Threading a SKS barrel for a brake
- Thread starter Minister_of_sarcasm
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There is a big difference between being able to do a job and wanting to do a job. I'm sure loads of guy could do it but I don't know anyone who wants to. Not to mention the cost of the work would represent a significant proportion of the amount you originally paid for the rifle so you really need to ask if that is something work spending money on?
You're looking at a big pile of cash for a rifle that has almost no recoil. As far as doing it yourself, my neighbor is a retired machinist and we've done this to a few rifles, just not an sks, and its still a waste of time and not worth the effort for any results you think you're gonna get. Buy an extra case of ammo with your hard earned money to improve your shooting, this really is the best advice for dollars vs value.
I'll have to disagree with the "its a waste of time" comment and question whether it was legitimately meant as help. It was well worth it for me to procure a CNCWarrior threading kit and thread both my friends and my own SKS M14X1.0LH and install AK slant compensators. The difference in muzzle flip was well worth the minimal expense especially after I sold the kit for $10 less than I paid for it. Both compensators cost me $45 shipped from Italy and I traded one plus the threading job for the old stock off my buddies SKS. A kit in M14X1.0RH would give you access to all the nice VZ58 brakes and compensators. SKS muzzles are well within spec for M14 threads so a lathe is not necessary.
Thank you for the response Suputin and Fiddler. I understand it’s hard to justify spending an additional $200 to modify a weapon that only cost around $250 (Delivered).
After much thought I believe it can be justified it just depends on what you want to do with that weapon.
Keep in mind at all times the two main advantages of an SKS are:
1. The low initial purchase price. At the time of writing this the purchase price for a Russian SKS from our friends at Westrifle.com starts at $240
2. The low cost of ammunition. You can purchase Russian made non corrosive, soft point ammo for $494.95 for 1000 rounds. Or you can buy 1000 rounds of military, hard point, corrosive for around $249.95. Plus delivery. I got both prices from theammosource.com.
If all you want is a simi auto centre fire plinking rifle. Then out of the box you got it. Stop right there. And most people do. And I don’t blame them.
If you want to have a really good plinking rifle or a better coyote or deer rifle then you have to correct the creepy trigger and put a better sighting system on it.
To correct the trigger it’s around $50 for the parts if you can do it yourself. There are a couple of guys who do it in the US. Round trip shipping and the upgrade itself costs around $90.
Also you want to upgrade the sighting system. If you want to upgrade the iron sights then this is a $90 for the parts (Tech-Sights rear peep sight– you can get from hical.ca). The advantage of a Tech sight is it mounts behind the receiver giving it a longer sight base.
Or if you want to add a scope instead of an improved iron sight then you have to add a side mount scope mount. Around $80 plus if you know a gun smith who can mount it this is a quick job and worth it. I got mine done by a machinist friend for $30.
From there put a quality scope on. You can get a Weaver for under $200. Or if you can find a Nikon for under $200 these are good ones as well.
The advantage of a Weaver (Weaver V-3 1-3X20) is its short (Just under 11”). So you can mount it and still use the stripper clip load method.
The advantage of buying a lower end Nikon is the clear optics decent quality and a pretty slick ballistics calculator on their website (Or version you can download to your smart phone). They are a little longer so you will lose the advantage of the stripper clip loading method.
So for $310 you can scope your rifle and (Worst case) $90 you can make the trigger really good. For an extra $400 you now have an awesome plinking simi auto, or a really decent coyote/deer simi auto rifle (All in $650).
Or for an extra $200 you can have the after-market iron sights and fixed trigger (All in $450).
Keeping in mind the two biggest advantages the cheap ammo and the low initial purchase price.
As for threading the end of the barrel. I was curious to see how much it would cost to do so as well as add a quality brake.
I know a lot of gun smiths don’t like to work on the SKS. I’m not a gun smith myself (Obviously) and believe me a lot of times I wish I was. I can’t help but think there must be 1000’s of SKS’s in Canada and perhaps more guys would mod the rifle a smith was experienced in this type of rifle and put together some good packages. If I were a smith I would certainly look into it. I would be curious to hear the perspective and experience of any gun smiths on the subject. Thanks in advance for any input you may have.
Like I said if all you want is an out of the box simi auto plinking rifle then you got it. But if you want to do a little more with it I believe that investing a little money in it is worth it. Not only does it make the rifle more fun to shoot you can re-coup the cost of the work over time by the cost savings of the ammo.
This is just my opinion. I understand if it’s not shared. I do understand the position of the purest (Person who does not modify a weapon). Actually most of my rifles I have barely touched save for a trigger job here a different but stock pad there.
My SKS was different. It’s not a rare weapon nor is it all that expensive. It seemed like the perfect rifle to do a little work to lean some things, and experiment a bit at the range.
Good luck to you all.
After much thought I believe it can be justified it just depends on what you want to do with that weapon.
Keep in mind at all times the two main advantages of an SKS are:
1. The low initial purchase price. At the time of writing this the purchase price for a Russian SKS from our friends at Westrifle.com starts at $240
2. The low cost of ammunition. You can purchase Russian made non corrosive, soft point ammo for $494.95 for 1000 rounds. Or you can buy 1000 rounds of military, hard point, corrosive for around $249.95. Plus delivery. I got both prices from theammosource.com.
If all you want is a simi auto centre fire plinking rifle. Then out of the box you got it. Stop right there. And most people do. And I don’t blame them.
If you want to have a really good plinking rifle or a better coyote or deer rifle then you have to correct the creepy trigger and put a better sighting system on it.
To correct the trigger it’s around $50 for the parts if you can do it yourself. There are a couple of guys who do it in the US. Round trip shipping and the upgrade itself costs around $90.
Also you want to upgrade the sighting system. If you want to upgrade the iron sights then this is a $90 for the parts (Tech-Sights rear peep sight– you can get from hical.ca). The advantage of a Tech sight is it mounts behind the receiver giving it a longer sight base.
Or if you want to add a scope instead of an improved iron sight then you have to add a side mount scope mount. Around $80 plus if you know a gun smith who can mount it this is a quick job and worth it. I got mine done by a machinist friend for $30.
From there put a quality scope on. You can get a Weaver for under $200. Or if you can find a Nikon for under $200 these are good ones as well.
The advantage of a Weaver (Weaver V-3 1-3X20) is its short (Just under 11”). So you can mount it and still use the stripper clip load method.
The advantage of buying a lower end Nikon is the clear optics decent quality and a pretty slick ballistics calculator on their website (Or version you can download to your smart phone). They are a little longer so you will lose the advantage of the stripper clip loading method.
So for $310 you can scope your rifle and (Worst case) $90 you can make the trigger really good. For an extra $400 you now have an awesome plinking simi auto, or a really decent coyote/deer simi auto rifle (All in $650).
Or for an extra $200 you can have the after-market iron sights and fixed trigger (All in $450).
Keeping in mind the two biggest advantages the cheap ammo and the low initial purchase price.
As for threading the end of the barrel. I was curious to see how much it would cost to do so as well as add a quality brake.
I know a lot of gun smiths don’t like to work on the SKS. I’m not a gun smith myself (Obviously) and believe me a lot of times I wish I was. I can’t help but think there must be 1000’s of SKS’s in Canada and perhaps more guys would mod the rifle a smith was experienced in this type of rifle and put together some good packages. If I were a smith I would certainly look into it. I would be curious to hear the perspective and experience of any gun smiths on the subject. Thanks in advance for any input you may have.
Like I said if all you want is an out of the box simi auto plinking rifle then you got it. But if you want to do a little more with it I believe that investing a little money in it is worth it. Not only does it make the rifle more fun to shoot you can re-coup the cost of the work over time by the cost savings of the ammo.
This is just my opinion. I understand if it’s not shared. I do understand the position of the purest (Person who does not modify a weapon). Actually most of my rifles I have barely touched save for a trigger job here a different but stock pad there.
My SKS was different. It’s not a rare weapon nor is it all that expensive. It seemed like the perfect rifle to do a little work to lean some things, and experiment a bit at the range.
Good luck to you all.
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There isn't a whole lot of barrel beyond the front sight base. This would be a factor in doing the machining. The bayonet, of course would not work if a brake was fitted. The front sight could be remounted further back on the barrel.
Probably the easiest way to set up the barrelled receiver in the lathe would be to grab the stripped receiver in the four jaw chuck, muzzle on the live center, and then indicate in the barrel to get the bore axis lined up.
Lots of SKS rifles at very reasonable prices - but I wouldn't alter one of the really nice ones this way.
I like brakes; they increase the shootability of most rifles.
Probably the easiest way to set up the barrelled receiver in the lathe would be to grab the stripped receiver in the four jaw chuck, muzzle on the live center, and then indicate in the barrel to get the bore axis lined up.
Lots of SKS rifles at very reasonable prices - but I wouldn't alter one of the really nice ones this way.
I like brakes; they increase the shootability of most rifles.
Thanks for the response Supernova. You are correct I am trying to reduce muzzle rise not felt recoil. My bad I didn’t ask the question very clearly. What I should have asked was “Has anyone figured out a way to put on a threaded brake on a SKS without breaking the bank, and was able to achieve a good result reducing muzzle rise?”
A couple of quick follow up questions for you if you don’t mind?
Was the tool kit you purchased this (From the cncwarrior.com site)?
• .cncwarrior.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=25145 (Removed the http://www)
• 25145 AK 47 14x1LH Barrel Threading Kit for $55.84 – Option 7.62/308
Also what brake did you purchase? Sounds like you got good results from it.
Thanks much appreciated
A couple of quick follow up questions for you if you don’t mind?
Was the tool kit you purchased this (From the cncwarrior.com site)?
• .cncwarrior.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=25145 (Removed the http://www)
• 25145 AK 47 14x1LH Barrel Threading Kit for $55.84 – Option 7.62/308
Also what brake did you purchase? Sounds like you got good results from it.
Thanks much appreciated
Spending a bunch of money on an SKS is like putting expensive wheels on a 30 year old Honda Civic. In the end you have a crappy old piece of crap that isn't worth anymore than it was before you spent the money on it.
None of that stuff is going to make an SKS shoot better because it is a cheap, crappy $200 rifle. Hanging a bunch of parts off it won't change that fact.
None of that stuff is going to make an SKS shoot better because it is a cheap, crappy $200 rifle. Hanging a bunch of parts off it won't change that fact.
"...spending an additional $200..." More about never seeing that $200 again. As in it won't increase the rifle's value, ever. It'll still be an inaccurate Soviet Carbine.
"...reduce muzzle rise..." There isn't much of that either. Hold the rifle tighter into your shoulder.
"...reduce muzzle rise..." There isn't much of that either. Hold the rifle tighter into your shoulder.
Wow some people are really dead set against allowing others to do what they want. We spend huge amounts on all our guns, ammo, accessories etc but spending time and a little money to improve one with a low retail price is just beyond some people's comprehension. He asked who or how, not should I. Looking forward to the results Minister!
Indeed, and it usually flows with a vehement snobbery brought on by the arrogance of privilege. I guess if we're not suppressor manufacturers with access to prohibited firearms we're little more than redneck bumpkins who can only afford crap.
Well said Supernova AK. those bashers probly shot AR. or something simaler.What is funny is they spend thousands onthere toys but can only shoot them at range.We can take our surplus junk,and go have fun were ever it is safe.The best part is it was cheap, and we still have money to get a case of beer for the gun cleaning party.
Introduce new shooters to the sport. SHOOT SKS
Introduce new shooters to the sport. SHOOT SKS
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It's your gun. Mod it the way you want. I started doing this about 40 years ago. Bubba'd a few, but learned a lot. I now own two lathes. You wouldn't believe some of the weird stuff I have made. How about a bolt action #4 Mk1 that shoots 32H&R mag, 32S&W, 32S&Wlong, 32acp? Or a bolt action 444Marlin 5 shot repeater? I have put muzzle brakes on just about anything you can think of from 22 to .50. How about chamber inserts to shoot .32 acp in .458 win? My advice to you is to disregard what others say about bubba-ing rifles and have fun. Once the end of the barrel is threaded, there is no limit to the gizmos you can make on a lathe that will screw on to the end of the barrel. Have fun and stay legal.
I'd probably do this in a similar way. Reciever in the 4 jaw, center rest on the barrel a couple inches from the muzzle. Dial in the chamber section of the barrel using the chuck, and dial in a fitted pin in the bore with the center rest. Or, if your lathe has a spider chuck (outboard chuck) i'd probably run the barrel through the spindle. Two different methods, remarkable similar to chambering
