sks with tapco 20rnd mag

zkovach · 12-09-2010, 04:36 PM

Got an sks from my dad and the original mag didnt fit it. seems the gun is very tight and looks like its never been shot. My question: How can you pull out your tapco mag without pulling the bolt back and the clip (which holds the mag in) simultaneously. I have seen you tube videos where they dont even touch the bolt. There is a sticker on the mag package that says i must pull the bolt back to put it in and take it out. did i buy the only one where i have to do this?

Thanks,
Zoltan

USMCSpeedy · 12-09-2010, 04:46 PM

I've never seen a Tapco SKS mag that you didn't have to have the bolt back to take out. That is unless you either modified the mag or the bolt or both. As nice as the Tapco mags work for me its just something I live with.

johnlives4christ · 12-09-2010, 05:02 PM

what you've seen is either a modified gun or an sks that takes ak mags. any regular sks with any detachable mag will require you to hold the bolt back to remove the mag if there are still rounds left in the gun

i suppose you could remove the portion of the bolt that holds on the magazine feed lips. it crossed my mind to do this if i ever started using after market mags in my sks. you wouldnt need to remove the whole section only about the back 2/3s of each offending rail. leaving them intact in the front would keep as much strength in the bolt as possible and as much weight.

RunningOnMT · 12-09-2010, 07:54 PM

Yes...you can grind off an area on the bolt to enable mag removal with bolt closed. Longspring, a member I haven't seen on in a long time, posted some pictures and complete instructions for doing this. I don't have these instructions anymore but you might try to do a search for past posts by Longspring. He's pretty much an authority on the SKS.

As far as the mag not fitting in the mag well, if this has the original wooden stock it is often the case that the sides of the mag well have to be shaved a bit to fit the mags. If you install one of the after market poly stocks they are generally designed to accomodate the hi capacity mags.

Just a personal opinion here. I had an SKS that i tricked out with a tapco stock with collapsable butt, pistol grip, and hand guard. I then bought some tapco 20 rd mags as I thought loading with stripper clips was too tedious. I ended up selling the rifle to a good friend. It is an excellant shooter, however in retrospect I wouldn't make those changes to one again. I'd prefer to recognize the SKS for what it is; a very reliable and accurate piece of history. It will never be an assault rifle, so I would practice with the stripper clips until I got it down. If you still have the wooden stock, I'd reinstall the internal box magazine, and use clips. JMO

johnlives4christ · 12-09-2010, 08:36 PM

romt. amen to that! i love the sks for what it is.

12-09-2010, 04:36 PM	#1
zkovach Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,005	sks with tapco 20rnd mag Got an sks from my dad and the original mag didnt fit it. seems the gun is very tight and looks like its never been shot. My question: How can you pull out your tapco mag without pulling the bolt back and the clip (which holds the mag in) simultaneously. I have seen you tube videos where they dont even touch the bolt. There is a sticker on the mag package that says i must pull the bolt back to put it in and take it out. did i buy the only one where i have to do this? Thanks, Zoltan __________________ Liberalism: Poverty for ALL!! -->

12-09-2010, 04:46 PM	#2
USMCSpeedy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 627	Re: sks with tapco 20rnd mag I've never seen a Tapco SKS mag that you didn't have to have the bolt back to take out. That is unless you either modified the mag or the bolt or both. As nice as the Tapco mags work for me its just something I live with. __________________ If all else fails, VOTE FROM THE ROOFTOPS Trying to reform a liberal is like trying to pick up a turd from the clean end. What this country needs is more family trees that will produce more lumber and fewer nuts!

12-09-2010, 05:02 PM	#3
johnlives4christ Former Guest Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,828	Re: sks with tapco 20rnd mag what you've seen is either a modified gun or an sks that takes ak mags. any regular sks with any detachable mag will require you to hold the bolt back to remove the mag if there are still rounds left in the gun i suppose you could remove the portion of the bolt that holds on the magazine feed lips. it crossed my mind to do this if i ever started using after market mags in my sks. you wouldnt need to remove the whole section only about the back 2/3s of each offending rail. leaving them intact in the front would keep as much strength in the bolt as possible and as much weight.

12-09-2010, 07:54 PM	#4
RunningOnMT Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, Ohio Contributor Posts: 4,720	Re: sks with tapco 20rnd mag Yes...you can grind off an area on the bolt to enable mag removal with bolt closed. Longspring, a member I haven't seen on in a long time, posted some pictures and complete instructions for doing this. I don't have these instructions anymore but you might try to do a search for past posts by Longspring. He's pretty much an authority on the SKS. As far as the mag not fitting in the mag well, if this has the original wooden stock it is often the case that the sides of the mag well have to be shaved a bit to fit the mags. If you install one of the after market poly stocks they are generally designed to accomodate the hi capacity mags. Just a personal opinion here. I had an SKS that i tricked out with a tapco stock with collapsable butt, pistol grip, and hand guard. I then bought some tapco 20 rd mags as I thought loading with stripper clips was too tedious. I ended up selling the rifle to a good friend. It is an excellant shooter, however in retrospect I wouldn't make those changes to one again. I'd prefer to recognize the SKS for what it is; a very reliable and accurate piece of history. It will never be an assault rifle, so I would practice with the stripper clips until I got it down. If you still have the wooden stock, I'd reinstall the internal box magazine, and use clips. JMO

12-09-2010, 08:36 PM	#5
johnlives4christ Former Guest Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,828	Re: sks with tapco 20rnd mag romt. amen to that! i love the sks for what it is.