Question about SKS (Norinko, Yugo, Albanian, Russian)
- Thread starter silent knight
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silent knight
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Can someone tell me what the difference between milled and stamped? Sorry, not familiar with the lingo.
Can someone tell me what the difference between milled and stamped? Sorry, not familiar with the lingo.
Just take your time buying them. Check with other collectors and pawn shops. A lot of people start with an SKS and then move on to bigger and better. I got my Norinco for $75 like a year ago. My roomate got his Norinco for $150 6 months ago. Mine was like new condition and his had only small signs of use.
Get one.
Some norincos had a screw in barrel vs the pressed and pinned in barrel.The milled/stamped version has a different look to it, it looks thinner in the trigger guard and there are no milling marks("c" shaped cuts) on the bolt side and the trigger guard.Some parts on them are milled but no attention was made to detail and some parts stamped that they could use to save time and costs .Thats all I can say about the difference between them.As far as every other part on the gun, they interchange among the same manufacturer-use milled pieces in stamped/milled guns.Russian built guns tend to be tighter in the tolerances than the china version.They are all milled and do not utilize a press fit and pinned barrel in any of their years of manufacture.
I have had a example of 1 each sks made from 4 different countries and 2 from norinco, a pinned barrel and a screw'd in barrel.They all worked but the russian version is much more refined,so it is the only one Ive kept.
If you can get your hands on an vg cond.albanian sks, go for it,they are nice collectors too.
Some norincos had a screw in barrel vs the pressed and pinned in barrel.The milled/stamped version has a different look to it, it looks thinner in the trigger guard and there are no milling marks("c" shaped cuts) on the bolt side and the trigger guard.Some parts on them are milled but no attention was made to detail and some parts stamped that they could use to save time and costs .Thats all I can say about the difference between them.As far as every other part on the gun, they interchange among the same manufacturer-use milled pieces in stamped/milled guns.Russian built guns tend to be tighter in the tolerances than the china version.They are all milled and do not utilize a press fit and pinned barrel in any of their years of manufacture.
I have had a example of 1 each sks made from 4 different countries and 2 from norinco, a pinned barrel and a screw'd in barrel.They all worked but the russian version is much more refined,so it is the only one Ive kept.
If you can get your hands on an vg cond.albanian sks, go for it,they are nice collectors too.
DougB
Member
If I were looking for my first SKS in CA, my personal preference (in order) would be: Norinco 16" paratrooper, Russian, Romanian, standard Chinese (Norinco), Albanian, Yugoslavian. But, actual gun condition and price could easily change this order. I put the Yugo last because it lacks the Chrome-lined barrel, and I'm not too fond of the extra length (due to the grenade launcher/muzzle brake) and the grenade launcher sight. But an excellent condition Yugo is likely to be easier to find (since they were imported much more recently), and the ones I own (several) seem well made.
I don't doubt that people still occassionally find nice SKSs for $75-$150 or so, but this would be a very lucky find in CA (where our options in semi-auto rifles are much more limited than the rest of the country). It really depends on finding a seller who doesn't know the current market value of his/her rifle, or who is very impatient to sell it. Kind of like finding an original M1 carbine for $300 (I'm sure it happens once in awhile, but you could miss out on a lot of shooting while waiting and searching for such a deal). I'm a bargain hunter and always looking for good deals on guns, but unless you are willing to wait months or years for such a deal to come up, I wouldn't hold out for it. Think of it this way: If you buy a nice SKS for $250-$300 and take care of it, then if you come across one of the great deals others have mentioned, just buy it and you will almost certainly be able to sell either it or your original purchase for a profit (I think prices will continue to creep up - unless another bunch of SKSs are imported - and I've seen no indication that this is likely). Of course, if you are like me, it will just become another rifle added to your collection (can you have too many SKSs?).
I don't live near any Turners, but my guess is that if they were selling CA Yugos for $180-$200, they were probably "good" or maybe "very good" condition rather than "excellent" or "unissued." This isn't necessarily bad, but with a non-chromed Yugo, you have a good chance of barrel corrosion. And if they are currently out, I doubt they'll be getting many, if any more in (since I think the import/wholesale channel is pretty well depleated).
Doug
I don't doubt that people still occassionally find nice SKSs for $75-$150 or so, but this would be a very lucky find in CA (where our options in semi-auto rifles are much more limited than the rest of the country). It really depends on finding a seller who doesn't know the current market value of his/her rifle, or who is very impatient to sell it. Kind of like finding an original M1 carbine for $300 (I'm sure it happens once in awhile, but you could miss out on a lot of shooting while waiting and searching for such a deal). I'm a bargain hunter and always looking for good deals on guns, but unless you are willing to wait months or years for such a deal to come up, I wouldn't hold out for it. Think of it this way: If you buy a nice SKS for $250-$300 and take care of it, then if you come across one of the great deals others have mentioned, just buy it and you will almost certainly be able to sell either it or your original purchase for a profit (I think prices will continue to creep up - unless another bunch of SKSs are imported - and I've seen no indication that this is likely). Of course, if you are like me, it will just become another rifle added to your collection (can you have too many SKSs?).
I don't live near any Turners, but my guess is that if they were selling CA Yugos for $180-$200, they were probably "good" or maybe "very good" condition rather than "excellent" or "unissued." This isn't necessarily bad, but with a non-chromed Yugo, you have a good chance of barrel corrosion. And if they are currently out, I doubt they'll be getting many, if any more in (since I think the import/wholesale channel is pretty well depleated).
Doug
ZeSpectre
Member
Well as I stated earlier, I'm not seeing price creep... more like price LEAP. Not saying this to start a run on the remaining SKS supply but it does appear that the "cheap as dirt and twice as common" days of the SKS are rapidly coming to a close.
railroader
Member
I'm in california too. I got my last norinco off of gunbroker about a year ago. My ffl charges $50 to transfer, so with shipping it came out to about $210 for a nice rifle. Mark
joonia
Member
I'm in kentucky. SKS's, mostly Yugo, and Chinese, go for 150.00 to 300.00 depending on the condition. My Chinese was bought in about '94 I think my Father paid 300.00 for both of ours. The Gun show is going on this weekend at the Louisville Fairgrounds. For that kind of money you might as well call your budy here in Louisville (whoever that is) And have him ship it to you in pieces. Not trying to be a smart a$$ but I can't believe how muck money guns go for in kaliforna.... I guess it pays to be a stereotypical Kentucky redneck.
hueytaxi
Member
SKS prices are also increasing in Fla. Asking prices of Yugos are always above $175 and anything Russian will get $300+. Also the volume is certainly going down. Mosins were more prevalent at the last show. I should have bought the 53 I saw there instead of the M-44.
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