It Ain't Easy

For those of you considering a trip down the bubba path with a Tapco stock, this little story is just to let y'all know that it ain't easy. All those cool Youtube videos indicating it's a snap...yeah, it ain't necessarily so.

I have two SKS rifles. One is a Yugo, previously unissued, in absolutely pristine condition. I will never change a thing on that rifle...love it just as it is. The other rifle is a Chinese Type 56 "beater grade" imported by CJA in the mid-70's. Nothing special about the Chinese other than it runs great and it's mine.

So I recently decided to do some light bubba projects with the Chinese SKS, just to change things up. Project 1 was to install a Tapco T6 stock. It was not nearly as easy as others make it out to be.

I ordered a matching replacement gas tube rather than attempting to use the original tube. On my particular rifle, the pin holding the tube cover in place was soldered...no way was I getting that puppy out of there easily. So I spent a few extra bucks on the replacement. The thing is that the fit on the replacement tube was really, really tight. So much so that, when the new gas tube was in place, the lever that locks the interior piston would not lock down...too tight. I put the stock in a vise and, bit by bit, had to remove a lot of material from the replacement gas tube. Much more than I expected. In fact, I got a little nervous about taking so much off. Pretty nerve-wracking by the time I got a good fit.

After trimming the gas tube, things went well until I got to the spring that goes under the trigger group. Tapco gives you a spring that inserts into a hole under the trigger group. But the hole was far too small for the spring. So the stock went back to the vise while I drilled out the hold. Again, a bit by bit process...you want the spring to fit, but if the hole is too large, you'll lose that spring. It needs to be snug. Was definitely a very touchy affair, but I lucked out and got it right.

Things went pretty smoothly after that. Rifle installed in stock. Looked great. Brought it up to my shoulder. Felt good. I really like the feel of that saw grip. Thought I'd dry fire it once or twice. But...the safety won't disengage. It's stuck on something. So I pull the trigger assembly out. Safety works fine. Nothing looks bent. Back into the stock. Safety stuck. Pulled everything apart and put it back in the original stock...safety works fine. Back into the new stock again. Safety stuck. So I've got a great looking rifle that won't fire...swell! I walk away to my computer and research the issue (Google is my friend). Seems several people have encountered the issue. It's typically caused by the barrel and receiver not being fully seated in the stock. I look at mine...looks fully seated. Frustration sets in. And what happens next is for real, so help me...I question the stock's cleanliness and parentage, and whack the top of the thing about 4 times with a 3 lb. rubber mallet. Giving up, I start taking things apart to put the rifle back into the original stock. Start with the trigger group. Hmm...the safety is disengaged. Must have popped during the mallet whacks. Wait...I engage the safety and then try to disengage it...and it works!!! A solid victory for hammer mechanics. So now I've got a working rifle in a good looking stock.

So here's my point. If you're gonna go this route, it ain't easy. Be prepared for lots of grinding, trimming, banging, fussing and cussing. Because fitting relatively sloppy machined parts into plastic casing that's attempting to fit all variations is just not going to be easy.

UPDATE: Everything I've said about the Tapco stock installation goes double for removing the rear leaf spring sight. You'll see instruction videos all over YouTube demonstrating how to remove the rear sight with a screwdriver and a mallet (typically showing one tap of the screwdriver). It ain't necessarily so...not nearly as easy as the YouTubers say it is, at least not all SKS rifles. And you run a pretty good risk of bending the side pins and/or scratching up the sight itself. I tried it. Done with it now. Never did get the rear sight completely removed. Mount and scope both being returned. Think I'll just stick a red dot on the forward rail and call the bubba adventure complete.