SKS or AK47

[chemist308]

The thing I forgot to mention is that the AK was designed to be a full auto rifle, which the ones you get here are not. The SKS was designed to be exactly what it is. The other interesting thing about the AK is what the barrel does when fired. Watch this video to see what I mean:

AK Barrel - slow motion

 

[Cee Zee]

I've owned both. I kept the SKS. It's more accurate and more reliable. Yes you can swap mags fast on an AK. I can actually do that with my SKS but most have trouble with detachable mags. But my SKS been super reliable and that's job one for a battle carbine IMO.

BUT...

Given the current prices of the SKS and the price of an M&P AR-15 the obvious choice is the AR. They are way more accurate at anything more than 200 yards. And there's tons of ammo being made in non-commie bloc countries for the AR. Putin is a lunatic. Who knows what kind of availability there will be for 7.62 x 39 ammo in the future. I have a lot more faith there will be .222/5.56 ammo available. I have enough 7.62 x 39 to last me through WWIII as long as my boat where it's stored doesn't sink.

I will keep my SKS until I die most likely. There's just no good reason to sell it. It's very effective as a battle carbine. No it doesn't have tumbling bullets or reliable hollow points but it will leave a big freaking hole in whatever you shoot it through that was alive before you shot it. I know that for a fact. Not that I ever want to need it but it's better than needing it but being found wanting.

I'd advise your friend to get an AR. It's the way of the future. Heck it's the way of the modern world. Make sure it's a reliable example though. Not all AR's are reliable.

 

[IdahoSkies]

I have an sks and I like it, and as between an SKS and an AK I would get the SKS. In a semi-auto platform, the only real difference is the 10 round mag, and for most practical purposes, 10 will do you. I like the fact that the SKS has a magazine you can't loose, and stripper clips are real easy to load.

That said, with current prices, I would look at an AR too. If he wants the punch of a .30 bullet, get one in blackout. .300 blackout and 7.62x39 have scarily similar ballistics.

 

[jhb]

Everyone should own a SKS.

Everyone should own an AK.

This.

Everyone needs both....and I'll throw in a vz58 is needed as well.

 

[Pilot]

I have two Russian Tula Arsenal SKS's that I bought in the early 90's when they were dirt cheap. They shoot great, and remain stock except for a one inch rubber butt plate to increase LOP. I much prefer the Russian SKS to AK platforms, and I can reload quickly with stripper clips.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Someone skilled on an SKS can reload them rapidly with stripper clips. I like to think I am one of those people LOL, but really I can reload one very quickly and would feel confident with it in many situations.

Another thing I like about the SKS as far as a history standpoint is that you are getting the exact same rifle that was issued to the soldier, exactly how the rifle was originally designed and manufactured. The imported AKs out there are generally NOT this way, with various changes being made to them to make them legal for importation. With the SKS, it's the exact gun that served in combat or could have served in combat.

They just also seem more comfortable me from a shooting standpoint. My Yugo M59/66A1 is a joy to shoot from the elbows either prone or sitting, the extra weight from the grenade launcher stuff helps keep the muzzle extra steady for me.

All the AKs I've shot (a grand total of two- one AK-47 and one AK-74) were never as comfortable or enjoyable from a sheerly target shooting point of view. They are fun for blasting, but the SKS can be more accurate and precise.

Needless to say, I love the SKS rifle and it is my favorite milsurp rifle out there. In all actuality, I don't really consider the AKs in this country to be true "milsurp" guns do to the changes they've had to undergo before getting here.

 

[Inebriated]

Uhh, not sure why you'd consider it a milsurp when so many are made new.

Like considering an AR15 a milsurp... it doesn't make sense.

 

[CWL]

His money, his choice. Help him find & buy an SKS.

You like AKs. Buy one and you two can go shooting together & compare.

 

[m6tlogistics]

SKS -there is nothing you cannot get for them in term of accessories-they are ''politically neutral''-and they beat the heck out of ANYTHING that CIA has ''re-manufactured''-their QC is-and was ( when they were doing conversions in Montreal)-poor to mediocre if charged with anything more than a stock swap IMHO...

can't speak for other companies QC...

I have both-but far prefer the fit/feel of the SKS- with the addition of a 1'' pad for us long armed folk...

 

[PistolPete45]

SKS Sporter would give you the best of both Harder to find but IMHO worth looking in to .

 

[bannockburn]

Get both, let your friend do his own comparisons, he keeps the one he likes, and sells the one he doesn't want. As to my own preference I would go with an AK over an SKS any time.

 

[USAF_Vet]

If he wants the SKS, there really is no debate.
However, my personal opinion and preference leans more toward the AK. I owned an SKS, have handle and fired several more, but still prefer the AK.

 

[stubbicatt]

One more thing I feel worthy of consideration. The SKS is semi auto only, and designed that way. There is a safety feature of the SKS that the US legal AK lacks, and that is the safety sear. With the SKS, the bolt has to be all the way in battery for it to fire. It works on a different mechanism than the military Avtomat, which due to ATF regulations, is considered an "auto sear."

Having experienced what I believe to be an OBD on a PSL, I will not own another of the Kalashnikov design which does not have the safety sear to keep the hammer from falling unless the bolt is fully closed and in battery.

Both the SKS and the SVT40 feature a device which blocks the hammer from falling unless the rifle is in battery.

FWIW.

 

[stchman]

I own both, but I definitely prefer the look and feel of an SKS. Not to mention the SKS is a more accurate rifle. The AK is definitely far more accessorizable, but I don't care.

I really like the Yugo SKS, with its integrated bayonet and grenade launcher, what could look cooler?