sks

[PITBULL]

hey yall i want to get a sks but have some questions? here they are.

i love to shoot so how much is 7.62x39mm ammo?

how accurate are they?

i dont mind a kick but how hard is it? like a 30-30 12 gage shot gun what?

what to look for when buying one?

 

[quatin]

7.62x39 is $8.80 a box at sports authority and like $10 a box at walmart for the domestic stuff. I heard surplus ammo is half that price. The kick is pretty light. It's equivalent to shooting a lightweight 16'' ar-15 in .223.
Can't speak too much on accuracy since I shot it once and the stock was too short for me and I kept hitting myself in the face with my support hand every other time since the rifle wasn't firm up against my shoulder and I had to lean in very close to use the sights. How's that for flinching /btw, not only anticipating recoil, but also getting slapped in the face . Despite all that I could hit a 1.5 foot target while standing up unsupported at 100 yards.

*Note I'm kinda tall and have long arms so I have this problem with most rifles.

 

[PITBULL]

where can i get surplus ammo?

 

[ugaarguy]

Here are some ammo sources
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/7_62x39.html
http://www.classicarms.us/htm/ammunition.htm
Note that the commercial Russian made Wolf brand is your best bet. The surplus 7.62x39 of a few years ago has dried up.

 

[Technosavant]

Wolf branded ammo (especially their "military classic" line) seems to be easing out of the supply shortages we saw at this time last year. I wouldn't shoot domestic 7.62x39 out of an SKS- their softer primers are a safety issue (can blow out or slam-fire).

Accuracy isn't bad- minute of paper plate at 100 yards isn't out of the question, but it depends largely on your eyes (SKS sights are not so good).

Recoil? There's almost none. More than a .22LR rifle, but not much more.

What to look for? In general, check out the bore and see if it is corroded. If so, I'd keep looking (unless you just want a beater). The current low cost models are the Yugo 59/66, which can be had for $150 online in excellent condition (shooter grade as low as $90, but I'd pay the money for the better condition).

 

[MCgunner]

Typical SKS accuracy is about 3 MOA in my experience. I've bought surplus ammo for under 100 bucks a thousand. It's mail order of course. The ammo in question was Norinco and packed in 20 round boxes. Now days the Wolf seems more available and the price is a bit higher.

SKSs offer a lot of fun and value for the dollar. I think everyone should own one. They're fun to dress up, personalize, and there's a large aftermarket for them. They make great truck/ranch utility rifles. They are a lot more desirable to me than AKs.

 

[Outlaws]

To each his own, but I had an SKS once and I would take a Ruger Mini-30 over it....or a Mini-14. But I also realize those are bit higher in price and you may not be able to swing it.

I wouldn't worry about the kick.

 

[eab]

Wolf 7.62*39 ammo can be had for around $3.50 or less a box. Just picked up 500 round the other day on sale at $2.99 a box.

Recoil is subjective but I would say simaler to a 30-30. The 7.62*39 has baslitc properites simaler to a 30-30. I consider it low recoil with high recoil being 12 gauge sabots.

What to look for? Make sure it has a clean bore, do a functions check. Make sure the firing pin falls, safty works, looks like it was kept in good condtion etc.

If you can pick up a chinse for cheap do it. Much lighter then the yugos with gernade launchers, also they have crome lined bores. Not to much of a big deal but nice to have.

 

[Mr White]

Ammo is about $160/1000 rd at aimsurplus.com.

Accuracy isn't the best. 4-5" groups at 100 yards is a reasonable expectation.

Kick isn't too bad. Yugos have a rubber buttpad and are a bit heavier than others so they have the lightest felt recoil of all of them. I have a Norinco and a Yugo. The stock on my Norinco is a lighter weight wood and w/o the grenade launcher, the gun is lighter. And it doesn't have a rubber buttpad. It kicks noticably more than my Yugo, but it still isn't too bad. My 9 year old son shoots it, so that should say something.

If you can afford a few extra bucks, get an unissued or excellent condition Yugo from Aim or some other reputable online dealer and have it shipped to a local FFL. Or check out a large gun show. They often have tables full of unissued Yugos. That way you don't have to worry about barrel corrosion, worn out parts, stupid bubba mods like firing pin springs or gas tube springs that you might run into at a local gun shop.

If you go to a gun show looking for one, you'll probably pay more, but also bear in mind that you don't pay shipping costs or a transfer fee to your local FFL, but you 'll probably pay sales tax at the gun show. So if AIM has them for $150 and a gun show has them for $170, that might not be a bad deal. Just make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

 

[armoredman]

My Yugo was "unissued" when imported, and will do 6 inches at 100 yards with any ammo. Last weekend I was fooling around with it and a silouhette target at 100 yards - kept them all in the 8 ring. Works just fine as issued, and hasn't burped yet, no matter what I feed it, including reloads, (when ammo was hard to find, I splurged on dies and components.), and for a shipped price of $161 from J&G, good rifle.

 

[Mr White]

And if anyone tries to steer you away from a Yugo with the line "Don't buy one of those. They are junk because they don't have a chrome-lined barrel." Tell them that they are an idiot and walk away. The Yugos don't have a chrome-lined barrel but that doesn't make them junk. All that matters is that if you shoot corrosive ammo, (which all old surplus probably is and all new production Wolf/Brown Bear/Silver Bear is not) you should rinse your barrel, bolt, gas tube and plunger with hot water within 24 hrs of shooting or it'll start to rust.

 

[mio]

like quatin says its hard to shoot if youre on the tall side...ive never owned one but shot my dads a few times and it was way too short slapped myself in the face everytime i shot. im certainly no accuracy expert since even though i see it all the time on here and in guns and ammo im not sure what moa is but it seemed about the same as my .30-.30 at 100yrds...about 1.5in group. course it could be that it was better and the rifle just didnt fit me properly.
btw im 6'4" if youre around my height you may want to avoid it

 

[Hazzard]

Pitbull

Ammo is about $160/1k and accuracy can vary. Mine does 1 1/2"-2" at 100 yrds.

The kick isn't much, but as others have said, the length of pull can make it seem like more. I'd rate it as less than a .243 but more than a .223.

Years ago I used mine for my deer rifle and, with the right ammo, they perform pretty well at moderate ranges if you are so inclined. Otherwise, they are just a bunch of fun to shoot.

Mio

For a good explaination of MOA, try here...

http://riflestocks.tripod.com/moa.html

 

[Technosavant]

To each his own, but I had an SKS once and I would take a Ruger Mini-30 over it....or a Mini-14. But I also realize those are bit higher in price and you may not be able to swing it.

Well, anybody should be able to get a good swing with a Mini-30. I don't know why you'd want to beat on somebody with it though- a SKS is much cheaper, and plenty sturdy for that sort of abuse.

 

[PITBULL]

hey yall thanks for all the reply's keep-em coming. im going to look at one this week my friend has seen it he said it was nice.

can yall tell me which one it is? it has dark wood and in the but of the gun it has a hole that you push your finger in it and a cleaning rod comes out and in the forend of the gun it has what you clean it with i guess its a bore brush.

 

[Technosavant]

Pitbull, those are pretty standard features of eastern-bloc weapons (the cleaning kit in the stock and the rod under the muzzle). No way to tell its origin based on that.

If the wood is darker, I'd wonder if it isn't Russian or Chinese; the Yugos tend to be much lighter in color. Could also be Albanian, but those have very distinctive handguards- much longer than the others.

 

[PITBULL]

yeah based off of pics iv seen it sounds like a russian or chinese or a albanian they have dark wood in the pics. what would yall pay for it if its one of these?

 

[MCgunner]

like quatin says its hard to shoot if youre on the tall side...ive never owned one but shot my dads a few times and it was way too short slapped myself in the face everytime i shot

The Norincos in particular that I bought had a very short length of pull. I bought a 1" extender for one of 'em that was a vast improvement, but wound up getting after market stocks anyway for both of mine. Accessories are readily available. One of the places I've both some stuff is http://www.centerfiresystems.com . Lots of stuff there from scope mounts to tacticool stuff.

 

[eab]

I paid $175 for my Norinco sporter version and the same for my unissued Yugo. I would not pay more then that though for any SKS unless its a Norinco model that takes AK mags or you are a collector and got to have some certain type.

My $0.02

 

[Kentucky]

I paid $175 for my Norinco sporter version and the same for my unissued Yugo. I would not pay more then that though for any SKS unless its a Norinco model that takes AK mags or you are a collector and got to have some certain type.

Are the Norinco SKS's more reliable with the hi capacity mags than the other brands? Most people seem to think it is a waste of money to buy the hi-caps for an SKS.

 

[gaweidert]

Skip the high cap mags. Unless the rifle was made for them originally, many people have trouble with them after converting them. Stripper clips work fine and take up less room than magazines. Also, you will not be able to shoot prone with the magazine sticking out the bottom as far as a 30 rounder does.

 

[Technosavant]

Are the Norinco SKS's more reliable with the hi capacity mags than the other brands? Most people seem to think it is a waste of money to buy the hi-caps for an SKS.

Some Norincos were made for them (some even came from the factory able to take AK mags, but those tend to cost a fair amount more than a more pedestrian one). Most SKSs were not. The vast majority of the high-cap detachable mags for the SKS are of lowball quality and hit-and-miss reliability. Depending on the SKS, legality is a major issue (the Yugos are prime examples here).

The SKS is a good gun as-is, but I wouldn't call it an AK on the cheap. IMO, detachable mags are trying to turn it into a poor man's AK, and generally fail at obtaining the same capability for a significantly lower price.

 

[Mr White]

You hit it on the head, Technosavant. Too many people try to make an SKS something its not.

Add a folder and some hi-cap mags and its an AK on the cheap. Give it a Dragunov stock and a scope and its a wannabe sniper rifle.

Whatever floats your boat, except that an SKS is neither of those. It is what it is, a reliable, 10 shot, semiauto battle rifle capable of military-acceptable accuracy.

I have one high cap mag for mine, but I rarely use it. If I could find a few more I'd buy them for a SHTF rainy day. I wouldn't put a sporter, folder, or Dragunov stock on eitehr of them. I wouldn't add a scope. I guess I'm a purist when it comes to old milsurps.

 

[Outlaws]

I have one high cap mag for mine, but I rarely use it. If I could find a few more I'd buy them for a SHTF rainy day. I wouldn't put a sporter, folder, or Dragunov stock on eitehr of them. I wouldn't add a scope. I guess I'm a purist when it comes to old milsurps.

No, you are smart enough to realize if you wanted a sniper rifle you would buy something designed for that.

Out of all the accessories for firearms, its the ones that make something look like something else that makes me laugh the most. I know a high cap conversion isn't really a full on dress up kit, but they make a detchable SKS....its called an AK.

I liken conversion kits for firearms to rims, exhaust pipes, and mufflers on cars.....so what if you have rims, a chrome tip, or a super loud ride....you still have a 99.9% stock rice burner. -unless you are driving a broken down 1980's Cadillac with all of said features, but that just makes it 100x funnier.

 

[MCgunner]

Some folks like to dress up their toys. They just might feel it makes the rifle better for a specific purpose. Come on, SKS rifles are NOT collectables. Jeez, AKs are about the only more numerous milsurp on the planet!

How many Harley riders do you know with stock exhaust pipes?