I Got My First SKS the Other Day...

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I got an SKS the other day...

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Here's the SKS. It looked good on the outside, just a little surface rust. A couple dry patches revealed a bore that shined better than most I've seen, on any gun.

This is a Chinese made, pre-Norinco, pre-1989 carbine. The importer, GLNIC, stopped business after the bayonets and such were banned. I do like the fact that it's not a C&R as it's meant to be a part time defensive carbine as well as a replacement for my old coyote gun, which is an Mosin M44.

I loaded it up with the ammo I found, something called Hotshot that comes in commercial boxes packaged in "SPAM" cans of 700. It weighs 123 grains and is made in Romania. The package advertises that it's non-corrosive.

I immediately tested it. Though it's FMJ, it blew up a water filled gallon jug in an impressive manner from 50 yards. I'm beginning to think there's something to bullets which tumble...

After I got done shooting it, I brought it inside and cleaned it. Take down was extremely simple. I'd never messed with one before and it took me all of five minutes to field strip it. I'm liking this.

I did get ahold of a number of stripper clips, took half out of their cosmoline, and left the other half in for future use. I can load one about as fast as I can load a new magazine, and I'm not overly concerned about losing them should I need to reload in a hurry.

A few days later, I sighted in my SKS for Wolf hollowpoint in the black box. While some say it's not as good as the bullet used in the Military Classic, I am questioning this. According to the water jugs they perform admirably.

Anyway, this isn't a terminal ballistics test.

I needed to get sighted in at 50 to 100 yards. Going prone, I found that I needed to move the impact to the right and up some. That was strange as it shot differently while standing. I figure prone with the rifle resting on its forearm is the more stable of the two platforms, so that's what I used as my final sight in.

I'm not a fan of how far I had to drift the front sight, but it works.

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This is what I came up with at 50 yards. There are two extra holes on there because I ran out of repair stickers and this was my last target.

Shots were taken by taking a deep breath, then another, then another - then squeezing the round off after I'd exhaled the third breath.

As I said, ammo was Wolf 122gr HP in the black box. Not the most accurate, but I won't shoot US made ammo until I get a spring loaded firing pin, due to the softer primers.

I'm going to let this group stand as representative of what this carbine can do in my hands, unless I do something really spectacular that warrants posting.

I like that this thing has the power I need in a controllable, accurate package.

I would like the long trigger to return like a revolver's if I let up off of it, but the hammer spring's too strong for that. As well, I'll probably fit an ambi safety sometime down the road as I'm a lefty, and I've got a peep sight on the way from Tech Sights so that I can center the front sight a bit more.

However, overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it.

Josh <><
 
Seems like you have a good carbine there. As far as SKS's go, it probably is the most usable and certainly is the most handy.

Ash
 
Pretty gun there. Nice finish. I love the SKS. (Look at my sig!) Not a fan of the bayonets though, mine has the lug ground off.
 
That is a nice rifle. When I saw the post title I expected another Yugo, but its nice to you went a little more old school. :)
 
I meant to add this in too:

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I have several Chi-Com SKS's, and yours indicative of the accuracy I get out of mine.

I have the ambidextrous safety on 2 of mine, (I'm a lefty also), and it makes a major difference. Be advised that you will have to modify the trigger guard to make it work. If you look at your trigger guards left side, you will see that there is a "lip" there. It has to be ground away for the safety to work properly. Just a FYI.

I wouldn't have my SKS's without one.
 
Not a fan of the bayonets though, mine has the lug ground off.

You know, since this is a pre-'89 Chinese, I'm not sure I could legally do that. Regardless, bayonets have their uses as I'm finding out, like using it as a monopod. Works well close range.

I also wouldn't hesitate to use it as a back up should I run out of ammo, or to touch the eyball of a downed animal.

Josh <><
 
I have the ambidextrous safety on 2 of mine, (I'm a lefty also), and it makes a major difference. Be advised that you will have to modify the trigger guard to make it work. If you look at your trigger guards left side, you will see that there is a "lip" there. It has to be ground away for the safety to work properly. Just a FYI.

I was going to say that mine doesn't have a lip, but I see now what you're talking about.

Looks like a five minute job with a particular file I keep in my gunsmithing kit ;)

What company would you recommend I go through?

Thanks,

Josh <><
 
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