I'm a sworn 6mm freak, I think 6.5x55 Swede is one of the best full power combat rounds about, having won a couple of good HP competitions using said caliber out of both Swede 96s and a care-worn Ljungmann. I've also shot 6.5 Carcano and 6.5 Arisaka to great effect against all manner of game and targets as well.

That said, I've got ahold of a pretty unique "custom" SKS that I'd like to do one further and convert to a 6mm round. After reading up on calibers, I'd like to either do a complete conversion to a 6.5x39mm wildcat, or to the 6mm PPC wildcat in common use as its based on the M43 cartridge and would do well with the pre-existing bolt and extractor setup. What I'd like is a barrel blank that'll fit the SKS in 6 or 6.5mm, and I'll deal with having the chamber cut on my own.

IMO, you're gonna be outa luck. A custom barrel for what is basically a $100 gun ain't gonna happen.

My .o2

Ask Kurt - he might try it. - But it is going to cost.

A $100 gun is the best type to customize, if you do well, you've improved it beyond a $100 gun (actually all costs included its probably a $15 US/manufacture, even though mine recently drew offers of $300) if you wreck it...well, it was only a $100 gun.

I need a 6.5 or 6mm barrel cut to fit the contours needed in an SKS. I dont realy understand why that is such a big deal as people have much more involved custom guns built all the time.

Quoted: A $100 gun is the best type to customize, I would politely disagree. A $100 gun is going to have subpar steel as well as fitting. There's an old saying: you can't polish a turd. I dont realy understand why that is such a big deal as people have much more involved custom guns built all the time. But they usually are working on a bit of a better class of gun. You're asking for the equivilent of a custom barrel for a Lorcin.

Sorry if I cant afford to be a gun-snob folks, I was asking for a source, not an opinion. Since you gave yours, here are mine:

If J.M. Browning or the like had that view on firearms we'd still be shooting match locks.

Besides, this "sub par" material has functioned through 50 years of conflict without so much as a single reported defect or failure in even the most crudely made examples, a far cry from the oft-bandied about Springfield 1903 which has had so many problems that if it were a civilian venture today, it would have been recalled and thrown away under some very thick rug. And Smiths work on custom Springfield 03s all the time.

Face it, the big problem with it is I didnt pay $3,000 for it like you paid for your (FITB, H&K, Armalite, Galil...) so it couldnt POSSIBLY be improved....

Once again, I want a barrel cut to my own specifications, let me worry about the rest.

I don't see why it can't be done; I'd say ask Kurt..worst he can do is say "no"

6.5 through a case like that? You aughta be able to get some good velocity out of that. Accuracy probably won't be on par to what you're used to out of bolt guns, but that's part and parcel.

As stated before...it's probably going to cost more than the rifle itself did, for you. But, if satisifaction is the goal, what matter is money? (Having spent 3k on a pre-ban FAL and muddled with it and dropped wads of cash on it for years, only to fix all it's problems with loc-tite and jbweld, I can attest to this...)

I wouldn't mind a Heavy bull barrel for my Russian.
I have never heard of an Russian SKS having "subpar" steel in its manufacture.
Please direct me to the research data that confirms this.
If this is true then Mausers must also have "subpar" steel and a $100.00 Mauser must be a low class firearm(which of course alot of them are not in the least).
You see blanket statements about a particular DESIGN of firearm just doesn't work.
There are SKSs,Mausers and(insert firearm design here) that have inferior materials and/or workmanship in them,but not all.
If Russian SKS's were not built in such large quantities and imported here they would go for ALOT more money than they do.
Just because a particular firearm is inexpensive
doesn't always mean they are not built well and out of high quality raw materials.
JMHO

Opinion: the sks is an excellent rifle, price has no effect on that.

Suggestion: I'd check around your work or at the gun shop, find someone with a lathe that's willing to work with you.  You can get a barrel blank from any number of places, Midway, Brownells, etc..  Get a heavy barrel and have it turned to the right dimensions.  This should be a simple operation.  You may have to go to a machine shop to get a new gas cylinder fabed up.  That'll be twice as costly as the whole barrel project I bet.  Your project idea rocks btw.  

Quoted: Face it, the big problem with it is I didnt pay $3,000 for it like you paid for your (FITB, H&K, Armalite, Galil...) so it couldnt POSSIBLY be improved....

No one is trying to be a "gun snob". All we're trying to do is possibly save you some $$$ & aggravation.

There's already semi's made in 6.5 as I'm sure you know. That would seem to be a whole lot easier & better than changing the SKS, IMO.