SKS and 922r Part 2

I say this not as some puritanical don't ruin the collectability like I would for a Krag or Springfield...

If you have an SKS leave it the fuck alone!

The 10 round magazine it left the factory with is the hands-down best magazine ever made for it.

The stock is damn short by western standards, but take note that the distances to the rear sight are correct if you leave it alone.

Just about every aftermarket item for the SKS is an attempt to make an AK out of it.  It is not and will never be an AK, so if you were wanting an AK; get an AK!

Is that a harsh assessment?  Yes.

You are not making the SKS better, you are messing it up because the aftermarket isn't really enhancing; they are catering to a market that thinks that by saving $200 on the gun and spending $150 on a stock you end up at the same place.  You don't and you won't.

I've watched it over and over.  You think you're saving money; but you're just compromising an actually decent design.  If the length of pull is a problem, get the rubber extension pad and don't create a conflict with 922r.  Or buy a Tapco and ignore the unconstitutional 922r and drive on.  Changing the stock is one of the few things that doesn't break the design.

But don't think you're improving on Simonov by replacing that magazine.  He's smarter than you and he had more resources to test his design than the person selling you the 30-rounder.

You may hit the range and not see the ill effects.  The range is not why you tell people you bought the gun (is it?).  Drag the thing to a carbine course and see how you fare.  Be prepared to be disappointed.

I say this as a hard-corps advocate of personalizing your gun to you.  The SKS is the exception.  Change as little as possible.