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INSTRUCTIONS: CONVERTING SKS TO FEED AK MAGAZINE

heavyiron
Does anybody have instructions on how to convert the SKS rifle to feed AK magazines and if they do will they please post them? I have seen these rifles and would like to know how it done and how difficult of a job it may be.

Thanks.

Heavyiron[8D]
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • 1KYDSTR
    I am no expert on the legal issues involved, but I think this one might land you in jail. It would likely depend on when it was manufatured (the gun AND the magazine), but the detachable aspect takes it away from stock and might be a no-no. I hope Mark Christian can help you here.

    "When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
    "Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
    "History is written by winners"(Patton)
    "You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
    "There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
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  • k.stanonik
    putting the feared legal issues aside, this subject has been addressed here several time. The previous posters on this issue all came out with about the same findings, dont waste your time, they jam alot and if you want a hi cap mag on it find the 20 round one to replace the standard 10 rnd. There is nothing wrong with asking the question, you will always find different input from past posts.
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  • nmyers
    k. statonik, I believe that the previous discussions addressed the detachable SKS mags, which most respondents felt were not worthwhile. However, someone mentioned a gunsmith conversion to allow the use of AK mags; I believe that this is what heavyiron is talking about.

    I've never seen an AK conversion, but would be interested in hearing from anyone who has had this done. Even if it is available, I certainly wouldn't DO it. I mean, the rifle will still be a utilitarian SKS; I wouldn't put mag wheels on a Yugo, either.

    Neal
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  • Raoul
    I can't give you the legal references, but converting a fix magazine SKS to take AK mags could get you up to 10 years in a federal facility nearest you. I wouldn't want to do the Randy Weaver thing.

    There are SKS's out there that use AK mags, but they were produced in the facories in China that way. They were generally pretty good guns, but importation of those models was cut-off years ago.
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  • hatchettman
    You may have seen what is called the sks sporter, these were made by norinco years ago and take a AK mag!!!Later some one came out with a adaptor to take ak mags, because the ak mags were so cheap and the sk mags were growing in value. these adaptors were crap!!!Then some one came out with a synthetic ak style mag, with a arm that fit up into the magwell of the sks, but you could only use that specific synthetic mag with it. END RESULT, all junk except the original sk sporter and the 10rd and 20rd fixed box mags!!!! there is no magic wand to wave to improve on the sks mag!!!! by all means, dont try or let someone else try to adapt a AK mag to your SKS, UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO ON A EXTENDED VACATION!!!
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  • gunnut505
    It's fairly simple to convert an SKS to take AK mags.
    Trouble is, you'll need a welder, grinder, be really good at metalwork, and have a residence out of U.S. territory.
    The AK mags are thicker, so you need to remove metal. How much? Depends on what kind of SKS you have, and what mags you have.
    It's all in a little how-to book that gets sold at gun shows for around $7.95, and it's going to be right next to "Home Shotgun Gunsmithing" by Randy Weaver, and near the build a home workshop 50BMG book by Bill Holmes.

    "Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID
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  • heavyiron
    Please forgive me if I sound rude because that is not how I intend this, but none of your responses are relevant to the question I asked.

    I am not asking if I can convert my rifle to use detachable magazines. My rifle was converted over 12 years ago to feed detachable SKS magazines and I like them. I am not asking if it is legal or not to make this conversion. I am not asking if it is a good idea or not. I am not asking if detachable SKS magazines feed reliably or not. I do not have a sportster. I do not have a Yugo SKS. I have a Chinese Norinco SKS that I purchased in 1991 before the AWB - pre-ban.

    I have seen this topic on the forum before and I cannot find it on the Search. I believe someone had instructions (or at least said they did) on how the conversion was performed.

    I just saw one of these conversions two weeks ago on a Yugo SKS at a local gun show and I was wondering if anyone knows what steps are involved? I want to know what the process is to convert an SKS rifle to feed AK magazines?

    Does anybody know?

    Thank you.

    Regards,

    Heavyiron
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  • drobs
    You may want to look up Kingjoey in the Member list at the top right hand of the forum. He is an SKS master, I sent him a couple of those duck billed mags of mine that I couldn't get to work, he got them working perfectly.

    Also I would contact http://www.krebscustom.com they are custom AK smiths and will glady answer your questions, if they are not swamped.

    Maybe be a little more specific next time. You may get your answer a little quicker.

    Regards,
    gadsden.jpg
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  • lrarmsx
    As has been previously mentioned, "there is no kit to convert a standard SKS to take AK mags". I have sold SKS's from various countries going back to the mid 1980's. I have been approached at gun shows by countless individuals that had been sent to me by other dealers specifically looking for said kit. Upon my telling them that one does not exist, many of these guys get pissed and think I am messing with them.

    Yes there have been SKS's that took AK mags. They were made from the ground up to be just that "an SKS that uses AK mags". The receiver is made differently, the bolt carrier is made differently, the trigger group is made differently, and the stock is made differently. All of these guns were made that way because most any attempts at a conversion will have limited success if any. There was a company in Michigan back in the early 1990's that did conversions on the SKS so that they would take AK mags. The conversion cost over $100 and wasn't always reliable and looked cobbish. Eventually the gov't shut down the operation.

    Before the ban of 1989, there were SKS's that took AK mags and had standard stocks, with metal butt plates, bayonets, the whole nine yards. They were stopped from importation in March of 1989 along with the AK's. After the ban they came out with an SKS sporter model that had a thumbhole stock and later a Monte Carlo stock. They too were made from the ground up to use the AK mags. They had 16.5" barrels, no bayonet lug and the non-traditional stocks. Later seeing the popularity of the AK mag "sporter" SKS, the Chinese tried retro-fitting some standard SKS's so that they would take the AK mag. Although they knew what needed to be done, the coversions didn't work well. One of the main problems was that they tried to use a modified original trigger group. The problem was the mags fell out when you fired them. They really needed a different trigger group that had a different latch system so that the mags would stay in. The "made from the ground up" models had this trigger group. The modified ones did not. I personally had to make modifications to mags for customers so that their mags would stay in. Hence defeating the purpose of being able to take "standard" off the shelf AK mags.

    Additionally there was a company years ago that made a kit. There advertising said "detachable magazine for your SKS, just like the AK. Problem was it didn't take AK mags, it just allowed you to convert the guns to take a detachable mag of their own design. It was made of plastic. You had to drill holes in your stock to attach the conversion block. They found there was too much play between the stock and the gun, so they redesigned it to attach to the barrel. In that design you were given instructions how far to drill into the chamber area of the barrel. "YES I SAID DRILL INTO THE BARREL Under The Chamber". The instructions were based on the thickness of a "screwed in" barrel. Just one problem, many had the thinner "pinned in" barrel. When they drilled their holes, they either drilled into the chamber itself (barrel destroyed immediately) or so close to the chamber wall that when they fired the weapon, the kit blew out the bottom of the gun because the pressures in the chamber blew there way through the weakened part of the chamber (The holes) and once again ruined the barrel.

    Anyway, there is no kit for making an SKS take AK mags. A machinest can accomplish the task with great effort and skill. There isn't much that a truly good machinist can't do along those lines. However, you are talking machining, grinding, welding, redesigning on the receiver, the trigger group, the stock, and the mag release system. Having experienced these attempts at conversion previously, I can honestly say that I personally would not attempt it. Any specific instructions that you may receive should be looked at with a cautious and discerning eye. General instructions aren't going to cut it. You will need detailed drawings, specs relating to your specific series of SKS, Chinese, Russian, Romanian, Yugoslavian, Albanian. If Chinese, you will need specific detailed blue prints with exact measurements for the gun specifying milled trigger guard, screwed in barrel, stamped trigger guard, pinned in barrel. Etc.

    Given the fact that even the Chinese themselves couldn't get a retro fit to work, I guess I personally wouln't attempt it. Th factory made models worked reasonably well, but the ones that they tried to do the refit had a number of problems. I personally experienced a few of those problems and got feedback from supplies that had to take them back with various other problems. All said and done, feel free to pursue your course, but it is by far and away, not nearly as easy to do this type of conversion as you may think or as you may have been told by the average "Arm Chair Gunsmith" or "SKS Expert" in the past.

    You'll notice I didn't mention any legal issues. That wasn't your directed question. I hope this helps.

    LRARMSX
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  • heavyiron
    Iramsx,

    Thank you so much for your detailed answer.

    This is what I needed to know. For all practical intents and my purposes it is impractical to make this conversion. I just needed the right info to understand the complexities.

    Again, thank you very much for the quality of information you provided. You are a true expert!

    Heavyiron[8D]
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