Chinese and other SKS's
The Chinese SKS is the least desirable collector, IMHO. Go ahead and shoot it; you won't affect its collector value. You MIGHT find that it is a good shooter, and the recoil is light and ammo cheap.
Re: Chrome bores: Almost all the SKS's have 'em. Helps the bore wear. The gun was designed to be maintained by an illiterate peasant with a bent piece of wire, and still be reliable under the worst conditions. Therefore it makes a good SHTF gun, I guess.
Modifying the SKS: Since it is a milsurp and since "everybody's got one" nowadays, nobody thinks about the future. IMHO, you should save every little screw and spring when you add retro parts. Some you need for mounting the retro parts, and all you will need for restoring the gun to its original configuration. At some future time the unmodified ones will be collectors' rarities, and then you will be glad you saved all the pieces.
In the '60's, nobody thought much of letting the kids go plinking with an M1 carbine, as "everybody had one," and they were great for a youngster's first deer rifle, but that was before their collector value went through the roof, and now you could sell some M1 carbines, buy a brand-new better hunting rifle, and have change left over for a 'scope. The value depends on minutiae that collectors swoon over and frankly, I could care less about. Oval oil hole as opposed to round oil holeÑJ**** C*****!! Same will be true some day about the SKS. In time, collectors grab up everything. If you don't believe me, try to find grandpa's dirty old fishing lures. They won't be there. Grandma sold 'em to an antique dealer.
