Help identifying this SKS factory mag

[Justin Hell]

I was delighted to find very little specific information regarding the SKS factory magazine and its progression over the years when I was searching for any specifics on Russian magazines in particular, as I am looking for the earliest examples possible to refurb the 49.

After scouring around, it seems that the magazine is overlooked, and despite finding a little tiny bit about the differences in early to late Russian mags...I never came across anything showing differences from other nations designs. I have several Chinese from various eras, and they are remarkably very similar, although there was the /906\ism discovered recently which, I am happy to say also seems to coincide with a longer/stronger spring, as sitting vertically side by side, it rises out of the floor plate higher...but that is a different discussion, for a day when the batteries hadn't died to bring the following photos.

This magazine, which I assumed to be Chinese based solely on the font of the serial on the bottom...and it's cruddy condition...I got it shortly after the Albanian imports recently. I didn't need it at the time, but when an $8 BIN on an SKS factory mag pops up...free shipping no less, you bite.

I wish I had taken 'before' photos, but I was balls deep in stripping it down before noticing anything unusual.  It was rusty as sin, and pitted badly...but as I needed to remove the serial anyway, it got a scrub down to what you see here...100% in the white...and pit free.  Previously, I had to grind down a considerable amount of the tang that locks into the gun to get it to fit into the DB I intended it for....which NONE of my other dozen or so factory mags would fit into...it is a bit smaller than your average SKS...later to find a Yugo mag fit like it was made for it. (?) I noticed yesterday though, Yugo mags differ in profile from Chinese mags...I digress, blame the damn battery again. I will show that in a later thread...now.

One thing I noticed about this mag, is that the locking lug isn't a separate piece welded over the ridge, like every other example I have, it is pressed into the ridge...one piece of metal.  It also has several spot welds on the sides, and similar ones on the tang, but much more pronounced than I have seen on others as well.







I took more photos, but as I did, apparently the dying battery stopped saving them.  I am about to blue this, but if more photos are needed for an ID let me know...I am puzzled.

I took the pin out for full disassembly, and let me tell you...if you have never done that, you still have cosmo in your SKS...trust me.

Another thing worthy of mention, if you never have really taken a close look at the machining involved in the follower arm on these things, you ought. It amazes me how much work was put into something that seems so simple. I won't scoff at the price of a decent factory mag anymore, nor will I consider them an afterthought, as a lot of thought went into them...seemingly more than one would think necessary by today's standards. At least with this particular one, I don't believe there was any bending done to facilitate that shape.

Anyway...discuss away, bring photos of your mags while my battery charges...let's give the factory SKS mag a little more of a footprint on the internet for the next poor guy looking for info.

[newchi]

Does the magazine cover seem more rounded than your other ones?

[Power Surge]

I'm pretty sure the mag differences have been documented, as I recall seeing it somewhere. I am sure that RM knows it way better than I do, but I think that early Chinese mags had the welded stop, and later ones were stamped. There is a difference between the followers as well between early and later mags.

[newchi]

yeah RM will know some obscure detail, all i can find if a line in a book saying albanians look more rounded and inspection marks will be most likely on the inside.

[Power Surge]

yeah RM will know some obscure detail, all i can find if a line in a book saying albanians look more rounded and inspection marks will be most likely on the inside.

Albanian mags are a totally different shape than all other SKS mags.

[newchi]

Albanian mags are a totally different shape than all other SKS mags.

i just googled albanian sks it and if anything it looks less rounded to me.  That book isnt worth the paper its printed on

[Justin Hell]

After posting, I wondered if maybe a Chinese floorplate was transferred to an Albanian body...but yeah, the Albanian floor plates are way more boxy and seem by appearance to have a slightly altered feed angle as a result perhaps?

Stripped they seem to be different metals.

The follower seems to be far more obviously machined than my other Chinese mags...granted, most of what I notice is near the hinge...and devoid of any bluing or paint, it might just seem that way.  It could just be a Chinese mag, and reflects just how different they could be made from place to place. The stamping vs additional welded piece just irks me.

[Greasemonkey]

Best I have at the moment for a side by side of an Albanian and Chinese.   They are kinda far away at the moment. 

I think the Chinese is more boxy looking, the Albanian looks more rounded.

[Justin Hell]

Perhaps boxy vs triangular would be better. 

[armedhippie]

Last time I was digging around in my parts box I noticed I had a stamped 1 as well. Also saw that some had way more pronounced spot welds. Can't remember which went with which though. I had never thought about it, before having a few side by side though  I'll dig around and see if I still have em.

[running-man]

Nice pics Justin. 

I've always intended to get a post going for Chinese magazine differences but never quite got to it.  Your '49 Russian would have had the early Russian magazine style with the hole under the lug.  These are supposedly '49 through '53, but I've not been able to verify this so take those dates with a grain of salt:


Chinese magazines probably come in 100 different flavors.  You found those /906\s with the 'dent' that isn't really a dent, I'm sure there are probably other subtle differences that simply haven't been noticed yet.

The major changes I did notice when going from an early magazine to a late magazine is that they changed the manufacture procedure from spot welding many (at least 3, possibly 4 or 5) pieces together to stamping the whole mag body out of a single sheet, and then assembling and spot welding the follower guide in place:



They also changed the follower arm at some point in the process.  I assumed in 2014 when I started the survey that the two happened at the same time, but I think it's pretty clear now that this isn't the case and the follower arm perhaps gained a twist after the magazine went to all-stamped (note the twist on the follower arm I have marked 'late').



I would guess that they added the twist to the follower arm so they only had to have one setup for incorporating all the features of the arm in one die.  The twist eliminates the need for cross drilling the hole that is used to attach the follower in the original design, the hole is already there, twisting the arm orients it where it needs to be to make the follower pivot work.