What to look for in a SKS rifle?

If things turn out right I will buy an SKS rifle. There were 3 rifles. Besides looks, what should I look for in a quality SKS? They are Yugo SKS.


Thanks.


Also, what does it mean to say a rifle is unissued?

Look for handguard fit, specifically upper hand guard fit. Not saying that this is a definite sign of the overall quality, but it's a suggestion as to how used this is. I would also look at the gas valve, see how the finish is on it and damage etc. If it appears to have been banged up then you might have gas problems and such. The bolt head is another great place to start. Any damage? Will the bolt slide smoothly? Pull the trigger a few times (uncocked) see how it feels. I am the rare gun owner that doesn't care about the finish of the wood or how banged up the wood is, but that would be nice to look for. Check for matching serial numbers... what else am I forgetting? :cool:

Edit: Unissued means it wasn't handed to a soldier for combat. For example, every U.S. soldier is issued a rifle, usually an M16. Perhaps the SKS was obsolete by the time it was manufactured, and went from the assembly line straight to storage: you guessed it, unissued.

What about keeping the trigger pulled back and releasing the bolt back into place?

I might have read that somewhere... don't know.

Always go for an unissued SKS carbine with matching numbers (receiver, bolt, stock) They tend to be more accurate.:cool: And I assume these originals had been properly test fired at the factory.

I don't know if they are unissued, but they are nasty looking. They're going on sale in a store near my house so I'll pick one up.

I've read that the firing pin should be loose and rattle inside the rifle. If it doesn't, then you could have a slam fire, which if you don't know, is uncontrolled automatic fire until the magazine is empty. Bad news. So, be careful about that and make sure you get rid of all the cosmoline so it doesn't stick. ;)

+1 with Ohio,, grab the weapon and turn it upside down a few times. You need to hear the pin slide back and forth. The furniture isn't that important

remove the reciever cover and bolt spring, leave the bolt and carrier in place. after checking that the chamber is empty, dry fire the rifle several times, observing hammer movement prior to release. If the hammer moves foreward (toward the bolt, as if it was releasing) you've got negative sear engagement, avoid these rifles. If the hammer doesent move, you've got neutral, this is ok, but not preferable. What you want is for the hammer to move slightly backward indicating positive engagement, this is the safest condition.

If it is a Yugo, (grenade laucher, blade bayonet still mounted), AND shows obvious wear, say no. The "shooter" grade Yugos can have burnt gas valves, corroded bores, etc, from years of being shot with corrosive ammo in Yugoslavia. They also have unchromed barrels, due to no natural chromium deposits in Yugoslavia, which means corrosive ammo worked faster at destroying the barrels and gas systems.
If it's a Yugo with very little wear or damage, (there will always be some handling/storage dings), then start checking it out. The "unissued/excellent" condition yugos are really quite neat! I have two, and they work perfectly.
Ditto on getting ALL the cosmo out, including the bolt and gas system. PITA, but very very necessary!

Hopefully they have their original integral 10-rd hinged magazines. They are wonderfully designed and they work. If they have been removed and replaced with removeable 20- or 30-rd magazines I would avoid them.

The more serial numbers that match, the better.

If things turn out right I will buy an SKS rifle. There were 3 rifles. Besides looks, what should I look for in a quality SKS?

I was going to say Soviet manufacture, but then I saw...

They are Yugo SKS.

Aside from some having slightly better fit and finish than others, the Yugo's are all pretty much the the same, and they are priced well below the Chinese and Russian made SKS's for a reason