How to Change the Magazine on a Simonov SKS Rifle

It's not hard to remove the magazine from an SKS rifle, but be aware that it may not be legal to do so to your SKS. Stupid laws exist which limit what you can do with your particular gun.

The Simonov (SKS) rifle, originally fielded by the Russian/Soviet military in the throes of World War II, has seen hard use in many armed conflicts. And while it's anything but pretty, it's durable, often surprisingly accurate, affordable, and customizable. All of these things make it a gun worth having.

The SKS has been used much for deer and hog hunting, (its 7.62x39mm cartridge packs almost as much punch as the 30-30 Win), but often the factory ten-round magazine is too large to be legal. Magazine capacity for semi-automatic hunting rifles is often restricted, usually to five (5) rounds, so one must remove the factory mag and install a smaller one, or alter the original magazine.

I usually prefer not to alter factory hardware unless it's broken.

Click on the top left photo below to begin.