My first semi-auto rifle

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rick_reno

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I've been thinking about getting a semi-auto rifle. The SKS is at the top of my list, because I can (almost) afford it. Yugo's and Norinco's are sort of in my price range - is one significantly better than the other? Prices around here at gun shows are Norinco's are about $100, Yugo's about $140. Is the Yugo $40 better than the Norinco (keep in mind $40 is more than I've made in the previous 6 months - it's a lot of money)? I've noticed the Yugos have a bayonet, can you attach a bayonet to the Norinco and still be legal?

I want to use it for hunting deer, I've been using a muzzle loader - I'm hoping a rifle like the SKS will allow me longer shots.

Another question: I was at a volunteer range master meeting last night and someone gave me a copy of Shotgun News (March 1st issue). On the cover is a picture of a Russian Mosin M44, is this a semi-auto rifle? It's in my affordability index at $69. I can't tell what it is from the picture, it appears to have a fixed magazine.
 
Mosin is bolt action. The design dates back eons. The cartridge it fires is considerably heftier (at both ends) than the SKS cartridge. I've never fired a Mosin, but there are a lot of folks who love and cherish their old Russian/Soviet friends.
 
the SKS is a semi automatic rifle that fires the 7.62x39mm cartridge
The M38,M44 ect ect Mosin Nagants are bolt actions which fire the 7.62x54mmR.

The x54 is good up to MOOSE shots, though it can be punishing to fire.
 
Hey Rick-

I have two Yugo's and really love them both. I can't comment on the Norincos, I have never seen one up close. As far as the Yugo goes though, despite a lot of negative press I have read on them mine have turned out to be reliable, AND accurate! Well accurate enough for me anyway. Don't expect sub MOA or anything but you could definitely take a deer at 150 yards with both of mine.

If you are really serious about this then forget the gunshow stuff. Get your C&R license. It is only $30.00 and will allow you purchase many different and really neat firearms via internet sales and have them shipped straight to your door. Right now AIM surplus is having a sale on "shooter" grade Yugo SKS's for only $79.00! I have one of their shooter grades and it has been tons of fun and has yet to let me down.

Good luck!
 
As hunting rifles go, the Mosin-Nagant is far superior to the SKS. I has the reliability of being a bolt gun and is sufficiently accurate by any standard, and the cartridge is twice as powerful as the 7.62x39mm SKS round(The 7.62x54Rmm, also called the 7.62x63Rmm, is nearly the ballistic equal of the .30-06/7.62x63mm). SKS are often prone to jamming (especially with aftermarket magazines) and accuracy is a term generally NOT associated with them.

That said, if you are willing to spend a bit more there are better choices for hunting than either of these. You shouldn't have a hard time finding a decent used American bolt gun in .270, 7mm Rem mag, .308 or .30-06 for around $300. Special mounts are required to affix optical sights to the Mosin or the SKS, and 7.62x54R ammunition loaded with hunting type bullets is less than common. There is also not nearly the selection of bullets available in the US for the .311" diameter of the Soviet rounds.
 
SKS are often prone to jamming (especially with aftermarket magazines) and accuracy is a term generally NOT associated with them.
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:scrutiny: What???? Show me an unmodified SKS that is prone to jamming, I would love to see it. With the aftermarket 30 rounders, yes they will jam. The dozen or so stock ones that I have played with have all funtioned flawlessly. These things just go and go and go.

As far as accuracy goes, I have a re-arsenaled Yugo with a new barrel that I got for $140.00. I shoot 3 inch groups at 100 yards with open sights. How much better do you need to hunt deer?
 
The SKS is unreliable? Mine apparently didnt get the menu, 8-900 rounds of nasty wolf, surplus and brown bear and not a single malf.
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kace: Ive got you beat. Ive got a Yugo with over 2,000 wolf and brown bear through it without a hiccup.
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So you guys are advocating hunting deer with cheap FMJ ammo because it functions well? Get back to me when you've run the same number of rounds using good expanding bullets of 135 or 150 grains. And there is not a semi-auto available that will compete with a bolt gun for reliability.

As far as accuracy goes, I have a re-arsenaled Yugo with a new barrel that I got for $140.00. I shoot 3 inch groups at 100 yards with open sights. How much better do you need to hunt deer?
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Under ideal conditions, I can drill a 1 gallon paint can at 100 yards with my S&W 1006, but that doesn't make it an ideal deer hunting firearm. Why would you not want every advantage? With so many other variables, it is nice to know your rifle is capable of putting every round into a bottlecap at 100 yds., because under hunting conditions you might not be able to afford another inch or two.

I find it amusing that so many people will crap on Mini-14's for being inaccurate, but will consider the same group size acceptable from an SKS.
 
Lately my SKS has been eating 154 grain softpoint, the same ammunition used to harvest a 8 point buck last season with my AK at about 110 yards.(I walked the distance off so..)

Just because its cheap doesnt mean it sucks, he took off a few feet and hit the ground like a box've rocks.
 
30 rounders? I thought they held 10 rounds. I don't want anything I have to modify, but I do really want a semi-auto. I'd like it to double up for hunting and homeland defense.
Those ones from AIM Surplus look ideal, I'm going to try and find out what shipping would be on one. I've got a friend with a FFL who will do the transfer for free - I've done some reloading for him and he knows I'm broke.
 
So you guys are advocating hunting deer with cheap FMJ ammo because it functions well?
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No they are advocating it because the thread starter stated what his budget was and what he was looking to do with a semi-auto rifle. The SKS fits that bill perfectly.

Get back to me when you've run the same number of rounds using good expanding bullets of 135 or 150 grains.
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What does that mean? Get back to you for what purpose? The SKS will feed whatever ammo you put in it. The millions and millions of them that are out there have been proving this for just shy of 60 years. The jacketed stuff is great for blazing away, the soft point stuff is great for hunting. There is no reason to put that many soft point rounds through the gun when the FMJ is a lot cheaper.


I find it amusing that so many people will crap on Mini-14's for being inaccurate, but will consider the same group size acceptable from an SKS.
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The Mini is $600.00 plus. The SKS can be had for $80.00. Apples and oranges here, and there is only one person in this thread bemoaning the accuracy of the SKS.


Rick-

The factory internal magazine is 10 rounds and functions great. There are some aftermarket mags available that can be put on the SKS. They are notoriously poor performers. Stay away from them!
 
I love the SKS, I have about 13 of them in all the flavors. However, I'd have to agree that the Mosin is usually a better rifle for hunting. I say that only because it fires a much more powerful cartridge (probably about equal to .308), you can put a scout scope on one fairly easily. Good softpoint ammo is difficult to find though. I shoot S&B in mine, and it's very accurate but never hunted with it. Yes, the Mosin has a 5 round fixed magazine.

The Mosin is not any more accurate than the SKS on average unless you are talking about one of the expensive Finnish Mosin-Nagants. Read a comparison here

All that said, we have small deer and heavy forest here in WNC. I've talked to a lot of guys that have took home venison with an SKS using Winchester soft points usually. If you have a good condition SKS and don't screw with it to try and "fix it when it ain't broke", it will not give you a bit of trouble. An orginal condition SKS is one of the most reliable semi-auto rifles you could own.

The Yugo SKS is a bit heavier, longer and bulkier, but an excellent condition one is probably a little more accurate than the Norinco on average. Do not get the bargain price Yugo, get a better grade such as "unissued". Those things were beat in service and shot a lot of corrosive ammo.

I still prefer the Norinco. It's lighter, handier, has a slightly longer sight radius, and has a chrome lined barrel. And no, it's illegal to put a bayonette on a Chinese SKS unless it was verifiably imported before 1991. Stupid law.
 
I'm surprised the Norinco is cheaper than the Yugo...I always thought it was the other way around.

I've got many Yugo SKS's and absolutely love them. We normally shoot at sporting clays sitting on the berm at 100 yards and I can hit them all day long with my SKS.

The mosins are also a lot of fun. I've never shot an M44 but I hear there's quite a blast and a big fireball. I've got 91/30's and M39s that are awesome (and very accurate in the cast of the M39) to shoot.

Keep us posted on what you end up with!
 
Super budget hunting rifle

Get the Mosin-Nagant model 91/30, since your goal is hunting; and specifically to increase your range. An SKS with 154 gr soft points in 7.62x39mm will work, but a 7.62x54R Mosin rifle will increase your range *significantly* over a muzzle loader, and it's less $$ than an SKS! It's a 'full-powered' cartridge, compared to the SKS using a 'mid-powered' cartridge. Put a slip-on rubber recoil pad on your Mosin & go to work. FAR better hunting rig than an SKS (though either will work with good bullets, good shots, and knowing the limitations of the rifle).

If your goal is to get a semi-auto rifle, OTOH, then the SKS cannot be beat for the money.

Guys sounds like a $300 used bolt gun is not in his price range. Nor is a new $270 Stevens, nor even a new $250 Mossberg 100. So a Mosin or a Swiss K31 would be the pig's feces for his needs, IMO.
 
Its hard to go wrong with a Yugo. For hunting, it would probably do you good out to 150 yards, which in my neck of the woods is about 2x the distance of the normal shot at a deer.

For a mosin nagant, I would pick a 91/30. The <$100 mosin carbines are mostly crap- fun to shoot, but not very accurate.
 
well, i did have a problem with a yugo. owned a couple norincos and never had a problem with them. the yugo had an issue with the gas valve. it was obviously badly corroded when i took it apart but i didn't know to check for that when i bought it. the yugos are mil surplus and you may get one that's seen better days like i did. i think the norincos are (or were) newly manufactured just for the civilian market. if you want more opinion, mine is get a norinco.
 
The Mosin is not any more accurate than the SKS on average unless you are talking about one of the expensive Finnish Mosin-Nagants.
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My Yugo cost twice as much as my M39. Is it supposed to be :eek: or :evil: ??? ;)
 
Affordable semiauto rifles

The Saiga line of rifles used to be a good choice (no longer imported so prices have increased).

I would recommend an SKS (especially a Russian one)
 
Get a Yugo, or a few of them - it's always good to have spare rifles for friends that tag along for range trips.

About the unissued/shooter choice - tough call. I have had both (my unissued was stolen, replaced by a "shooter"), and the previous owner carved his name in the side of the shooter SKS. I won't be trading that one for an unissued SKS - ever. A lot of those used SKSs are just beaten up, but some have little things that bring the owner closer to its history.
 
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