A local gun store is selling russian sks's for $250, these are the ones with hinge plates. Can they be converted to a clip easily? I just mainly want it because they are cheap to shoot and good for close range varmit hunting. What does everybody think of these things. Thanks!
Sks....is it worth it
- Thread starter saskboy
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railroader
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If they are truly russian sks and they are decent $250 is a very good price. What the heck are hinge plates?
BHP FAN
Member
I think he means the attached magazine dust cover.
MartinBrody
Member
For $250 they are probably Yugos, even Chinese ones are going for around $300 now. A russian made SKS is worth about $350-$425.
By converting to a removable magazine you are sacrificing reliability, it looks easy enough, but not worth it, especially if you are talking about a real russian rifle.
Not many people will tell you SKSs suck, they are good rifles.
By converting to a removable magazine you are sacrificing reliability, it looks easy enough, but not worth it, especially if you are talking about a real russian rifle.
Not many people will tell you SKSs suck, they are good rifles.
innerpiece
Member
yepp, MartinBrody is dead on.
SKS's are solid rifles. but dont try and make them what they are not made to be by extending capacity..
Ive got a Yugo and a Norinco,,, both are good. ya cant go wrong.
7.62 x 39 is capable of more than "varmints" at close range, so you know.
get it, enjoy it!
ip.
SKS's are solid rifles. but dont try and make them what they are not made to be by extending capacity..
Ive got a Yugo and a Norinco,,, both are good. ya cant go wrong.
7.62 x 39 is capable of more than "varmints" at close range, so you know.
get it, enjoy it!
ip.
Big Daddy Grim
Member
Gotta go with those who came before me SKS good gun mines russian payed 320 for it about 3 years back.
THe Dove
BOOMER SOONER!!!
Buy all of em'
The Dove
The Dove
Smokey Joe
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Snap it up!!!
Saskboy--My title says it all--that is a (tony the tiger voice) Grrrr-EAT! Price!(/tony the tiger voice) if it is really a RUSSIAN SKS.
In this day & age, in the US @ least, that is abt. the going price for a Yugo. So even if you find that the SKS in question is really a Yugo, or a Chinese, at that price, you might still consider it. Gone are the days when at every gun show there was a dealer with a cardboard drum stuffed with SKS's, you choice, $85.
If the SKS in question turns out to be Romanian, well, they were built darn near as well as the Russians. If it turns out Albanian, those are the rarest of all. So in either of these 2 cases, again, snap it up.
If it has a red "plastic" stock, rather than wood, those were made for jungle duty, as the wood stocks tended to rot. IIRC, where it was made is more important than the red-or-wood-stock question.
(Come to think of it, these are USD prices. Don't know the current exchage rate with the CanD.)
While they will never (IMHO) put your kid through college, SKS prices are going nowhere but up, for the forseeable future.
For more info on the SKS, try www.surplusrifle.com Very good info. There is also an SKS forum, but I don't have the URL.
Saskboy--My title says it all--that is a (tony the tiger voice) Grrrr-EAT! Price!(/tony the tiger voice) if it is really a RUSSIAN SKS.
In this day & age, in the US @ least, that is abt. the going price for a Yugo. So even if you find that the SKS in question is really a Yugo, or a Chinese, at that price, you might still consider it. Gone are the days when at every gun show there was a dealer with a cardboard drum stuffed with SKS's, you choice, $85.
If the SKS in question turns out to be Romanian, well, they were built darn near as well as the Russians. If it turns out Albanian, those are the rarest of all. So in either of these 2 cases, again, snap it up.
If it has a red "plastic" stock, rather than wood, those were made for jungle duty, as the wood stocks tended to rot. IIRC, where it was made is more important than the red-or-wood-stock question.
(Come to think of it, these are USD prices. Don't know the current exchage rate with the CanD.)
While they will never (IMHO) put your kid through college, SKS prices are going nowhere but up, for the forseeable future.
For more info on the SKS, try www.surplusrifle.com Very good info. There is also an SKS forum, but I don't have the URL.
I've had my Chinese SKS for nearly fifteen years (20 yrs.? $100 new) and have put quite a few rounds through it, have taken a couple of deer with it, has never failed and is probably more accurate than I am. Solid too.
I refinished the stock when I got it and adjusted the front sight with a simple homemade tool and has stayed dead on. I always thought the pointed bayonet was always cool looking so I kept it on.
I think its still a cool rifle.
.........
Phil
I refinished the stock when I got it and adjusted the front sight with a simple homemade tool and has stayed dead on. I always thought the pointed bayonet was always cool looking so I kept it on.
I think its still a cool rifle.
.........
Phil
Smokey Joe
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How to tell origin...
Saskboy--IIRC, the Russians are noted on the action in the Cyrillic alphabet. The Chinese ones of course have Chinese characters. My Yugo doesn't admit to anything except her serial number in half-a-dozen places. But the Surplusrifle site should be able to help with that. They have almost everything you would care to know about almost every milsurp available.
Saskboy--IIRC, the Russians are noted on the action in the Cyrillic alphabet. The Chinese ones of course have Chinese characters. My Yugo doesn't admit to anything except her serial number in half-a-dozen places. But the Surplusrifle site should be able to help with that. They have almost everything you would care to know about almost every milsurp available.
Ignition Override
Member
As for the x39 round from an AK, a Marine with full gear who was on patrol in Viet Nam (west of Danang) was hit in the hand and spun around, somehow. The injury was moderate, but he was quite impressed by the bullet's power.
From "Rumour of War", by Philip Caputo.
From "Rumour of War", by Philip Caputo.
Cmdr. Gravez0r
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see sig, do some research on those fine SKS rifles.
MartinBrody
Member
Hey King...
Buy a bunch and drive to southeast PA, Yugos consistently go for $260-275 at gun shows here. I don't even see them listed on AIM anymore, and classic arms has em' for $230 before you pay for shipping.
I didn't say it won't or that it was impossible.
I didn't say that either.
Buy a bunch and drive to southeast PA, Yugos consistently go for $260-275 at gun shows here. I don't even see them listed on AIM anymore, and classic arms has em' for $230 before you pay for shipping.
I didn't say it won't or that it was impossible.
I didn't say that either.
gandog56
Member
Did he say converted to CLIPS?
esmith
Member
Actually, you're wrong on both counts. First of all, SKSs go for over $200 in a lot of places. If i had to venture to guess im going to say 99% of America. Secondly, converting to high capacity magazines is extremely hard. Many people have struggled doing so by filing and trying to make the things fit and will tell you it isn't worth it. The only high cap mags that i have heard work are the tapco ones that are plastic.
mljdeckard
Member
Look in the pawn shops for a used one, $100-$150. It's not like you were getting a 'new' one anyway. If you think 'new ones' are going for less then $200, I'm guessing you haven't bought one lately. But if you can find a good deal on one, there's almost no reason not to own one.
Generally, I wouldn't mess with the magazine at all. MAYBE you can make it work, more likely you will ALMOST make it work, and wind up with a paperweight in the back of the safe. Some people have said the Tapco setup works well enough, maybe if I had two I would try it.
The main thing I'm about to switch out will be to put Techsights on the rear takedown lever to replace the rear sight. It lengthens the sight radius, and gives an AR-style sight picture.
Generally, I wouldn't mess with the magazine at all. MAYBE you can make it work, more likely you will ALMOST make it work, and wind up with a paperweight in the back of the safe. Some people have said the Tapco setup works well enough, maybe if I had two I would try it.
The main thing I'm about to switch out will be to put Techsights on the rear takedown lever to replace the rear sight. It lengthens the sight radius, and gives an AR-style sight picture.
General Disarray
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Of course you *can* replace the dedicated magazine with those awkward hi-caps, but why would you want to? They're so completely ridiculous and there's no convenient way to carry several of them. The SKS system was intended to arm the soldier with bandoleers of stripper clips which are fast and easy. It's absolutely ingenious to equip the rifle with one mag and have loaded strip clips to slam down into it. Even with lots of practice you can't possibly quick change those goofy hi-cap mags and keep up with someone easily banging those clips down to reload; even at 3 to 1. I'm sure folks will try to tell us otherwise, but I don't care what anyone says; those hi-cap mags are completely clunky, inefficient, and too awkward to carry more than a couple whereas you can walk around with 500 rounds in a bandoleer no problem.
I switched out my wooden furniture and put a Tapco T6 collapsible stock with a SAW pistol grip on and it's pretty tacticool now. I'm going to jerry rig a fore-end grip onto it too.
I switched out my wooden furniture and put a Tapco T6 collapsible stock with a SAW pistol grip on and it's pretty tacticool now. I'm going to jerry rig a fore-end grip onto it too.
mljdeckard
Member
I wouldn't burn you for it at all. I think if you took one of each and ran them side by side until they both were glowing, failure rates would probably be a dead tie.
I have a Yugo 59/66 SKS...yeah, the one with the grenade launcher, grenade sights, heavy blade bayonet, etc.
I have tried a few different brands of the after-market mags, and none of them work properly in MY SKS.
Your Mileage Will Vary.
I have gotten pretty decent at using the 10-round stripper clips, though. I can reload the SKS almost as fast as I can reload my US Rifle Cal .30 M1 with the 8-round en-bloc clips.
I have tried a few different brands of the after-market mags, and none of them work properly in MY SKS.
Your Mileage Will Vary.
I have gotten pretty decent at using the 10-round stripper clips, though. I can reload the SKS almost as fast as I can reload my US Rifle Cal .30 M1 with the 8-round en-bloc clips.
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