SKS purchase Ques.

[JimJD]

So...I've got a little bit of Christmas money that's burning a hole in My pocket.
I think to Myself, "Hmmm... AIM surplus has those SKS's for only $109.99."
Plus I have read that many of you have gotten yours from AIM.
As I've never done a purchase of this nature, I have some questions.
So here goes...

For those of you who have purchased an SKS from AIM, about how long did it take for the rifle to reach your FFl holder? Would they provide Me with a tracking number once I have everything cleared with My FFL dealer/holder and ordered?
If I call AIM, will they be willing to tell me if a local FFL holder has done business with them in the past? Will that help speed up the process as the holder would be on file already?
I have two in mind that are listed with Gunbroker.com in My town.
According to Gunbroker.com, they'll recieve and do transfers for twenty dollars including the background check. This is in central Florida by the way.

As for the Rifle itself, I've read some good things from members here.
Does AIM still provide the cleaning kit? Is there an operators manual?
Do I have to buy any tools to do adjustments in any way, such as the sights, etc.?
Is there anything else I should know about the SKS and this whole process of purchasing a rifle in this manner?
Oh, by the way... I've read a lot of the SKS threads here. They have provided Me with a wealth of info such as the removal of all that cosmoline with brake cleaner, etc. Trying it out with just one or two rounds at a time to see if it functions fine and all of that good stuff. You know, that old chestnut.
All info would be greatly apprecieated though, thanks!

Edit: I almost forgot about "Inter Ordnance.com" What say you fellow forum members?

 

[BowStreetRunner]

woah thats a lot of questions....
ill try to help out
i havenot ordered from AIM before except for a stock for my SKS
they shipped fairly promtly
they will know if they have the local dealer's FFLs on file if you call them
if they dont have the FFL on file, they can ask your dealer, or you can ask the dealer to fax them a copy of the dealer's FFL
20 bucks aint too bad for a transfer fee either
go for it and have fun!
BSR

 

[BowStreetRunner]

actually fax might not work because the FFL copy might have to be hand signed
but im not sure
someone smarter than me prob'ly knows
BSR

 

[SteelyDan]

Jim, I ordered a Yugo from AIM about 15 days ago, and will try to answer a few of your questions.

Order was placed on Monday, my FFL had the gun on Friday. I never got a tracking number; my FFL may or may not have, I don't have a clue. As for finding a local FFL, just call AIM and ask if they're on file (I don't know if they'll tell you, but I don't see why not), then call your FFL and ask if they'll handle the sale. "Yes" to cleaning kit (and sling and ammo pouches). "No" to operator's manual, but they're available online. AIM generally gets very good reviews and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

Quit worrying about the details and just get one, they're really nice.

 

[glocksman]

First off, AIM has to have a copy of either your C&R FFL or your dealer's type 01 FFL signed in ink. A fax isn't legal to accept. Also, most suppliers want the FFL copy signed in either blue or red ink so they can be positive that the signature is original and not a photocopy.

When I ordered my Yugo over the telephone, it shipped the next business day and I received an automated email with the tracking number.

UPS was at my door the day after it shipped, but I'm next door to Ohio.

My SKS had the cleaning kit, ammo pouch, and sling in a plastic bag. There was a second cleaning kit in the buttstock compartment as well.

I'm quite pleased with AIM.
Interordnance on the other hand......

 

[pistolwhipped]

I would get the excellent grade for a few dollars more.

EDIT : I see that Aim has the Excellent Grade for 109.00. as a Holiday special. Go for it. I paid the higher price.

 

[JimJD]

Yup, that's the grade I am looking at Pistolwhipped.
I noticed the holiday sale prices and went "Woo-Hoo!"

I'm wondering, even with a thorough cleaning of the bolt and firing pin, has anybody still gotten a slamfire?
Oh, another thing, can anyone point Me in the direction of an online operators manual?

 

[pistolwhipped]

Hmmm....
You might try www.surplusrifle.com .
They have a lot of info .

 

[SteelyDan]

Hmmm, the site from which I downloaded a manual is down. In case it comes back, the link is at:

http://home.cdsnet.net/~lannyaf/manual.htm

Another site with pretty detailed disassembly/reassembly instructions is:

http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/disassemble/index.asp

Oops, just noticed pistolwhipped already covered the second site.

 

[Blain]

How is the quality of the $90 SKS compared to the $110 SKS?

 

[railroader]

http://www.coledistributing.com/ Here's another place that has yugo's. You have to put sks on their search engine. They have like new for $129 and exellent for $109. I got a 91/30 nagant from them that was really nice. It had a very good stock, great bluing and bore. Mark

 

[Route 66]

Another vendor to consider is Wholesale Guns and Ammo. They currently have excellent Yugo SKS's for $119 shipped. I ordered an unissued Yugo SKS a couple of months ago for $149 shipped and it was as good as advertised. It was so pristine I'm hesitant to take it to the range!

However, when you talk with them they are not exactly "customer friendly" meaning they can be a bit curt and abrupt on the phone if you ask questions. But the quality matches what they advertise and the prices are very competitive when you consider free shipping.

I ordered an Albanian SKS from AIM and as I recall it shipped promptly. It did not have a sling or cleaning kit but they did throw in an ammo chest harness (what am I gonna do with that?). It was all matching numbers, bore was very good and the bluing was about 92%. Paid $159 plus shipping. I was very pleased with the rifle and I really enjoy shooting the 7.62x 39 round. Not a lot of recoil and ammo is dirt cheap.

Go for it!

 

[TooTaxed]

I bought my SKS for informal range shooting, punching holes in paper...bought one with a long scope already mounted, with a B-Square mount and an aftermarket 20 or 30 round detachable magazine installed...$225.

My recommendation, don't do either! The SKS ejects upwards, so I am beating Hell out of the scope! Do get a short scope mounted rear of the action that does not project over the open action. I have seen an SKS with a hull deflector mounted under a long scope, but didn't take note of the manufacturer at the time.

The large cap magazine is simply in the way while prone or bench shooting. The original magazine is far more practical. (I normally only load five rounds anyway...I like to always know what remains in the gun.)

Aside from that, it's a fun gun, easy to operate, recoil about like a .30-.30, very reliable, cheap ammo. For my purposes, it's far superior to an AK-47, which has a shorter barrel and sight radius, and the large-cap magazine. The AK is terrific for its specialized assault rifle purpose (I carried and used them for a couple of years in Vietnam)...and that's all!

Am in line for one of the $694 Romanian SSG-97 Dragonov Sniper rifles from Interordnance...they're currently sold out, but expecting more. I fired one recently at Ft Benning, and they are a kick! The Russian range-finding sniper scope is very interesting. The ammo will be about ten cents/round in bulk...will lay in a stock at the next Atlanta gun show!

 

[gunmonkey]

I would recommend maybe looking into getting a C&R license. Most of your transfers tend to run around $25 and the C&R is only $30 and then the old rifles and pistols can be sent directly to you.
Might I also suggest if buying from AIM, definately get the Yugo.
I bought both a Yugo and a Albanian from them right before Christmas and the Yugo was much nicer.