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SKS Type 56 Carbine


renegadecow

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chi-sks1_70.jpg

Yep, that's the rifle I've been wanting to make right there, speaking to those unfamiliar with what an SKS looks like. That ungainly, archaic, soviet carbine has always been floating around in my head ever since Tokyo Marui came out with their M14 some years back. Fast forward to now after my vacation in Vietnam, I've been itching for a Cong gun and nothing's as VC as an SKS. I know I could have just settled with an AK but they're so meh right now.

 

The Plan

First I thought of just gutting one of those spring operated shell ejecting SKS and somehow bodge a gearbox in it, but it looks so bad the only part I'd really be able to use is the spike bayonet. So screw that plan and on to another which is "build one from scratch". Not the first time I'll be working with nothing but a gearbox, but it won't be any easier just knowing it. I already found the donor gun which is a barely used CYMA M14 socom for under $70 so I'll try and buy that ASAP remove the gearbox/hop and bin whatever is left.

 

Next I'll need to scale the gearbox to how it will fit in an SKS. As I'll be working from nothing, I may tweak some dimensions just to fit the GB in but from my initial sketches it looks like I wont have to. My only real concern is if I'll need to change the cylinder head of the M14 gearbox as the SKS has a rather low barrel axis whereas the M14 has a high one. I'll need to modify the hop chamber accordingly of course.

 

With the gearbox lined up, I'll be making a receiver out of my usual PVC but with a slight twist this time. I'll try binding the outer layer with GI sheet just to make it look better when it starts to rust. I've tried this method before but rarely use it as it is very labor intensive and doesn't provide anything more than just aesthetic appeal. The barrel and gas tube will be out of heavy conduit pipe. The stock will of course be made out of wood with the battery in the butt. I estimate it would weigh in at 3kg, some 800g shy off real weight.

 

Lastly, my idea is to feed it using TM shotgun shells. No cheesy AK mags. To load the gun you simply pop open the magazine base plate and insert the shell. Close the plate and you're good for a rough 25 rounds (30 minus however many bbs are left in the hop tube). If there's enough space, I'll make the bolt assembly to look and pretty much function like the real thing.

 

I know I'm sounding nuts right now with all the other ###### I'm making at the same time, but I'm dead set in making this rifle a reality especially since it's gonna be a keeper. I'm open to ideas you guys might want to throw in other than machining the parts out of metal or buying a real SKS and gut it. No way are those two gonna happen. Also, if anyone has an idea how to make this into a GBB, you're welcome to discuss.

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for GBB:

 

Maybe use an AK GBB system?

 

I see at the top of the SKS something that looks like a bolt carrier, and it kinda reminds me of an AK47/74 type of bolt carrier. Just mold a bolt onto it, and it can look quite allike.

 

You can then mod an AK mag that way, that it looks short and still gas powered.

 

Also, the barrel and gas tube look like a tightly fitted AK barrel and gas tube, dont you think?

And the handguard kinda reminds me of an AK handguard.

The buttstock also looks like a weirdly modded AK buttstock.

So starting from an AK GBB might not be such a horrible idea...

 

 

Or just wait for the WE M14 GBB to be released.

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I have often also considered making one of these, two ways i have considered doing it:

 

1.) using a cheap, double eagle m47 'shotgun' as the mech and building it in a similar way to the nagant i am currently producing; building the wood around the reciever and so producing a straight pull springer- not very skirmishable but cheap.

 

2.) stripping down an ak; its very far from perfect, but as mentioned above there are many features it shares with its replacement. If i wanted to knock up a basic look alike i would produce a long wooden stock that forms the lower handguard (using the same fittings as in the ak) and either make cut out around the existing receiver, or make it so that it can function as the receiver.

Far from ideal, but using short ak mags you have a very skirmishable gun.

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chi-sks1_70.jpg

 

Well look at this!

http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/AEG_AEP_Real_Sword_Real_Sword_RS_Type_56.htm

$372 and you even get a bayonet with it!

Quite some upgrade parts, good quality. You may feel some pain when destroying this gun, but I guess its a good staring platform, dont you think?

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I think the reason he is using an M14 is because the gearbox and motor (v7) will fit in a rifle stock. If it was built from a T-56, you would have problems installing a V3 Gearbox and motor (as the motor is below the gearbox for the pistol grip). Plus I don't know of anyone that would have the heart to destroy a nice new Realsword like that. My T56-1 is the best gun I own.

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The problem in using AK parts is that, well, they're AK parts. I've been studying close up pics of SKS's and type-56's and while they resemble an AK, they're still way off. The front sight for example on the RS has the bayonet locking lug on it and I can't use the AK front sight so I'll need to modify the bayonet anyway. The same goes with the sight block. I admit that part on an AK really comes close but the one on the SKS is actually a lot slimmer. If you look at the parts diagram, the receiver doesn't look very complicated at all so I'm confident in just making it from PVC. That said, I'm also going to go for as realistic take down of the rifle as I could get minus the gearbox part as that would need to be pulled away from the stock like an M14.

picture-27.png

 

 

I also forgot to mention that I'll be using the rifle primarily as part of a VC loadout so I need it to be period correct hence why I'm planning in making a type-56 and not an actual SKS. As much more skirmishable AK mags will be, those are actually an American invention made way after the war and 25 odd rounds per reload is plenty enough for me.

 

Could you not just flip the cylinder head up-side down and modify the tappet plate to suit?

You'd probably only need to shorten the feed tube on the hop unit to suit.

If it lines up at the bottom. If it turns out at the middle then I'd need to forage for a V2/3 head and see if that works.

 

About GBB, can't go AK route as the firing components cannot be altered unlike that of an AEG. Plus I'd still be stuck with AK mags. Using an M14 would be even farther off. The best I could think of is using a Maruzen M1100 and modify the shell and nozzle tip so that they would feed more like a magazine fed GBB. The shell on those don't actually go into the chamber as the dummy bolt simply goes over to cover it.

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I have tried to do a custom SKS.

 

After having tested the M14 like gearbox, the Sten gearbox, they cannot fit into the wooden frame as they are too long/large. It appears that the only possibilities are:

 

AEP mechanism (may work due to the small gearbox size but with poor average performance in term of FPS)

GBB mechanism (based on GHK or RaTech) may also work but a bit more complex to do specially for the alignment with the barrel tube.

 

Therefore, I choose something already prooven in term of reliability, the Mauser C96 pistol (gaz, long version, HFC if my recollection is right). I bought an Izhmash RS wooden frame that was modified to accept the basic mechanism of the Mauser. I have also been obliged to use a part of an AK metal dust cover, the metal barrel of an AK, the plastic corps of an horrible full plastic SKS (the only acceptable part to be re-used was the bayonnet).

 

Here is the result, not 100% perfect but acceptable by my standards:

Since those pics were taken, I have created with a piece of metal a fake mag hidding the Mauser one, then approching the general shape of the SKS. The only drawback is the trigger confort due to the position of your hand when you pull the trigger.

 

 

 

1004926r.jpg

 

 

1004928.jpg

 

 

1004929.jpg

 

 

1004930u.jpg

 

 

1004934.jpg

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Anything with an AK base isnt going to work cuz of the motor in the grip. Period. The M14 is the closest your gonna get. Looking at the pics RC may beable to pull it off. The receiver is bigger than an M14 receiver, meaning he can cover the M14 receiver, or chop the receiver and cover it with an ABS/PVC SKS receiver. With RC's pvc skillz this should be doable and Im very glad to see him back in action.

 

RC did you ever have any luck with those redot covers?

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I have tried to do a custom SKS.

"Tried" hardly describes what you've accomplished there bud. Great work!

 

The receiver is bigger than an M14 receiver, meaning he can cover the M14 receiver, or chop the receiver and cover it with an ABS/PVC SKS receiver.

I'm planning on ditching the M14 receiver altogether. The V7 gearbox by itself is surprisingly slender which is why I'm confident in squeezing it into the woodwork. And about the Meprolight shrouds, I've actually been making and selling copies but out of PVC as my 2nd contact for production also went under. That said they're pricier than what I wanted to sell them at as I have to make them myself and one at a time.

 

And as a minor update, from spending the whole day yesterday studying images of captured SKS's as war trophies during Vietnam, I missed the opportunity for that cheap M14. Now I'll have to look around for another unit if not buy new. :(

edit:

Oh and yeah, no AKs please. It just won't work.

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Now, I'm no expert in gearboxes, so don't laugh if this is an awful idea. But would it work if you flipped the 'box upside down, so that way the cylinder and everything is already on the bottom, plus you could load the shotshells through the top, like the real steel.

 

Also, any reason you're sticking to electric? If it were me, I would really go with an NBB approach. Much smaller and simpler to work with.

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^

The gearbox would stick out through the top if you used a V7, plus it would be difficult to reconfigure the trigger. Personally I'd rather have it in GBB, but my "throw an M1100" plan is purely theoretical as I haven't personally fiddled with one to know if its even possible. NBB is also ok, simpler mechanism but can't think of anything that I could use which would make it look spot on.

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Ok, so I'm starting to question why I'm open to the concept of a GBB system in the first place. Aside from making a new system from scratch, I'd have to cannibalize something else and put its guts in the SKS. Now just thinking of what can fit is already a problem, I'm thinking with what little can fit there's not gonna be much recoil in the end. At best it would be like an MP7 as all of the guns mass would absorb the energy of the moving bolt. So if all I'm gonna have is a tack driver that makes a little noise and vibrates I might as well stick to an AEG.

 

As for the Detonics, I've scaled this up and even that won't fit, much less a G26.

sks_detonics.jpg

 

Ideally, I shouldn't be messing with a gas-in-mag system if I wanted this to be GBB. It ought to be made like the Marushin M870/1100 or MGC 10/22 where a much larger gas reservoir is kept in the stock or grip. Even if I modify the Detonics mag to fit, I'd be left with a little more than real cap of BBs, and an even smaller gas reservoir now made more prone to cool down.

edit:

While I was at it, I cooked up an illustration of the AEG method. It's not 100% to scale, but I gather I'm pretty close if my math is correct (and if drowsiness didn't play a hand at errors as it's already midnight). Right now it looks like the hop aligns at the bottom of the cylinder but I can't be sure about the angle of the gearbox that fits best which would undoubtedly mess with the hop anyways. For those not in the know, the M14 doesn't have the gearbox in-line with the hop/barrel. I'll definitely have to modify the M14 hop chamber or at the worst, make a new one.

sks_m14.jpg

*the red rectangle represents the shotgun shell magazine, a bit oversized though

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None to show unfortunately. Been busy at work the past week and I've still not found a 2nd hand M14 for cheap. As it stands, a new one (CYMA) is still $110.

However I did find a few places selling SKS (Yugoslavian) parts that I was hoping I could use. $15 for a bolt carrier, $10 for a butt plate, $10 for a bayonet.

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However I did find a few places selling SKS (Yugoslavian) parts that I was hoping I could use. $15 for a bolt carrier, $10 for a butt plate, $10 for a bayonet.

Did US shops send real firearm restricted parts to Philippines??? To EU surely not... Many want to build Garand M1, and they only want the front sight+gas assembly... And they only can get it hard/illegal... under marked "mashine parts". I wouldn't try it.

 

RS stock won't work with V7, it would be paperthin.

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