Questions about SKS
 

So I'm looking at SKS rifles and there's a huge range. I've read a few things, but I'd like to hear from actual owners about stuff to watch for or avoid. Also, info on possible low-power scope mounts. Thanks, all. Also, looking at GunsAmerica, what precisely does "unissued" mean? "New old stock?"

Sling swivels are a common do-it-yourself add on. The SKS came with only one on the stock, in the lower buttstock and the other sling mounting point is a metal loop on the barrel. If you have two on the wood, it's been added by a previous owner.

Some have pinned barrels. Others are threaded. I liked my Norinco for what it's worth.

Others may have different experiences, but I don't really like any of the SKS's I've owned. The only one that is even close to accurate is my current Norinco and that's only after hours of work: Bedding the stock, lapping burrs out of the bore and re-crowning the barrel. On the plus side, they will take a lot of abuse. The second one I owned survived my torture test. In the the southern desert, it lived in the back of my truck and had well over 10K rounds through if without any more maintenance than blowing the dust off of it before firing. Had a couple of miss fires, but no jams. They will throw a lot of lead, just not necessarily where you point it.

'Never issued' is just what it says, factory stock. Some are 'new' recently built, others are 'old' and have been sitting in the back corner of some warehouse for years. Older is usually better. Either way, it will come packed in cosmoline and will need to be thoroughly cleaned -read completely disassembled, soaked in parts cleaner, scrubbed, oiled and reassembled. Before you even consider firing it. The happy side of that is a blind monkey can tear down and re-assemble an SK and you'll get to know it a little.

The only reason to scope an SK is to better see what you missed. But if you decide that's what you want, you'll need a the scope mount receiver cover. Check Brownell's or Sportsman's Guide. A synthetic, extend-able stock might be a good idea too. SKS's are Chinese built and made for little people. Leapers makes some good, cheap tactacle scopes for the SK and AK rifles.

Notes of interest:

You will need a front sight tool, get the $12 one that looks like a clamp. It adjusts windage and elevation. Do not get the $2 'key' with the slit in the end, it only adjusts elevation and they suck.

Stripper clips suck, you will cut the shit out of your thumb until you figure out how to use them right. Even then, you will still cut the shit out of your thumb. Sanding the sharp edge off of the right side of the receiver will mitigate this to some extent.

Do not use your index finger to re-insert the cleaning kit into the butt of the stock. It is the nastiest Chinese finger puzzle you will ever encounter.

Keep it well oiled, the bluing sucks and they rust quick.

AK accessories do not fit the SKS, they look the same, but the SKS is a completely different beast.


Personally I'd avoid all the torture and buy a MAK or AK. The AK's are pricey, but the MAK's are still reasonable. They are better built, more accurate and have way more accessories available for them. The MAK-90 is my favorite of the three, the thumb hole stock and shorter barrel make it throw and sight fast and sweet.



Either way, enjoy.

My dad was unhappy he couldn't hit anything with his SKS--do you have any idea what's the average accuracy of a Chinese SKS?

Minute of dude @ 100. Past 100 you should be able to hit cardinal directions, given proper training.

I have quite a few SKSs and AKs as I collect combloc stuff.

Between AKs and the SKS, the SKS is more fun to shoot. Its a RIFLE, where as the AK is an assault weapon. Being a rifle, it is longer, has balance points and a longer sight radius. The AK is less balanced and a shorter sight radius, making it harder to aim distantly.

The stripper clips are great, mine arent sharp at all and load smoothly. I enjoy slower shooting and reloading like that.

The SKSs are typically more accurate than an AK because of the long barrel. If it is innacurate, chances are it was bent, dropped from a plane, rusted barrel or you are using different loads/brands/years of ammo.

The other finicky thing about SKSs is the gas port. Yugo 59/66 or 59 SKSs imported here sometimes have corroded gas tube areas causing leaks of pressure so the bolt wont cycle (jams). Other than that, its hard to get an SKS to malfunction.

I have had good luck on all my SKSs, even the crappy Albanian. If I were recommending one, I'd buy a Russian first, Romanian second, Yugo third and Chinese last, due to the finish and looks of them. Yugo's wont have a Chrome lined bore, this is important but if its Unissued, it wont be a problem, just clean the F out of it and keep it oiled.

I would NOT modify the SKS to be a sniper or hi-cap AK wannabe rifle. If you want a sniper, buy a scoped AR or hunting rifle, if you want a hi-cap blaster, buy an AK. Once you go modding the SKS, it loses value fast and will probably start having problems.

SKS value is about $300ish these days and sure to go higher in time, I paid $69-89 for them between 94-2004, sometimes you can get one lower at a gunshow. AIMsurplus.com occasionally has some back in stock. AIM currently has Yugo ammo on stripper clips at a good price, but its corrosive so learn about cleaning. Bring a light to check the barrel and see if its shiny. SKS sights rarely need to be adjusted, but the TAPCO brand sight tool has served me well. After sighting in about 50 rifles it started to die, so I bought the MAgma brand one
, Yugo SKSs and AKs may take different tools though so watch out, Yugo's did stuff oddly.

Here are some photos of some of my SKSs.
http://photos.imageevent.com/remy149...S-IMG_6452.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/remy149...kits%20003.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/remy149...004-%20136.jpg

I have no idea what the average accuracy is, the three I've had were insanely different. The one I have currently will consistently put 10 rounds in 6" at 100yds with Wolf ammo. That's the longest range shooting I do with it, most is around 50 yds and at that distance it groups around 4", with an occasional group around 2". I've shot it 300yds at a 12"x12" steel plate and could make it ring 8/10 once I had it dialed in. I'm probably not the greatest shooter around, but I have pellet guns that I can put 5 rounds through the same hole at 25 yds, so I know it's not technique.

It could be the ammo. I bought a can, I think it was 900 rnds, at a gun show, of some surplus garbage. Came in a green can that looked like a huge Sardine can, even had a key like a Sardine can to open it. It made a 4'x4' sheet of plywood look like a shotgun blast hit it at about 30 yds. It was all over the place. I bought a crate of Wolf and now it shoots as above.



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---------- Post added at 05:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:46 PM ----------

Remy-

It isn't the stripper clips themselves it's the inside edge of the right side of the receiver that gets me, my thumb is too big to fit into the breech, without hitting the side, to push the rounds all the way down.

Nice collection. Where did you get all the flash suppressors?



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Many Yugos come with the rifle grenade launcher ("flash suppressor").

Fuck, dude. Do you also collect '87 Honda Accords? Why celebrate mediocrity?

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Cromps: My Arabic skills are weak. "Hakatha howa al-hal" = it is what it is?

My experience with my Romanian has been entirely positive. It'll hold Minute Of Bad Guy out to 300 or so, has never failed mechanically, and is dead simple to maintain. I have full confidence in it, once its' limitations (primarily the round) are kept in mind. Would I -prefer- to go to a gunfight with my FAL? Sure. Can I do good work with the SKS if the FAL isn't available? Absolutely. Is it a vastly more practical/cheaper weapon to haul around on the 4-wheeler or in my trunk? Damn straight.

I average 5" groups with my SKSs at 100yds on a bench with no wind. And thats a good day. The rifles are great, the ammo is sub-par, but I am not gonna make reloads or buy Finnish ammo for a plinker.

I was still a teen when the $100 M-1s, $40 Chinese SKSs, $70 03's and $400 G-43s were common. Had I gotten a C&R then and had cash, I could be sitting on a lot of money right now.

What today is cheap and commonplace, ALWAYS becomes rare in the gun market. My $89 SKS investments, I think I bought about 20 59/66s, are up to $300 each after 8 years. That is a lot better than any S&P500 investments I have made. And unlike my stocks, they are guaranteed to go up in value, exponentially, depending on how liberal the political mood is.

Other rifles I bought had tripled in value, and when O got elected, I sold them off quickly and made huge cash, to which, I bought more stuff:)

I can't afford to collect WW2 German mausers or modern West Euro firearms. And since Red Dawn I've been fascinated with the Soviet weaponry and history. ARs are a dime a dozen, but AK variants from the 50's on in various countries, a bit harder to come by, and thus, neat. The AR in the gun store has no history. Most of my combloc guns have been used in some sort of duty and have real history to them.

You can still walk into a gunshow, and walk out with a 1940s WW2 Russian Mosin and a pocket full of ammo for under $100. What better way to start a hobby:)

yeah, looks like a bunch of 91/30s in the back of that pic there. I have found they are far far more accurate than the SKS, but I guess that's another apples to oranges argument for another day...
Nice investment strategy, btw.:thumbsup: