Another SKS Question....

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Jeepman

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I'm looking at an SKS, I have done a limited amount of research on these but don't know a whole lot about them.

The one I'm looking at has some asian lettering on it. Serial numbers on rifle and stock match, the number 72 is also on the stock (year made?)
It has a folding bayonett attached and the gunshop owner will throw in a new synthetic stock if I buy it. Doesnt look too beat up, a fair number of dings in the stock.
Asking price $150
Does it sound worth while? Any clue on who made it? Any recomended modifications?

Thanks
JM
 
Probably Chinese (norinco). If overall condition is good with a good bore it is about right (for around here). Look for matching numbers (makes it a better deal). See if there is a number on the front sight post (1 is very accurate, 2 is better than average, 3 is average....though some have no numbers at all). I have 3 Chinese versions..even the one that looked to be in bad shape works perfectly. If in good overall condition with a good bore the SKS seems to be a pretty safe bet.
 
IMHO the SKS rifle (pick your country of origin) is what I call a ‘bread and butter’ gun. It’s a staple and should be included in every shooters well rounded battery. $150 for a Norinco with a spare stock is a fair price. Pick up a bunch of stripper clips and you're done. Oh yeah… and ammo. Lots and lots of ammo as well.
 
Thanks for all the good information. The numbers do match.

On the stripper clips... from what I've read on my THR search it seems that lots of folks have bad luck with them and a few have no problem. Is one better than another?
Are the unhappy campers expecting too much from them?
Or is it dependent on the individual gun and the losse tolerances from the original manufacturer?
 
it seems that lots of folks have bad luck with them and a few have no problem
Click to expand...
Wow. This is not my experience at all. It just takes a good shove to get the rounds off the clip and into the magazine but that’s all. I’ve never noticed a marked difference in quality due to country of origin. I may just be the exception though. You can load the magazine without the stripper clips just fine, it's just a little slower.
 
Problems with stripper clips

I'm like QuarterBoreGunner, it's hard to believe that folks have an issue with stripper clips. What you may have read about are detachable magazines that can be used in place of the fixed 10 round magazine. I've read that some of the detachable mags do not work well. For me the 10 round fixed is plenty and the strippers work fine.

On your bargain at the gun shop you could also ask for a shooting trial just to make sure you're getting the real deal. Otherwise $150 sounds very fair with a spare stock to boot. You could also ask him to throw in some ammo to seal the deal. :)
 
Guess my comments on the stripper clip problems was misdirected due to my inexperience with this type of firearm. I was refering to detachable clips. Please educate: Whats a stripper clip?
 
A stripper clip, also known in some countries as a "charger" holds 3, 5, 10 rounds (depending on the weapon), in a vertical row. It's a thin metal strip holding on to the base of the rounds (usually the rim). You stick the full stripper clip on top of the action in the clip/charger guide and "strip" them down into the action with your thumb. Fairly quick and idiotproof, the clips are fairly tough and reusable hundreds of times, and they're cheap.


All World War One and Two bolt action rifles used stripper clips, the SKS does, the M14, while detachable-magazine-fed, has the option of topping off the mag in the gun with a five-round stripper clip through the top of the action. Ammo is still issued for military purposes, loading quickly into magazines-wise for the M16 in stripper clips, to quickly fill 30-rounders.

The C96 Mauser Broomhandle and Steyr-Hahn M12 pistols of World War one vintage also used stripper clips, so it's not just a rifle thing, though generally it is.
 
A stripper clip is a clip of metal (most common) that in some way holds the rounds so they may be "stripped" off into the fixed mag of the gun. It is a small folded sheet metal cilp about 4-5" X 1/2" on the SKS. The rounds are only held by the rim and the rest of the cartridge is exposed.

I use them so much on my SKSs that once, I had some loose ammo and I forgot how to load it into the gun without the stripper clip. It only took me a second to remember but it was funny because I was looking around for a clip so I could load my gun. They save time at the range if you load them before you go but loading the stripper cilps at the range is pointless because you have to load your gun twice.
 
Thanks for the edumacayshun! Thats why I llike TFL and now THR, y'all are true gentlemen and ladies and dont start a flame fest over questions like these, rather help to educate. I believe I'm going to call the shop that has that SKS ask a few more questions based on some of the information learned here and ask him to stick it out back for me untill I can get in there again. He's a good guy and I'm a regular customer so he'll hold it if I ask him to. The gun belonged to a local state trooper previosly, he had it for many years.
 
Jeepman,

Here is are a pair of images of SKS stripper clips, the first showing the loaded clip loaded into the top of the action, and the bottom showing just the loaded stripper clip.

They are loaded into the rifle by pushing down on the round on top loading each round into the internal magazine. It is made easier if you slightly pull upwards on the front of the round while pushing on the back of the round.

Figured a photo would make it easier for you to see, so I snapped off a couple of quick frames. Sorry about the quality, didn't feel like pulling out any lighting equipment tonight.

I.G.B.
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itgoesboom,
What kind of SKS is that? At first I thought it was a Yugo M59/66 but I can't make out any night sights on the rear site.:confused:

Jeepman,
I forgot to say that that is a great price for a Norinco SKS. They often run about $200 and up in good shape. With the extra stock, it is like getting it for $100! Jump on it before someone else does. I got my Norinco fro $100 but it was a deal and I bought it from a friend of a friend. It has become my most used SKS.
 
Once you start pressing down the rounds, the bolt release will be disengaged and the bolt will want to press forward, so to ease reloading hold the bolt back all the way to the rear while pressing down on the top round. Also, the clips have some sharp edges, so be careful.
 
Albanian,

It is actually a Chinese SKS, that I purchased last January. That view is actually of the worst of the gun, with a few marks and dings, the rest of the gun is pretty cherry.

Natedog,

From my experience, the stripper clips don't generally disengage the bolt release when you start loading the rounds into the reciever.

I think that it is possible for them to do that, at least I have heard that it is possible, but I have never had that happen with mine.

I think that that happens if the stripper clip is too far back in the reciever, but I could be wrong.

I.G.B.
 
I too have never had the bolt release when using stripper clips or loading single rounds.......if yours is doing so you may want to tear it apart and check into it because it shouldn't be.
 
In my experience with my Yugos, the forward pressure of the bolt (pushed by the recoil spring) prevents the bolt catch from dropping when fresh rounds are loaded into the weapon. Simply pulling the bolt back removes the pressure on the catch and allows it to drop out of the way, leaving you free to release the bolt.
 
Langenator,

You are correct, and I think all SKSs work in the manner that you describe. Pressure has to be removed from the bolt catch before it will release.

I think that some stripper clips could possibly push down directly on the bolt catch, but I think that would be pretty rare. I just tried to get my stripper clips to do that, and they are a good 1/4-1/2" too far forward for that to happen.

Jeepman,

Simonev.net was a pretty good resource page, back when he had time to update it, and keep it accurate. Unfortunatly, he doesn't update the page anymore, and there have been some ATF clarifications issued since he last updated.

If you want up to date information you can visit sksboards.com and also there is a good updated FAQ HERE .

If you end up with any more questions, just feel free to ask.

I.G.B.
 
Just wanted to say thanks to all the good THR folks that responded to SKS question #546372. Thanks to all of the great information I recieved from you folks and some addition research on the net I am now the proud owner of one Norinko SKS in good condition.

Now I have to find the web page that had directions and give it a once over, and take it to the range. It came well oiled and very clean but I still want to go through it and learn how to disassemble and clean it before I use it.:)
 
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