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sks "gas system swap"

kidthatsirishkidthatsirish Member Posts: 6,985 ✭✭✭
edited July 2010 in Ask the Experts
OK, so, the Yugo sks rifles tend to be the most "heavy" built of the sks rifles out there (not considering the actual russian ones).
Thier main "fault" seems to be the lack of chrome though. I love the idea of getting a yugo sks because if I want to make it into a "bolt action" i can, and because by shuting off the gas valve, I could shoot corrisive ammo and clean up would be a lot easier (so long as I go bolt style).

My question is...has anyone put the gas valve/system of yugo sks on that of a non yugo rifle...is it even possible?

Thanks
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    rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Any SKS can be altered very simply into a manually operated repeater by just removing the gas piston rod.

    The Yugo gas system was unique to their SKS due to their use for launching rifle grenades. Doubtful this would function on any other SKS without complicated/expensive modifications.
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    MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,976 ******
    edited November -1
    is it possible...yes, I've rebarreled a yugo sks. will it save you cleaning time... nope. the gas 'shut-off' isn't 100%, you still get a little 'blow-by'.
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    beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by kidthatsirish
    OK, so, the Yugo sks rifles tend to be the most "heavy" built of the sks rifles out there (not considering the actual russian ones).
    Thier main "fault" seems to be the lack of chrome though. I love the idea of getting a yugo sks because if I want to make it into a "bolt action" i can, and because by shuting off the gas valve, I could shoot corrisive ammo and clean up would be a lot easier (so long as I go bolt style).

    My question is...has anyone put the gas valve/system of yugo sks on that of a non yugo rifle...is it even possible?

    All of the SKS rifles are pretty tough.

    In terms of exchanging gas systems, anything is "possible" with enough skill and expense, but I don't think the conversion you suggest would be easy, let alone cost-effective.

    Even at their currently "high" prices, you can still buy an excellent quality SKS for under $300. If you want one with a chrome barrel, the simplest/easiest/cheapest thing to do is probably just to buy one with a chrome barrel. I suppose you could always try to replace your current barrel with a chrome-lined one, but again, probably not cost effective.

    I also question the premise of your question.

    As mentioned, just removing the gas piston will effectively neuter any SKS into a manual repeater. You don't need a Yugo gun for that. (I also question just why you would want to do this. . .if you want a bolt action 7.62x39 why not just buy one?).

    If your concern is corrosive ammo, I have a REALLY simple solution for you. Don't use corrosive ammo!

    So far as I know, the only commonly available surplus ammo on the market now is the Yugoslavian, at roughly 18-20 cents/round. The Obama ammo shortage has largely gone away now, and the "ordinary" Russian steel case can now be had for about 20-24 cent/round. In other words, at current prices, there isn't that much savings in using the corrosive ammo. Biggest advantage to it, supposedly is increased accuracy, though in practice I don't know how much extra you'd actually see or be able to benefit from.

    If you do need to use some corrosive ammo once in a while, I think it would be a lot easier to tear down your gun and clean it out thoroughly, instead of trying to rebuild a "Frankenstein" gun using parts from different guns.

    Apart from that, and probably more important than all of the above, if you're familiar with Yugo SKS guns, you'll know that in fact its the valved gas system itself that is most prone to corrosion with corrosive ammo! Cleaning the bore is easy. . .while chrome is good, you can get away without it with regular maintenance. Cleaning out the gas system on Yugo guns is much more difficult.
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    kidthatsirishkidthatsirish Member Posts: 6,985 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Apart from that, and probably more important than all of the above, if you're familiar with Yugo SKS guns, you'll know that in fact its the valved gas system itself that is most prone to corrosion with corrosive ammo! Cleaning the bore is easy. . .while chrome is good, you can get away without it with regular maintenance. Cleaning out the gas system on Yugo guns is much more difficult.





    So is it/would it be more time consuming to clean a yugo sks gas system vs. say a romanian ?
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    beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:
    So is it/would it be more time consuming to clean a yugo sks gas system vs. say a romanian ?

    I think that's true, but its not really my point.

    Any gun can be cleaned, and if you know what you're doing, I don't think another +2-3 minutes in taking out the gas valve and cleaning is that big of a deal.

    I'm saying that empirically, its invariably the Yugo guns that have problems with corrosion related malfunction, because of leaky gas valves.

    The problems are avoidable if you meticulously clean the guns, and also fixable with a spare aftermarket value (available from CNC warrior), but if you're really concerned about corrosion due to corrosive ammo, you're probably just better off starting with a non-Yugo gun and/or avoiding corrosive ammo, since neither one ought to be too hard.
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