sks for HD??

[english kanigit]

After reading that title, most of you EBR types will think I'm crazy.
There has been a recent resurgence of gang activity in my area after about a seven year lull. Right now, its just me and my mother in the house. My dad is out of the country for six weeks. The sks is the only semi-auto rifle that I have, unless you count a franchi 20ga that never cycles. (An M39 Finnish and a K31 aren't exactly HD weapons...)
Are there any suggestions you could make for this set up?
I keep the rifle unloaded in my room w/ a 10 round stripper hangin' off the sling. I believe that I have seen a light mount for the bayonet lug, does anyone have information about this? Some sort of light source is the only big modification that I can really think of.

Ideas are welcome, unless your're going insist that I get something obver lititied

 

[jobu07]

Some will disagree with me, but I think the SKS isn't a great choice for HD. Depending on what model you have, it will be too big, bulky, heavy, and somewhat unwieldy for inside a home. There's nothing wrong with having a rifle for HD, but I just don't think the SKS would by my first choice. Given your options, however, it might be your only choice. Again, it will be adequate for the task at hand, I just would prefer something better.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

If the franchi never cycles, sell it and get a pump 12 ga. This is pretty much the ideal home-defender. You can choose between #4 shot that won't penetrate the walls or buckshot or slugs. You also won't have to deal with it jamming.

The SKS is not a bad rifle for defense in general, but home defense has a special set of requirements. The major problem being that overpenetration is very dangerous unless you live in a house by yourself out in the woods or countryside.

So if you're livin' solo out in the sticks, go for it. If not, sell the one that doesn't work for one that works every time.

If for some reason it is impossible to sell that franchi, you could check to see if Glazer makes a 7.62x39 round, that might help reduce overpenetration problems. As far as light devices, they make a lot of inexpensive kinds that just mount to the barrel with a clamp.

 

[rbernie]

The SKS will be no more or less handy than most any other rifle or most any shotgun. The Yugos are a bit long and heavy, but the Norincos and Tulas are actualy a bit handier than most rifles. What they lack in rapid reload capability they give back in terms of basic 'just works'. M4s they ain't, but a SKS is far better than your worst possible choice.

To answer your light question - there is no light that I know of that will fit on a SKS.

But IMO, HD isn't about tactical lights and clearing rooms - it's about being able to call 911 and then keep the goblins from harming you and your mom while you wait for the cavalry. Given this perspective, I don't think that ubertactical do-dads are what should define a HD rifle's utility. I suspect that your ability to manipulate the rifle in CQB and your putting some thought into what responses would be best to a given handful of scenarios would be far more useful. Fill the SKS stripper with 123gr softpoints, and spend your time/energy figuring out how to use the SKS to your best advantage.

 

[Horsesense]

Get on over to the shotgun form and see if someone can help you get the franchi 20ga working. It could be something very simple (like needing a cleaning or changing shells). A simiauto 20ga is a great choice for a HD weapon. You may want to make a project gun out of it and chop the barrel, mount a light etc.

Forget about mounting a light on the SKS, get small night-lights and place them where they will back light the BG and give you a place (concealment) of darkness to work out of.

Load the SKS and hold the cartridge down, so it will not strip off and chamber when you close the bolt, and all you got to do is work the bolt to be good to go.

Think about bookshelves or other heavy furniture between your beads and the street and again in the room you all spend the most time in. drive buys are a favorite tactic of gangs.

Take out the screws that are in your door hinges and striker plate, one by one, and replace with three-inch long screws.

 

[jefnvk]

Better than nothing, although the shotgun would probably be ideal.

 

[dolanp]

Well the SKS itself is not the problem with this scenario, it's the rifle round. It's likely not gonna stop after hitting the first BG should you ever have to fire at one.

However, faced with no alternative it can be applied to this purpose, just be sure of your aim. Now if you had to face down, say, a moving vehicle full of gangbangers or a multiple-person attack it might not be such a bad choice.

 

[White Horseradish]

Make sure the bayonet is sharp and keep it fixed. A bayonet charge will fill any intruder's boots with liquid fear, especially if you're looking suitably insane when you do it.

 

[s&w 24]

IF the main consern is over penitration of 7.62x39 you may be able to find some of the east german plastic bullet gallery loads that they were importing a while back. If you can't find those then I saw gallery loads for the 7.62X54R in this months shotgun news.
As far as making your rifles better for HD I've seen sevral photo's of AK rifles with a section of rail screwed into the handguard this is something that you could do with your SKS. If you go with the M39 you can get a scout mount for them And I would then put a reddot optic on it.

 

[Lonestar.45]

If you've got to use what you've got, the Chicom SKS isn't that bad. In a perfect world, I'd sell that 20 gauge that doesn't cycle and pick up a good pump 12 guage w/a 18" or 20" barrel. You could find one under $200 I'm sure, and it doesn't get much better than that for HD.

 

[foghornl]

All those grenade launcher doo-dads on the Yugo SKS's do make them longer and heavier the the other SKS variants, but hey "Run whatcha brung."

Another added benny...the extended bayo will enable you to fend off 1 or 2 Bad Boys while ya restuff the magazine. . .

Do drop over to the shotgun forum here on The High Road. Someone will know how to make that 20-Ga sing.

And if not, the Maverick 88 (Mossberg 500) Security model has an MSRP of $199. I have seen them as low as $139 retail. [My HD shotty is a Maverick 88, 15 years old now] Copy-n-paste from Maverick Arms website:

88™ 6-Shot Security model features a 3" chamber, 18½" Cylinder Bore fixed choke and a non-ported barrel. A rugged black synthetic stock and forearm, blued metal finish and a brass front sight bead are also included.

Suggested Retail #31023 ... $199 USD

Or the 8-shot 20" barrel model again copy-n-paste from Maverick Arms:

88â„¢ 8-Shot Security model features a 3" chamber, 20" Cylinder Bore fixed choke and a non-ported barrel. A rugged black synthetic stock and forearm, blued metal finish and a brass front sight bead are also included.

Suggested Retail #31046 ... $206 USD

Maverick Arms is owned and operated by O.F. Mossberg. website is:

www.MaverickArms.com

 

[english kanigit]

Hey, hey! I'm back from work and I'm awake.
Please forgive my incoherent first post, I had been up for 30+ hrs and I'm not exactly too bright at that point.
If the franchi was mine, I would sell it in a heartbeat. I am a sort of semi-permanent gun guardian for that franchi. That 12ga pump is sounding mighty nice and I have seen them for cheap in my area...

As much as I like the bayonet idea, I bet I would have a really hard time explaining that to the judge.
EK: "But your honor, I thought if just poked a couple of holes in him, all those bad thoughts, malice and violence would just leak right out..."
Judge: "Son, you have problems..."


Even so, that bayo might be preferable. I live in a fairly close urban area and my walls ain't gonna stop a 7.62 commie. In fact, now that I think about it, my little ruger 22/45 might even be a better choice.

Horseradish, would a naked, pillowheaded, severely pissed white guy meet your definition of "suitably insane"?

Hey, idea flash! (maybe that's why I have a headache...) I could find some .68 ballbearings and load 'em in my paintball gun! Sorta less than lethal, and if I really need to stop them quick, I'll aim for the crotch!

 

[Bear Gulch]

Depends on how close the neighbors are. I prefer a 12 gauge, but ya use what ya got.

 

[1911user]

Besides the penetration issues, you'd better put a good set of earplugs or something close to the rifle. Firing a centerfire rifle indoors is just asking for serious, permanent hearing damage. If you anticipate having to go outside for a problem, then maybe a rifle makes sense. If this is just an indoor exercise, I'd try really hard to get that shotgun fixed. Would it reliably fire a shell loaded directly into the chamber? If so, maybe use it as a single-shot with something else to back it up. When I was young and mostly broke, I kept an old single-shot 12 guage and 22 pistol for apartment defense.

 

[Burt Blade]

The SKS has a rather lengthy record for working reliably in a fight, and for putting people down for the count.

Reliability and effectiveness should be the major concerns. The SKS is both, and you might find that yours will reliably feed ammunition other than Soviet-spec full metal Jacket. But even cheap as-issue FMJ has taken the fight out of plenty of adrenalin-pumped angry men.

One can argue all night about "ideal". What you need is "good enough" that you can obtain. An SKS will do.

 

[Red Tornado]

What everyone else said, the SKS will work but a 12ga would be better. However, you need to get the 1911 back up. That will solve your dilemma.
RT