Need help with SKS magazine problem

[44minimum]

My dumb little nephew bought A Norinco SKS equipped with a dragunov style stock and 30 round MAG and a 10 round magazine. The 30 round MAG will not fit correctly or feed at all and the 10 round magazine seems to lock in place OK but we have not tried to shoot it like that to see if it feeds OK. My main question is, should the 10 round magazine pop in and out easily? On the disassembly videos on the net, it shows the trigger group needing to be removed from a factory stock before the MAG will come out. Is there a certain brand of 20 round or 30 round magazine that is known to function reliably?

[mooman76]

The SKS was basically not designed for a removable mag. Allot of people have converted them and allot of them don't feed well. If done carefully it can be done but you have fewer problems with the original magazines or the magazines designed to be installed through dis assymbly. I went back to the original to avoid the problems and because I don't go crazy with the bullets anyway. I can't help you with which magazines are the best but generally it is the heavy real solid ones with a good tight fit. If the Magazine pops in and out easy they generally don't work as well. That's another reason I switched back. You can make the magazines fit in from the bottom by carefully filing on the tang. Problem is some people file too much to make it go in and out easy and you end up with a sloppy fit.
I'm just guessing but the 10 roundner with probubly work ok by what you said.

[44minimum]

Yes, 10 round factory MAG is what I'm talking about. Apparently it does not pop in and out of a factory wooden stock unless you partially disassemble it and remove the trigger group. On this plastic dragunov stock, the factory 10 round MAG is removable without any disassembly. I was wondering if it was supposed to be like that, I know nothing about SKS rifles. Also I wonder if the dude he bought it from filed on the gun a little too much to make the 30 round Mac fit?

[trickyasafox]

i heard there was a 20 round mag for the chi-com SKS that works well with a red star on it, but I couldn't tell ya more than that- and it was just hearsay.

[mooman76]

They did actually make an SKS with a removable mag but that is rare to find. I don't remember who made it but Russia or China comes to mind. So many countries have copied this design, I can't keep up.

[Boerrancher]

I never have liked either the SKS or the AK, but I do own a Soviet Made AK. I have messed with a few SKS's to know that Norinco was the least desired out of all of the manufacturers. I was told by a distributor of both Poly tech and Norinco, that both were made in the same plant. The ones that met all specs were stamped Poly tech, and those that didn't were stamped Norinco. This was in the early 90's that I was told this, and the man should have known. I also know that on your standard SKS the follower is part of the rifle, similar to that of an M1 Garrand, not in the magazine box like on most rifles. I don't know what kind of modifications have been done, but from those that I have played with the magazine box is fixed and they are loaded from the top. My best advice would be to take it to someone who messes with one and see if there is any hope for it. I hate to condemn something sight unseen, but being a Norinco and having been modified just might be two strikes against it.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[mooman76]

If you continue to have problems I would recomend getting the parts to change it back to the standard fixed mag.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp

[Poygan]

I had a Chinese SKS that fed reloads very reliably with the standard 10 round fixed magazine. There is also a 20 round fixed magazine which I believe is factory original. I bought a 30 round mag but you have to disassemble the rifle to exchange with the 10 rounder. I think I used it but not totally certain so I can't comment on its performance.

This SKS beat the snot out of the brass so I usually took the gas piston out first and used it as a straight pull bolt. While not a target rifle, I had no complaints with its accuracy.

I think there were some problems with a missing spring for the safety so it could swing into the firing position accidentally.

[handyrandyrc]

Head over to SKSboards.com for more info, but most of us have kept ourselves relegated to the fixed 10 round magazine. Seems to be the way to keep it reliable.

Tapco makes 20 round magazines, and they seem to also be very reliable. However, once you start to do that, you need to play the ATF's 922r game, and reduce your foreign parts count. Tapco also has 922r compliance parts and kits for the SKS, but you'll end up spending quite a bit to get fully compliant, just so you can use detachable magazines.

Using a detachable magazine as you have been right now, with no other modifications, is technically in violation of 922r. Most magazines you'll find don't feed worth beans anyhow, other than the Tapco ones which I can vouch for.

[mtnman31]

I've got a Norinco and have never had any problems with it. The fixed mag should not be able to be removed without removing the action from the stock. If you can take the mag out then it is not the original fixed mag. Years back, I got one of the 20 round fixed mags (stamped w/ star) and installed it. It works like a champ and I would love to get another for my Yugo. I have a few of the removable mags but have never even tried them out because the fixed mags have never let me down. I think that the SKS's are like any other milsurp - some are lemons and others are gems. Fortunately - I have a gem in my Norinco. I have not put enough rounds through the Yugo to give a solid opinion of it yet.

If your receiver hasn't been modified or buggered up, I'd recommend getting the fixed mag properly installed as it was designed.

[44minimum]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like the SKS boards are where I need to be.