SKS

[TimM]

I have recently been considering buying an SKS. I really would rather have an AR or AK but I just don't have the funds right now.

What are the pros and cons with the SKS? Is there another equally priced option that might be better?

 

[bang_bang]

The SKS is a great rifle. Mind you that this design is over 60 years old, but it is still a very neat rifle.

With stripper clips, you can load 10 rounds really quickly with a little practice. Keep your first one stock, let it shine in it's true form the way it was supposed to be used.

They're relatively inexpensive, fun to shoot, and have a slight edge on accuracy vs. an AK.

Get one, buy some stripper clips, then a couple hundred rounds of ammo. Take it apart to get familiar with the rifle, they're not hard to understand the operation.

 

[cuervo]

Stick to the fixed magazine and stripper clips.

Although there was one Chinese version made to take removable magazines, most "conversions" are unreliable. As BB mentioned, reloading with a stripper clip is pretty easy.

If you get a Yugo, check the barrel since they have unlined barrels and corrosive ammo was pretty common. Russians are the cream of the crop and have a whole collectible market in themselves.

 

[Dr_2_B]

Do a search for SKS. You'll get a lot of info. It's a great gun. Rugged, reliable, & fairly accurate. On the large side for an 'assault weapon' but it's a shooter.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I never had much problems with detachable magazines. Any that faultered were easily fixed. I usual fix a problem rather than complain about it but ,hey,that's just me. I do prefer the original mag so I don't have to worry about compliance with any silly gun laws.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

They're great rifles, rugged, reliable, and mine will do 3" at 100 yards off a rest, not bad for a $150 beater rifle. The only concern right now is ammo availability, its almost non-existant, what you do find is running $7-8 a box, which is insane. I bought a couple thousand rounds 18 months ago, for $175/case. All the AK-47 shooters are worried about an ammo ban, so they've bought everything they can get their hands on.

 

[Matrix187]

My Norinco SKS 20inch gets 3" groups at 100 yards as well. I bought it for $150 in Dec '08, unused but with the wood beat up a tad. I slapped on a tech rear peep sight, and a murray firing pin. My next addition will be a kivaari trigger job. After that it will be the PERFECT beater rifle.

Added: They are great rifles. They're reliable as heck with FMJ ammo, and once you clean out all of the cosmoline they barely need cleaned since they have a short-stroke gas piston which vents little gas into the reciever.

 

[TimM]

A local pawnshop has a Russian model that has a bolt with a mismatched serial number for $350ish.

Is the mismatched bolt a problem?

Is $350ish a decent price?

 

[bang_bang]

I've seen a lot of numbers matching Russians go for $400-$450 online.

Russians are nice, but I think I might hold that $350 for one that matches.

 

[TimM]

Ignorant question here; Why is important to have matching serial numbers?

 

[bang_bang]

Matching numbers means that every part was fit together from the factory, thus meaning the gun is complete. That also means a better resale or collector's value on the rifle. I'd trust an SKS with matching numbers over one with a mismatched bolt group/trigger group.

 

[Pilot]

Nothing wrong with a mismatched Russian SKS. All this means is that it is a factory refurb. Unless you are a collector, matching numbers don't mean anything. I have two Russian Tula arsenal refurbs. Both look new and shoot great.

 

[sarduy]

who's selling (online) sks ?

 

[Oro]

I was curious about the SKS thing and bought one at a gun show a month or two ago. It was a Yugo, and unissued/unfired, basically new and unused since 1975.

I spent a month playing with it - it was a neat rifle. Nice solid design, reliable, solid.

I will repeat much of above keep it stock, use stripper clips (fast, easy, cheap - what's not to like?), and have fun. After a month with this, I had little interest in an AK. The SKS is a nice rifle...

 

[bang_bang]

Online?

Gunbroker, the classified section here, different gun forums and such.

Here is a link a member on THR designed. Searches multiple forums at once with amazing results. Give it a shot.

http://www.riverofguns.com

 

[bill larry]

www.samcoglobal.com has SKS rifles in stock.

The SKS in all versions is an excellent rifle.

I have four, and I converted one to accept detachable Tapco 20 round magazines. I bought 8 of them online at once and they all function perfectly. I also used a dremel tool and ground the lips off of the bottom of the bolt so the magazines could be removed or inserted with the bolt closed.

A lot of info can be found at www.sksboards.com

I have an Albanian, a Romanian, and two Yugoslavians. Insert joke here. They are all well made.

The least well-crafted part of the gun is usually the trigger group. With some fine tuning (easy), trigger pull can be made much better.

I think there is nothing on the market comparable for less than seven or eight hundred dollars.

 

[easyrider604]

Nothing wrong with a mismatched Russian SKS. All this means is that it is a factory refurb.

Is the mismatched bolt a problem?

Here in Canada, refurbed Russians have matching serial numbers on the main sub-assemblies i.e., receiver, receiver rear cover, bolt carrier, bolt, gas tube, gas piston, magazine, trigger guard. I think the reason here is that these parts are fitted and therefore they are not interchangeable with other rifles.
The only non-matching numbers I've seen are on the stocks, on which the old number was X'd over, and new matching numbers stamped.

The stock to receiver is not as critical a fit, as compared to the receiver/bolt carrier/bolt because headspace and bolt locking is determined by the fit of these three.

I will not purchase any Russian SKS with non-matching parts unless I was sure that the person who put the gun together is a qualified SKS gunsmith.

 

[wnycollector]

I have a milled reciever norinco SKS that I picked up for $99 ~ 20 years. It is a wonderful gun as issued. Simple, reliable and accurate enough(2.5-3 moa @100 w/ silver bear match effect ammo).

The only 20 round magazine I can reccomend is the non-detachable "star" mags imported by norinco back in the 1990's. I have one on my sks and it has worked flawlessly over the years. You can still find them on auction sites for ~$40-50.

 

[jon_in_wv]

The magazine capacity is a non issue to me. It holds 10 rounds. It loads very quickly with stripper clips. Also, the ammo is stripper clips is actually easier, in some ways, to carry than AK47 magazines.

 

[Storm]

Years ago I had a Norinco that provided some of the most fun shooting imaginable. It was one of my two main rifles including an HK93. I had more darn fun shooting that SKS, and I greatly regretted selling it. The purchase price was around $69. Then, a few years back, I picked up a Yugo and made the mistake of "updating" it with a TAPCO stock (nothing against TAPCO) and various rails. That sucked the enjoyment out of the rifle and I soon realized that the real value of the rifle is in its stock condition fired the way that it was originally meant to be fired. For me, detachable mags, even the ones that work, have nothing over stock fixed mags and stripper clips, which can be loaded rather quickly with practice. I sold the updated Yugo. I never really warmed up to the Yugo version and found that the soul had been sucked out of the Bubba'd version.

Last week I came across some Norincos. I chose one that is very clean but came with a Cobray detachable mag without the original ten round fixed one. I decided that the way to go would be to replace my old Norinco. The chromed barrel is very desirable, and this one has the screwed in rather than pushed and pinned barrel. I've heard it said that there are advantages to each, but went with the screwed. I will be returning this gun to original condition by replacing the ten round fixed mag, and replacing the original blade bayonet. For this one I paid $299, which may be a bit high (or not, these days), but the gun is in great condition, and I wasn't going to quibble over a few bucks.

I think overall an SKS is a fantastic choice. I'd be tempted to say that these guns are underrated, but most folks know that they are ultra-reliable rifles (especially when kept stock) that provide a great shooting experience,
providing excellent bang for your buck. Russian, Chinese, Romanian or Yugoslavian, you will have a fun dependable rifle. What does it have over an AK (and I have three of them)? Nothing much, really.

If you can't go with a Russian go with a Chinese Norinco.

 

[Dan Crocker]

I had an SKS once. I took off the beat up old stock, put it in the dishwasher to knock off the remaining cosmoline and raise the dents. After hanging it to dry for 24 hrs, I gently sanded the stock then re-finished with Tung oil. The gun went from being a crappy $80 rifle to a real beauty. I sold it for $400 recently. Thanks Obama!

 

[Matrix187]

The original design is definitely awesome and works great, but I think its even more perfect with a peep sight and trigger job

 

[Storm]

The original design is definitely awesome and works great, but I think its even more perfect with a peep sight and trigger job

Nothing wrong with a trigger job. That's just fine tuning.

 

[AllAmerican]

Im all about the SKS. Its a really good SHTF rifle and I dont mean for hunting small game.

I left mine stock and Im glad I did.

 

[Limeyfellow]

I second the peep sight. Look at the Tech-sight TS-200. I love it so much. My groups tightened up from 4 MOA to approaching 2 MOA (I have funky eyes and deal with peep sights much better) and give you windage and elevation adjustments on the rear sight. They are also releasing an AK47 version this summer which I am looking forward too.

http://www.tech-sights.com/

That and bedding or shimming the action in the stock, as there is quite a bit of wiggle room there.

I would also recommend Kivarri's trigger jobs for the SKS.

http://www.kivaari.com/