Tell me about the SKS...

I've seen them in gunshops, in magazines, on here, and well, I think I want one :) So what can you all tell me about them? They seem to go for really good prices, I know that there are different makes, and most seem to be Yugo's; what should I expect to pay for one?

The few times I've handled one, they seem to be built up pretty good... Is that true? Are they accurate? Do they feed good?

Anyone with a fantastic reason to get one - besides that great price? If it helps I already have an AK, so I have plenty of ammo on hand.

Thanks,

Nick

In my opinion, one of the most underrated rifles in common discussion/use.

Accuracy I keep hearing won't win any benchrest competitions, but my SKS (Type 56 actually, Chinese) is accurate enough to pop a clay pidgeon at 100 yards every time, if I do my part, which is good enough for me. Especially considering that I'm not a good enough shot to shoot beyond 1.5 MOA most days, even with my 4X equipped AR15.


Only things I really dislike about the rifle is the rather tricky disassembly, and the fact that it can slamfire on soft primers (To be fair though, most any free floated firing pin equipped auto can...).

Picked up a new-condition 59/66 Yugo to see what they were about a while back. Essentially a very well made specimen of Soviet weaponry--pretty unsophisticated but stout and apparently reliable. The ctg. is basically a .30-30 spitzer and with one thing and another (long, heavy trigger, somewhat crude, short radiused open sights) it is a 150--200 yard rifle. Most people call it a 4 MOA rifle and that seems about right to me. The Yugos are quite heavy for the ctg (9 pounds, 4 oz., so I understand) so recoil is extremely mild.

I shoot M1 Garand quite a lot and it totally outclasses an SKS on all counts. The SKS is at its best as a utility truck gun and the ammo of course is very cheap. It does the same job as a Mini-14 in 7.62 x 39 with less fuss and expense...

I can only comment on the Yugos. They're built like a tank and the accuracy is perfectly acceptable at 100 yards. If you get an "excellent" or "unissued" one, it will probably be in the advertised condition. Get one. Given a choice, I'd choose the Garand every time, but that's really an unfair comparison given the price differential.

The SKS is a fantastic rifle...it would be a bargain at twice the going rate. It's exceedingly reliable, simple, sturdy as a tank, and very cheap to feed. While not as accurate as an AR-15 or a good bolt gun, they tend to be more accurate than the AK, and sport four inches more barrel length to boot.

I have a Yugo M59/66, the biggest and heaviest SKS variant. They are still readily available for a song and a dance. For around $150, you get a solid and reliable gun made of milled steel and real wood. Think of it as a Russian-designed Mini-14 that works.

Only things I really dislike about the rifle is the rather tricky disassembly

I find the SKS to be one of the easiest rifles to disassemble. Even a detail strip is easily done in under a minute.

Like all Russian gun designs, they are blunt instruments. Crude, inexpensive, simple to operate, and utterly reliable. At $100-$150 or so, they are a true bargain.

I find the SKS to be one of the easiest rifles to disassemble. Even a detail strip is easily done in under a minute.

Agreed. Not counting the trigger group, there are what... two switches to turn?

SurplusRifle.com has a dissasembly video for the SKS...I watched it out of curiosity and it looks exceedingly simple, with the exception of the gas system where you kind of have to use some force.

http://www.oldcolonymodelt.com/sks.jpg

look around and you might be able to find a chinese 'paratrooper' model. It's sorta the carbine of sks's. It's a little more expensive than the standard lenght models. It's cheap to shoot and more accurate than I am. I think (no, I know), I shoot it better than my AK.

BTW, it's easy to takedown.

SKS = cheap priced reliable rifle shooting cheap ammo.

$65 per 1000 rounds is sweet. Problems is, you will go thru that 1000 rounds in a hurry and be smiling the whole way thru. Fun stuff!!

Where are you getting your ammo so cheap? My gunshop charges as much for 1000 Silver Bear as I could get it shipped from ammoman to my door! ($119)

I have a yugo and chinese and put thousands of rounds through the chinese one, Never jammed. No problems. The yugo is better. about two hundred rounds so far. NO problems, Get one. the yugo is an intimidating HD peice. Big bayonet. For what they cost. I would buy one at twice the price. Theres my 2cents

I just love my two Chinese Norincos.
I put an Advanced Technology dragnov stock and compact scope on one; nice gun but the stock hinders disassembly of the rear slide cover (on which the dang scope is mounted!) so cleaning is more difficult.
Keep yours stock IMHO.
The triggers are stiff, and you can modify them with peril of making them inoperable. I did learn the trigger assembly very well. Leave it stock as well.
If you want a small 30-30 power rifle with a light flat bullet trajectory, easy packing of lots of rounds, robust, and simple design, you too will love SKS's.:D

At or under $200 they are a bargain even if you overpay.

If the AWB sunsets I'll buy two more and attach a chinese 20 round fixed mags ( assuming that is legal ) to each. They hold 19+1 rounds and reload with strippers, if you are going to be in an extended firefight.

Their handling is more fluid than an AK's. They tend to be more accurate than AK's. They will function and keep functioning in preposterous conditions though not to the rediculous extent an AK does. If you leave it in the truck and it gets scratched up or dinged or stolen, you don't need to cry over it ( though you may end up loving it so much you do weep at it's loss ).

And as we are periodically reminded, your first gun only has to be good enough to get you your second gun. The sks is good enough to keep it even after getting a so-called better gun. God I wish I still had those SKS - D models that took AK mags.

Here's my "California legal" Yugo. Note the big muzzlebreak welded on the end of the barrel preventing me from launching grenades.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=1072819

I was regularly banging the 12" gong @ 120 yds yesterday at the range.:D

I really like my Russian SKS. Mine has been rearsenaled and is as good as new.

A good Chinese or Yugo will serve you just as well. To me it's just kinda neat to have a Russian. I'm looking for an Albanian one next before I pick up a Yugo.

Good Shooting
Red

I love mine...it's a Yugo 59/66 that was in 'unissued' condition. Very accurate, ammo is cheap ($85/1000 for Wolf), and cleaning is pretty easy. Recoil is almost non-existent.

You also get a generous amount of free cosmoline with your first purchase :)

Once you've taken the cosmo off and detail stripped it a few times it's very easy to take apart/put together. The first few times removing the trigger group can be a little tough until it loosens up a bit.

Get one...you won't regret it!

It's a lightweight, gas operated, magazine fed rifle capable of being fired in semi-automatic and 3 round burst.....errr wait, that's the M16A2......damned board questions that you never forget......




There's only one thing you need to know about the SKS.......they're like those damned potato chips....betcha' can't buy just one.

A great bargain. My Yugo has has zero hiccups, it's pretty darn accurate and the $75.00/case Wolf if awesome.

Mine came with "Cosomline Faeries" that come at night and replace at the cosmo that I've cleaned out of the gun & stock...

Just to provide a -tiny- bit of criticism: I actually -have- had problems with my Yugo. I had some function problems when I first took it out (bolt not locking back, etc.) which I attribute to leftover cosmoline. It was then flawless for a while, until it pierced a primer, which blew the firing pin out of the bolt (makes me happy for that steel on the back of the receiver!) and jammed it up pretty good--but didn't result in any sort of damage to me, or permanent damage to the gun, for that matter. It's still out of commisson, as I've not gotten around to replacing the firing pin and that little pin that holds the firing pin in. And finally, I've still not gotten all the :cuss: cosmoline out of the stock.

All that said--I'd still heartily recommend one to anybody that asked... :D

Be aware, that bolt is PACKED with cosmo, and you need to get it all out. The firing pin should rattle when you shake the bolt, otherwise you could get doubles, triples or even go full auto. :what:

EVERYTHING is packed with cosmo. I took a picture of the glob that came out of the barrel of mine--it was impressive. :P I could've lubed my Garand for years with the grease that came off that gun. ;) It's true about the bolt, though--clean it well. Knock the retaining pin out, take the firing pin out, and clean it up good w/ Gun Scrubber or the like.

Where are you getting your ammo so cheap?

Gunshow in Tucson had it for that price, a supplier in Mesquite Texas (info below)$65 at the place of business or + $10 or so shipping., and Cheaperthandirt had it for $74 on premises.

All 3 were Wolf Ammo.

Southwest Ammuntion Supply Co.
(972) 285-3644
206 W. Davis St
Mesquite, TX 75149
Wed-Fri 10 AM - 6 PM
Sat 10 AM - 3 PM

I guess you could call them a middle of the road gun.
By that, I mean that you are unlikely to ever find one that is a real tack driver of incredably beautiful.
At the same time you are also unlikey to ever find one that doesn't work, even when you forget to clean it or that can't hold a 4-5 inch circle at one hundred yards.
They were intended to be reliable and cheap to mass produce.
I think they are everything they were intended to be...and fun.:D

If you get a Yugo, make sure you dont get an Interordinance rifle. Those guns are mostly parts guns, and the gas tubes have a sloppy fit with the gas valve. This leads to lots of jams. So avoid Interordinance.

Thanks for all your replies! I'll be heading to a gunshop sometime this week, so I'll probably come back with one :D

I'll post a range report... ;)

Nick

Hmm...my unissued Yugo came from Interordnance. All the numbers match. Everything fits nicely.... My only complaint is the amount of cosmoline in the thing - but that's not their fault. I've had it for 4 days and still haven't gotten it clean!

Here's a tip for quick and easy de-cosmolining of a Yugo.

Find a baby tub or something similar capable of holding the rifle action.

Boil a lot of water.

Detail-strip the rifle and set the stock aside.

Dump all the metal parts in the tub.

Pour the boiling water over all the metal parts, until they are submerged in hot water.

The cosmoline will melt off and float to the surface, where it will collect on the edges of the tub. Do not use an indispensable container...the tub will be ruined afterwards, as the ring of cosmoline will be hard to remove.

Keep parts submerged for a few minutes. Scrubbing with a nylon bristle brush made for dish cleaning will speed up the cosmo removal.

Remove the parts from the hot water, and let them dry in the sun for an hour or two.

Spray the metal parts down with Powder Blast...it will get all the remaining cosmoline off the rifle in a hurry.

Wipe down the rifle and lightly lubricate all metal surfaces, as the Powder Blast will have taken all the oil and lube out of the metal, and it will rust very quickly if it is not oiled.

I cleaned my Yugo in about three hours that way, and half the time I spent waiting for the metal to dry in the sun after the trip to the hot tub.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=1074519

What's the lightest and shortest variant of the SKS?

Norinco Paratrooper, a commercial version that has a 16" barrel.

Love my '53 Russian. Cheap to feed...makes for fun plinking.

http://server6.uploadit.org/files/brian94954-sk.JPG

Gotta place another vote in favor :D !

They're a lot of fun, and the ammo price can't be beat.

Klover, I put one of those Dragunov stocks on mine, too, got it cheap at a gun show, and that step up at the front of the stock is a solid piece. Which means, a bandsaw and a Dremel to smooth it all up, and you can pull the action cover off. Makes it easier to swap out the scope mount and plain covers. I also took those ugly "ears" that go up around the gas tube off, makes it look much better.

The 3 Amigo's. :D

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p6dd2be2a68a801d0e6183e7f0fa7b085/f8c10731.jpg

Removing cosmo via Arizona Sun:what:


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p179345935d7f736720a673c94473ffa7/f8c1072c.jpg

I put off buying an SKS for a number of years until a friend finally convinced me to pick up one of the Yugoslavian versions. I picked up a “good” condition beater (the rifle on the left). The stock was very muddy looking with virtually no grain. I didn’t expect much for the $110 that I paid, but decided to take it to the range before passing judgment. After cleaning all the cosmoline I took it out to the club & put a couple hundred rounds through the rifle & fell in love with it. It is solid & reliable. Virtually no recoil & plenty accurate for my needs. I liked it so much that I went out and got a “like new” condition rifle (the one on the right). I’ve now got 150 rounds through this rifle, again without any malfunctions. This prompted another friend to pick one up & his is also totally reliable. I don’t think you can beat this rifle for the price. It is actually built better than many more expensive rifles. I also like the 7.62x39 round & have picked up a CZ carbine & AK also in this caliber. 1000 rounds for $80 most anywhere. You won’t regret buying your first SKS.

I forgot to mention that on my first "good condition" rifle (on left), I liked it so much after my first range session that I decided to sand the stock & refinish. I'm very pleased with the results. The rifle had very nice grain that lifted out nicely with a coat of stain. I've left the other rifle as it was except for putting a coat of satin Tung oil on the stock for protection.

Jeez, I shouldn't ask for gun advice on here - now I need one of these! :p

Seriously though, the more I look at them, the more I like them... Oh yea, I gotta have one of these!

BTW, anything I should look for when buying? Like the cant'ed gas tube / or front sight on the AK's?

Thanks a bunch

Nick

It really depends on what you are buying the rifle for....if it's just to shoot, you want to make sure the bore is decent and that's about it really. If you don't get an actual detachable mag model, you're best off sticking with the factory 10 round mag as the after market 30s and even most of the 20s aren't very reliable at all.
All models available here in the states with the exception of the Yugo have a chrome lined bore and chamber so if you're planning on shooting alot and don't want to spend a ton of time cleaning I'd suggest going with a Chicom (Norinco).

http://home.comcast.net/~rayreno/wsb/media/435106/site1030.jpg

This is about how most SKS rifles tend to group at 100 yards, for me at least. I'm sure if you're a better shot you'll be able to do much better, but the accuracy is definitely good enough to discourage your average bad guy, deer, or steel plate.

As a range shooter, I much prefer the SKS to the AKs...longer barrel and sight radius. Mine came with a detachable 20-round mag...an abomination to a bench or prone shooter! REALLY in the way. Have gone back to a ten round detachable mag. Lots of good aftermarket accessories available. Lots of good, cheap scopes and mounts available...but if you use a scope protruding above the action, you must install a case deflector. Mine is accurate enough to ring the 360-yd gong at the range every shot.

By the way...better pick up one while you can.

Feinstein @ Co has sponsored a new bill to extend the assault weapons ban, and another to extend the list of affected weapons...has pulled strings to bypass committee and put it directly on the Senate agenda...will be up for discussion within a few days. Check out the High Road Political Discussion section...note your senator's voting record on this, and call or write them...EMails don't get counted. Note also that President Bush has stated that he supports extension of the ban.:fire:

Feinstein @ Co has sponsored a new bill to extend the assault weapons ban, and another to extend the list of affected weapons...

I'm guessing that includes the SKS? What else is on that list? Can I find the list on the net?

Thanks
Nick

AIM has Yogo SKSs in stock again starting at $90. Get one. Outstanding bargain. I got a shooter grade that came with the log book. Only 200 test fired rounds through it.

http://aimsurplus.com/acatalog/SKS_Yugo__Yugoslavian_M59_66_SKS_7_62x39_Rifle.html

13A, don't you have to have a C&R to get it directly from AIM?

Nick

Original Serial Number: 84084
Caliber: 7.62 x 39
Model: SKS
Price: $129
Spending an afternoon cleaning 50 year old cosmoline off an old military rifle... Priceless

:neener:

I do love shooting this gun... It's much more fun then I had thought it would be, and ammo costs are trivial. Anyway, I probably could have found one cheaper, but I saw this one in the gun shop, and it was already partially de-cosmoline'd, and it just said "Buy Me!" (don'cha hate that :p )

If is fun to shoot... Anyone know how I can find out the approx. date of production? And the grenade launcher thingy is cool... Can dummy grenades be had for it?

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=1080671

Thanks,
Nick

Congrats on a very nice rifle! It won't be long before you'll want another.

Nick-That is a GREAT photo that you took with your Sony DSC-P52 camera at about 5:39 this afternoon. :D

Nick-That is a GREAT photo that you took with your Sony DSC-P52 camera at about 5:39 this afternoon.

Why thanks! I didn't think that the exposure of 1\60 was fast enough, but the camera did :p

So by what I've dug up, my rifle was made in 1968... not in that bad of shape for being 36 years old....... woah... My rifle is literally twice as old as I am!
:what:

Nick

Oh great, now I really, really want one. I only own a Ruger 10/22 as far as rifles go, and I think it's about time to start my collection. Judging by the price, quality, and overall great deal of these things, they seem like the perfect choice, and who knows, they might not be around much longer at these prices.

On a related note, how are the gunshows in Brevard county, Florida? :D

sks rifles are a bargain...I have 2...a minty russian made sks and a minty yugo.the yugo has the scary lookin grenade launcher and some still have working flip up nite sights.neither the chamber or bore is chromed if that makes any difference.the yugo is the only one without the chroming in the barrel and chamber but seems to make no dif as mine works just as well as as my russian made sks with the chrome.
Get one..I remember when I got the russian made gun..cheap as in 70 bucks...all matching numbers and coated in grease like the yugos avail now...that russian is worth more these days from a collector standpoint and I ve been offered 425 for it but wont sell it.the chineese are just as good..some may have a pinned in barrel vs the screwed in barrel and they use more stamped parts vs the milled versions available elsewhere.they still work jus fine.whatever version you get will provide years of hard use and they are easy to maintain.from a collector standpoint, ya cant go wrong either.

Picked up my Cosmoline-drenched M59/66 Yugo today. Log book shows the few hundred rounds it was fired, with the date and ammo used.

I picked up a 5 gallon bucket at Home Depot along with a gallon of the purple power degreaser concentrate. Put some gloves on and made a 3:1 ratio of the purple stuff and hot water, enough to cover all parts.... grabbed an old tooth brush and the stuff just melted away.

Rised with HOT water and set to dry.

Rubbed off most of the cosmo from the stock and then tried lemon oil (didn't work in removing the cosmoline) and then a rag lightly soaked with Hoppes. That did the trick, though the stock still feels 'waxy'.

Pictures and range report soon!

PS: I'm sweating the cosmo out by hand, near my wove stove... hey, it's something to do while the bolt soaks.... ;) ;)

just that you should really get one if your thinking about getting a good utility rifle in a 30 caliber chambering for alot less than what some models sell for.I have a russian and a yugo model and am pleased with both.

I had an idea once about making a stock that looked similiar to a soviet draganov design out of wood..the longer bottom half and keep the gas tube shape.kinda like a miniturized version using an sks.

the sks is alot of fun and for its cost,a good shooting rifle.