$199 Norinco SKS A Good Deal??

[GlenJ]

Local pawn shop has an all #s matching Norinco SKS with spike bayo for $199. It does have a crack on top of the gas tube cover (pretty much down the length of it) and another on the left side of the stock by the pin the goes through the stock. Bluing is real good but it does have a scuff mark on the top of the bolt the looks like it might come off with a scotch brite pad and cleaner. The bore is also pretty good. So does this sound like a good deal or should I pass???

 

[model 649]

Our local outfit, Dunhams (Michigan) has Yugo 59/66's for $99.00. I am quite sure they are nicer than any Norinco. Look around, I'm sure you can do better than a beat up piece of Chinese scrap metal cut with dull tools.
Josh

 

[GlenJ]

I just got a cosmo packed M59 the same day I was looking at the Norinco. I've noticed the price for Norincos are so high. The shop I bought my Yugo had a Norinco for over $300.

 

[david_g17]

saw one for $180 at my local pawn shop - but it was pretty beat up.

Norinco's are getting harder to find, since all Norinco importation has ceased.

 

[DMK]

That a fair price, not a screaming deal, but Norincos seem to go for $200-$250 on average. They haven't imported them for a long while and a great many were sporterized by folks that really wanted an AK, but bought an SKS.

In all honesty, the Yugo 59/66 is better made and might be more accurate(if the bore is good, many aren't), but it lacks a chrome bore, is longer and heavier and just not as handy.

 

[karlsgunbunker]

Norinco's are as nice as any SKS, they are getting harder to find due to the import ban.
Unlike the Yugo's they have a chrome lined barrel and chamber. The stocks are shorter than the yugo's also.

I currently have 5 SKS's:

2 - Yugo M59
1 - Yugo M59/66
1 - Albanian 68
1 - Norinco

My Norinco holds it's own against all of my other SKS's for Fit and Finish.

Norinco values range from around $150 to $300.

I wouldn't pay more than $150 for the one you describe.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

My Norinco SKS is as nice as anyother...now fit and finish might be better on a Yugo because they have unissued ones...but as far as quality goes, these are built like a tank as all of them are.


Mine takes the AK-47 magazines, and has a chrome lined chamber and bore. It doesn't have the bayonet lug, and is the 16" barrel. It is slim and streamlined as an SKS can get.

 

[Texfire]

Am I correct when I say that since a Norinco SKS was not imported as a C&R you can remove the bayonet and place it in aftermarket stocks without running afoul of 922r?

This in contrast to a Yugo 59/66, which was imported in a configuration that would not have been legal without it's C&R status, but loses that status if you change it's configuration.

I'm sure my understanding is incomplete, if not totally erronious. But when I start trying to understand the various interactions of C&R and 922r my head starts hurting. This stopped me from buying a non-matching Yugo and Bubba-izing it.

 

[paternoster2012]

I have an all #s matching norinko with a spike bayonet in excellent shape (couple shallow dents in the stock and some wear marks in the blueing from take down)

is it really worth any money?

my dad bought 4 of them like 10 years ago for 70 bucks a piece


i brought it out to the range today and could keep them in an 8 inch group at 100 yards with the iron sights so Id say it shoots pretty decent

the dunhams in Mt pleasant, MI has beat up yugo sks soaked in cosmo for like 130

jays in clare has some nice sks (non yugo, didnt bother to check the make but they didnt have the grenade sights) for 159
they had a blade bayonet instead of the spike too and werent soaked in cosmoline

 

[DMK]

Am I correct when I say that since a Norinco SKS was not imported as a C&R you can remove the bayonet and place it in aftermarket stocks without running afoul of 922r?=

That's correct.. sort of. All imported rifles must abide by 922r legislation unless they were provably imported before the law was enacted.

C&R rifles are given exemption on basically a case by case basis due to whatever historical uniqueness makes them C&R elidgable. Once you make any changes to a C&R rifle, you ruin it's "historical uniqueness" and therefore void its exemption. I think the only area of arguability there is what changes are considered permanent in the eyes of the ATF.

But regardless, the Norinco is not C&R elidgable so on one hand (unlike the Yugo 59/66) you can legally put it in any stock you want, can change the caliber if you wish and paint it purple, but you can't add a bayonette, detachable magazine or folding stock.

 

[Sunray]

"...does have a crack on top of the gas tube cover...and another..." It's damaged. Would you pay $200 for anything else that is damaged?
"...8 inch group at 100 yards..." That's worse than a Mini-14. If you used U.S. made commercial ammo, that'd be the cause. The bullets are .308" diameter. Your barrel isn't a .308. Try some ammo with .311" bullets.

 

[Texfire]

jays in clare has some nice sks (non yugo, didnt bother to check the make but they didnt have the grenade sights) for 159
they had a blade bayonet instead of the spike too and werent soaked in cosmoline

They might be Yugos, as most of the recent batch are. Without the grenade launcher it would be a Model 59. With the grenade launcher it's a Model 59/66, which is a model 59 that was modified in 1966.

 

[Texfire]

But regardless, the Norinco is not C&R elidgable so on one hand (unlike the Yugo 59/66) you can legally put it in any stock you want, can change the caliber if you wish and paint it purple, but you can't add a bayonette, detachable magazine or folding stock.

I was thinking of a specific gun at my local store. It's a Norinco for $180 with non-matching parts, an after market peep sight and wood stock, but does have the spike bayonet, as it was one of the early imports. So could I theoretically remove the stock and bayonet and put it in an aftermarket SKS stock with a picatinny rail and a use a detachable mag as long as the bayonet goes?

I have a stock 59/66 in unissued condition which I am not going to alter. It's stock with matching numbers, and in my opinion, a surplus military rifle in that condition should be left stock.

 

[chopinbloc]

i have a very low opinion of the yugos with grenade launcher. apparantly the gas cutoff wears and leaks. for whatever reason, mine refused to function. i've also owned and known a lot of folks who've owned norincos and they all worked flawlessly. the price ain't bad, either. get it.

 

[paternoster2012]

"...8 inch group at 100 yards..." That's worse than a Mini-14. If you used U.S. made commercial ammo, that'd be the cause. The bullets are .308" diameter. Your barrel isn't a .308. Try some ammo with .311" bullets.

No that was more me than the gun id imagine
I was shooting freehand and I couldnt keep it on target at all

Its been a while since Iv shot my rifles, well over a year, so i need alot of practice
I dont own any land and all the rifle ranges are private around here

Iv been on a pistol and shotgun kick for a while for that reason and my rifles have fallen out of favor

 

[mrmeval]

Actually the Norinco is a good weapon. I have had one Yugo with gas problems that did not eject. It has some serious corrosion in the small piece that regulated the gas cutoff for the grenade launcher and there is errosion in the gas tube. I sold it and bought another. The Norinco is actually a very good price.

Our local outfit, Dunhams (Michigan) has Yugo 59/66's for $99.00. I am quite sure they are nicer than any Norinco. Look around, I'm sure you can do better than a beat up piece of Chinese scrap metal cut with dull tools.
Josh

 

[Ignition Override]

Has the ATF charged or convicted anybody for adding a bayonet to a Norinco if your rifle has none?

This asumes that a person did not commit a more serious offense regarding gun sales/purchases, converting something to automatic without the permit etc.

 

[esmith]

Our local outfit, Dunhams (Michigan) has Yugo 59/66's for $99.00. I am quite sure they are nicer than any Norinco. Look around, I'm sure you can do better than a beat up piece of Chinese scrap metal cut with dull tools.
Josh

Hmmm. Hey everyone i guess chinese sks' suck because this one guy says so. Nevermind that mine is more accurate than my basically new yugo. I love how people bash chinese designs just because they're chinese. I bet 90% of those who say something chinese is bad has had no expierence with it.

Norincos are more valuable, they aren't being imported anymore.

 

[HB]

I'm sure a chinese sks is plenty to kill this ZOMBIE Thread

 

[Hoppy590]

Our local outfit, Dunhams (Michigan) has Yugo 59/66's for $99.00. I am quite sure they are nicer than any Norinco. Look around, I'm sure you can do better than a beat up piece of Chinese scrap metal cut with dull tools.
Josh

ignorant "i dont know crap about guns" comment of the day!

 

[nalioth]

You guys should look at the dates before you post.

Especially when you are answering or responding to a post from 3 years ago.

//continues feeding zombie thread//

 

[Hoppy590]

hey, some one else resurrected it first. i just point out stupid.

 

[tjrahl]

I made an acount just to post this.

Please allow me to point out the stupid permeating this thread

yugo sks's are trash, in the past week i had 2 come into the shop for failure to cycle, it is easily corrected but costs each of the customers $80 and i let them off easy because both are frequent repeat customers for ammunition and DCOA's

To contrast i have never seen a norinco fail to cycle, not one, the worst i have ever had a Norinco in the shop for was slam firing, it would slam fire the first few rounds on cold mornings, this was solved by removing the cosmoline from the bolt and firing pin(yes you actualy have to CLEAN your sks, who would have thunk it!!!), and cost the customer the same as any other DCOA.

I also find it amusing that people in this thread think Yugo manufacture is somehow superior to Chinese manufacture.

 

[DMK]

I'm a bit of an SKS collector and have an example or two of just about every variant. The worst one of the bunch is the fairly rare Albanian BTW. The Norincos are very cheaply made and it's obvious that the Chinese took shortcuts. Aside from the Albanians, every other model seems better made than commercial Norincos. However, my Norincos do shoot well and have been 100% reliable.

(BTW, I have a real Russian Tula SKS with a canted front sight, go figure).

The Yugos are very well made. The problem is, many were not well maintained. If you find one in good condition, it is very reliable and accurate. Yugo SKS (and AKs) don't have chrome lined bores BTW, so look for pitting. I remember when the Yugo 59/66s were all over and cheap. Many folks bought the $100 specials instead of spending another $50-100 for a mint "unissued". The cheaper, worn out and poorly maintained guns had problems with the gas valves and wouldn't cycle reliably. Usually replacing the valve fixed the problem. I have one 59/66 that has maybe 100 rounds through it. I have the original log book for this rifle. It is very nicely made and shoots exceptionally well.

I have never seen a Yugo with canted sights. I have seen Norincos with such manufacturing defects. Yugos don't have pressed and pinned barrels either. The machine work on a Yugo is very nice when compared to a Norinco.

You can't just generalize and say all Yugos are crap. It just isn't so. Poorly maintained rifles will have a higher chance of problems. You can't say all Norincos are crap either. Some shoot and work very well, even if they aren't pretty.

My favorite SKS is the nicer of my two Romanians. It's just like my Tula actually, except its sights are straight.

 

[tjrahl]

When you work on guns on a daily basis you tend to get a feel for what works and what does not, norincos crappy manufacture or not, ugly or not have been in my experience a boatload less trouble and a lot more reliable than Yugo's.

this could be as you say because of poor maintenance, but the fact that i have not seen a norinco in need of a true repair in the entire time i have been gunsmithing as apposed to the numerous yugos indicates to me a quality issue from the yugos that is not experienced by the norincos.

I own a norinco, i would never buy a yugo, and i can fix anything that goes wrong with it myself.