Is the SKS still worth collecting?

[EMT40SW]

Yeah I agree I would say something more like; is the sks worth piling up like cordwood? The answer is heck yeah.

Well said. I wish you had given me this advice in high school. An SKS rifle for $300 are still a solid rifle
& worth it. If nothing else then for the fun factor. When SKS will stop being worth it is if a supply of cheap 7.62x39 mm ammo dries up.

 

[Dunross]

I wish I could have collected a couple of crates of them back when I bought my all-milled Type 56 for $89. I am astonished at what I see people asking for them in the shows now. As someone else noted above they are the semi-auto .30-30 of the truck gun world and well suited to the task. Except to remove the bayonet I've let mine as-is.

 

[Ignition Override]

Removing or re-installing the small pin from an SKS bolt? I had a nightmarish struggle with this and it didn't work out.

You can ship your bolt to Murray's Gunsmithing in Bowie TX, where they can easily disassemble and clean the firing pin channel, reassemble your bolt.
They can also permanently 'cure' a gun's chances of ever having any popped primer issues. As stated before, I did this with both of my M59s. Well worth the modest cost.

One of their more popular services is installing a spring on the firing pin (as with the original, early Russian SKS), to further minimize any chance of having a dangerous slam fire.
Mr. Murray has a forum on SKSboards.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Murray... is that you?


I’ve dine this somewhere between 50-100 times. It really not complicated, you just need the right tools. It’s not a one and done, you should be capable of periodically breaking your bolt down for cleaning the same way you should any firearm. All you need is your favorite quality penetrating oil, a 3-5 lb hammer, a high quality, hardened steel, 1/8 or 5/32 starter punch and a 1/8 hardened steel drift punch and a hard metal anvil surface with a hole or gap to let the pin drift outs 99 out of 100 of them will come out with this method. Those that don’t might need to be broken loose with a press due to long term storage, but once that is done you can use the punch method to remove it.

You just need

Removing or re-installing the small pin from an SKS bolt? I had a nightmarish struggle with this and it didn't work out.

You can ship your bolt to Murray's Gunsmithing in Bowie TX, where they can easily disassemble and clean the firing pin channel, reassemble your bolt.
They can also permanently 'cure' a gun's chances of ever having any popped primer issues. As stated before, I did this with both of my M59s. Well worth the modest cost.

One of their more popular services is installing a spring on the firing pin (as with the original, early Russian SKS), to further minimize any chance of having a dangerous slam fire.
Mr. Murray has a forum on SKSboards.

 

[Ignition Override]

ColorodoMinute M:
Mr. Murray doesn't live near Memphis TN. He lives somewhere near Bowie TX.

Thanks for the tips, but I should have mentioned that my interests switched from owning SKS to having four imported AKs.

Only trying to help some present SKS owners.

 

[Jeff Burgess]

Just spray ya bolt down real good with brake cleaner

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Just spray ya bolt down real good with brake cleaner

Please don’t do this. In my opinion this isn’t sufficient, and I’ve seen more than a handful of examples where I pulled appart bolts that were “cleaned” by soaking in mineral spirits, acetone, sprayed down with break cleaner or whatever solvent “really well” only to find the channel full of Cosmoline. Cosmoline is a wax, and sometimes it becomes almost rock hard and even when it is partially softened by heat or solvent it will stick in crevisis until it’s manually removed. Sometimes people will find it leaching out of their stock on a hot day 10 years after it was first cleaned. If you are going to own and operate a firearm. Maintain it, get the correct tools and learn how to properly disassemble/reassemble. The bolt is designed to be taken apart for maintenance and in order to thoroughly clean the firing pin and extractor it should be broken down. The original cleaning kit included with the rifle even has the punch to do it, if you don’t have a set.

 

[Jeff Burgess]

I been running brake cleaner on SKSs and AKs for 40 years with never a problem. Also with Mosin Nagants

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

I been running brake cleaner on SKSs and AKs for 40 years with never a problem. Also with Mosin Nagants

I’ve never been in a car accident but I still wear my seatbelt. Taking the effort to break down a bolt could be the difference between a serious injury or death. To me it’s worth it.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Boy has this one gone off topic. We've gone from is the SKS worth collecting to the proper way to clean the bolt. Where will we go next?

 

[boom boom]

I’ve never been in a car accident but I still wear my seatbelt. Taking the effort to break down a bolt could be the difference between a serious injury or death. To me it’s worth it.

It is an old habit of mine to thoroughly disassemble and clean a firearm as I generally buy used anyway. I also clean new rifles and components as per instructions. I've also rebuilt them from component parts to get a shooting version of a rifle that I wanted (yes, I do it safely with gages, strong lights, proper tools, and thorough inspection of critical components, and if I have questions or something beyond the usual, I go to an experienced family of gunsmiths with it ).

I agree with you pre-historic cosmolene and other crud such as caked carbon fouling can harden into an ungodly mess that you have to remove layer by layer in some cases interspersed with crud even using mineral spirits, acetone, Ed's Red, ATF, and other assorted solvents. If this stuff is present in your bolt, whether or not it is an automatic, then bad things can happen--the least of which the rifle simply does not function.

BTW, if you do use brake cleaner, please use the non-toxic stuff instead of the chlorinated stuff. Better for the environment, your health, and for the firearm.

 

[boom boom]

Boy has this one gone off topic. We've gone from is the SKS worth collecting to the proper way to clean the bolt. Where will we go next?

We can always talk about your newest acquisition.

But more seriously, a lot of folks assume that because the Com-Bloc stuff was made simply and crudely but allegedly with a lot of strength, that they can take shortcuts in their care and feeding.

I have an SKS, it is rugged and massive in its way. That still does not mean that I did not disassemble the bolt and clean it thoroughly as well as the piston, piston tube, etc. I also checked the headspace with a gauge. While I was at it, I checked the springs, cleaned and lubricated the trigger group, etc. I've done the same for Mosins, etc.

 

[ThomasT]

I have two Norinco SKS rifles. One with the 20" barrel I bought of GB for $250 unfired and a Paratrooper model I got when my dad passed away. Both were unfired when I got them. They have had 80 rounds each fired through them now. so prety much still brand new.

I like them. Of the two I like the rifle version better the the Paratrooper with its short barrel. I have around 3500 rounds on hand including 720 of the steel core Norinco ammo. I like that it shoots the cheap steel cased stuff and I don't have to chase after the brass. There was a thread were a guy and his wife and buds were using them to hog hunt and were using the Wolfe Hollow Point ammo and those bullets blew huge holes in the pigs. That was some bad a$$ stuff. But collect them? I don't know. But if I saw another for a decent price I would buy it even though I have two already. They are like 30-30 lever guns. You just can't have too many.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

We can always talk about your newest acquisition.

But more seriously, a lot of folks assume that because the Com-Bloc stuff was made simply and crudely but allegedly with a lot of strength, that they can take shortcuts in their care and feeding.

I have an SKS, it is rugged and massive in its way. That still does not mean that I did not disassemble the bolt and clean it thoroughly as well as the piston, piston tube, etc. I also checked the headspace with a gauge. While I was at it, I checked the springs, cleaned and lubricated the trigger group, etc. I've done the same for Mosins, etc.

My latest acquisition would have nothing to do with this topic o5her then being a gun.
Now does the SKS have Collectors value? The answer would be only a few. Most are just good guns at the top of the value scale. I don’t see them selling much higher then they are selling for right now. Are they still worth buying? The answer would be yes.

 

[Jeff Burgess]

Collecting a sks is trying to find one Bubba has not screwed up. I keep guns original

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Boy has this one gone off topic. We've gone from is the SKS worth collecting to the proper way to clean the bolt. Where will we go next?

Gunny did you wake up on the wrong side of the fox hole or what?

I think collections are pretty personal. Some people collect due to interest in a genra or type, some collect for investment, some collect out of obsession to find the “perfect” example, some collect for the thrill of the hunt. I’ve found over time the my collecting has even taken all of these shapes over time. When I was a kid I collected WWII 8th Air Force gear which evolved into an obsession collecting flight helmets which eveolved into an obsession with early jet helmets. I’ve gone through the same cycle st times with guns. When I was a kid first was WWII 1911A1 then, SKS then M16A1. I think much of my collecting is the thrill of the hunt. Nowadays I don’t collect much at all. Someday I’ll inherit my dads collection of WWI and WWII rifles, and I have my first rifle, a 1903 Springfield, my grandfathers Winchester M97, and a handful of unissued SKS that I keep around just because I feel like I’ll regret it if I sell them. I also have 2 shooters, one stock and one “bubba’d.” I still think even at $350 an SKS is worth buying, and I doubt they will ever be worth less relative to inflation. It just depends on what the goal of your collection is to if they are worth collecting or not.

 

[BigBlue 94]

I was thrilled 15 years ago to get my first semi auto full powered rifle. For $150 I got a solid Romanian 1956 model, in original form, blade bayonet and cleaning rod included. I've thrown 1000s of rounds of nothing but wolf and tula ammo through it without a single hiccup. Never. We shot down a 24" tree with it, we shot it so much. It's never been thoroughly cleaned, and isnt gummy or anything. It does get oiled though.

Is it worth collecting? I think so, because as a rifle that was made to kill, it's made to shoot, without degrading its value. Mine looks the exact same as when I bought it.

Do I think collecting a bunch of sks rifles is worth it, probably not. Havingnone or two in the safe to shoot is a solid idea though.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Gunny did you wake up on the wrong side of the fox hole or what?

I think collections are pretty personal. Some people collect due to interest in a genra or type, some collect for investment, some collect out of obsession to find the “perfect” example, some collect for the thrill of the hunt. I’ve found over time the my collecting has even taken all of these shapes over time. When I was a kid I collected WWII 8th Air Force gear which evolved into an obsession collecting flight helmets which eveolved into an obsession with early jet helmets. I’ve gone through the same cycle st times with guns. When I was a kid first was WWII 1911A1 then, SKS then M16A1. I think much of my collecting is the thrill of the hunt. Nowadays I don’t collect much at all. Someday I’ll inherit my dads collection of WWI and WWII rifles, and I have my first rifle, a 1903 Springfield, my grandfathers Winchester M97, and a handful of unissued SKS that I keep around just because I feel like I’ll regret it if I sell them. I also have 2 shooters, one stock and one “bubba’d.” I still think even at $350 an SKS is worth buying, and I doubt they will ever be worth less relative to inflation. It just depends on what the goal of your collection is to if they are worth collecting or not.

Fox Hole? Oh, is that a Army thing used to hide in? In the Corps we had Fighting holes.
It's all to common that topics go off tract. I was just giving it a nudge back to the topic. The topic of the SKS bolt is a good one, but should be a topic in it self. With good pics it would get lots of attention. But the care and cleaning of the bolt has little to do with, is the SKS worth collecting.
Now don't get me wrong. I have been guilty of going off topic from time to time. But I try not to. I have started new topics at times to keep from going off topic.
Now if the topic was on the pros and cons of collecting SKS rifles, I never would have said anything.
One aspic of collecting SKS rifles is finding one that is unmolested, and that's getting harder every year.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

It’s always interesting what grinds people’s gears. When in recreational discussion I’ve always found it a little silly to demand conformity. A bunch of people talking about something can often lead to interesting places you may not have thought to take it. I find it much easier to skip over what I don’t want than to try and conform the world to my needs.

Fox Hole? Oh, is that a Army thing used to hide in? In the Corps we had Fighting holes.
It's all to common that topics go off tract. I was just giving it a nudge back to the topic. The topic of the SKS bolt is a good one, but should be a topic in it self. With good pics it would get lots of attention. But the care and cleaning of the bolt has little to do with, is the SKS worth collecting.
Now don't get me wrong. I have been guilty of going off topic from time to time. But I try not to. I have started new topics at times to keep from going off topic.
Now if the topic was on the pros and cons of collecting SKS rifles, I never would have said anything.
One aspic of collecting SKS rifles is finding one that is unmolested, and that's getting harder every year.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I would not say that it grinds my gears. It’s just curtsy to not stray to far from the OP’s topic. The OP took the time to creat the topic so, why not try and keep it in the scope of that.
But you see, we’re getting off topic .

 

[joneb]

I'm very happy with my Russian SKS worth every penny of the $140 I paid for it.
I put a Tapco stock on it which for me was a great improvement to the original way to short wood stock. Now with a adjustable LOP my wife and I can enjoy shooting this firearm.
I have a Ruger American Ranch rifle chambered in the 7.62x39 cartridge which I am also very happy with, I reload for both.

 

[Speedo66]

I was thrilled 15 years ago to get my first semi auto full powered rifle. For $150 I got a solid Romanian 1956 model, in original form, blade bayonet and cleaning rod included. I've thrown 1000s of rounds of nothing but wolf and tula ammo through it without a single hiccup. Never. We shot down a 24" tree with it, we shot it so much. It's never been thoroughly cleaned, and isnt gummy or anything. It does get oiled though.

Is it worth collecting? I think so, because as a rifle that was made to kill, it's made to shoot, without degrading its value. Mine looks the exact same as when I bought it.

Do I think collecting a bunch of sks rifles is worth it, probably not. Havingnone or two in the safe to shoot is a solid idea though.

Why shouldn’t it work well with Russian steel, that’s exactly the ammo that was designed for it. We should be surprised it does so well with quality brass ammo. lol

 

[lionking]

One of those guns that I kick myself for not getting when they were first available, I love collection mil-surps but just haven't done a SKS yet.

 

[kBob]

Oh now we are shifting to "Fighting Positions" Folks that used that term mentioned above in one of my units were derided as "Beastiality biased buggerers."

But back on the SKS topic, the Red Chinese put the SKS to good use in many patriotic dance routines involving appropriatly clad female comrades.

How's that for drift sort of on topic?

-kBob

 

[jimherb]

Yes. Especially the non Yugo versions, which, while really good, are still available. The others are rapidly rising in price.