View attachment 966637
Tapco with or without bayonet cutout
Everybody I've talked to really likes those tapco stocks, but I've heard people have a hard time getting a sight picture on their irons without a cheek raiser. Is that true in your experience?
The best stock for a stock SKS is the stock stock. All the after market one look bubba to me.
I appreciate your feedback here, but I do have a couple of (respectful) counterpoints.
1. I do like traditional wood on an SKS, but oftentimes that wood is pretty rough. SKSs were coming to the US in a lot of different conditions, and it isn't unheard of to see chips or damage to a stock with an SKS. Synthetic stocks don't have this problem and typically increase the value of the weapon.
2. Many of the synthetic stocks look exactly like the traditional wooden one but are a lot lighter. The Choate Monte Carlo for instance is like 1.7 lbs. Can't beat a lighter weapon and it doesn't necessarily look "bubba'd up."
3. It also kind of comes down to what you're doing. If you want to use an SKS in a defensive situation, having a pistol grip and magazine fed weapon at half the weight with a picatinny rail mounted optic on it is definitely going to be a better option than the old traditional wooden one with irons. I'm not some kind of nutcase saying to go fight WWIII with it, but an SKS with aftermarket parts can give you a pretty ergonomic and accurate weapon for like 1/3 of the price of other rifles.
4. I feel like the word "bubba" is relative. Are we throwing a bipod, drum mag, folding stock, flashlight, and 500 yard telescopic scope on it? Maybe. Are we putting it in a more ergonomic, lighter synthetic stock with an acog or reflexive sight? Maybe not.
I do want to clarify I hear your point and I usually do like wooden furniture on my rifles, but I'm kind of an SKS evangelist and think it's an awesome platform.