Still Moddin' Milsurps like it's 2013

I recognise the knowledge and skill it too to do this and applaud it. But why?

You've got a left hand operated charging handle which you'll rarely use because you feed in stripper clips with your right hand and likewise operate the bolt right handed.

Any jam requiring the bolt to be held to the rear with the right hand frees up the left to work on the jam.

I'm personally not a fan of sporterising. I've seen some great ones likd the work 3-D did, but I just don't get stuff like this that just kinda looks cheap/tacky and doesn't do much. I mean plastic pistol grip stocks with adjustable length are everywhere.

I'm genuinely not trying to be mean and I know how the written word can come across. It's your property to do with as you wish of course.
 
Don't forget flimsy and fugly

The Soviets tried all sorts of mods on SKS types and felt the mass build design couldn't be improved much, unless they designed a new rifle around the same cartridge, as they did with the AK47, which wasn't much of an improvement IMHO
 
I can’t believe a big fish hasn’t snapped this up yet, it’s such a great idea. I’ve been following you for a while and have been wishing/hoping for a semi- finished “drop-in” version.
 
Well, Bratwurst, this design revolves around using detachable magazines, so the stripper clip thing is a non-issue. Having a charging handle right above where the shooter normally holds the stock with their support hand is very intuitive, since the pistol grip naturally becomes the primary retention point.

Any jam that requires the bolt to be held to the rear will typically involve the shooter setting the bolt catch using the bolt catch lever. So also a non-issue.

I'm sure you're in the minority of people who think that plastic stocks look less tacky than the original hardwood.

This is how this rifle looks after I finished the mods that I mention in the closing of the video

GFd88UI.jpg



I recognise the knowledge and skill it too to do this and applaud it. But why?

You've got a left hand operated charging handle which you'll rarely use because you feed in stripper clips with your right hand and likewise operate the bolt right handed.

Any jam requiring the bolt to be held to the rear with the right hand frees up the left to work on the jam.

I'm personally not a fan of sporterising. I've seen some great ones likd the work 3-D did, but I just don't get stuff like this that just kinda looks cheap/tacky and doesn't do much. I mean plastic pistol grip stocks with adjustable length are everywhere.

I'm genuinely not trying to be mean and I know how the written word can come across. It's your property to do with as you wish of course.
 
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Don't forget flimsy and fugly

The Soviets tried all sorts of mods on SKS types and felt the mass build design couldn't be improved much, unless they designed a new rifle around the same cartridge, as they did with the AK47, which wasn't much of an improvement IMHO

I would love to see some pictures, or even read am article about these Soviet tool-room SKS mods. Could you post a link for me?

(I'll look for myself, of course, and update this comment with links if I fins any)
 
I can’t believe a big fish hasn’t snapped this up yet, it’s such a great idea. I’ve been following you for a while and have been wishing/hoping for a semi- finished “drop-in” version.

All i can tell you is that no one has ever contacted me about assisting with their R&D.
So maybe someone with a machine shop is working on a drop-in trigger group with pistol grip and bolt catch release, but if so, they're keeping their cards close to their chest
 
All i can tell you is that no one has ever contacted me about assisting with their R&D.
So maybe someone with a machine shop is working on a drop-in trigger group with pistol grip and bolt catch release, but if so, they're keeping their cards close to their chest

I'm working on a personal project right now that involves modifying the SKS trigger pack to move the trigger itself down and forward towards the magazine. I am also deleting the stock safety and replacing it with an AR10 ambi safety and doing away with the spring lock that locks the trigger housing to the rear of the rifle. The housing that will contain the trigger pack and modifications will also have an AR15 or AK47 grip mounting feature. The new trigger pack will engage the rifle as normal at the front but I am doing away with the spring lock at the rear and instead the grip and trigger module will have a AR10 rear take down pin I have not decided on the grip features yet as I am waiting for the end of hunting season so I can go spend some time down in the shop with the mill and tig welder.
My mods are to an SKS-D trigger pack so will not be the same animal as the standard sks trigger pack although something similar could be done.
Mine won't be in wood though as this "trigger pack" will be a component for a modular system that will turn an SKS-D into something along the lines of an HK XM8

I think you will be interested in how I modify the trigger itself to move the hand forward and allow for a pistol grip and ambi safety ......and have it all look normal

While I kinda cringed at how you came up with and executed your trigger pack mods (no offense meant ) , the finished firearm looks like a pretty handy package to me and if it functions as it should then what's to criticize? If you like it and it functions fine then it's a job well done.
 
Someone hook this man up with a mill, lathe, cad machine, etc. Op, your ingenuity is very impressive. I can't imagine what you would design with a pile of time and resources.

This. The guy was even set back recently by a tragic workshop fire that burned it to the ground. But yet despite even this hes back at it. Hes a driven innovator for sure !
 
This system is my passion project. Can't burn up passion.

As for what I would do with time and resources, I would design an injection moulded replacement fire control group that incorporated all the features that I consider essential, using ar-15 fire control group components.
3/4 of the modifications necessary to accomplish this system reside in the FCG anyway.
The charging handle is just a replacement gas tube cover
 
Well, Bratwurst, this design revolves around using detachable magazines, so the stripper clip thing is a non-issue. Having a charging handle right above where the shooter normally holds the stock with their support hand is very intuitive, since the pistol grip naturally becomes the primary retention point.

Any jam that requires the bolt to be held to the rear will typically involve the shooter setting the bolt catch using the bolt catch lever. So also a non-issue.

I'm sure you're in the minority of people who think that plastic stocks look less tacky than the original hardwood.

This is how this rifle looks after I finished the mods that I mention in the closing of the video

GFd88UI.jpg

Hey there!

Thanks for your detailed response, I was unaware that you were using detacheable mags at the time.

Fair enough! I do think the picture you have shown looks good and I can't say anything about wasting time/money on a passion when I'm also a shooter sending money down range!

I didn't mean to suggest that tapco plastic looks better just that it achieves a large amount of benefits (pistol grip, rails etc) out of the box without altering the original rifle components.

I want to re-iterate that I had no intention of being mean, I just didn't really see the point. I understand better now and while it's still not my cup of tea (oh dear how sad nevermind) I recognise your skills and commend you for them.
 
All i can tell you is that no one has ever contacted me about assisting with their R&D.
So maybe someone with a machine shop is working on a drop-in trigger group with pistol grip and bolt catch release, but if so, they're keeping their cards close to their chest

Still amazes me… With the OIC in-play and with zero (?) options available to us in the <$1000 range I don’t know how this isn’t already a thing. None of the aftermarket stocks offer what this does and IMHO the proportions of an SKS in something like a pistol-gripped Tapco stock aren’t aesthetically pleasing. I’d actually buy an SKS just to drop your trigger pack into it.
 
Still amazes me… With the OIC in-play and with zero (?) options available to us in the <$1000 range I don’t know how this isn’t already a thing. None of the aftermarket stocks offer what this does and IMHO the proportions of an SKS in something like a pistol-gripped Tapco stock aren’t aesthetically pleasing. I’d actually buy an SKS just to drop your trigger pack into it.

I suspect the cost of doing it doesn't play nicely with the owner of an SKS. For example how many SKS owners who bought at between $200 - $500 are going to justify to themselves spending circa $200 on a trigger change? We can justify dropping a $200 trigger in a AR, WK180c etc. as it can move between them and often provides a cost effective increase in performance. I'm not sure that will occur with SKSs, likewise with stocks and other aspects I think the cost of a product made in reasonable numbers will outweigh the benefit perceived by SKS owners.

I think the cost of a stock, left hand cocking handle, new trigger, and the additional accessories such as a red dot mount will probably add up to a level where someone will buy a Type 97 or WK180C instead
 
In such an unfriendly and capricious regulatory environment, I suspect that Canadian manufacturers just aren't willing to sink the money into developing a product when the host system could wind up banned at the whim of an unstable government.

There are a lot of engineering challenges baked into designing a universal replacement for a part with so many variations, and my assessment is that what exists for the Canadian Firearms industry is hunkering down, scared to innovate, scared to stick their necks out.

7 or 8 years ago, back in the halcyon days, there would be a domestic cottage industry providing aftermarket support for the Type-81.

I suspect the cost of doing it doesn't play nicely with the owner of an SKS. For example how many SKS owners who bought at between $200 - $500 are going to justify to themselves spending circa $200 on a trigger change? We can justify dropping a $200 trigger in a AR, WK180c etc. as it can move between them and often provides a cost effective increase in performance. I'm not sure that will occur with SKSs, likewise with stocks and other aspects I think the cost of a product made in reasonable numbers will outweigh the benefit perceived by SKS owners.

I think the cost of a stock, left hand cocking handle, new trigger, and the additional accessories such as a red dot mount will probably add up to a level where someone will buy a Type 97 or WK180C instead
 
Sadly, most SKS owners have only experienced 2 configurations. The 1950s SKS, and the poorly modified sks. Both of those can possibly taint the experience for the new owner, thus making them forever forward reluctant to add anything or invest anything into the platform. They think its an old 300 dollar gun with 300 dollars worth of performance and potential. But yet those same people go out and buy a 300 dollar Type 81 for $1200 and expect it to be worth all that lol
 
Sadly, most SKS owners have only experienced 2 configurations. The 1950s SKS, and the poorly modified sks. Both of those can possibly taint the experience for the new owner, thus making them forever forward reluctant to add anything or invest anything into the platform. They think its an old 300 dollar gun with 300 dollars worth of performance and potential. But yet those same people go out and buy a 300 dollar Type 81 for $1200 and expect it to be worth all that lol

I spent $1500 on the 81 LMG, it was kind of fun but honestly I want rid of it for the rifle variant, or even better something else entirely.

5 round mags just remove so much fun from the game, 10 is livable but 5....eeesh
 
Ironically, the historical low prices that SKS's have fetched has probably contributed as much as anything else to the way that aftermarket support for the platform has mostly been half-hearted.

Sadly, most SKS owners have only experienced 2 configurations. The 1950s SKS, and the poorly modified sks. Both of those can possibly taint the experience for the new owner, thus making them forever forward reluctant to add anything or invest anything into the platform. They think its an old 300 dollar gun with 300 dollars worth of performance and potential. But yet those same people go out and buy a 300 dollar Type 81 for $1200 and expect it to be worth all that lol
 
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