OK I see this all of the time on SKS boards all over the land. This is a true story that I tell to help other people at the risk of embarrassment to myself. I may be the only person that will admit to it but in my early days of SKS collecting right after “The Russians” started coming into the states I decided that it would be really cool to have one modified to use AK mags! (imagine that)
Anyway at that time there was a joker on the net that called himself George Stringer “The Internet Gunsmith” Anybody remember him?

He had his own board and took questions and provided what appeared to be good sound advice to people about all types of firearms.

One of the topics he carried was “Convert SKS to use AK mags”

Yes I did it, I admit, I had bought a finish damaged Russian for $80 so I decided to go for it. I sent him the rifle and a check for $80.

6 weeks later I got back the Russian with a new mag catch made from bar steel that was a lot like the new catch on my MC-50 ( renamed SKS M) it sorta worked. He had built up a weld spot at the front of the mag well as a catch lip that would in fact hold a mag with the bolt back………but, the bolt was still too wide and the well not deep enough so that the note he included said you have to slightly modify the mags to fit………. Understatement of the year.

You had to grind on the mag lips till they were paper thin to get them low enough to fit inside the well with the bolt closed or to get the bolt to close. It sorta worked after you did that and if you ruined a few mags what the heck, 30 rounders were $3 each then.

In short it was a real piece of crap that was no more reliable than a yugo (car not rifle)

I think George did as good a job as could be done on this conversion so I would not recommend ANYONE doing it.

What became of this rifle? I sold it on Gunbroker a few years ago with a full explanation of the situation with it to a gentleman in Texas for $160 He planned to try to convert it back to a real rifle. Said he had wanted a Russian for a long time but thought the prices had gotten silly. (they have) I sent him the removed parts and I guess he was able to as I never heard back from him.

Now I have
2 preban type 84’s
4 preban “D”s (one that I shortened to 16 inches)
3 postban “M”s
1 MC-50 (this is the renamed SKS M that has no turkey neck and the catch looks like a standard SKS mag release from the side, I believe Norinco did this to try and get around the SKS ban on the left coast, needless to say it didn’t work)

BTW, the MC-50 is the most accurate SKS I own. Slickest finish and best fitting all around.

and I will tell the world I have sold all my Russians and everything else that does not use AK mags and these are the most addicting rifles in the world. I have collected at least one of each of all the stocks that were built for this series. I own Galil’s - FN FNC - FN FAL Para – several AR’s and an AKM, M1A in BM59 folder, but these puppies are more fun to play with than all the others.

There I have bared my soul, sigh….. I feel better now.

Mike Steen