SKS Conversion Kit

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FireMax

New member
I came across a conversion kit for the SKS by Tapco that turns this.....
sksoriginal.jpg


into this.....
skslong.jpg


Details of the kit are at http://www.tapco.com/proddesc.aspx?Id=72ee267e-be9a-4748-96ba-f983906ce2d7

Have any of you guys used this particular kit to convert your SKS? Is it difficult? Does it require any special skills that would require a gunsmith?
 
W

Willie D

New member
It's pretty much just a bunch of screws. If you can field strip it you can do it. The only hard part might be getting the pins out of the upper handguard.

I got one but then decided I liked it better in the original form.
 
4

4V50 Gary

Staff
I'll stick with it as designed. Here's why. Rigid wood stock is stronger than the ad-hoc job. Pictanny rails on the receiver cover is pretty useless. The cover can shift and when it does, so does your sight. Unless it resets exactly where it was, your point of aim, point of impact will shift. Ditto for that rail on the upper handguard. That's not the most stable place either. So, the bottom line is you pay a lot of ducats for comestics and the darn gun isn't really changed in any way (except for the detachable magazine). Ho-hum, give me the military gun and with the ducats not spent, I'll buy ammo instead.
 
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bigghoss

New member
those are pretty popular, I'm not real crazy about the stock but I want to get some of their mags.

just make sure you install the 922r compliance parts too...
 
W

WeedWacker

New member
Just finished mine. Only problem was the hand guard. Had some filing to do but it looks great. All I need to do is remove the bayo and it's done. Just take off the old stock (remove trigger/magazine and pop out the barrel/action) and drop it into the new one. The gas tube/hand guard is a little tricky. everywhere I looked it said "pop out pin with center punch." All I had to do was swivel it around the hinge (wasn't a rivet/pin at all) and slide out the old wood handguard (easier said than done). If I were to do it again I would leave the old wood handle on just for the ease of it. Unless you don't have enough US parts on it to make it legal then you need to replace it IIRC. You can also buy the gas tube/handguard already put together. Oh and another note, on the handguard I had to file a bit to get it to fit properly. Other than that I am happy I will get some pix up soon.

RE: on the tri-rail on the reciever. It has screws in it that bolt it to the metal below the plate that hold it in place. Found that out the hard way by having a rail jam my finger against the fastening pin thingy that doesn't come all the way out. Nasty blood blister. Loosened the screws and had the bolt back and the spring had tension... Crouch hop ensued as soon as I could get the darn spring back reaching across the gun to yank in a funny angle. Took a couple of tries. Yeah nuff bout that :eek:
 
F

FireMax

New member
bigghoss
just make sure you install the 922r compliance parts too...
Click to expand...

From the site...
# Manufactured in the US by TAPCO
# Storage Compartment
# Mounting Platform
# Solid Locking
# 6 Positions
# Matching Color Pattern
# Counts as 3 Sec 922r Compliant Parts
# Lifetime Guarantee
 
F

FireMax

New member
Is there a conversion kit for the SKS that will just allow the usage of removable magazines while keeping the wood stock, etc.?
 
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bigghoss

New member
actually I know tapco says it counts as 3 but it only replaces 2 since the original stock counts only counts as 2 and has no pistol grip. same goes for the mag, it only replaces 2 parts.
 
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HJ857

New member
The three compliance parts claim is a bit fuzzy. It does seem that it's only two since the pistol grip adds a part rather than replacing a part. The handguard is the 2nd compliance part, so you really should use it.

Tapco either knows something or they're idiots. For example if I ever got sent to court to prove my SKS was compliant and was proved to be wrong based on Tapco parts count, that would lead me to a lawsuit saying Tapco willingly mislead me about compliance numbers.

The conversion kit you linked does not bring you in to 922r compliance. If you trust Tapco compliance numbers, then adding the 20 round detachable mag for another claimed three parts, then you're good to go.

To play it real safe, add the operating rod and the gas piston for an additional two parts.

Installation is a snap. As mentioned, the handguard can be a pain to remove. My pins were tapered, IIRC. So put some penetrating oil on the pins and let it set, then look real close at both sides of the pin. A good punch and some carefully applied abuse will drive it out. After that it's a piece of cake.

I really like the T6 stock. It offers a much improved fit for the SKS and makes it a much handier carbine.
 
W

Willie D

New member
Correspondence with the ATF posted online seems to indicate that, yes, they are interested in 922r compliance. That said, I don't know of any prosecutions or even "piling on" charges in a related criminal case.

The recent cop killing in Philly involved a "converted" SKS with high cap magazine. If they don't invoke 922r here I'm not sure they ever will.
 
I

ISC

Moderator
922 counts the number of foreign parts on a rifle they identify as important, there can only be 10 of them to be considered a US made gun. adding extra us made parts doesn't affect 922.

Hang on to the original parts so you can return it to the original configuration when you get tired of playing dress up.

I have a bunch of 30 rd mags I'll sell pretty cheap if anyone wants some. Make me a reasonable offer. I have USA steel duckbill mags and zytel AK style mags. PM me if anyone is interested.
 
W

workinwifdakids

New member
Correspondence with the ATF posted online...
Click to expand...
:barf:

If the Director of the ATF gave sworn, notarized authorization for me to do something to my firearm, I wouldn't do it. Not even if he did so on the 50-yard line during an NFL game, being broadcast live to a nationwide audience, and not even if the stands were filled with criminal defense attorneys being paid $400 an hour by me to attend.

Capricious, arbitrary, and careless... three adjectives I don't care for in an agency with armored personnel carriers, machine guns, and an affinity for flash-bangs.
 
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DWARREN123

New member
I have one and it is not that great, workable but not a functional improvement just really for looks in my thinking.
 
S

Smokey Joe

New member
Converted SKS used in crime...

Willie D--
The recent cop killing in Philly involved a "converted" SKS with high cap magazine. If they don't invoke 922r here I'm not sure they ever will.
Click to expand...
Could you give us more details, and/or follow-up on this?
 
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