[chetrogers]

I have never shot or even held a Yugo/sks type rifle and i noticed that i see them for sale for like 120-180 bucks..Can anyone explane a little about this gun to me.Not looking for detailed info.Just are they older guns "they look it" Can you shoot them safely ect..thanks for any info..For under 200 bucks it mite be my next rifle..Thanks for any info

[cabinetman]

The Yugo SKS is most well known as the M59/66 and is complete with grenade launcher. Like all the other interations of this rifle, it's a robust, accurate, low-recoil, rugged rifle that shoots the least expensive ammo next to a .22. You can find 7.62 x 39 ammo in every corner of the world as it was made in the billions of rounds.

This is not a large caliber rifle. It's an intermediate caliber, good out to 200 yards in a pinch. They are extremely easy to maintain & operate. Parts are very robust and rarely fail. Most of the Yugo GL (grenade launcher) models I've seen are in excellent condition although, unlike their brothers, the Yugo SKS does not have a chrome lined barrel. That's not a big issue for us, however, as we usually clean our rifles after we use them.

I'm not now nor never have been a huge SKS fan but I own a few. Dollar for dollar, you can't find a better buy on the market right now. Most of the higher priced pieces are virtually immaculate but will about $150 or so. AIM seems to be the best distributor.

Hope that helps. If you're looking for one, reliable, easy-to-understand, cut-your-teeth-in-milsurps, the Yugo is the rifle for you.

Rome

[cslinger]

Aim Surplus $149 shipped. Rifle might as well been brand new in box. It was immaculate and the workmanship and build quality is excellent especially considering it is an SKS. It is an extremely fun little plinker and would make a very adequate SD, Farm, Back 40 carbine. It uses easily available stripper clips so you can pick up a chest ammo pouch for a few bucks and load up 200 or so rounds to have ready to go for whatever reason you might have.

I bought it as a C&R / everybody needs an SKS kind of thing and have become very found of it. As a practical gun I can see many applications for it that are being filled by much more expensive guns such as ARs, Mini 14 etc. I would think it would make a great Coyote or similar critter gun.

Accuracy is not the guns strong point but once you get a feel for it, the gun is more than combat accurate out to 100 or 150 yards.

All in all I think you get a lot of rifle for the money and as long as you are not looking for a benchrest MOA shooter I think you will enjoy it.

Chris

[Dorrin79]

I have one that I've put about 700 rounds through.

A lot of fun to shoot, combat accurate, stone cold reliable even with the worst East Bloc surplus ammo imaginable.

I think everybody should have one.

[pmbiker]

I've owned a pristine Norinco SKS for 7yrs. or so. It can kill pop cans on demand at 30-40 yds. and as others have said it is cheap to buy and shoot.
The yugos I have seen suffer from excellent workmanship and good shooting abilities. They tend to be a bit front heavy due to the grenade launcher, but otherwise have no problems.

Check out www.simonov.net for most of the information you could want related to the sks and it's available accessories.
Here is a dedicated forum, very informative www.sksboards.com/forum

later,
Phil

[jem375]

I have a Norinco and the Yugo SKS, and they both are a lot of fun to shoot... I am going to take the grenade launcher off the Yugo, don't need the thing on there, looked great at first with it on....the website mentioned also shows you how to take the launcher off.............

[Greg L]

One minor difference between the Yugo and the other SKS' is that the Yugo has a slightly longer stock. To me it is more comfortable to shoot than the other SKS variations.

For the money you certainly can't go wrong.

Greg

[DJJ]

About the only drawback, if you could even consider it that, is that it's BIG, certainly out of proportion to the size of its cartridge. It's within half an inch and probably half a pound of an M1. I've considered lopping off the grenade launcher, launcher sight, bayonet and cleaning rod. You'd probably lose 4" and a pound. The only thing stopping me is the cost of doing it compared to the low cost of the gun.

The upside is lower recoil. And they have a pretty decent rubber recoil pad already.

[sturmruger]

My dad bought me a SKS when I was 13. I was stupid enough to sell that gun. I still kick myself I loved that gun. It was even cheaper to shoot then my Mini 14. When I was 14 I could shoot paper plates at 225 yards. I could usually hit the plate 4 out of 5 shots!! I had a Norinco a little different then the Yugo, but still a SKS. If I were I would buy one. I also show two whitetail with mine. It killed them just as fast as anything else.

[DMK]

Everybody pretty much covered it already. Excellent guns for the price.

One thing I will add: If you get one, or any old milsurp rifle for that matter, field strip and clean it well. On the SKS especially, make sure the firing pin rattles freely when you shake the bolt for and aft.

The benefits are two fold. One they come covered in cosmoline, some more than others. Cleaning it off will make the gun run more reliably and safer. Two, field stripping and carefully cleaning gives you the opportunity to intimately look over all the parts and make sure there is nothing missing, worn or damaged.

I don't intend to scare or disuade though. I have lots of milsurps and only found one minor, non critical, broken part among all of them.

More info here: http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp

[cslinger]

That reminds me.

Detail stripping the bolt on a Yugo SKS might as well be impossible. Mine was and I used a hammer, a vice and every cuss word known to mankind. The upside is I know how tough the bolt is.

Anyway I found that but using liberal amounts of brake cleaner sprayed into both ends of teh firing pin channel it will dissolve all the cosomoline and let the firing pin ride freely. You should be able to shake it and here the pin moving back and forth. Run a little bit of CLP after that and you are good to go. You don't have to dis-assemble the bolt to clean it. Try to but if you can't there is another way of skinning that cat.

Chris

[50 Freak]

I've had two SKS in my life, both Norinco, one was a paratrooper and the other was the standard. both shot great and were 100% reliable. Gave both away to friends as there was not enough room in the safe and I moved into the higher price guns. But if the Yugos are anything like the Norincos, you should buy two.

[jem375]

DJJ.......do it yourself..... www.surplusrifle.com/sks/grenadesightremoval/hs.asp

[Dave Markowitz]

I have a Norinco SKS that I got in May 1988, complete with the pig sticker on the end of it. It is utterly reliable. By all accounts, the Yugo SKSes have better workmanship. IMO, the only downside of the Yugo SKS vs. Chinese, Soviet, Rumanian, etc., is the lack of a chromed bore on the Yugos. If you clean your rifle after shooting corrosive ammo this isn't a problem.

To give you an idea of how cheap 7.62x39 is, Cabela's has Wolf (either FMJ or JHP) at $74.99/1000 plus shipping. The only centerfire ammo that's cheaper as far as I know is Turkish 8mm.

[firestar]

Got one love it, nuff said.:D

It is as safe as any other gun. The only major drawback is it is rather heavy for the round that it shoots and it is very muzzle heavy due to the extra stuff hanging off the front of the gun. That is also what makes it a light recoiling gun and look so cool though. IMHO, if you don't NEED the 30 round mags of the AK-47, they are every bit as good.

[Destructo6]

I'll contribute to the peanut gallery.

I have a Yugo 59/66 SKS and I really like it. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting much for the $180 price tag (it is CA, after all), but I was pleasantly surprised. It's ultra reliable, comfortable to shoot, easy to clean, and rather accurate.

All of the numbers matched and the bolt face was bright and shiny (no primer marks).

[BamBam-31]

For a buck fifty for an unissued rifle, there's little reason not to own one.

It may not be the most accurate rifle, it may not have the best trigger, it may not be chrome-lined, but it works. Heck, I've spent more than that on parts for other guns.

When taking it apart, be patient. It's pretty straightforward, but difficult as all hell when you get to the smaller parts. Especially the trigger group. I just installed some Wolffe springs in my trigger group. My hands are still sore, as are my vocal chords.

Buy one. Now's the time. Empire Arms says they used to go for over $1000.00.

[cwalker3]

I have three of them and want more. The 'excellent-unissued' condition ones can be had for as little as $150 shipped from Aim Surplus (providing you have a C & R license). And contrary to their reputation, I have found them to be fairly accurate. I won a postal match last year over at the Gunsnet forums by shooting a 1.5", 5 shot group at 50 yards. Here's a picture of the latest one that I got from Aim a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/053953.jpg