Chinese SKS?

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ExAgoradzo

ExAgoradzo

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For personal reasons (we're adopting a girl from China and my wife has said no ARs and no AKs..I know, right!) my next gun will be a Chinese SKS. What should I look for specifically for Chinese and in general for e SKS?

Thanks,
Greg
 
Try for a genuine "government issue" version if you can, the later commercial tourist models were variable in quality.
Denis
 
Hopefully matching numbers, original wood sock, original 10 round fixed magazine. If you can get a Sino-Soviet, they are some of the best quality, being built by a combined force of Chinese and Russians on Soviet equipment.

Some of Chinese Police SKS rifles do have a 20 round fixed mag, but if you find one, make sure if you can, that the magazine is original to the rifle. I bought one at a gun show, but it did not fit the SKS I had at the time. Not even close.

I dislike the Tapco add on's and aftermarket stocks. Duckbill magazines are usually hit or miss, same with the drums. You can get them to work, but I don't feel it's worth it.

My current SKS is a Chinese Norinco, 1968 manufacture, imported by Poly USA.
 
The SKS rifles imported 20+ years ago ranged from pretty good to bad... sometimes really bad. A local gunsmith showed me one with a pinned barrel that looked like a sewerpipe, not from corrosion but because the chrome plating in the bore started to come loose.

I had a Norinco and it shot 3-4" groups and that's okay for $90 and it was great fun until the $1 a box ammo ran dry. It never coughed.
 
The law in Calistan says I can't have the mags and that it can't have the AK add ons that allow it to have AK mags, but I'm sifting the tips here. I don't speak SKS yet, so I'm happy to have all these comments. The only semi auto rifles I have are mini14 and BAR .270. This should be fun.

Greg
 
No "AK magazine add-on" exists to fit a standard SKS with an AK magazine. The AK mag is simply too wide and the feed lips are wrong. The specific SKS D and M models were made for AK magazines. They are now rare as hen's teeth and wouldn't be Cali-legal, I think.
I had two Norincos, both good shooters. Had the Yugo model with muzzle break/GL. Shot very nicely indeed. Scoped with proper handloads, it could shot one MOA at 100 yards. It was stolen a few years back.
My current SKS is a "Psuedo-Sino/Soviet" model, out of the serial range for a true Sino/Soviet but make of Russian parts in 1959 to the same specs. An excellent shooter. I totally lucked up on it for a good price. Tried the PG folder stock and 30-round duckbill mags once, but soon returned it to issue condition. It is happiest that way.
Here a decent Norinco civilian market model goes for the $300-$350 range, and a military model commands a bit higher price. Non-Chinese go higher.
 
find one with the screwed in barrel. But all of them shoot just about the same as long the muzzle isnt buggered up.
 
You can find everything you ever wanted to know about the SKS on this page:

http://www.yooperj.com/

Just click on the SKS link when you get to the page. It may be way more info than you want or need but it's there if you want to look.

I'd suggest looking for a clean version of an SKS if you can find one. Finding a good clean Chinese SKS these days is getting very hard to do. Remember that most of them were imported 20 years ago and sold cheap and so was the ammo. People shot a whole lot of rounds with them because it was cheap. And a lot of people didn't take care of their guns either.

Above all the main thing you should look for is whether the firing pin slides freely. The channel it rides in can get gummed up and make the firing pin stick in the forward position. If that happens you will have a machine gun in your hands. It's simple enough to check for this. A modification can make the gun much safer too. Just tilt the rifle up and down (barrel pointed down then up) and watch to see that the firing pin slides out when pointed down and back in when pointed up.
 
The later tourist models from Norinco were built to address the "new" US demand created by the flood of genuine as-new Chinese government-issue SKS rifles that had been in storage for several years & at that point were considered obsolete.

Those export tourist models were built in a hurry & not to strict military specs.
Norinco is actually a huge industrial combine inside China and at the time was exporting SKS rifles manufactured at several smaller individual shops. There was no single "Norinco Factory".
Quality varied, from poor fit & finish to barrel issues & occasionally functional issues.

Most tourist models do function, but the real military grade guns are the best.
Denis
 
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out. Also for the tip on the pin: these are things I don't know. I had an M1 carbine for a bit that had issues, we took it apart, but eventually sold it. I told the guy the problem, but I don't think I got enough money for it anyway...oh well water under the bridge... This gun will fill that slot nicely in my safe.

Thanks again for more comments.
Greg
 
Do you have a C&R?

There are Chinese SKS that have been imported for the past 2yrs from Century Arms and RTI and they are very reasonable money wise....


JG Sale and SOG both have them but SOG refuse to ship to CA so JG is about your oly source for these.... I have seen a few folks on calguns.net have been buying them.

http://www.jgsales.com/chinese-sks-...s-issue-with-bayonet,-c-r.-used.-p-58288.html

Having a C&R in CA would make getting one very easy.... Not sure how much of a PITA it would be going thru a dealer or if a dealer would even order one for you.

Keep in mind these were orginally military aide rifles from China to Albania and were stored for a very long time after many years of front line useage.... so condition varies but the one I got and the one a friend got were both pretty nice.

You might also consider trying to find a Chinese T-53... which is a Mosin Nagant carbine identical to the M44 but mfgr'd in China.

Will
 
rklessdriver said:
Do you have a C&R?

There are Chinese SKS that have been imported for the past 2yrs from Century Arms and RTI and they are very reasonable money wise....


JG Sale and SOG both have them but SOG refuse to ship to CA so JG is about your oly source for these.... I have seen a few folks on calguns.net have been buying them.

http://www.jgsales.com/chinese-sks-...s-issue-with-bayonet,-c-r.-used.-p-58288.html

Having a C&R in CA would make getting one very easy.... Not sure how much of a PITA it would be going thru a dealer or if a dealer would even order one for you.

Keep in mind these were orginally military aide rifles from China to Albania and were stored for a very long time after many years of front line useage.... so condition varies but the one I got and the one a friend got were both pretty nice.

You might also consider trying to find a Chinese T-53... which is a Mosin Nagant carbine identical to the M44 but mfgr'd in China.

Will
Click to expand...
+1 on this. I picked one up recently from Century, all matching numbers, Sino-Soviet. Stocks not pretty by a long margin but she shoots great and no rust in the gas tube. Just prepare to spend 2 or 3 days cleaning out the cosmolene.
 
To clean out cosmoline: get a bucket of play sand, affix bayonette, drive into sand, let sit in 90-100 degree weather for several hours, wipe away!

Greg
 
C&Rs are worthless in the Peoples Republik of **********. All gun sales must go through a local type 1 FFL>
 
I'd look for a Russian, not a Chinese made.
Click to expand...

OP stated he was looking for Chinese because of the connection to his (to be) adopted daughter. If the baby were Russian, perhaps he could look for a Russian SKS.
He should just be glad he's not adopting an East German baby!!! That could get pricey!!!
 
ExAgoradzo, I applaud your decision to adopt from China. There won't be any a##hole with some paperwork at your door saying you have to give the child back after a few years because the parents are now good people. I have a good time with my Norinco that I picked up about 12 years ago. The ammo isn't as cheap but it is a great coyote gun.
 
Indeed! No one (yet, government spies, I'm not daring you!) will take her Lord willing!

Thanks again for the comments...

Greg
 
Chinese SKS's are excellent rifles. Look for matching serial numbers, good condition wood stock, and original parts. I've had good luck with a SKS Arsenal /26\ , but any Chinese model in overall good condition will suffice. Prices seem to continue increasing, so grab one when as soon as you can find a decent one.

This thread wouldn't be complete without pics, so I'll share my lovely Chinese rifles =]

736A43AC-3D98-4DFD-86BB-C38332F245A4.jpg
 
Look for matching serial numbers, good condition wood stock, and original parts.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen any Norinco's that look as good as those in the photos for years. I saw one about 4 years ago that looked that good. I bought a Yugo that was in great shape but I didn't like the grenade launcher so I sold that one. Good models are getting really hard to find IMO.
 
Justice,
Just showed my wife your rifles telling her the one on the top is the one I want (I live in Kalistan after all!). She said that's nice. So, whenever you want to do the paper work ;)

Thanks for the pics!

Greg
 
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