experts on SKS and AK rifles

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MDMadrid

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I wanted to get an opinion on a rifle. I am looking for semi-auto rifle for plinking and well...just to have. I am looking at a SKS or an AK-47 rifle. It is not often that I get to buy a rifle so when the opportunity becomes available I want to make the right decision. What advice can you give on those two choices I have above? Also what are the different types of the above mentioned rifles and pros and cons on both. I have about 300 to 400 to spend on a rifle. Thanks for your opinion.
 
I have a Yugo SKS and love it. Cost about $100. Spent a few days cleaning the cosmoline off and then refinishing the stock. Stained it real dark with a touch of cherry, just like the color seen on antique flintlocks. Doesn't shoot any better but looks great!

Mine is as plain as they come.... standard fixed magazine that holds 10 rounds. No scope, no pistol grip, etc. Took off the bayonet and stowed the cleaning rod in the closet to keep the lines "clean." If you want to go the other way you can replace the fixed mag with a gizmo that allows use of regular detachable mags. You can replace the receiver's dust cover with one that allows mounting a scope. Etc. I saw one rigged with all those modifications priced at $225 in my local gun shop.

You won't get match level accuracy out of this thing, but it shoots well enough.

If you want a pistol grip, detachable mag, and the ability to glom on lots of goodies you may want to consider the AK clones and variants out there.
 
there are a few questions that we may need to address before we find out, which would be best for you. i own both and will try to help you out as best as possible.

I bought the ak, actually the wife bought it for me when i was in Iraq, but I always wanted one so therefore i got one. I have a mak-90 and absolutly love it, i have never had a single problem out of mine, it is great, and shoots pretty darn good. i like it primarialy because it has a high capacity capabilities, and has a nice pistol grip.

the reason i bought the sks is because it is lighter weight, a little more handy, and the 10rd internal mag makes it alot easier to shoot it from the bench, and there are no big mags to get in the way. I really like the sks and i think that they are the best all around semi auto rifle, in there price range. they are cheap to shoot, they eat anything, cheap to buy, easy to dissassemble, and one of the easiest guns to clean, they shoot pretty good and can be worked by about anybody, with no gun knowledge to all the knowledge in the world. very simple. and 10rds is plenty of ammo, for about any situation, that you will find your self in.

I hope this has helped you! good luck in your hunt for a rifle.
 
I started with an SKS, now I have 3 AKs, a saiga-12, parts kits, etc, and no SKS. I'm clearly biased. :) I like the AK better. Its shorter, lighter, has detachable mags, higher capacity, better ergonomics for me, and a better aftermarket.
 
possum:
I hope this has helped you!

Yes, thanks! I have always wanted an AK too, but the more I think about it and seek others opinions, the more I am inclined to lean toward getting the SKS first. Given the price, the reliability, and over all versatility I think that the SKS is the best option.

I am still looking for more opinions! Thanks.
 
If you don't get the chance to buy a rifle often, that may make a difference. You could either

A) Get an SKS and 1,000 rounds, have some leftover cash to play with.
B) Get an AK before they're banned (again), possibly buy a few hundred rounds.

I like my SKS better, personally....but that's because my AK stock is about 3 inches short. :cuss:

My SKS is a lovely, lovely rifle, and I don't think I want to part with it, ever; I'd sooner part with my AK. But, with AKs, you don't need to worry about cleaning them, ever, so there's a few bucks saved here and there.

Depends on how much money you want to sink into the rifle. AK=mags, gizmos if you want, stock options, goodies. SKS=best if kept stock (most reliable feeding that way).
 
Question

The guy at my local gun shop says that last september they banned all imported milsup. guns...true? Not that you can't buy them anymore, just that no more can come into the country.
 
One of each!

sks_sar3-1.jpg


Seriously, though, an SKS is a very good starter gun if you want to get into semiauto. I don't like the Yugo because of the grenade launcher and bayonet hanging off of it, but they are a good value.

jm
 
Thats a wicked looking sks. Short barrel and tech sights. Very nice. :)

Nice SAR-3 too.
 
MDMadrid, the guy at your gunship is either a liar or an idiot. No such ban has been imposed.

As for the SKS vs. AK, it boils down to this:

Would you want the SKS as it is, or would you want to mod it over time?

They are both good shooters, both capable of being good hunting rifles and good defensive weapons. Both are very simple and very reliable. The SKS probably has a touch more accuracy (in general), but not so much that you'd really notice.

The SKS is a good gun, but only if you leave it as-is. The legalities (especially on the Yugos) are such that it's really only worth the trouble in box-stock form. The AK, where legal, generally has more clearly defined legal issues, and by the time you invest time and money in an SKS to get to the folding stock/detachable mags, you're at the level of an AK anyway.

Personally, if I didn't have either one and I had $300-400, I'd probably get a Romanian AK. However, if I ended up with an SKS, I wouldn't feel cheated (so long as I paid nowhere near the amount the AK would cost).
 
The SKS is cheaper and ever so slightly more accurate. The AK has the handy box magazines and is a tiny bit easier to field strip. If you have the scratch, own both. A Yugo SKS and an unmodified Saiga AK together would only cost a little over $400.00 before taxes.
 
Well, nothing from China is coming in, i.e. no Norincos. But that is not under the auspices of any general ban. BTW I have an SKS and no AK.
 
They merely banned the import of new barrels and recievers last year, mainly because people were just putting their own part guns together rather than paying companies to do it for them for alot more money.


Military rifles can come in under curio and relics and that pretty much what we seen most imported as with features such as bayonets, detachable magazines. This of course means they can't be altered without having less than 10 foreign parts on it.

Of course those not eligable for c&r status and with many features are still banned due to the work of Reagon and Bush Sr from being imported into the country.

Chinese firearms are all banned, regardless of features in response to Tiananmen square/US domestic companies bitching about Chinese imports taking up 1/3 to 1/2 of the market back in the early 90s.
 
though i don't have one, i have always wanted an sks para tropper with the shorter barrel, it would be really handy! and i have to agree those tech sights are sweet!
 
I've been debating the very same thing since I'm going to a gun show this weekend and was planning on leaving with a semi-auto rifle of some type. Unless I can find an SKS-D or M that can half-reliably use AK mags (which I'm doubting I will since they're apparently pretty rare), I'm probably going to get myself an actual AK and be done with it. I was looking at the GP WASR-10s (w/hi-cap conversion) on Gunbroker last night and the average price seemed to be around $300-350. Are there any other brands/models of AKs out there that are cheaper, or is $300 pretty much as low as they go?
 
Just to clarify the legal issues:

Import of many semi-automatic rifles was banned under an executive order from Bush I in 1989. During the Clinton administration, Congress made that EO law by passing additional legislation. This legislation also made it illegal to assemble a banned weapon using imported parts.

However, if you used a certain amount of U.S. parts, you weren't building a banned imported weapon. You were building a domestic semi-auto according to ATF. As a result, there was a big business in importing parts kits, swapping the requisite number of parts and producing a domestic semi-auto rifle.

In 1999, the Clinton administration directed the ATF to review this and see if it complied with the law Congress passed earlier. ATF reviewed this and decided that it did not and banned the further import of receivers, barrels, etc. However, before this policy could be implemented, GWB was elected and John Ashcroft directed that import of barrels, receivers etc. would be allowed for "repair or replacement" purposes only. Anti-gun groups immediately sued and that wound its way through the courts.

In 2004, when Ashcroft stepped down and Gonzales became AG, he reversed the original Ashcroft order and barrels and receivers once again were not allowed for import. So now you can still import parts kits and then swap domestic parts to make a domestic rifle; but the barrels and receivers must be manufactured domestically.

My guess is that parts of the American gun industry wanted this legislation as badly as the antis did. Kind of hard to remain competitive when your competition can buy rifles dirt cheap from overseas, replace six cheap parts and sell it in the same market your rifle has to compete in.
 
Thanks for the clarification Bart.

As to the question, try each and see which feels better. If you don't have access, just shouldering them at the store should tell you a lot. For me, the AK is too short, but the SKS feels pretty good. That's the only reason I don't have an AK and do have an SKS.

Basically they're both 7.62x39, communist built, battle rifles that are designed to keep running in almost any condition. Go with what feels better and you'll shoot more and have more fun. Or......go with the standard THR answer.....get both. ;)
RT
 
I got a Yugo SKS first, then a WASR AK. I enjoy shooting the SKS much much more. It's more accurate and the stock fits me better. I like the AK "just to have", and for the ability to have high cap mags loaded and available. But for just plain shooting, the AK stays in the safe and I take the SKS to the range.

I'd say, get an "unissued" or "excellent" Yugo SKS, and spend the rest of your money on ammo and stripper clips.
 
Cheesybacon $300 is about as low as I've seen for a romanian wasr.

The SKS is more generally more accurate. I had a WASR-10 that was too short for my liking (5'10") but I got a SAR-1 not long ago that feels a little better. May be all in my mind since I didn't actually compare lengths or anything.

If you don't want a shorter rifle, I'd buy multiple sks's or 1 sks +ammo.
 
What would the need for wood have to do with it? Are you expecting it to rot? You can get syntheic stocks for an SKS as well.
 
I personally wouldn't want any rifle any LESS accurate than an SKS. :rolleyes: AKs are fugly, inaccurate, and useless IMHO. The SKS is just too hard to resist at the prices the things go for. Even if they're ugly and useless and inaccurate, hey, they're reliable and only a hundred bucks! ROFL! I have a couple of 'em and they're fun. AKs, I'm sure, are fun, too, if you're more into tacticool mall ninja stuff. I have a friend with several and I've fired 'em. I don't particularly like any long arm with a pistol grip, but I'm a traditionalist I suppose. They just carry funny and are slow to the shoulder in the field, but realistically, an AK ain't exactly a deer rifle.

The SKS is just accurate enough to be useful out to about 200 yards and it's just as fun to play with and there is a large aftermarket if you wanna dress it up and it utilizes the same cheap imported ammo as the AK.
 
For just plinking and having fun, the SKS is a better value. Plus, I find the SKS to be more accurate, as a rule--there are exception$. I really like SKSs.
 
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