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OVERVIEW: It took me a while to put this section together because I kept receiving conflicting information. It doesn't appear that any one magazine solution is the answer. There is no "best" magazine. One brand may work famously on some while miserable on others. Also, the more I research this topic, the more I'm convinced there have been a few company buy outs. One magazine may have been produced by two or three different companies. The following listing is relatively current. USA MAGAZINES FACTS: USA Magazines are some of the most common aftermarket magazines found on the market today. They produce a variety of flavors: synthetic and steel magazines in 5, 10, and 30 round capacities. One may still run across a 75 round drum magazine made by USA for the SKS.
COMMENTS: I have no idea what to think of these magazines. Some will have absolutely no problem with these magazines and enjoy using them immensely. Others will curse them. I've read one story of a man who had so many problems with a synthetic 30 rounder that he threw it down range and shot it up, feeding one round at a time into the rifle because it had no magazine. While still others will have problems, bend or file the feed lips, then never have a problem again. It seems the biggest satisfaction swings are inherent to the synthetics. To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced the fault lies 100% with the magazine. There are too many inconsistencies in SKS manufacture (especially with some Chinese or pieced together SKS's where no two serial numbers match) to believe anyone can produce a magazine for this rifle that magically works in every SKS perfectly the first time out. I also think they get the most heat because more of these magazines are purchased than any other.
CHINESE - NORINCO FACTS: I've seen steel Chinese magazines in three sizes: 5, 10, and 20. Although there may be a 30 round example, I've not seen one yet.
REVIEW: The quality of these magazines varies greatly from perfect feed to chunk of slag attached to a rifle. This is especially pronounced in the 20 round magazine. I own one that is absolutely horrible. The feed arm is so poorly made, it looks like a burnt matchstick.
COBRAY FACTS: Sometimes referred to as Zytel magazines, these magazines have a huge window for easy visual inspection of ammunition levels. Sometimes they can be identified by the Cobray double snake logo. Cobray no longer makes these magazines. Greg (PAN CHOP) was cool enough to send me a second variety of this magazine that does not have the the bill protruding out of the front of it. A block with a catch is inserted into the rifle, then the magazine operates much the same as any other detachable magazine.
COMMENTS: The detachable variety that I have I wouldn't exactly call flimsy. I though for sure the little tab that holds the mag into the rifle would snap off, but it's much stronger than it looks.
REVIEW: A fellow SKS'er named Mark writes: "I've never owned one but my friend has 2 of them. The Cobray mags are made of a "self lubricating" (yeah right) Zytel. My friends clips have little imperfections inside of them which snags the spring inside of the magazine so the next shell does not chamber. They are also really flimsy so when they are in your gun they will rattle when shook. With little effort you can push the sides of the magazine in. I would compare the "Zytel" they are made of to the plastic Barbie dolls are made of. Also, if pulled hard enough, they will fall out of your gun." HITECH: Pictured is a compact 37 round detachable magazine. It's 100% steel with capacity windows at 5 and 30 rounds. A spring steel adapter comes with the purchase and stays inside the rifle. Other sizes can be purchased: 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 37, and 60 rounds.
REVIEW Generously provided by Jim on HIS PAGE. DETACHABLE: DC Engineering also makes non-adapter magazines with a steel 'bill' that hangs off the front like most other detachable SKS mags. In general, DC magazines are usually slimmer and less bulky than other magazines available. I've seen these in two varieties. The first is like the ones pictured, the other is just plain flat steel. It's a bit ugly and machining swirls are heavily apparent, but in all fairness I must admit I've never seen one of these on a rifle, just on gun show tables.
EXTENDED MAGAZINE LATCH
This part is made of Zytel, therefore I believe it's produced by ATI. The factory magazine latch was not intended for everyday usage, therefore it was made small and unobtrusive. However, adding a detachable magazine to an SKS makes the original latch seem a little too small. This new latch is long enough for the whole finger to grab and has a ribbed texture for positive grip. I highly recommend this part for someone with detachable magazines.
(Click the above link to download the plans)
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. If you are not a machinist or have significant machining skills
with access to machining equipment, put this out of your mind immediately.
This conversion is not a simple drop-in kit. It requires significant milling of the receiver and bolt assemblies.
Experience in performing this conversion is a big plus as well. I've read stories of skilled gunsmiths screwing up and ruining perfectly good rifles.
If you have the tools and the talent and are willing to take the risk, go for it.
HOWEVER, if you are thinking of farming the labor out, think about this: one could sell their existing (unaltered and original) SKS and combine that with the money saved in not paying a machinist to do the work and buy a SKS-D which is
guaranteed to work right out of the box... Furthermore, you can probably get it much
faster this way. If you want a US made Russian or Romanian SKS with
detachable AK magazines, this process is the
only way to get there. |
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