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| My antique arm prior to doin' any renovatin' ... a 1952 Tula Armory SKS - 7.62 x 39mm semi-auto carbine. |
Howdy-do! I finally got around to renovatin’ my old 1952 Tula SKS. This gun wasn’t doin’ me any good just sittin’ in
a gun safe. Takin’ it to the range occasionally for sh¡ts & giggles
wasn’t justifiable; I really just wanted to make this relic my new hog huntin’ gun! This Soviet surplus semi-automatic carbine
fired ten 7.62 x 39mm rounds, loaded into what I called a “dump” (fixed or stationary) magazine which is fed via the use of a stripper clip. My main objectives were to replace this
system with removable 20-round magazines, and give my old gun both a legal as
well as a tactical face-lift in the process.
I did not want to make any
permanent modifications to my antique arm, so I got out on that-there internet
and done me a bunch of researchin’ before I began. I found several helpful hints on various SKS forums,
and found some very informative You Tube videos as well. So for my first shout-out … my camo Waffle
House hat goes off to “sootch00” aka Team Sootch Minuteman; thanks for all of
your time & efforts that you’ve put into your excellent You Tube channel, and
especially for keepin’ us informed!
His “Fun Gun Reviews & Sensible Survival” videos will not
disappoint, so y’all be sure to check him out …
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The Tula star & arrow logo
with the rectangular refurb
stamp just above the date. |
After doin’ some pretty extensive research
on my particular SKS, I discovered that even though it had been refurbished …
it was actually refurbed at the original Tula Armory and had all of its
matchin’ serial numbers! This gun was
purchased in the late 80’s and I had all of the original accessories that came
with it as well; the sling, cleanin’ tools, the oiler and the bladed
bayonet. Hell, I even have a couple of
boxes of the original hollow-point shells!
To a collector, the gun was worth more than just your average surplus
carbine, so I wanted to make sure that I did not modify or re-tool any of the
original parts. I would, however have to
replace some components to make my arm legally compliant. So, after some careful analysis of all of the
different options that I had available, I decided to purchase the TAPCO
Intrafuse 6-Postion Stock System (with a
blade bayonet cut) in traditional olive drab. This adjustable stock is jam-up for gettin’
the right feel when yer aimin’ it or sightin’ it in … especially if ya got short
little “T-Rex” arms like mine! I also had
purchased the T6 rubber butt-pad, which reduces the kick a bit, and bought an Ultimate
Arms Gear adjustable tactical butt-stock sling from The Global Sportsman which
allows several different configurations of carry positions.
I had to keep in mind that this gun was
goin’ to be my new hog huntin’ rifle, and would receive quite a bit of abuse
out in the field. Any gun that I take sloughstalkin’
has gotta withstand wet & muddy conditions, not to mention the abnormal abuses
of hog huntin’! The last thing I wanted
to do was warp, crack or damage the original wooden stock or upper hand guard,
so gettin’ my new TAPCO synthetic composite stock was a must. It came with a SAW style pistol grip and a
Picatinny rail-styled upper hand-guard that would allow the mountin’ of any additional
accessories. This stock system counted
as 3 of the legal compliant parts needed for my conversion (butt, pistol-grip and fore-arm) and the 20-round magazine counted
as 3 as well (floor-plate, follower &
the body). The muzzle-brake counted
as another, and I had also opted to purchase TAPCO’s improved gas tube as well
as their gas piston, which each count as one U.S.C. (United States Code) 922r
compliant part for my import. Now, I’m
not goin’ to get into any legalities concernin’ the conversion of an imported
firearm, but I highly suggest that y’all do yer
homework prior to takin’ on such a
project. I made damn sure that I
followed every letter of the law, ‘cause I don’t ever plan on tradin’ any of my
camo for one of them federal orange jumpsuits.
Period.
On top of producin’ quality US made components,
I found that TAPCO has excellent customer service as well. Not only did I get a complete list of all the
parts (and correct part numbers) that
I would need to purchase from the customer service manager Kevin … he also
e-mailed me detailed instructions, includin’ those on any modifications that
may have to be made. For example, some SKS’s
would not accept the TAPCO 20-round magazine without some minor toolin’ to the
magazine itself. Luckily, this was not
the case with my arm; however, I did have to file the top edge of the gas tube
in order for the latch to slide down and lock it securely into place. Also, I had decided to remove my bayonet to
accommodate a foldin’ bi-pod from Ultimate Arms Gear, and added the TAPCO
threaded muzzle-brake. And speakin’ of
toolin’ … my barrel was not threaded, and I had read several horror stories in
the form of reviews on Amazon.com from folks who added inferior muzzle-brakes which
only had 1, 2 or 3 set-screws. I
ended-up purchasin’ an SKS Thread Adapter from Tactical Military Gear, which is
also manufactured in the USA and features 4 set screws. The last thing that I needed was catastrophic
failure at firin’ time …
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| A few things used for my amateur gunsmithin' ... |
This 14x1mm left-hand thread pitched
adapter did not initially fit over my particular barrel. I did not want to thread the barrel on my
antique arm … so I had to do some creative tool work on the inside of the
adapter. My dilemma was that if I used a
lathe … I might take-out too much of the inner wall of the adapter, and the fit
would not be tight. It needed to fit
snugly, and not have any play that
might change the trajectory or cause the bullet to strike the inside of the muzzle-brake. After wandering the aisles of my local Ace
hardware store, I decided on buyin’ a 2” long, 9mm ¼” drive socket, which just fit
inside the adapter … as well as a manual driver with a sturdy handle. Using 3M double-sided tape, I made calculated,
tight and even wraps over the outside of the socket; I then used my trusty
X-ACTO to cut a piece of 120-grit sandpaper, and wrapped it over the taped
socket to where the ends matched-up evenly.
What I made was a custom-fit cylindrical rasp, which now fit tightly
inside of the adapter, and I sanded it by twisting it. As my opening became a fraction larger, I
would add another wrap of tape each time I changed-out my sandpaper. I gradually switched to finer grits … until I
eventually ended-up smoothing it-out with 320-grit. My adapter now fit very snugly onto the end
of the barrel, and seated firmly against the sight. To ensure that the 4 set-screws would hold
under the extreme pressure of firing, I made four 1/16” deep divots into the
outer barrel. After re-bluing the
adapter and the divots in the barrel … I simply applied some blue thread-locker
to seal the deal!
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| All mods complete except for optics; I prefer an open-site and will add a NEBO iPROTEC Green Light. |
As you can see, the final result was just
as excitin’ as getting’ a new gun! But
looks ain’t everything … ‘cause the true test would hafta come from the range. The last thing anyone needs is an “uh, oh …”
out there in them woods, resultin' in severe injuries or worse. If somethin’ does go south …
hopefully it’s a simple fix, like usin’ a broken shell extractor. Then again, bein’ amongst a buncha p¡ssed-off
feral hogs with a rifle that don’t shoot wouldn’t be no picnic either; unless,
I guess … you was one of them hogs! All jokin’ aside, most of ‘em just run upon
sight; however, I have had a couple lately that have stood their ground or
chomped their teeth at me. I had jumped
a boar, two sows & a piglet on Horse Island close to Back Lake last year
that had bedded down next to a huge tree-fall. The two sows and piglet squealed & ran,
but that big ole boar not only stood his ground but he friggin’ growled at me! I’d love to have this same scenario play-out
again while holdin’ my renovated SKS and thin that herd. But first, I’ll be gettin’ some range-time in
over the next couple of weekends. So until
then, y’all take care and enjoy the summer!
