Sks or Ar

[alexboybkk]

....i have an SKS and i bought it because it is cheap and it will do the job in a SHTF situation. Lets face it, if the world would crumble around us, a man, alone or in a small group would not engage armed troups face to face but woud use guerrilla style attacks (shoot and retreat). For that, the sks would do. but, i do believe that for a modern soldier, the AR is better!

 

[benEzra]

i would like to say sks, unless your one of those people who use a bench and a sand bag for everything while you wouldnt be able to hit a berm with out your bench and sand bags, if so then go with ar 15

The SKS is a fine rifle, but I shoot USPSA-style practical matches and I use a Rock River AR. One of the nice things about the AR platform is that it can be good at both 600 yard paper punching and 3-to-25 yard dynamic shooting, sometimes even without changing the optic.

 

[goon]

I've owned a couple SKS's and shot a few more. One of mine ran great but was picky with some SP ammo. One was a PITA that started malfunctioning every hundred rounds or so when the magazine lips started to get sprung out. I'd bend them back in and it would work again.

For a cheap shooter or something just to give you "a rifle" if you needed it, I'd have no reservations about owning another good SKS.
For a real "rifle" that you could presumably take to war, I'd take an AR over most other options.

....i have an SKS and i bought it because it is cheap and it will do the job in a SHTF situation. Lets face it, if the world would crumble around us, a man, alone or in a small group would not engage armed troups face to face but woud use guerrilla style attacks (shoot and retreat). For that, the sks would do. but, i do believe that for a modern soldier, the AR is better!

So you'd argue that a less accurate rifle firing a round that's best suited to shooting inside 300 yards and that's domestically produced in more limited quantities is better suited to guerilla warfare?
Not that it matters, because there's a whole lot more to the success of guerillas than the rifles they use, but I disagree with that.

 

[vellocet]

This will be quick.Money/Ammo. If you want an sks nowdays all you can get for less than three bills is one of those yugo/grenade launcher things. You can still get a Romey ak for four bills or so. Without going into details I've been shooting several types of sks rifles for over thirty years. What great guns. But with ammo prices as they are for ak/sks, not too bad, and the price for an sks within 100 bucks of an ak, geez,get the ak. The difference used to be more than 200 bucks. I still have not bought one of those modified yugos,and I have the CR license and all. Was this short?

 

[vellocet]

Buy an ak AND an sks.

 

[firemanstrickland]

I own both and enjoy my AR alot more, and if i had to pick between the two i would pick my AR. My Yugo is more of a back up

 

[Ignition Override]

The SKS is reportedly a much more accurate, or consistent hitter when fitted with a $75 or $100 Tech Sight aperture.
The SKS has the 'Bolt Hold Open' feature, and the BHO can be installed into certain AK 'clones'.

As for AR calibers, if money were not an issue for most people, aren't uppers available in about fifteen calibers, ranging from 5.45 or 5.56 (.223) up to Grendel or Beowulf and the .50 which was mentioned?

 

[BushyGuy]

AR hands down, SKS is so FUGLY! AR is way more accurate and an EBR!

 

[TempestP226]

Both...

 

[Davek1977]

would like to say sks, unless your one of those people who use a bench and a sand bag for everything while you wouldnt be able to hit a berm with out your bench and sand bags, if so then go with ar 15

Thats just nonsense. While both rifles have their advantages and downfalls, the idea the AR is only worthy when shot from a bench is just nonsense. Like i said...I own both, shoot both, and enjoy both. That being said, the AR is superior in just about every conceivable way....including, but certainly NOT LIMITED TO, bench work. Will my AR outperform my SKS off the bench....darn straight it will. It will ALSO outperform it (from an accuracy standpoint) offhand, sitting, kneeling, prone, or just about any other position i could contort myself into and still fire a rifle....and will be more ergonomic, softer shooting, have a better trigger, more options for alternative sights, and generally just more user friendly than the SKS. The SKS is a fine rifle, but it is what it is, and theres a reason my the AR family is issued to militaries worldwide while the SKS has largely been retired form military service. AS a battle rifle in today's world, theres not a lot the SKS can do that an AR can't do better

 

[Davek1977]

And we go to the age old argument of whats better...being able to carry more rounds of accurate ammo, or carrying fewer rounds of more powerful....but oftentimes less accurate...ammo. This has been debated, redebated, and debated again, with no conclusive answers as to what makes more sense in a modern battle rifle. I have an SKS (and an AK, for that matter) and I like the 7.62x39 round. However, with its rainbow trajectory and whatnot, it may have short range punch, but lacks long range accuracy. As far as short-range "punch" goes, the SKS may have an edge. However, while the SKS may go through the barrier in question, the AR is more likely to be shot accurately. The SKS may go through the wall, but the AR could pull off a headshot when the guy peeks around it...again, precision over sheer force. Why use a machete when a scalpel can do the same job much more cleanly and precisely? Besides, now we are talking cartridge consierations, not platform. In nearly every way, the AR is more suitable for today's battle environments than the SKS. The debate of 5.56vs.7.62x39 vs 5.45x39 will never go away or get old to some people, but in terms of the rifles themselves, the AR is the clear winner IMO....comparing the AR to an Ak would be a more fair comparison, but even in that pairing, the believe todays AR's are superior in most respects

 

[Sam1911]

It looks like our OP hasn't been back on since he posted his RFI.

As there's little need for those of us regulars to rehash any of these debates, let's pause until the OP returns and explains his purposes and needs. (No need for us to chase our tails around a "drive-by" post.)

Acewolf, if you read through this and still have questions you'd like us to answer, please send me a Private Message and I'll reopen this to help you nail down your specifics.