'Gunsmith Special' SKS

The stock is a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the apparent crack in the side of the stock is just a scratch. The bad news is that this is really a crack:



So this stock is trash. I have mostly cleaned up the rest of it. This is how it went into the oven:




I'm a little pissed that the extractor is missing:



And there is a little more rust:



So, this thing really is a 'gunsmith special'. I also cannot get the trigger to release the hammer. I haven't spent too much time on that yet, so I will see if it's something I can fix.

I do not think this was $200 well spent. I dread seeing what the second one will look like.
 
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I managed to get the trigger issue sorted out. It was just really loaded with gunk. I fitted it into my refinished Chinese stock from a previous project, and put it all back together.

I ordered a new extractor, spring, and firing pin retainer, to the tune of about $55, so I won't be able to try this out until those parts show up.

I realize that this would be MUCH cooler if I were showing a before and after with the stock it came in, but I don't think that thing is salvageable. This stock was just an average bad Chinese stock that I cleaned up, sanded to about 800 grit, and applied three coats of boiled linseed oil.

A lot of work to make a $200 gun look like a $200 gun...







 
Oh, and I emailed the vendor where I got this from, to see if I can cancel the second rifle. I really don't want to do another one like this anytime soon. They probably won't do it, but I had to try.

If it comes, I'll show you round 2.
 
mclina said:
Oh, and I emailed the vendor where I got this from, to see if I can cancel the second rifle. I really don't want to do another one like this anytime soon. They probably won't do it, but I had to try.

If it comes, I'll show you round 2.
Click to expand...
I'm sure if it is too much for you someone on here would be willing to take that work off of your hands ;)
 
Not bad! Too bad about the stock but at least you knew going in that it was supposed to have a bad stock. How's the bore look?
 
I was able to cancel the second rifle from the vendor. They were actually pretty cool about it. I told them about the missing parts, and the guy offered to "look around" for them. They really aren't the types of parts that are going to be laying around, so I didn't expect them to find them. I don't blame them, since there is no way they could have checked for them before shipping.

It's not the work that bothered me about this one, it was a pretty typical surplus rifle cleanup. It just doesn't make financial sense to spend $220 for a rifle (with shipping), add a $50 stock, and then need $60 in parts to make it function. The stock for this one was free, but the next one was going to use a $50 jungle stock. Once you have more than $300 into one of these, you are really losing money.

And my safe is pretty full right now, to put it mildly.
 
Eh not too bad but still yeah she's rough. But shootable. Extractor bullshit is a pain but just order one. We win some and lose some, you seem like you've done both here LOL.
 
You can fix the stock . Drill a hole cover a dowel with tight bond or hide wood glue pres dowel befor that fill the crack with crazy glue.

I do that when people snap a head stock off guitars on the scarf joint .
 
Hopefully mine won't be missing any parts. How long did they take to ship your rifle? I heard they can be pretty slow I've waited about 2 weeks now
 
Those "gunsmith specials" are great if you have a lot of spare parts lying around, and a lot of spare time to fix them up right. I bought a CZ82 pistol "incomplete" once after I'd bought a complete one, just to have a project to fart around on. For those of you unfamiliar with the CZ82, there are a lot of little parts to that gun. After making a list of what I'd need to complete it I decided to sell it for what I paid for it and move on to other projects. U-fix-em guns in general don't end up being worth as much as you put into them but they're great for killing time and learning how to work on the particular gun. After completely overhauling a CZ82 once, I was like "OK once was enough on that one." The SKS design is much simpler to work on of course. Good luck with it and shoot the hell out of it when you're done.
 
joshk1025 said:
If you do a bullpup conversion, will you be adding enough US parts for 922R compliance?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is what SG Works has to say on their website:

Compliancy
The contents of this page are to inform you of what your options are, in order to insure your reconfigured SKS is compliant. However, SGWorks takes no responsibility for any changes you decide to make to your SKS.

The purpose of this page is to make you aware of what and how many regulated foreign parts your SKS contains as well as the different compliancy parts that are available on the market.

We are providing a link to a letter that was sent to us by the ATF after they consulted with their Firearms Technology Branch (FTB) in Martinsburg, VA. Their letter will enable you to make a decision on the route you want to take in order to ensure your reconfigured SKS is compliant with 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(r) of the Gun Control Act of 1968.

Your goal, based on the above mentioned letter, is to reduce the number of regulated foreign parts to no more than (10).

Installing our bullpup stock kit forces you to remove (1) regulated foreign part (the stock) and makes it possible to remove an additional (5) regulated foreign parts. It is your decision which (3) or more of the (5) regulated foreign parts you want to remove, depending on your model of SKS and your state regulations.

Following is a list of U.S. made compliant parts, made specifically for the SKS that can easily be found by searching the net:
1) Gas piston (1 regulated part)
2) Upper hand guard (1 regulated part)
3) Magazines, SKS after market (2 regulated parts)
4) Trigger Link (not a compliant part, but allows you to remove the original trigger (1 regulated part) Presently, this part is made exclusively by SGWorks.
Click to expand...

Not a real clear answer, and using the mags as compliant parts is tough for us when we can't really buy US made mags. I know that Tapco makes 10 round mags, but good luck finding them.

Part of me wants to try one of these kits, and part of me thinks it's the dumbest thing ever. I could probably talk myself into it.
 
This is a cool thread.

I wanted to try and order one of those as I do not have an SKS, but I decided not to. Reading this, I wish I did.
 
mclina said:
This is what SG Works has to say on their website:



Not a real clear answer, and using the mags as compliant parts is tough for us when we can't really buy US made mags. I know that Tapco makes 10 round mags, but good luck finding them.

Part of me wants to try one of these kits, and part of me thinks it's the dumbest thing ever. I could probably talk myself into it.
Click to expand...

Same here. I want to hate it but it's kind of cool.
 
Sure, Simonov might be rolling around in his grave, but at least we don't have to listen to his bitching. I would build one of those if the cost was cheap enough and I had a rat to begin with.
 
I'm in a free state, so I plan on getting a "huge @$$ banana clip" lol. I'm looking at a the 30 round magazines and they are in the $30 buck range.

What I don't understand is since it comes as a complete unit, there has to be more than 10 foreign parts on it so how is it 922(r) compliant? Are US made parts added to it before you get it?
 
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RImike said:
I'm in a free state, so I plan on getting a "huge @$$ banana clip" lol. I'm looking at a the 30 round magazines and they are in the $30 buck range.

What I don't understand is since it comes as a complete unit, there has to be more than 10 foreign parts on it so how is it 922(r) compliant? Are US made parts added to it before you get it?
Click to expand...

The 'list of parts' in 922(r) is very specific. It includes the receiver, barrel, hammer, trigger, sear, gas piston, bolt, bolt carrier, mag parts, muzzle device, etc... Since this kit really only replaces the stock, you are left having to replace a few more parts to hit the max number of imported 'parts'.

If you can easily get US made magazines, then you shouldn't have a problem.

Check out the chart at the bottom of this page for the listed 'parts':

http://www.tapco.com/section922r/
 
mclina said:
The 'list of parts' in 922(r) is very specific. It includes the receiver, barrel, hammer, trigger, sear, gas piston, bolt, bolt carrier, mag parts, muzzle device, etc... Since this kit really only replaces the stock, you are left having to replace a few more parts to hit the max number of imported 'parts'.

If you can easily get US made magazines, then you shouldn't have a problem.

Check out the chart at the bottom of this page for the listed 'parts':

http://www.tapco.com/section922r/
Click to expand...

But If I purchase it "as is" doesn't it already come with more than 10 parts or is the firearm US made?
 
45collector said:
Those "gunsmith specials" are great if you have a lot of spare parts lying around, and a lot of spare time to fix them up right. I bought a CZ82 pistol "incomplete" once after I'd bought a complete one, just to have a project to fart around on. For those of you unfamiliar with the CZ82, there are a lot of little parts to that gun. After making a list of what I'd need to complete it I decided to sell it for what I paid for it and move on to other projects. U-fix-em guns in general don't end up being worth as much as you put into them but they're great for killing time and learning how to work on the particular gun. After completely overhauling a CZ82 once, I was like "OK once was enough on that one." The SKS design is much simpler to work on of course. Good luck with it and shoot the hell out of it when you're done.
Click to expand...

ha ha ha... this story sounds familiar ;)
eh, to me it was worth it to have a gun to take apart and put back together a few times without worrying about screwing up my other one, and i managed to sell it on and not lose *too* much on it.....

the important thing is, it's functional and is a gun again :)


MC: do you still have that cracked stock kicking around? i know zero about woodworking and finishing and would like something other than my yugo stock to practice on :)
 
RImike said:
But If I purchase it "as is" doesn't it already come with more than 10 parts or is the firearm US made?
Click to expand...

It shall be unlawful for any person to assemble from imported parts any semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun which is identical to any rifle or shotgun prohibited from importation under section 925(d)(3) of this chapter as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes except that this subsection shall not apply to...
Click to expand...

when you first buy it, it is already assembled.... when you change something (bullpup stock, removable magazine, etc) you need to count parts....
FWIW i don't think anyone here has ever even heard of anyone ever being charged for violating 922(r)
 
inerlogic said:
ha ha ha... this story sounds familiar ;)
eh, to me it was worth it to have a gun to take apart and put back together a few times without worrying about screwing up my other one, and i managed to sell it on and not lose *too* much on it.....

the important thing is, it's functional and is a gun again :)


MC: do you still have that cracked stock kicking around? i know zero about woodworking and finishing and would like something other than my yugo stock to practice on :)
Click to expand...

I do. I cleaned it up and put some superglue into the crack. I thought it would be cool to put the original stock back onto this rifle, but it really does look like a piece of crap compared to the refinished one I had on hand.

I have no plans to use it, so if you want it, you can have it.
 
mclina said:
I do. I cleaned it up and put some superglue into the crack. I thought it would be cool to put the original stock back onto this rifle, but it really does look like a piece of crap compared to the refinished one I had on hand.

I have no plans to use it, so if you want it, you can have it.
Click to expand...

In....

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