All my SKSes have their original trigger. As much as I like to keep them "correct" I was thinking of choosing the least worthy of the bunch and getting it a trigger job. Is it worth the effort? Who makes the best after market trigger?
Relics
SKS Trigger Job Question
It will be a good idea-- required reading IMHO -- to familiarize yourself with the SKS safety and trigger.
Find out if each of your rifles have Negative, Positive, or Neutral sear-to-hammer engagement.
And when you choose which one of your rifles you want to have modified --Absolutely and at all costs have it done professionally by someone like Kivaari.
The heavy, rough, and gritty trigger of the SKS is an integral part of the trigger and safety design. And 99.9% of the SKS trigger job tutorials that you'll find online make the SKS more susceptible to negligent discharge.
Even with a trigger job, the SKS in general will never acheive MOA accuracy. It's wasn't designed for that, although the Kivaari treatment may improve groupings marginally.
If yer dead set on trying it out, pick your best shooter.
Find out if each of your rifles have Negative, Positive, or Neutral sear-to-hammer engagement.
And when you choose which one of your rifles you want to have modified --Absolutely and at all costs have it done professionally by someone like Kivaari.
The heavy, rough, and gritty trigger of the SKS is an integral part of the trigger and safety design. And 99.9% of the SKS trigger job tutorials that you'll find online make the SKS more susceptible to negligent discharge.
Even with a trigger job, the SKS in general will never acheive MOA accuracy. It's wasn't designed for that, although the Kivaari treatment may improve groupings marginally.
If yer dead set on trying it out, pick your best shooter.
Hello. Just thought I might add that I bought a beautiful 1954 Russian SKS that needed some trigger group work. I had Murray put in a new hammer/sear/spring kit. I mailed just the trigger group to him in Texas, and they fixed her up, and sent her back. I dropped it in, and I now have a very safe, reliable SKS again. The parts are listed I think within this link as 922r compliant parts. He does a lot of SKS work and did a perfect job on my Russian SKS. It is very much like a factory feel, but smoother and less creep. The engagement is also just as it should be, as mentioned by Mr. Boris. Here is the link.
https://murraysguns.com/
Thanks
https://murraysguns.com/
Thanks
I agree with you relics....i enjoy the SKS and honing mine with ammo or maybe even trigger group tuning...... for improvements and more entertainment on the range, with safety first always in mind....
i sent my trigger group to Kivaari's in Texas and he does a great job on them. makes it a better trigger and a lot safer as in less chance of slam fires where they can go full auto on you. the main thing is to take part the bolt and clean it real good and don't oil it where the firing pin is. it should pass the shake test where you shake it up and down and the firing pin free floats. when it sticks forward is where you get the full run of all the ammo you have in rifle.
it takes him a few weeks to get trigger group back to you as he gets lots of them to do. good luck.
it takes him a few weeks to get trigger group back to you as he gets lots of them to do. good luck.
Thanks wacman85. I agree, if that shake test isn't a rattley as a tin can on a string behind the wedding car I dump the whole thing in mineral spirits and let it soak, 'cuz I'm lazy. If that doesn't work I break the bolt down. But I know nothing from nothing about the SKS trigger assembly, so Kivaari's it is.
First, let me say that if you have a collector's piece, you may not want to shoot it or modify it in any way to protect it's value. Stick it in the safe, and look at it on special occasions!
If you are like me, you like to shoot the guns you buy so they need to be safe and work perfectly. I am guessing that most of you are also pretty handy with tools and can do this if only you knew what to do.
Okay, now before you send your SKS trigger assembly off to have it done, there are some very good sources that show you how to properly evaluate the SKS trigger group and how to correct the common issues. Most will have neutral sear/hammer engagement and this creates a very dangerous situation when carrying the rifle with a round chambered. Any bump to the weapon may cause the round to discharge!
Now I have some shaky old hands and can't see squat up close, but I was able to do a few SKS triggers with great success. All now have a positive sear/hammer engagement, the creep has been greatly reduced, the trigger actions are very smooth, and the trigger pulls are all about 6 pounds. They may not be competition grade triggers, but they are excellent for a battle rifle. These rifles are now much safer too! They can now be carried with a round chambered and bumping the rifle will not fire the round as before.
I used some jewelers files, very fine stones and a little oil to reshape the sear and hammer angles. I also removed the excess material causing the creep and polished everything to a mirror finish. Take some 2000 grit sandpaper and smooth the sear rails and grooves so that it glides smoothly in the assembly. While you are at it, take some 2000 grit sandpaper and polish the rails in your receiver and on your bolt assembly. Removing the fine milling marks will make the entire rifle function more smoothly
If you have the time, tools and the necessary patience, it ain't rocket surgery!
If you are like me, you like to shoot the guns you buy so they need to be safe and work perfectly. I am guessing that most of you are also pretty handy with tools and can do this if only you knew what to do.
Okay, now before you send your SKS trigger assembly off to have it done, there are some very good sources that show you how to properly evaluate the SKS trigger group and how to correct the common issues. Most will have neutral sear/hammer engagement and this creates a very dangerous situation when carrying the rifle with a round chambered. Any bump to the weapon may cause the round to discharge!
Now I have some shaky old hands and can't see squat up close, but I was able to do a few SKS triggers with great success. All now have a positive sear/hammer engagement, the creep has been greatly reduced, the trigger actions are very smooth, and the trigger pulls are all about 6 pounds. They may not be competition grade triggers, but they are excellent for a battle rifle. These rifles are now much safer too! They can now be carried with a round chambered and bumping the rifle will not fire the round as before.
I used some jewelers files, very fine stones and a little oil to reshape the sear and hammer angles. I also removed the excess material causing the creep and polished everything to a mirror finish. Take some 2000 grit sandpaper and smooth the sear rails and grooves so that it glides smoothly in the assembly. While you are at it, take some 2000 grit sandpaper and polish the rails in your receiver and on your bolt assembly. Removing the fine milling marks will make the entire rifle function more smoothly
If you have the time, tools and the necessary patience, it ain't rocket surgery!
Polishing to a mirror finish the engaging surfaces between the sear and hammer will limit/reduce the safety benefits of positive sear engagement-- especially if there has been a reduction/removal of sear material to limit trigger take-up/creep.
Heavy friction between the sear and hammer is part of the SKS safety design-- limiting the hazards inherent to a trigger-disengage-only, NON-hammer block safety.
Removing 'excess' material and adding a mirror polish to the engaging surfaces will add to the potential dangers that the addition of postive sear engagement aims to mitigate.
Heavy friction between the sear and hammer is part of the SKS safety design-- limiting the hazards inherent to a trigger-disengage-only, NON-hammer block safety.
Removing 'excess' material and adding a mirror polish to the engaging surfaces will add to the potential dangers that the addition of postive sear engagement aims to mitigate.
Kivaari did a Russian letter gun and a Chinese bottom-feeder for me...
Trigger's on both are as smooth as a baby's butt...
Trigger's on both are as smooth as a baby's butt...
It is important to get the sear and hammer angles right! When done properly, there is almost no chance of AD. The polished surfaces only serve to make the trigger smooth during operation and have nothing to do with keeping the hammer from falling. Only the angles should effect hammer safety.
What you lose is the ability to second guess your shot partway through the trigger pull when you remove sear material to eliminate the creep.
Tests on the guns that I have done have demonstrated that they are very safe, indeed! I have not been able to get them to drop the hammer once!
I have tried banging the guns from many angles with a rubber mallet and dropping them on the butt from about 2' off of the cheaply carpeted floor.
I understand your concerns because I shared them until I did the first one and did these tests. Now, I see no reason not to have a smooth, 6 pound trigger pull and little creep on any SKS.
Now if you work it to a lighter trigger, it will require changing the angles to be less acute and this may very well present a hazard. Work both parts equally to minimize the material that you remove. I think the key is not to go too fast, check progress often, and perform safety tests when you think you are finished.
What you lose is the ability to second guess your shot partway through the trigger pull when you remove sear material to eliminate the creep.
Tests on the guns that I have done have demonstrated that they are very safe, indeed! I have not been able to get them to drop the hammer once!
I have tried banging the guns from many angles with a rubber mallet and dropping them on the butt from about 2' off of the cheaply carpeted floor.
I understand your concerns because I shared them until I did the first one and did these tests. Now, I see no reason not to have a smooth, 6 pound trigger pull and little creep on any SKS.
Now if you work it to a lighter trigger, it will require changing the angles to be less acute and this may very well present a hazard. Work both parts equally to minimize the material that you remove. I think the key is not to go too fast, check progress often, and perform safety tests when you think you are finished.
My unissued 11th year has modest negative engagement, and a loooong, heavy, gritty trigger pull.
I've done everything but throw it to try and get the hammer to fall (chamber empty) with no success.
Friction and length of pull are intentional attrubutes of sear-to-hammer engagement in the SKS. Positve/negative/neutral engagement weren't.
In no way am I faulting you for your TG mod suggestions.
But I think it's important to point out the logic inherent to the SKS safety dedign when this subject comes up.
The sks and will never be an MOA rifle. Not even at 25 yds (hyperbole, kinda, but not really). Why try and make it into one?
I've done everything but throw it to try and get the hammer to fall (chamber empty) with no success.
Friction and length of pull are intentional attrubutes of sear-to-hammer engagement in the SKS. Positve/negative/neutral engagement weren't.
In no way am I faulting you for your TG mod suggestions.
But I think it's important to point out the logic inherent to the SKS safety dedign when this subject comes up.
The sks and will never be an MOA rifle. Not even at 25 yds (hyperbole, kinda, but not really). Why try and make it into one?
My first exposure to the SKS was removing the cosmoline from my friend's. After the cleaning while I was testing, I simply bumped the stock on my carpeted floor while it was cocked and the hammer dropped! That is when I began investigating and found the negative engagement.
When I got mine, it had the same issue and would also drop the hammer if bumped on the floor until I did the trigger job.
I have done this on three Chinese SKS's only after confirming that each had a problem that could result in an accidental discharge. Now, all can be bumped without the hammer falling!
When removing material to lessen the trigger creep, I was especially careful not to reduce the travel too much. There is still some creep, just not a lot.
I am well aware that the SKS was never intended to be a tack driver and my work did not change that. Polishing the contact surfaces has given these guns a much smoother trigger pull, and a nice clean break when the hammer falls.
When I was younger, I never worried about my triggers. Now that I have arthritis in both of my hands, it is more important to me.
When I started having issues with my hands, I found that shooting became more difficult and painful. Since I am not going to give up shooting(given up too much already), I did trigger work on the guns I have that needed it. Now I can shoot them all with much less discomfort. I did not work any to the point of presenting a danger. No hair triggers!
I usually try to keep rifles around 6 pounds and pistols around 3 pounds.
When I got mine, it had the same issue and would also drop the hammer if bumped on the floor until I did the trigger job.
I have done this on three Chinese SKS's only after confirming that each had a problem that could result in an accidental discharge. Now, all can be bumped without the hammer falling!
When removing material to lessen the trigger creep, I was especially careful not to reduce the travel too much. There is still some creep, just not a lot.
I am well aware that the SKS was never intended to be a tack driver and my work did not change that. Polishing the contact surfaces has given these guns a much smoother trigger pull, and a nice clean break when the hammer falls.
When I was younger, I never worried about my triggers. Now that I have arthritis in both of my hands, it is more important to me.
When I started having issues with my hands, I found that shooting became more difficult and painful. Since I am not going to give up shooting(given up too much already), I did trigger work on the guns I have that needed it. Now I can shoot them all with much less discomfort. I did not work any to the point of presenting a danger. No hair triggers!
I usually try to keep rifles around 6 pounds and pistols around 3 pounds.
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