sks: to buy or not to buy?

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acmax95

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i guy i work with has an sks he will sell me for $150. he thinks it is russian but is double checking. it has modified to take detachable magazines but has original parts with it. other than the magazine mod it is stock. is this a good buy? i dont know anything about sks's.
 
if its russian BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT
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what he said. If it is a russian, $150 is a steal. I paid $250 for a Tula nearly 10 years ago, and $300-400 seems to be the average price I see these days.
 
If it takes AK magazine then it's most likely a Chinese SKS-M or SKS-D. In any case $150 is a STEAL for an SKS these days. If you don't buy it the Gun Nut spirits will haunt you.
 
I've heard that SKS' modified to take AK magazines are not always reliable. Ask him. If he hesitates or acts evasive, walk away.

Any chance of a trial period?

I bought my Yugoslavian SKS for $150, and re-sold it probably 200 rounds later. It was inaccurate, which kind of ruined the fun for me.
 
SKS-D? China

I just sold my NIB SKS-D for $475.00 at the last Gun Show.

I paid $280.00 when George Bush SR banned all imported
asssualt Rifles. Buy- Buy Buy. Make sure it was not a
modified, some shops were modifying SKSs.


Mine came with 3 Mags, cleaning kit parts, & Bayonette

There must be something that causes the M & the D to cost so much more.
I have read of some explosions with the Mods. Now I never saw one so it's
hearsay only. Just remember very few SKSs were made of high grade steel.

I have Remington 700s & M1As. I have never shot the Sheet metal SKSs or AK-47s.

Mike
 
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It is a great deal. I'd buy it at that price, run through a spam can of ammo and sell it.

I have an SKS and it is by far my least favorite. I only get the urge to take it out of the safe every 3 or 4 years. Honestly I'd sell it were it not for the fact that my father bought it for me when they were fresh off the boat back in the day and stupid cheap.

I'm just not an sks guy. At $150 I'd probably buy it, though. It is a good deal. At $300+, I'd rather save a little more and get an AK.
 
ForumSurfer, am a "Tar Heel" also. I have several SKSs and AKs. I like an SKS and have one for my truck gun. It is an "M" that takes AK mags. All the ones I have are accurate. My first is super accurate. Was on the Rocky River bridge near 601/218 and fired at a floating piece of firewood about 100 yds out. Shot over it first time and hit it the rest of the time. Last shot was about 90 yds as it went around the bend. Nothing wrong with the 7.62 X 39s.
 
Always nice to see someone from NC on here, also 06. Sorry about being too close to Charlotte. :)

I'm not doubting their accuracy, I just don't like them. I can't even give you a good reason. Some rifles are fun to shoot for some people and others aren't. I'm sure that the 2x4-like feel of the stock doesn't help. :neener:

I just find it strange that a rifle that sold for $75 at Roses with a spam can full of ammo can now almost be traded even on the trading post for a decent AK.

I've yet to own an AK, but I have the fever. It would be right at home amongst my black rifles. :)
 
What everyone else said, at that price it'd be a steal even for a Yugo (at least in my area). If it's set up to use aftermarket mags I'd put the stock box mag back on (if it comes with it?), but if it's a Chinese SKS M then I'm quite jealous you found one for that much. Doubt it's a Russian though cause 150 sounds like way too good a deal for a Russian under any circumstances.
 
reply to 45EEr

Almost ALL SKS were made with solid MILLED steel. Remember it is a 1946 technology and back then the Soviet Union were not up on par with stamped metal guns. The only stamped SKS you will find are some chinese models and they are a rarity of its own.
 
It be cool to use a SKS in a tactical shooting drll. Its more accurate and hits well.
 
So why pay the extra money for the AK?
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Because I like it and I enjoy shooting it? I pay lots more money for other rifles, as well. I'm contemplating a 7.62 AR, also.

I can agree on most of your points, but I still don't like the layout and ergonomics of the SKS. I'm not saying anything is wrong with it. There are just other rifles I enjoy shooting more. Since I don't enjoy shooting it, I'll never practice enough with it to trust it for anything. My AR or my 870 both serve that role reliably. My carry handgun is always on my side, by my side or at bedside while I sleep. I'm not a bedside rifle guy, so I really don't ever envision needing to go to the safe for my rifle. If I do, choices of rifle and caliber are the least of my worries. Can you use the sks for self defense like that? Absolutely. But there are choices that are faster handling, better handling, more optic friendly while remaining equally reliable.

They're also powerful, light, and have almost no recoil.
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Ok, wait...light? Compared to what? An AR with a simple light and optic is light, a lever gun even with a scout scope is light...an sks doesn't exactly strike me as being light. It isn't a heavy weight, either. But for a go to grab and go gun to take out for the day, I'll take a lever action any day of the week. My last lever weighed less than 7 lbs loaded. My sks weighs over 8 1/2lbs unloaded.

I also don't care about zombies, end of the world or survival thoughts. My kids have allergies, asthma or a few other things between them all combined, which means I am dependent on my local pharmacy. In other words, whichever rifle survives the end times better means zilch to me. They only need to be reliable for a day or two in the woods or to go shooting on my property in varying weather conditions. I haven't experienced many rifles that won't handle this.

But all of this is OT....yes, I still say $150 is a good deal and even I would buy it. I don't hate the sks, but I don't love it, either.
 
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Oh man, I miss the day of the buck fifty SKS.
BUY< BUY<BUY!!!
And happy shooting.
 
I was at our local indoor range yesterday.
I got to talking with a guy who had a Chinese SKS with a compsite stock.
The stock is too bulky for my small hands but it shot well wih less recoil than my AR-15. The safety was easy to manipulate and it went bang every time.
He was telling me that it shot too high even with the elevation of the scope turned down all the way.

His target was in tatters so I aimed my first shot quite low anticipating a high hit. It shot 2" to the right but exactly where I was aiming vertically.
I picked a spot on the target and fired 2 shots both were in the same hole 2" to the right of where I was aiming.

In Canada we can get Chinese, Yugo, and Russian (Tula and Izhevsk) for around $200.00 so I'll be adding one to my safe soon.
My only decision will be if I will be geting a Monte Carlo or a Tapco T-6 stock.
 
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Keep the original woodstock , you might it need to bring back the original looks once you decide to sell it.
 
Plus the ammo is very cheap even though it's way more than it once was.
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Seems to have come back down quite a bit, too. Just this week I picked up two cases of Yugo M67, no steel, 1120 rounds already on stripper clips for $179 each. Hard to beat .16/rd not even counting the free stripper clips!
 
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