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SKS Compromise - light ammo carry, high capacity magazine

8K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  merlin1358 
#1 ·
I have an SKS, just got it. I think this is going to be my bug out gun I.E. the gun I'll carry in my hands as my group tries to get to our bug out location if TSHTF. We're going to try to avoid any conflict of course, but if there is no choice.... you get the idea.

Anyways, Tapco has some nice removable magazine upgrades. However, loaded stripper clips are smaller, lighter and much easier to carry than a bunch of mags. The Tapco mags are also very large.

So I was wondering if this could work - replace the in place stock 10 round magazine with a 20 or 30 round tapco mag, then when reloading, reload it with 2 or 3 full stripper clips from the top. This would let me have a higher capacity magazine while still having the advantage of being able to carry more rounds on me and accessible.

Would this work? Can you even load it this way with a aftermarket magazine? Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
Tapcos can not be reloaded with stripper clips far as I know. I could be wrong there.

The gun is very capable as is. Enjoy it for what it is for now.

Just like with my hot rodding hobby. A guy just gets a car, and then rips it apart and buys a ton of toys for it. 5 years later, his wife says clean the garage out of this junk or I won't come home anymore.

Enjoy the rifle stock, learn how to use it as is, then make the decision.

Folks mod up the heck out of the thing, then want something else. The guys who keep them stock keep them for a long time.

If you wanted an AK, you should of shelled out another $75 for one.
 
#12 ·
If you wanted an AK, you should of shelled out another $75 for one.
Unfortunately, AK's are illegal here in Canada.

The reasoning is a TSHTF one. I would rather have 20 or 30 rounds IN the gun if I could, trying to get out of the city to one of the bug out locations.

The SKS was chosen as just about the best affordable defense weapon with reasonably priced ammo (surplus 7.62 x 39)
 
#5 ·
Those 20 round fixed magazines are called chinese star magazines. They really do not fit 20 rounds. It is real hard to get the last few in. They are really 18round magazines. They do require a little wood removal around the "hinge" area of the stock. Like most any non stock magazines, they have to have a bit wiggle room inside the stock to make them reliable.

It is really a 10 round gun with as 20 round head start.

The goal is not to have the baddest gun. It is to get some good shots off real quick then find cover, repeat until over.

Can it be done better with something other than an SKS, yes. If you practice right, not just practice alot, you'll do much better than someone with any gun he wants and little to no practice.

I bought 4 steel knockdown plates. I vary between shoot 2, getting to cover, then shooting the other two. Or, get to prone real quick and fire all of them. Shooting 2 close ones while moving to cover, then get the 2 farther ones away. Or, running 100 yards, shooting 1 target, then repeat until finished. Or, with the gun on a table, mount the gun quick and hit 2 targets.

Do this once a week and combine it with dry fire practice at home. Try pulling the trigger quickly 3 times, but keeping the gun calm while doing it. Pic something to aim at, then pick up the gun quick, mount, and dry fire.

Folks take time to make a shot as accurate as they can and call that good practice. Practical situations, with a yes or no approach to accpetable accuracy, and the defining mark is time. Two completely different animals. When fols are buying another 1 million yard gun than fire real expensive ammo with a 25x scope, I pick one gun and learn it inside and out and just buy more ammo for it.

Pick which shooter you want to be.

Want to see what an SKS can do? This guy is being casual about it.

 
#9 ·
Those 20 round fixed magazines are called chinese star magazines. They really do not fit 20 rounds. It is real hard to get the last few in. They are really 18round magazines. They do require a little wood removal around the "hinge" area of the stock. Like most any non stock magazines, they have to have a bit wiggle room inside the stock to make them reliable.

It is really a 10 round gun with as 20 round head start.

The goal is not to have the baddest gun. It is to get some good shots off real quick then find cover, repeat until over.

Can it be done better with something other than an SKS, yes. If you practice right, not just practice alot, you'll do much better than someone with any gun he wants and little to no practice.

I bought 4 steel knockdown plates. I vary between shoot 2, getting to cover, then shooting the other two. Or, get to prone real quick and fire all of them. Shooting 2 close ones while moving to cover, then get the 2 farther ones away. Or, running 100 yards, shooting 1 target, then repeat until finished. Or, with the gun on a table, mount the gun quick and hit 2 targets.

Do this once a week and combine it with dry fire practice at home. Try pulling the trigger quickly 3 times, but keeping the gun calm while doing it. Pic something to aim at, then pick up the gun quick, mount, and dry fire.

Folks take time to make a shot as accurate as they can and call that good practice. Practical situations, with a yes or no approach to accpetable accuracy, and the defining mark is time. Two completely different animals. When fols are buying another 1 million yard gun than fire real expensive ammo with a 25x scope, I pick one gun and learn it inside and out and just buy more ammo for it.

Pick which shooter you want to be.

Want to see what an SKS can do? This guy is being casual about it.

SKS - Lotta Shooting - YouTube
Completely cool video. It's my understanding the original m14 would smoke their stocks after some full auto sessions. After watching that video it seems plausible to me.
 
#8 ·
Pretty much all the aftermarket mags for the sks's have been pretty hit and miss in the guns I've shot as far as reliability goes. I'd keep the original 10 round mags and just practice loading until you were decently fast with the strippers. Either that or find a D or M model that takes AK mags. Or an AK.

With a lower capacity rifle, your job would be to make accurate shots, not dump ammo to suppress.

YMMV.
 
#10 ·
Hmmm.... Years ago I got a Chinese Norinco SKS. It was packed in grease, not the prettiest, or most well made weapon, but I tell you what it could shoot. I replaced the standard 10 round internal magazine with 30 shot banana style magazines. I will warn you, with mine, after a mag or two of the higher capacity mags, the gun ran "hot". The heat from the bolt/sear was setting off the primer in the rounds before I could squeeze the trigger. It made for one hell of a ride. Just thought I'd share that, as the SKS tends to have a little bit tougher time dissipating heat than the AK variants on which the 30 round magazine is commonplace.

Your mileage may vary.

Regards ~
 
#11 ·
Could it work? Yes.. But what about the carry of those mags? They are not as portable as the clips for reloading the stock fixed mag. there are some mag pouches out there that can carry SKS mags, but they can't be placed close to one another because of that duck bill platform. You have to think about the usability of the set up your proposing. I wouldn't do it, but then again I am an AR user. So why would you listen to me then? My secondary is the SKS, and I am very proficient in its use.
 
#13 ·
As someone who uses the SKS as my primary also, I can understand where you are coming from.

Yes, you can use the tapco mags with stripper clips, but they need to be modified; it's not a big deal, about 2 minutes with a dremel-type tool is all it takes. I have 3 tapco mags that I've modified, and they work great with stripper clips; I've even modified my scope mount so that the scope sits far enough back that it doesn't block the stripper clip access.

An important suggestion is to get yourself to this website:
http://www.sksboards.com
It is THE place to go for everything dealing with the SKS; for example, here is one of the many threads on moding the tapco mags for strippers:
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=30232.msg342503#msg342503

You'll also find other threads on Molle/Alice pouches for the tapco mags and the strippers, the "drop free" bolt mod, installing scopes, and many more things to optimize your SKS.

If you want any other suggestions about the SKS or it's associated gear, let me know via PM, and I can go into a lot more detail.

Rick
 
#14 ·
Aftermarket mags tend to be bulky and unreliable. The 20rnd chinese mags don't work well and are difficult to use with stripper clips. You are better off keeping the ten rounder. If it's not broken, don't muck with it.

I have two types of SHTF rifles. I have an AR and an SKS. Get good reloading with stripper clips. With a little practice, they're faster than a mag change. Aim your shots. Most SKS' I've seen have pretty decent accuracy. Learn where the first shot from the cold barrel is going to hit. Be a student of your SKS.

My SKS was $325. My AR was $1200. If I ABSOLUTELY could only take ONE, I would have lots of trouble deciding which to take. That says ALOT for the SKS in my opinion. I don't CARE if it's a "commie" weapon!
 
#15 ·
Stick to the 20 rd Tapco mags, you have to remove a little of the stock to open up the mag well, it has to have a little room to move around or it will jam up. I have tried other aftermarket mags and always go back to the Tapco. Tapco also makes a pretty good synthetic stock.
I have a Yugoslavian SKS, came packed in cosmoline and had never been issued but I had to do a little work on the grooves for the stripper clips to get them to seat properly.
 
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