My grandfather and I want to get an sks (made in russia not china) is there anything to watchout for when bying? Or is their different features we should look for? any help would be grate.
I might want to add that my granddad knows more then I about them.
Thanks
While a Chinese SKS may be as durable and reliable as other SKS, i don;t care for the fit and finish. They are a mixed batch of fit and finish but I've found the Chinese SKS to often have all sorts of machine marks, some don't have as quality blueing as I've seen elsewhere, and the sear surface is often has dangerously negative engagement with the hammer surface. While you can certainly find nicer examples of Chinese SKS, if any of those items are important to you then just inspect what you are purchasing to ensure you are getting an example that meets your standards. I also suggest closely inspecting the the fire control group for negative sear engagement and get a trigger job done by a skilled gunsmith to ensure you have positive sear engagement (not to mention a much nicer trigger pull). Kivaari and Murray's are two that specialize in SKS triggers, check out online reviews of both.
I know many who criticize the Yugoslavian SKS because they have non-chrome lined barrels. Frankly it's an overblown issue unless you plan on shooting surplus corrosive ammunition or plan on sustaining regular rapid fire. Most of us are never going to shoot out a Yugo SKS barrel in a lifetime, loading with stripper clips, using them for hunting, self defense, or fun. If you plan on engaging serious and prolonged combat then perhaps it's a concern.
My suggestion would be to find an Yugo M59 (not M59/66). They are lighter than the M59/66 with it's grenade launching mechanisms and also have the simple and traditional SKS gas system. Personally I find the fit, finish and quality of the Yugo SKS parts to be nicer than all of the rest, and if you plan on regularly cleaning and oiling your barrel like you would do with most other non-military style weapons, it's really a non-issue.
I've never seen a properly cleaned bolt have a slam fire. The first think you should do when you get your SKS is order some 7.62x39 snap caps, a quality hardened 1/8" starter punch, a quality hardened 1/8" regular pin pinch, and a heavy (a few pounds) hammer.
(if you are not mechanically inclined and (or) don't have confidence to handle the following steps consult a gun smith) When the tools arrive field strip, clean everything. Inspect the sear engagement to ensure you do not have negative sear engagement (lots of videos and how-to out there if you search for "SKS negative sear engagement." Hammer out the firing pin retaining pin with the punch set (observe the orientation of the firing pin). Clean that channel until a pipe cleaner comes out clean, clean the firing pin, clean the retaining pin, reassemble. Hold the bolt in your hand and shake forward to front several times over. If you can't hear/feel the firing pin lightly "clicking" as it moves freely forward and back in the channel then hammer out the pin and start again until you can hear it moving freely.
Reassemble, the SKS, load the snap caps and cycle and dry fire with the snap caps to test the operation. Never dry fire the SKS without snap caps in the chamber. It will cause your firing pin to create wear on the bolt face/ firing pin hole that can cause the firing pin to stick and create slam fires and in extreme cases actually cause the hole to protrude enough to cause slam fires. Visit
www.sksboards.com where you will find lots of SKS enthusiasts and experts.
. The Russian's have a little collector value, but the extra money doesn't transfer into a substantive increase in actual value or quality. I've been seeing prices drop on these significantly in the last year, and even then, they tend to take a long time to sell.
