SKS question...milled vs. cast recevier

[napoleon1815]

Hey all,

I have a few SKSes and found one with a cast receiver. Can someone fill me in what this means, and is it better than the traditional milled receiver? I have been looking online but haven't found a clear answer outside of the fact that cast is rarer.

Thanks.

 

[1903Collector]

I can't answer your specific question about the SKS but the cast v forged thing has been going on for a loooong time! Cast reciever is molten metal poured into a mould, then what come out of the mould is machined to final dimentsions. Forged is a hunk of metal heated up and pounded into shape....Think blacksmith with a hammer and anvil, except a machine is doing the pounding. Thats a very simplified explanation. As to which is better I think you will find most people would say forged, I think just about everything Ruger makes is investment cast.

If you knew all that sorry lol....

 

[Friday]

castings can be more porous and somewhat brittle, depending upon the techniques, and metallurgy, in general, although some alloys can be very durable as cast.

I believe the preference would tend towards milled forgings, as the metal tends to be tougher. Don't know for sure with this specific rifle.

 

[Varmint]

I think milling and casting are similar in properties, whereas in a forging you strengthen the metal by all the pounding, which changes the grain structure.

it's important to remember that they're always refining techniques - so a casting 30 years ago might be very different from one today. There are companies now who can make castings that aren't porous at all, and are used in high vacuum chambers, where in the past you had to use a machined aluminum block.

 

[GaryO]

I bet Ray will have the answer.

 

[napoleon1815]

OK thanks all. From what I was able to find out, casting was "inferior" to milling.

 

[browncoat]

I have no experience with cast receiver sks, but I'd be surprised if it ended up making much of a difference. Various countries made sks receivers out of forged, cast, and sheet metal, and the cast receivers are thick metal just like the forged ones. It's not like the x39 is a really powerful round either, most AK use thinner sheet metal receivers (i think) and work fine.

 

[1903Collector]

OK thanks all. From what I was able to find out, casting was "inferior" to milling.

I think your using "milling" in the wrong way. Milling is the process of machining away material to get to the final product, recievers are either cast, forged or milled from a billet of solid stock.

 

[1903Collector]

I have no experience with cast receiver sks, but I'd be surprised if it ended up making much of a difference. Various countries made sks receivers out of forged, cast, and sheet metal, and the cast receivers are thick metal just like the forged ones. It's not like the x39 is a really powerful round either, most AK use thinner sheet metal receivers (i think) and work fine.

Spingfield M1As are made with cast recievers, bolts and op rods are cast as well I believe.

 

[browncoat]

I think your using "milling" in the wrong way. Milling is the process of machining away material to get to the final product, recievers are either cast, forged or milled from a billet of solid stock.

Yeah, both cast and forged receivers have milling involved in their production, as well as (obviously) billet milled receivers.

 

[Keven]

Hey all,

I have a few SKSes and found one with a cast receiver. Can someone fill me in what this means, and is it better than the traditional milled receiver? I have been looking online but haven't found a clear answer outside of the fact that cast is rarer.

Thanks.

For myself if there was the option to buy any it would be forged/milled first, then billet/milled, and then cast.