SKS Yugo
Can the bayonet on an SKS Yugo be removed legally?
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just bought a sks,gun fires but does not cycle,won't even eject spent cartridge,gun seems clean and has been checked out by a gunsmith before shipping(so I"m told) what should I do with this rifle short of making it into a lamp( I saw that one coming)[?] 0 -
YES. 0 -
But, not easily. Not intended for user removal, the screw is heavily staked.
And, once you start altering your rifle, it will no longer be in the C&R category.
Neal0 -
quote:Originally posted by nmyers
But, not easily. Not intended for user removal, the screw is heavily staked.
Yup. If you really want it gone, you may have to drill or dremel out the retaining pin/screw. Edit: Here's a little tutorial:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/grenadesightremoval/pdf/grenadesightshs.pdf
quote:
And, once you start altering your rifle, it will no longer be in the C&R category.
Assuming you were careful about how you removed it (ie you didn't remove it by grinding off the entire bayonet lug), you could theoretically still replace the bayonet after removing it and then the gun would be C&R eligible again. Even if you had to swap the original retaining pin/screw for an aftermarket one, the BATFE has ruled that this sort of functional aftermarket parts replacement does not make a gun C&R ineligible.
Also, its possible that just removing the bayonet isn't enough to make the gun ineligible for C&R (see below).
I hate to be a stick in the mud here, but my understanding is that because of ambiguity in the title 18 section 922 laws, its actually unclear whether or not simply removing a bayonet from a Yugo SKS is illegal.
The idea, in a nutshell, is that the Yugo SKS is only importable as a C&R rifle under specific BATFE determination about that particular gun. The combination of a semi-auto gun with night sights, threaded muzzle, and grenade launcher would make it illegal to import otherwise.
If you were to take off the bayonet, you've (arguably) altered the guns "original configuration" making it no longer a C&R gun.
I say "arguably" because the BATFE has determined in OTHER cases, that easily reversible modifications of minor significance don't remove a guns' C&R eligibility. Its possible that simply removing the bayonet for hunting use would be OK, especially if you left the bayonet lug in place and kept the bayonet itself.
My guess is that the BATFE probably does take this position, since there are plenty of so-called "California legal" bayonet-less Yugo-sks rifles floating around, and I've never heard of the BATFE trying to make a case against them.
But I don't know that with certainty and lacking an explicit determination from the BATFE that its OK to remove the bayonet. . .I don't know if it is or not. That well might be something worth asking the BATFE in an advisory opinion.
If BATFE does NOT take this position, then having taken off the bayonet, in theory you've just "manufactured" a gun with threaded barrel, night sights, grenade launcher, etc, that wouldn't be legally importable. Since its illegal to assemble/manufacture a gun from foreign made parts that would be illegal to be imported whole, removing the bayonet would be illegal.
The way to get around this would be to "Americanize" the gun by either adding the requisite number of American made parts to become section 922 compliant, or by removing all the "bad" features (muzzle threading, etc).
Now in practice, to the best of my knowledge nobody has EVER been criminally prosecuted under section 922 for ANYTHING, let alone something as plainly innocuous as REMOVING a bayonet from a military-type semiauto rifle. So far as I know, nobody has ever been prosecuted even for more egregious things like putting pistol-grip stocks, detachable magazines, etc on SKS rifles.
Note that the crime here is the manufacture, NOT the possession of a gun like this. Proving who did the assembly/manufacture can be tough. For this reason, the BATFE doesn't typically try to bring prosecutions over these guns.
Also, I think the BATFE understands the intrinsic insanity of section 922, and it doesn't want to risk having that entire section overturned by a judge in a test case.
So in short, it *might* technically be illegal to JUST take a bayonet off a C&R Yugo SKS rifle. Without documentation from the BATFE otherwise, I think that's unclear.
In practice, I find it hard to believe that the BATFE or anyone else would actually get worked up about this, and that realistic legal risk for taking the bayonet off your gun is pretty miniscule.0 -
Bean is right. It can be confusing.
I have a Norinco, and I was told if the SKS came in with no bayonet attached, I could not add one, however if it came with a bayonet attached, I could not remove it.0 -
I'll just leave it on, and get a Tapco stock with a cutout to make a little lighter. Thanks. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by mackcrane
I'll just leave it on, and get a Tapco stock with a cutout to make a little lighter. Thanks.
Guess what. . . Same problem.
IMO, biggest problem with the bayonet isn't the extra weight per se, its the fact that all the weight is up front on the gun; ie it alters the balance of the gun.
In any case, take off the original Yugo stock, and swap it for an aftermarket one, and you're also not in the "original configuration" of the gun. Like taking off the bayonet, you're still left having "constructed" a non C&R gun that would otherwise be illegal to import.
That said, as above, I have yet to hear of anyone getting in trouble for this type of swap.
If you *really* want to stay 100% legal then swap your Yugo SKS for an older Norinco/Chinese one. Costs are roughly the same, so you shouldn't lose money here.
The two rifles are functionally similar, but the Chinese made gun is a bit lighter, handier with no bayonet (assuming yours comes without one. . .as most seem to), should lack most of the "evil" features, and therefore will legally let you change the configuration is virtually any way.
Edit:
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Bean is right. It can be confusing.
I have a Norinco, and I was told if the SKS came in with no bayonet attached, I could not add one, however if it came with a bayonet attached, I could not remove it.
Confusing to say the least.
Adding another layer of complexity here, with the Chinese guns in particular, I think the importation rules changed during the time when these were still allowed in, meaning you potentially have "pre" and "post" ban type guns. Further, it may be difficult to document when a particular gun was imported, let alone in what configuration.
Add these things together and you're left with a big mess. . .which is probably exactly as the BATFE wants it.
Bottom line, I think, is that the above advice is probably the best: Leave the gun in whatever configuration you find it in, and not only with that configuration probably be legal, but you shouldn't be accused of "manufacturing" anything.
Legal issues aside, from my perspective, the "best" SKS is a "plain" one with no bayonet, no grenade launcher or flip up sights, ordinary stock, and fixed magazine. If you can find one of the Chinese "paratrooper" ones with a short barrel, those are good.
In other words, less is more. Recoil with these guns is mild; you simply don't need extra weight to tame it, and most of the "tactical" accessories (collapsing stocks, detachable magazines) either add very little or actually reduce reliability. A simple gun is faster to point and use, more reliable, less "evil" looking (and advantage, IMO), and more likely legal.0 -
I have a Norinco SKS and have to say that when I go out for any kind of shooting/hunting etc, I almost alway take this and my Ruger 10/22 along for entertainment.
It's not a tack driver, but it is a fun to shoot. With the stipper clips, its as fast a swapping out a magazine, sometimes faster as you can be prone and don't have to move to remove a magazine from the bottom.
This is one of the weapons in my bugout kit, so I practice with it whenever I get a chance.0
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