Rossi Rifleman

My SKS is a Yugoslav with the grenade launcher. It has the ability to cut off the gas port when it's used in the grenade mode I'm guessing with a blank of some description. My question is what would happen if you used the cut off with a live round? Two reasons for those that would ask why do it 1) it beats brass up to the point of almost unloadable and 2) on the outdoor range it throws it every which way.

Make smoke,

It makes it like a bolt action when shot with gas cut off. The downside is sometimes it can be hard to open the action or hand cycle it. Try it I had a Yugo 59/66 and would do this as well. Sometimes I needed to forcefully work the bolt. It all depends on your chamber and it's condition by which the case expands into. Only know if you try. I have seen some function butter smooth some needed a hammer to pop the action open you wont know until you try. It will not hurt it to shoot it with the cutoff on gas just goes out the muzzle. They are generally very accurate when gas is cut off.

I'll make sure I take the rubber mallet to the range when I venture out to try.

Make smoke,

Ohio3Wheels wrote:My SKS is a Yugoslav with the grenade launcher. It has the ability to cut off the gas port when it's used in the grenade mode I'm guessing with a blank of some description. My question is what would happen if you used the cut off with a live round? Two reasons for those that would ask why do it 1) it beats brass up to the point of almost unloadable and 2) on the outdoor range it throws it every which way.

Make smoke,

Since you are using brass cased ammo for reloading, I would definitely take a dead blow or rubber mallet in case the round expands enough to make extracting hard.

If you were shooting steel cased ammo it probably wouldn't be as noticeable as steel wouldn't expand nearly as much in the chamber as brass would.

If you forget the mallet and have a stuck round, just mortar the butt onto the ground while holding the charging handle, that'll free it up, I've had to do that with an LR308 that had a stuck case before. Just be safe and unlatch the mag and empty the live rounds first.

desertrider wrote: Just be safe and unlatch the mag and empty the live rounds first.

Good idea.

If it won't cycle easy you may want to polish/hone the chamber a bit. Depending on the condition that might be futile.

I have very little patience for a gun that sticks shut. Granted this is a special case but a college bud of mine had a 1500 bolt action (they've been sold under several manufacturers names including I think Smith & Wesson and Mossberg and maybe Howa) His was in .223 and it would get progressively harder to open the bolt until it would fail to fire and the bolt could not be moved with a live round under a tripped firing pin.
On one occasion I recall someone held the rifle while someone else KICKED the bolt handle to open the action. When we disassembled it we found the air holes in the bolt body to allow free movement of the firing pin had allowed a gain of quartz sand the size of a pinhead to get into the bolt and jam the firing pin spring. I was pretty down on that gun for some time.

I'll report back with results.

Make smoke,

An interesting SKS just popped up for sale locally.....but my 7.62 AR stuff insn't even all here yet.

Several SKS' have spent time in my safe over the years, Chinese and Russian only, though.

I've finally settled down to just two, a Tula and a Norinco . I decided to keep the Tula original and put my Chicom into an SGW bulpup kit just to be different. My wife really enjoys shooting the bulpup.

Not to bring up an older post but i have become obsessed with these guns lately and if my situation was different i would snatch up the first Russian built model i could find. Eager to get one, keeping it in as near factory condition as possible, get set up for reloading 7.62x39, and shoot the hell outta of it

In the meantime im learning as much as i can about them until i can find (and afford) as one poster on another forum put it "the cadillac of SKS'"