So, I went to the gun store, and I learned that my dealer actually had about 20 SKS carbines "in the box" (and in the cosmoline) in the back room. They were all distributed by Samco and graded in "Excellent" condition. The dealer doesn't like to open a lot of boxes, but he let me look at them before committing to buy them. I passed up one that was in rougher condition, and I ended up with a couple that looked pretty good. One is in "like new" condition, but it shows evidence of being refurbished (sanding).
I took the nicer of the two (a 1972 "I" series w/non-ported GL and phosphorus night sights - the other is a 1967 "D" series non-ported w/tritium night sights) and broke it down to de-cosmo it. I was up until 1:00 a.m. before completing the task. Here are my conclusions after disassembling and de-cosmolining my first SKS:
1. I LOVE the smell of cosmoline! I told my wife she should dab some behind her ears (my wife -->
).
2. The SKS is many times more complex than the AK, but the disassembly levers work well... except for the trigger group spring - pain in the butt.
3. Mineral spirits and a tooth brush took car of all the cosmoline except the "crannies" in the trigger assembly - I don't think I'll ever get all the cosmo out of there. Every time I would blow it out with my air compressor some more cosmoline would streak out. I decided that it was OK if some of the nooks and crannies still had a little cosmo left over. For all of the whining I've read about cosmoline I didn't think it was that bad. I considered it to be bonding time with my "new" gun.
4. Four hours of scrubbing with mineral spirits will leave you with a TREMENDOUS headache (36 hours later - still have a headache). Next time I will do this outside on the patio.
5. All in all I like the quality of the gun. Machined parts are sturdy and fit tightly. It may be heavy, but it is solid.
The gun that looked nicer actually had two problems I found when disassembling it: 1) the very tip of the bayonett is broken off, and 2) the threads on the cleaning rod are smashed. I was going to switch bayonetts with the other gun, but the screw is set with two punch marks. I did switch cleaning rods, and I wil chase the threads on the one.
My dealer (Jensen Arms, Loveland, CO - the largest volume gun dealer in Colorado according to the BATF) told me that when his SKS carbines are gone they are GONE. He expected them to sell out in the next 2 weeks, and he said he can't get any more. This was the owner I was talking to. I'm going back in today for one or two more. I did some research here,
http://yugosks.net/, so today I will just look at the serial numbers on the boxes to improve my chances of getting a cherry gun. I'd like to find a serial number 650,000 or higher (1982-1989) to find one that never saw action.
I highly recommend the above link if you own a Yugo, or if you would like to collect them. I wish I had that information when I went in a couple nights ago.
I fired the Yugo three times in my back yard last night (I live on a farm). I REALLY liked the feel, and the action was real smooth.
