The Born Again SKS part 2

See part one of this build here: The Born Again SKS part 1

Now that  we know that this old SKS is GTG, my nephew decided that he wanted to "tacticool" it out. I told him that was fine, but we needed to keep it tasteful....we have a reputation to protect :)


I am not one of those guys who will tell you to never put tactical accessories on a battle rifle like this, but if you do, make sure the modifications can be removed and put back to stock...otherwise you risk not only making the gun less capable, but worth less in terms of value.
 
One of the reasons many SKS owners would want to trade out the stock is the length of pull. On the Chinese made SKS's the LOP is only 12.5" about an inch or two shorter than what is standard on American gun.

This is because the SKS was designed for Asian Soldiers who are generally smaller in stature.
There are companies that sell a butt pad extension, but I am not sure how this affects the 922R rule.....


I had thoughts of modifying the existing stock, something along the lines of this:

or this:

but unless you could find the folding stock parts for cheap, you would probably end up spending more on the modification than the cost of a new folding stock.

One thing to keep in mind is the pesky 922R compliance thing......if you modify an SKS (or any imported semi-auto rifle) you must use no more than 10 imported parts (out of 14 total).
This little gem was hidden in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, signed into law by President Clinton on November 30, 1993 and went into effect on February 28, 1994. The law states that if the gun is modified from its original, imported state, then you are considered to be "manufacturing" the firearm and you will not be legal if you use more than 10 imported parts.....
This list from gun wiki shows what original SKS parts count toward the total, the checked items are original, so if we only keep the checked items and replace the unchecked ones with domestically produced parts, we will be compliant.





Our list of items to complete include:

• installing a new US made stock set
• test fitting new US made magazine & follower (Tapco 20 round "duckbills")
• replacing the missing front sight post
• possibly replace the receiver cover
• finish giving the gun a judicious cleaning
• paint the gun flat black or maybe urban camo?

We purchased the following items:

A used U.S. made stock set from Combat Exchange (now ATI). I paid $10 for it at a swap meet. Funny thing is the guy selling it was a local forum member named "urban miner".

The gun came with the folding stock fixed in the long position (to comply with unconstitutional laws prevalent in some states). We ordered a conversion kit to make it a folding stock. Amazon had these in stock for $11.99

We ordered a brace of Tapco 20 round "Duckbill" magazines from Midway USA

A new sling, similar to the OD green ones that were issued except this one is tactical black...

A new front site post set from Tapco

I had this muzzle attachment and muzzle break, not to worry this one was made in USA, so it wont affect our parts count.

I removed the screw, pin and pivot block (or non-pivoting block as it is)

While checking out the stock I noticed the sprue from the casting process left a sharp line where the web of you hand meets the stock

some quick work with the file and sand paper and we have more comfortable grip.

The ATI kit came with great instructions, not that you really need them

 I inserted the spring and block into the shoulder stock

 Then inserted the shoulder stock into the main sock

Then insert the pin, leaving 1/2" or so of free play and tighten the set screw with a 3/32" allen wrench

 back to a folder again!

Now it is time to dis-assemble the rifle and give it a through cleaning