My grandpa gave me a Chinese SKS that he bought back in the early 90s just because it was going to be banned. He shot it a couple times and it has basically sat in his safe since. When he gave it to me it had a 30 round metal magazine, he can't remember if he bought it like that or if he and my dad added it. Anyways, the metal mag did not work the one time I shot it (big surprise). A buddy of mine gave me a Tapco mag which worked for the ~15 or so rounds i put through it. However, I'd like to just put a factory fixed mag back in it and use stripper clips.
Was the gun modified to accept the removable mags or is it a simple process to reinstall the original mag?
What is a good source for an original mag? Are they all the same, or are there certain types to avoid?
I just want to keep this thing around because it's a nice change of pace compared to my other guns and I like being able to go plinking with cheap ammo. I know little to nothing about the SKS. Are there any parts I should change/upgrade that will help with reliability or should I just shoot away? I'm referring strictly to internal parts, not looking to swap out stocks, add rails or do any other gadgets.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide this newb.