Ak-47 vs SKS which is better?
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MTMilitiaman
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First off it is a magazine, not a clip.
Secondly, larger magazine capacity doesn't necessarily equate to spraying and praying. Having 30 rounds in a magazine could equate to 30 well aimed shots rather than just ten with the SKS. Not that it matter much since reloading the SKS is so simple.
I like the AK better cause it is slightly lighter and more handy while still being accurate enough for its designed role. I say get em both:
Secondly, larger magazine capacity doesn't necessarily equate to spraying and praying. Having 30 rounds in a magazine could equate to 30 well aimed shots rather than just ten with the SKS. Not that it matter much since reloading the SKS is so simple.
I like the AK better cause it is slightly lighter and more handy while still being accurate enough for its designed role. I say get em both:
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hmm...
i like the way you think get em both...but im not much of a BIG! fan of pistol grips on my rifle....but i also prefer stripper clips its less bulky....but id prefer the ak-47 and the SKS to the m16....cal me crazy but just something about those guns give it a certain aura....
i like the way you think get em both...but im not much of a BIG! fan of pistol grips on my rifle....but i also prefer stripper clips its less bulky....but id prefer the ak-47 and the SKS to the m16....cal me crazy but just something about those guns give it a certain aura....
losangeles
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Wish I had a choice. But I'm in Cali, so I can only have an SKS. I'm going to get a collection of them, though.
Gun_nut said:i like the way you think get em both...but im not much of a BIG! fan of pistol grips on my rifle....but i also prefer stripper clips its less bulky....but id prefer the ak-47 and the SKS to the m16....cal me crazy but just something about those guns give it a certain aura....
Ok, Your crazy. That aura your talking about is probably the one created by hollywood gangbangers and emphasized modern desert military movies.
Why dont you like a pistol grip on your rifle? How are stripper clips easier then detachable magazines?
The M16 will out-perform and out-shoot an AK any day. Furthermore the AK will out-perform the SKS any day. Theres a reason nobody still issues SKS's (may be a few folks out there). If your going for the looks alone well then your not serious about shooting. That said, the M16, or in your case probably an AR-15 and not an M16 (do your homework), doesn't look too... un-evil... either.
-Dev
P.S. Why dont you like a pistol grip on your rifle? How are stripper clips easier then detachable magazines? Have you ever shot either the SKS, AK, or M16??? Just wondering.
stripper clips and ak
yes for your information i have shot a ak-47 with my friend of mine he owns both a ak-47 and a sks... and stripper clips are less bulky and faster to reload... and that hollywood ganbanger ak style thing no its simpler then the m16 and the ak is more reliable.. and pistol grips im not as accurate with then as a hunting style stock as on a sks and a m1 garand and m14...
yes for your information i have shot a ak-47 with my friend of mine he owns both a ak-47 and a sks... and stripper clips are less bulky and faster to reload... and that hollywood ganbanger ak style thing no its simpler then the m16 and the ak is more reliable.. and pistol grips im not as accurate with then as a hunting style stock as on a sks and a m1 garand and m14...
MTMilitiaman
Member
Depends if you consider click-SPORTS instead of bang-bang to be outshooting. In accuracy, yes, the M16 will outshoot the Kalashnikov. In reliability and durability--pretty much everything that matters in a combat rifle--not so much.
Keaner
Member
Just to throw a new hat into the ring:
-Stripper clips are cool and all, but they are pretty much destroyed after a few uses (experience w/ '03, so ymmv), which in the long run is more expensive. This would be a big anti-sks
-The AK is going to be more expensive, money which could go toward ammo. This is a plus for the sks!
-The SKS may have a smaller magazine, but you don't have to worry about additional legal issues (some states require better registration, etc for larger capacity)
-The AK seems a little common, everyone on the range has one it seems. The SKS is a better 'coolness' factor.
-Accuracy wise: don't get either if you are interested in great accuracy. Heck, dont get a ar-15 if accuracy is most important. These are all short range (relatively), assault rifles.
-All are going to be equally fun!
Please dont let this convo be another AKvsAR thread, as they get annoying, BUT in my opinion between the 2, I would get the SKS, because it has a higher fun/$ factor. For another note, I went through the same discussion with myself, and ended up getting an M1!
-Stripper clips are cool and all, but they are pretty much destroyed after a few uses (experience w/ '03, so ymmv), which in the long run is more expensive. This would be a big anti-sks
-The AK is going to be more expensive, money which could go toward ammo. This is a plus for the sks!
-The SKS may have a smaller magazine, but you don't have to worry about additional legal issues (some states require better registration, etc for larger capacity)
-The AK seems a little common, everyone on the range has one it seems. The SKS is a better 'coolness' factor.
-Accuracy wise: don't get either if you are interested in great accuracy. Heck, dont get a ar-15 if accuracy is most important. These are all short range (relatively), assault rifles.
-All are going to be equally fun!
Please dont let this convo be another AKvsAR thread, as they get annoying, BUT in my opinion between the 2, I would get the SKS, because it has a higher fun/$ factor. For another note, I went through the same discussion with myself, and ended up getting an M1!
joab
Member
This is where my thinking led me
I have both AK and SKS
I just spent about $100 putting a pistol grip on the SKS
With practice stripper clips can be about as fast as magazine change outs, but not three times as fast
Stiletto Null
Member
Reloading a rifle with an AR-type drop-free magazine well is as fast as you'll get in a rifle, short of Garand-style autoejecting en-blocs.
I think you could possibly reload a pistol faster than an AR, but not by much.
I think you could possibly reload a pistol faster than an AR, but not by much.
Rexrider
Member
"Better" is a very subjective term.
Better at what? Hunting? SHTF? Plinking? Long range shooting? 30 rd mag dumps?
You have to look at how you want to use either rifle. It may even be a matter of how each rifle feels when shooting (ergonomics if you will).
One thing the AK and SKS have in common is, all things being equal; both are very reliable and will run a long time in adverse conditions. You can't go wrong with either one at that department.
I have not owned an AK in a long time but currently own a Yugo SKS. Here is my take on each one.
Yugo SKS:
They are well built and have reasonable accuracy for what they are. I added a Tech-Sight, which made the rifle even more shootable, so to speak. Reloading with stripper clips can be fast with just a little practice. Personally, if I was in a high stressful situation, I believe I could reload a SKS easier and faster then trying to insert a new mag in an AK (granted I would have to reload sooner with a SKS). The Yugo is a long and heavy rifle but that is not a big concern since it is mostly a range rifle/plinker. It's for fun. Having said that I would not feel unarmed if the SHTF and that is all I had.
AK (pre-ban Polytech Legend. Sold long ago):
Lighter and more compact than a SKS. Milled receiver made the rifle very durable. Mags are well built and reliable (never came across a bad AK mag). Easy to shoot and even had a decent trigger (no trigger slap either). I never shot the thing out to 100 yds but it would eat the center of a target at 50 - 75 rds. In a SHTF situation, this would be the one to grab. Having said that I never really did much range time with it. Fun to blast stuff with but once I knew it worked I did not bother with it much.
So, which is better for me? Since having the Yugo, I never had much of a reason to pursue getting an AK again. The Yugo is a great at tossing soda and coffee cans around in the desert. That is what I got it for and it does a great job.
For more serious range work, my money has gone into ARs. In a SHTF scenario, the Bushmaster gets grabbed first. This is not a AR vs. SK statement. It's just that I have always been more comfortable with the AR platform. From plinking to bench shooting I have been very satisfied with my ARs.
To sum all this up:
SKS + ARs = No real desire to have a AK
SKS w/ no ARs = I would have both a SKS and an AK to cover all the bases.
So no matter what, I would still have a SKS. Which makes a SKS better for me.
Which of course, does not help you whatsoever. Get both, it’s the only way to be sure.
Better at what? Hunting? SHTF? Plinking? Long range shooting? 30 rd mag dumps?
You have to look at how you want to use either rifle. It may even be a matter of how each rifle feels when shooting (ergonomics if you will).
One thing the AK and SKS have in common is, all things being equal; both are very reliable and will run a long time in adverse conditions. You can't go wrong with either one at that department.
I have not owned an AK in a long time but currently own a Yugo SKS. Here is my take on each one.
Yugo SKS:
They are well built and have reasonable accuracy for what they are. I added a Tech-Sight, which made the rifle even more shootable, so to speak. Reloading with stripper clips can be fast with just a little practice. Personally, if I was in a high stressful situation, I believe I could reload a SKS easier and faster then trying to insert a new mag in an AK (granted I would have to reload sooner with a SKS). The Yugo is a long and heavy rifle but that is not a big concern since it is mostly a range rifle/plinker. It's for fun. Having said that I would not feel unarmed if the SHTF and that is all I had.
AK (pre-ban Polytech Legend. Sold long ago):
Lighter and more compact than a SKS. Milled receiver made the rifle very durable. Mags are well built and reliable (never came across a bad AK mag). Easy to shoot and even had a decent trigger (no trigger slap either). I never shot the thing out to 100 yds but it would eat the center of a target at 50 - 75 rds. In a SHTF situation, this would be the one to grab. Having said that I never really did much range time with it. Fun to blast stuff with but once I knew it worked I did not bother with it much.
So, which is better for me? Since having the Yugo, I never had much of a reason to pursue getting an AK again. The Yugo is a great at tossing soda and coffee cans around in the desert. That is what I got it for and it does a great job.
For more serious range work, my money has gone into ARs. In a SHTF scenario, the Bushmaster gets grabbed first. This is not a AR vs. SK statement. It's just that I have always been more comfortable with the AR platform. From plinking to bench shooting I have been very satisfied with my ARs.
To sum all this up:
SKS + ARs = No real desire to have a AK
SKS w/ no ARs = I would have both a SKS and an AK to cover all the bases.
So no matter what, I would still have a SKS. Which makes a SKS better for me.
Which of course, does not help you whatsoever. Get both, it’s the only way to be sure.
MachIVshooter
Member
OK, I just had to get in on a thread that begins with "SKS is better than AK". I would first ask, better for what? Accuracy is comparable and they both use the same cartridge. Aesthetics are a personal preference thing. Quality depends largely on where it was made. So that really only leaves a couple debateable points. Reliability goes to the Kalashnikov, hands down. The SKS is fairly reliable, so long as you use the stock 10 round mag. Go with anything bigger and they become a jammomatic. As for combat effectiveness, the AK is far superior. It has higher capacity (up to 75 rounds), is lighter, shorter and more ergonomic. AK's also break down easier.
I own many autoloading rifles (AR-10, Mini-14, G-3, WASR-10, Marlin camp 45, Beretta Cx4 9mm) and the price of an SKS is pocket change. I have the money to go and buy 80 of them tomorrow if I wanted. Yet I still don't own one. Wonder why.
Oh yeah, you may be able to load a 10 round stripper clip as quickly as a 30 round box (though I doubt it) but do the math. It really takes you 3 times as long to load.
*before anyone says "don't knock it 'till ya try it", I have fired literally dozens of Simonov carbines and have been less than impressed each and every time. The SKS is an inexpesive plinker, nothing more. If you only have $100 to spare, it's fine. But if you can afford an AK or something better, why bother?
And comparing an SKS as favorable to an AR is akin to saying that a Hi-Point is better than an HK.
I own many autoloading rifles (AR-10, Mini-14, G-3, WASR-10, Marlin camp 45, Beretta Cx4 9mm) and the price of an SKS is pocket change. I have the money to go and buy 80 of them tomorrow if I wanted. Yet I still don't own one. Wonder why.
Oh yeah, you may be able to load a 10 round stripper clip as quickly as a 30 round box (though I doubt it) but do the math. It really takes you 3 times as long to load.
*before anyone says "don't knock it 'till ya try it", I have fired literally dozens of Simonov carbines and have been less than impressed each and every time. The SKS is an inexpesive plinker, nothing more. If you only have $100 to spare, it's fine. But if you can afford an AK or something better, why bother?
And comparing an SKS as favorable to an AR is akin to saying that a Hi-Point is better than an HK.
diesel_furry
Member
I like my SKS its fun to go shoot and is cheap to blast away. mine is a numbers matching with the cleaning kit and the 10 round mag and i also have a 39 round mag . very odd number
handle them both..which ever one get's your motor going as far as how it feels in your hands, then THAT one is the better of the 2...
AKvsAR threads DO get boring...wanna have some fun??
Go to the local range and start telling EVERYONE that will listen that NO ar15 could beat YOUR AK in ANY contest..Bring it up going to the line...Bring it up when everyone is setting up for the next shot...ETC......When one of the local benchshooters call's ya on it...Just look him right in the eye and say..."Only children and people that cant shoot use semi-auto's..real men use bolt actions!" and watch there face go SEVERAL shades of red..
Lots of fun there if ya know how to do it, IF you have no real fear of anyone there
AKvsAR threads DO get boring...wanna have some fun??
Go to the local range and start telling EVERYONE that will listen that NO ar15 could beat YOUR AK in ANY contest..Bring it up going to the line...Bring it up when everyone is setting up for the next shot...ETC......When one of the local benchshooters call's ya on it...Just look him right in the eye and say..."Only children and people that cant shoot use semi-auto's..real men use bolt actions!" and watch there face go SEVERAL shades of red..
Lots of fun there if ya know how to do it, IF you have no real fear of anyone there
joab
Member
Which people?
joab
Member
So then, some people have a hard time hitting with an AK at a hundred yards, not all people.
Maybe those people who can't shoot should figure out what they are doing wrong instead of blaming a gun that many if not most other people have no problem hitting at a hundred yards with
Maybe those people who can't shoot should figure out what they are doing wrong instead of blaming a gun that many if not most other people have no problem hitting at a hundred yards with
i bet your probly right people are blameing the gun quite too much then they should...or there have a really bad day and cant hit at all....but there also couldbe other factors such at bad rifleing from too much use *probly not it* or the way they breathe when they shoot...ect....joab said:
joab
Member
But none of those factors has anything to do with the design or make of the rifle
The main difference I see in the two is that an SKS is heavier.
Heavier guns are easier to hold on target while in a standing position, which I guess would make them seem more accurate.
From a bench I doubt that you would see much difference
Gun_nut said:
Gun_nut has got to be pulling everyone's chain. There is just no other logical explanation for his throwing out such tripe.
Going back to the original topic.
SKS you have to reload every ten rounds, an AK only has to be reloaded every 30, 40, or 75 rounds. With the 75 round drum, the SKS person will have to reload almost 8 times before I reload once.
Reliability: slight edge goes to the AK.
Accuracy: barrel length has nothing to do with potential accuracy, only muzzle velocity. Some of the most accurate rifles in the world use short "bull barrels". The longer barrel might give an edge in the site radius. Optics make that point moot.
Ammunition preference: With the SKS you're limited to 7.62x39. With the AK you can pick form 7.62x39, 5.56/.223, 5.45, .308, etc. Not in the same rifle of course, but you can choose the rifle in the caliber you want.
The spray and pray argument is nonsense. Many deer hunters out there would consider the SKS a "spray and pray" weapon with it's semi-auto action and 10 round capacity. Trigger discipline doesn't have to change just because you have more bullets at your disposal.
Handling and ergonomics: A matter of personal preference. The AK is shorter and handier in close quarters.
Accessories: There are lots for the SKS. There are lots more for the AK.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
Basically, it boils down to whether you prefer a straight stock or a pistol grip stock, and a detachable magazine versus a fixed mag and stripper clips. If you like straight stocks and fixed mags, you definitely want an SKS. I'm exactly the opposite (I hate straight stocks and shoot much more comfortably with a more vertical handgrip), so I choose the AK lookalike.
The SKS can be slightly more accurate. Not "far" more accurate.
My wife has a beautiful Russian SKS in pristine condition (a 1952 Tula). I have a Romanian SAR-1, a low-end civilian AK lookalike. The SKS is slightly more accurate, but not much.
FWIW, the last time I went to the range, I was the only person there shooting at 200 yards, and I was shooting my SAR-1 (the "AK-47"). If somebody can't stay on a sheet of typing paper at 100 yards with an AK, they are just a lousy shot. Most AK's will do better than that even with the cheapest imported ammunition. (I've gotten 2.5 MOA out of my SAR-1, with optics and a cold barrel.)
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