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I received a 9696 factory Chinese SKS in bullpup configuration in a trade in December. I have since sold the bullpup kit and set about restoring the rifle to standard configuration. I wanted to share the final product as I am pretty proud of it. I know there are some on the board that will look down on refinishing the gun, but hey I had a blast, it looks nice, and I learned a lot about the trigger group.

 

I refinished the stock by stripping to bare wood and sealing with 8 coats of Spar Urethane. One ding I could not steam out but it still turned out pretty well. It had a stamped trigger housing, and the edges were pretty rough, so everything got filed/sanded smooth and reblued. The trigger was absolutely the worst trigger I have ever felt, even by SKS standards. Severe negative engagement, a mile of creep, and about three rough "screeches" before it would break. I did a complete trigger job. Now it is 5.5 lbs, very little creep, smooth as butter, and has a nice positive engagement. Last thing I did was add a Techsight aperture peep to the rear. Overall it was a fun project. Here are some pics:

 

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Very nicely done. It's gorgeous!

About the dent... It's called being O.C. Stop looking at it. ;)

The rear peep sight is a nice touch.

That made me laugh. Yes I am OC when it comes to stuff like that. The entire time I kept thinking "why couldn't this thing be on the backside?" It's a minor thing though. I appreciate it.

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Funny how something tiny bugs the crap out of me, until I put it back in the safe for a few days.

Of course, if it was a gouge it wouldn't steam out.

Oh it was better than a gouge. It looked like the previous owner tried hammering a 16 penny nail with it. :)

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I'm a bullpup fan, but that's just sweet.

You successfully bullpup'd a RPK. I would say you are a fan.:) I considered keeping it a bullpup, but I already have. .223 Kpup, and I like the look of wood on a rifle. Plus I was able to recoup half of the value of my trade by selling the Bullpup kit. Since you are a fan of bullpups, here is a pic of what the rifle looked like before I got started:

 

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Along with a pic of the only Bullpup I own:

 

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I don't like SKSs, but that looks good. And I am a fan of cleaning up terrible triggers. And of people knowing how to do stuff like that.

Quite frankly, I am not a big fan of them either Gunfun. The only reason I picked it up was because after all was said and done, I got it for 1993 prices, and I needed a new project. In fact, I will likely sell it to fund a new project. However it has grown on me throughout the process. (Still would prefer another AK any day of the week). As far as the trigger goes, it is the first SKS trigger that I have really attempted in detail. I did a lot of research and found a site Sailorcurt.com. He has a five series video tutorial that is about the finest I have ever seen. After watching it, you will have a complete understanding of how every component of the SKS trigger works, how to modify everything from smoothing out the grittiness, eliminating creep, and take up, and making sure it is safe when you are through. It is one of the more difficult triggers to work on and is time consuming as you have to carefully change the geometry of the sear. but the result is truly amazing compared to the factory Chinese ones. I highly recommend checking his site out if you have a chance. It is good stuff.

Edited by Spacehog
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Now I know who to send my SKS FCG to. Watch for it in the mail. :)

 

Just kidding. Mine doesn't get out much, anymore. Detachable AK mags is the only reason I keep it around.

 

When I bought it, the stock was beat up and someone had taken a hacksaw to it, to fit a drum.

 

I'll try to post pics.

Edited by Sim_Player
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Now I know who to send my SKS FCG to. Watch for it in the mail. :)

Just kidding. Mine doesn't get out much, anymore. Detachable AK mags is the only reason I keep it around.

When I bought it, the stock was beat up and someone had taken a hacksaw to it, to fit a drum.

I'll try to post pics.

Definitely post up the pics when you get a chance. I want to see that. As Gunfun said in the other post, a file might have been more appropriate than a hack saw when fitting the drum. It is amazing what some people do. When I first got started, I was terrified to use a jewelers file on my guns, much less hacksaw without knowing what I was doing.

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 When I first got started, I was terrified to use a jewelers file on my guns, much less hacksaw without knowing what I was doing.

 

 

That is one beautiful thing about lack of quality control on combloc guns. It really helps get us past the conditioning to reguard firearms as mystical devices beyond the ken of common man. Colt made all men equal, kalasnikov plus vodka made him brave enough to modify a gun with a hammer and free to change what needs changing.

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That gun looks great.  I'm a huge fan of refinishing when it is done right.  I think you bring a gun who's life span may be reaching it's end as far as interest goes, back to something someone may enjoy for generations.

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The SKS looks awesome! Inspiring me to dig mine out of the closet. I was going to ask you the reference on the trigger work, but you answered my question. Looks like I know what my next project is...

Here is the direct link to the trigger job referenced above:

 

http://sailorcurt.com/2009/02/drum-roll-please.html/

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BTW, I was trying to be sarcastic about using a hack-saw and belt-sander. :)

 

Niether one is known for accomplishing precision work.

 

It reminds me of starting my business in construction after having worked in aerospace for more than a decade (+/- an inch vs. a tolerance of .002).

 

All good fun...

Edited by Sim_Player
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BTW, I was trying to be sarcastic about using a hack-saw and belt-sander. :)

Niether one is known for accomplishing precision work.

It reminds me of starting my business in construction after having worked in aerospace for more than a decade (+/- an inch vs. a tolerance of .002).

All good fun...

We all knew you were being sarcastic SimPlayer. I thought your post was funny, that is why I referenced it in this post. No worries..the humor wasn't lost on us.

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A beautiful piece of wood and very talented, skillful work on a rifle that is now worth less than the stock! :)

 

Awesome work. Don't care for the rifle much but you have a very good eye for the grain!

That was one heck of a compliment Stryker. Thank you.

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