For Hulvin--
Concerning the SKS barrel you shortened, and the resulting poor accuracy: I have never cut one of these off, as the shorter "paratrooper" model sold quite well in this country while it was available--hence, no need to do so. A number of years ago I was asked to cut the barrel of an M-16 to the bare minimum legal length. In fact, it had to have the compensator permanently attached to the barrel to be legal! The owner later reported that it usually would fire only 2 or 3 shots before jamming with a failure to extract/eject. Some research revealed that the bullet's time in the shortened barrel failed to "back up" enough gas in the bore to reliabily operate the action. One proposed solution was to enlarge the gas port, but a company making a similar version called "The Monitor" advised against that approach. They use two gas blocks, one is invisible inside the handguard, and the other is the one that is part of the standard front sight. In fact, they were utilizing the plentiful supply of parts and merely altering the concealed block by using the standard part and cutting off the sight. I didn't get a chance to tinker with enlarging the port hole because the customer sold the rifle, but I was wondering if your shortened SKS barrel produced reduced functional reliability? If not, would you attribute it to a larger bore volume and a larger port to begin with? Also, why do you think accuracy sufferred? In theory, shorter barrels can be as accurate as longer barrels given a good muzzle crown. Vibrations, of course can change. Anyway, I'd be very interested in your thoughts and observations on the subject. Thanks. D.G.
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Hi Gebirgsjager,
Thank you for your questions.
As you know, a barrel on Yugo SKS is 22" long. Since I considered this length way too much for a cartridge like 7.62x39, I decided to experiment and shorten the barrel on one of my SKS. I wanted a short carabine, so I cutt of 4" of the barrel. I remodelled and repositioned the front sight and it looked like a cute little semi-auto rifle.
You may say that this was too much, but at the time, I hoped that the stability of a bullet and accuracy should not be affected, because let us remember that AK-47 which fires the same cartridge, has a barrel length slightly over 16".
Shortening the barrel on my SKS did not effect functional reliability. The crowning of the barrel was done professionaly and the barrel was in mint condition, but the accuracy was poor (10" circle group at 100 yards). Test shooting was done with Yugo made FMJ standard issue cartridges.
I've never liked SKS and 7.62x39 cartridge, but since it is a cheap shooter, I keep 2 of those in my gun cabinet, although I can not remember the last time I shot with them.
My experiences about the accuracy of Yugo made SKS and cartridges, in general, are not positive and I have never a chance to test any other SKS.
Yugoslav Army wanted a sniper version of SKS sometime back in 1970, I guess. They were made with factory issued scopes and side quick-detachable mounts (peculiar mount, not based on a dovetail rail, but on some kind of a trapesoid and ball centering). I presume that few hundreds of those were made and tested, but the project failed because of inadequate accuracy. All those scope equiped SKS rifles were put away for reserve army units. I was able to see and to shoot with those rifles at the beginning of the war in Croatia, back in 1991. It was difficult to consistently hit a half-human target at 400 yards, so all scopes were removed as uneccessary.
And for the conclusion I can only tell you that my experience with the accuracy of Yugo made SKS and cartridges is so negative, that I never bothered with that problem and never tryed to understand it.
You are right that shorter barrels can be as accurate as longer barrels given a good muzzle crown. I think that this is not a theory, this is a practice with all good rifles (and pistols as well), if we are not talking about extremes.
During the war, in a hurry, I have restored accuracy on many M48's and M98's by cutting an inch or two, and recrowning of a barrel which had worn or damaged rifling at a muzzle.
So, this is it, just my experience with SKS, which is not very extensive, simply because I have never been attracted with that rifle and the cartridge.
Other people may have other experiences - it would be interesting to hear some.
Regards
Hulvin0 -
Thank you for your response, Hulvin. I have noted that a number of VZ (CZ)24 rifles that have passed through my shop have had the muzzles counterbored for approx. 1 1/2 inches, apparently also in an attempt to restore accuracy resulting from damaged crowns. Some also appear to have had a short section of barrel which mounts the front sight added on, as a barely visible thin line can be seen around the barrel about 1 inch behind the sight. In this case the short section of barrel on which the sight is mounted is bored out larger than 8 mm and has no rifling. What is the story here? 0 -
Sorry, I don't have a clue about that situation on VZ 24.
Never seen that.
The procedure is known, all right, to counterbore the muzzle, but to add a section on a barrel... I don't know. Sounds crazy to bother with that. Who knows where those rifles came from.
Hulvin0 -
I don't mean this as trying to be sarcastic at all, as I do not try the things you are doing to your rifle. But what about twist rate differences between the AK-47, and a SKS? Just a thought. 0 -
Hi Matwor,
Your question is interesting.
I never bothered to find that out.
A common sence is telling me that the twist rate should be the same.
I may be wrong.
I'll see if I can dig out some informations about that.
Hulvin0
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