at one time, so it must be possible. Just have to adjust the gas port size to compensate and not all SKS barrels are chrome plated. Main concern would be to keep the legal length.
Grizz
Wacking the barrel should be no different than shortening the barrel on an AR. Besides, the Chinese have produced shortened guns at one time, so it must be possible. Just have to adjust the gas port size to compensate and not all SKS barrels are chrome plated. Main concern would be to keep the legal length.Grizz
Oh I forgot about the chrome lining. A zipcut blazes right through it like its not even there. No chipping or flaking. It filed flat easily with a file too. No need to worry about it. Just try not to cut up a nice Russian SKS. They're cheap enough you can buy a Chinese to hack and slash until bubba reposts it to his facebook for all his Bubba Army friends to drool over.
I did the same thing to my Russian SKS I bought in the early 90's, mostly just to do it, this modification made no difference to the noise or the accuracy. If you like the look and want to test your skills why not go for it, at worst you are out a 170.00 bucks for another one, not a big loss.
