Ever wish your SKS was more AR? (Photo: Gerald Murray/Pearce Armoury/Facebook)
A Canada-based firearms accessory manufacturer is working on adapter kits that let SKS shooters use AR-15 lower components. It also provides a stable flat-top rail for AR-style iron sights and optics.
The Pearce Armoury ILS chassis lets users tap the huge AR-15 aftermarket for parts to use with their SKS rifles. Everything including magazines, triggers, safety selectors, pistol grips and buttstock assemblies.
This obviously isn’t designed to compete with the booming AR market. This conversion kit is for shooters who don’t have access to ARs and are restricted to other rifles. It’s also a cool project for anyone who likes the SKS but still wants to enjoy a few more modern features.
The SKS, or Simonov Carbine, was developed during World War II and saw widespread global adoption starting in the 1950s. Even though it was soon technologically surpassed by the AK-47, among other designs, it remained a second-line rifle and stayed in service with the Russian military for decades.
Many other countries and Soviet states adopted the SKS and later replaced it as well, sending large numbers of these carbines straight to the military surplus market. Because they mostly have traditional stocks and fixed 10-round magazines the SKS family of rifles remains available to shooters even in places with restrictive gun control laws.
While it’s starting to become a collector’s gun for shooters in the U.S., in Canada the SKS is dirt cheap and common. That’s a good thing because to use this kit the SKS must be permanently altered. To accommodate the kit the magazine well needs to be opened up along with the hammer channel.
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The 3D-printed components including the “lower” and replacement forend. (Pearce Armoury/Facebook)
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Completed and installed on an SKS with Magpul furniture. (Photo: Pearce Armoury/Facebook)
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The top cover is also replaced with a receiver-length flattop rail. The rail replaces the rear sight and pins to the receiver for stability. This should be better than the bulk of SKS optics mounting systems. With an AR-15 stock assembly in place, the flattop rail is more or less at standard AR-15 height and it looks like it should work without the need for height adapters or cheek risers. The original SKS front sight can be removed and discarded.
For now, Pearce Armoury plans to 3D print the ILS chassis kit, but they have considered a run of “lowers” CNC machined from aluminum billet. These are not lowers in the same way that AR lower are — they’re not considered firearms and can be shipped freely.
Still, people have been 3D printing AR lowers for years now and while the final product is not going to be as tough as an alloy part it should still hold up to regular use. Pearce Armoury shared photos of their proof-of-concept unit and it looks, well, decide and comment for yourself.
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Up Close with the ILS chassis. (Photo: Gerald Murray/Pearce Armoury/Facebook)
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In all its glory with accessory rails and a forward pistol grip. (Photo: Gerald Murray/Pearce Armoury/Facebook)
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See Also: A Hot New Pistol-Caliber Bullpup Kit for Hi-Point Carbines
“About two years ago, I bought my first SKS rifle,” said ILS chassis designer Ryan Pearce reports the Firearm Blog. “Like many new SKS owners, I searched the aftermarket for upgrades to improve its accuracy, reliability, cartridge capacity and ease of magazine reloading.”
“I could never find exactly what I wanted, so I began researching the dimensions of the SKS and learned that I could integrate [the features] I wanted … if I created an all-new chassis,” said Pearce. “It was then that I started Pearce Armoury to develop modern technology solutions for the SKS rifle.”
“We are using a material called Nylon 12, it has good strength principals in the thicknesses we are using and produces a fairly nice finish,” said Pearce. “These could smoothed by hand if the layers are bothersome.”
He also added that other colors may be possible in the future. “We will be offering them only in white at the moment but looking at an option to have them painted.”
Where can I get an ILS stock for my SKS been looking for awhile now no luck
This Canadian likes it SKS’s being so cheap I don’t have a problem modifying one and seeing sockboy put AR’s on the prohibited list I’ll build this to piss off a Liberal!😇
WHAT IN FUCK IS DONE TO THIS POOR RIFLE? STUPID HICK AMERICAN WITH TEN GALLON HAT AND GIANT PICKUP TRUCK LOOKS AT PERFECTLY FINE SIMONOV KARBIN AND SAYS “NO, RIFLE NEED MORE DUMB SHIT ON IT”?
WHAT IS REASON FOR PISTOL GRIP? IF YOU NEED TO FIRE FROM HIP IN EMERGENCY, NOW HAND IS TWISTED INTO PAINFUL ANGLE AND YOU MISS EVERY ENEMY! LOOK AT WRONG ANGLE OF BAYONET! LOOK AT CHEAP PLASTIC MAGAZINE THAT FEEDS CARTRIDGE LIKE CONSTANTLY JAMMING PEZ CANDY BOX! WHERE DID CLEANING STICK GO?
I HEAR OF 922 LAW IN AMERICA. ADDING PISTOL GRIP TO WEAPON MEANS YOU CHANGE OTHER PARTS. WHAT ELSE YOU FUCK? YOU PUT NEW BOLT EDIFICE? HOW ABOUT BAD FIT RECEIVER COVER FOR CHEAP SCOPE TO SHOW OFF AT HICK PARTY AND NEVER HIT LARGEST SIDE OF BARN?
SURE, IS ONLY YUGOSLAV COPY TYPE BUT IS STILL PROUD DESIGN OF SERGEI SIMONOV. THIS IS LIKE SENDING HIM BIRTHDAY CARD WITH SEVERED OFF THUMB OF DAUGHTER IN ENVELOPE. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY SERGEI! I PISS ON ALL YOU CREATE!” LARGE MOUND FORMS OVER SIMONOV’S GRAVE BY CONSTANT TUMBLING OF HIS ANGRY CORPSE. IS FAULT OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
RIFLE WAS FINE BEFORE YOU FUCK IT. NOW IS TRASH. MAYBE YOU CHECK IN GARAGE AND ORIGINAL BOLT EDIFICE AND WOOD ARE STILL THERE. MAYBE IS NOT TOO LATE TO KEEP RIFLE SOMETHING NOT SHAMEFUL TO TAKE TO FIRING RANGE. TAKE SHIT OF GOAT AWAY AND COULD STILL BE GOOD WEAPON.
they are Canadian
Apparently you can’t read.. it’s a Canadian company… judging by your comment your probably from a country that probably doesn’t even have gun rights or can own half the guns us Americans can. Your comment only shows your ignorance
Speaking of ignorance… Canada is a country in the content of north AMERICA.. Ill give you, that guy is quite opinionated of what people should or shouldnt do with their own guns. Both of you are rude for sure
Speaking of Ignorance… No Canadian calls themselves American, and no American calls themselves United Statesmen, it was clear from his rant he assumed an American (aka someone from the US) with their “10 gallon” cowboy hat was responsible for “destroying” an SKS… (And its continent, not content) Going by your logic, Mexicans are Americans also, and why not just add south AMERICA to the “American title”. I guess I could say I’m a Californian or, Washingtonian but that would put me as a citizen of an American Nation making me what MOST of the world calls “AMERICAN”, and by most I mean everyone but you apparently.. Am I rude enough for you? Besides who cares what the Rusky thinks about what we do with our rifles, at least we can own them..
I’m with you Ivan! The SKS is a masterpiece the way Mr Siminova designed it!
So what mags do they take?
Ar15
XCR-L pistol mags
But…why?
http://matadorarms.com/sabertooth.html
Because this is 10 times easier to disassemble than the Matador
Because that chassis doesn’t allow you to use AR pistol mags from the 7.62×39 XCR-L pistol, because you get AR triggers a bolt Release, tooless take down, and M-LOK unlike anyone else.