Thinking about converting my SKS to AK magazines.

[zimm15]

Hey guys I was thinking about converting my Yugo M59/66 SKS to accept AK 47 magazines. I was wondering if any one else has done this. If so, what kind of results did you get. I found the instructions at this website-
http://www.simonov.net/magazines.htm - They seemed pretty clear, and the only thing that could not be re-purchaced for pretty cheap is the reciever. My dad, who is an expert machinist, has 2 jobs as a plastic injection mold maker, and can do the whole thing at work would be doing the conversion. I'm not worried about the gun going down in value as i plan on not ever selling it (It was my first gun that i got for my 13th birthday). Of course if we mess up the reciever, I won't be able to even shoot it,which is why I made this post. So, any feedback would be great. Thanks in advance.

[kfranz]

Personally I don't think it'd be worth the effort, so I'd suggest you think again. Buy a $200 WASR lo cap and chop on it, or an AK kit and a receiver and slap it together and have a real AK if that's what you want.

I mean, this is DIRECTLY from the website where you got the directions...

If you own an imported SKS, put this out of your mind immediately. If you own a collectable SKS, put this out of your mind immediately.

You're going to spend in excess of what the rifle is worth in compliance parts once you do the mods. Hell, even with a dedicated AK mag with a US follower and floorplate (the cheapest way for compliance parts), you're looking at spending in excess of what the rifle is worth to get it back to "legal".

If you're doing it just for the "sure I can do this" factor, have at it.

[Mandaree36]

KFranz is dead on. Leave the SKS be - get the elcheapo Ak and widen out the magwell.

If you insist on doing the conversion you will spend wayyy more than it will be worth and if you fail the weapon will be worthless.

Just my .02

[akjim]

My 14 year old son's first rifle was also an M59/66, we had the granade launcher milled off and he shot his first deer last year with it. I would recommmend that you hold on to that firearm. I have a 22 LR that was my grandfathers and a photo of my dad at 12 or 13 holding up the first fox he shot with it. Neither the sks or the 22 lr will ever be sold or messed with. 30 years from now you'll be happy you didn't screw it up. Mandaree is right, your first firearm is worth a lot more then the metal.

[walruskid74]

don't mess with a sure thing. leave your sks alone. buy an ak. i have 6 30 rd. removable sks mags 15 bucks apiece, i don't like them.

[ENGLISH MIKE]

Leave the SKS as it was intended to be - they're quite good looking for a Commie weapon. :tongue_sm
If you want something more, then buy an AK - they're not exactly expensive right now(though things might change in a week or two :( ).

[AKz4daze]

If you don't want an AK (heaven forbid) then just stock up on stripper clips for it. That SKS can be recharged very quickly.

[snakebyte]

don't mess with a sure thing. leave your sks alone. buy an ak. i have 6 30 rd. removable sks mags 15 bucks apiece, i don't like them.

Do they have feeding problems? I want to try one, but I keep hearing bad things.

[3 weelin geezer]

A lot of them won't just slap into the sks and work right the first time. I have a drum and a 20 round red star that aint worth ****! They look cool in the pictures I have taken but thats all. I haven't gotten around to trying to fix the lips so that the bullets go into the chamber and not the back of the breach and get stuck. I say go for it. I recommend the cobra plastic magazines. The one I have works flawlessly but the gun shop guy that sells them says he has to fit it to the particular gun because its made for the guns with the smalles tolerance bolts so if its bigger where the bolt rides past the lips he has to open it up just a hair so it doesn't get damaged.

[ubangi]

There used to be a "kit" that would do it. BUT, the only mags that would work were mags made by the same co. The kit wasn't cheap and the mags were around $60 to $80.00 each. Not around any more unless you accidently find one at a gun show, and with mags.

[buckmeister]

Any AK conversion must meet the same 922 regs as an SKS deviation from C&R configuration. The same 10 part game must be played. Simply opening up a WASR magwell without the right number of compliance parts puts the rifle in non-compliance.

As mentioned by others, the SKS is best kept as it came. That said, it is enjoyable to modify, or bubba-fy any weapon. Many AR's, AK's, and the like, at the range have been accessorized and painted unrecognizably. It is more cost effective to buy what you want to eventually end up with.

Tapco (oft refered to as "Crap-Co", but not by me) sells some reportedly reliable new mags. Yes they are duckbill, and yes, they cannot be loaded with stripper clips... but they are hi-cap.

I have a T6 stock on my Bubba'd beater, am toying with mag configurations and op-rod/gas piston, but I like to tinker.

buckmeister

[3 weelin geezer]

I'm not so sure Century replaced any parts in my ak when they did that but they did grind off the sear for the auto disconnector.