so i want an sks but im unsure of which model

[trickyasafox]

so i see so much talk about sks's on this part of the board they have really got me interested. i dont need to be convinced of their obvious durability, and their accuracy seems pretty acceptable. however, im relatively particular in what i want.

i want an sks without: the grenade thingy and without a bayonet. was there a carbine model produced at some point without those features? i just think they really detract from the look and function of another wise not ugly rifle. furthermore, can i get a 5 shot clip for them as an aftermarket accessory? 10 is great fun, and a 20 rounder would rock too, but for a lot of situations i just find 5 rounds handier. (mainly unloading at the end of the day)

now accuracy always seems to be described as "acceptable". but im unclear as to what that means. i saw a while ago that with some work the triggers can be made to be reasonably not awful. i heard it cost about 50 bucks to get this done, can anyone reference a source for this?

also is it worth scoping these things? im not talking top of the line here, but maybe a cheapie fixed six on clearence from cdnn or something.

basically i want a fun lil project gun, that i can actually upgrade and fart around with and have the total investment stay reasonable, say 200-250 ish

from what i understand it'll break down about like this:

90-100 for a rifle shipped (once i get my c&r, can i recieve rifles in upstate NY? i know they are kinda funny)
50 for trigger work
10-15 for a mount
50 for a cheapie scope
5-10 for slings, mags lil knick nacks.

so about 225ish. does that sound reasonable? also everyone really seems to like commie surplus ammo. i'd be more than happy to shoot commie surplus. however i have a few questions bout that as well.

1-any countries to be avoided? once in a while some shady surplus hits the market, and i want to know what to dodge
2-is it all steel cased?
3-what style primers are they? i reload cause its fun, not always for savings


well thats about it, im sure you guys get sick of sks questions, but i never really caught a break down of the different models available on here so i wanted to ask. also yugo's seem to be the flavor of the month for countries available. are they as respected as russian or chinese?

 

[silverlance]

it's more like this

as least imho.

179 for yugo sks california mod (grenade launcher replaced with perm. muzzle break - reduces recoil to nearly nothing, sort of like .22 lr - i'm serious)

41 for murray's safe firing pin modification (necessary imho)

50 for cleaning supplies (the "cleaning rod" won't even reach through the whole barrel) - rod, brushes, buttstock kit, sight adjuster wrench, lots of cosmo remover.. that'll be fun

135 for 1k wolf ammo

30 for case

6.50 for lock (required by ca law)

7.00 for sling

10.00 for stripper clips

50 for halfway decent scope and reciever mount (i haven't installed it yet.. want to practice with iron first)

so go figure how much you got for your "cheap" rifle lol

 

[possum]

i want an sks without: the grenade thingy

yeah i don't blame you i can't stand the yugp's with that on em.

now accuracy always seems to be described as "acceptable". but im unclear as to what that means

With my chinese sks, iron sights, and wolf ammo i can tear the x ring out of a nra 25 yd pistol target at 100yds all day long.

with some work the triggers can be made to be reasonably not awful

I don't know about everyone elses but my trigger is awesome for a mil-surp. rifle and I have no problems with it at all. I am still stunned that it is so nice!

As far as ammo goes there are some brass cased but, i don't think it is reloadable, like the yugo stuff. most you will find is steel cased and every surplus kind you can think of has been through my sks, except the corrosive stuff. The wolf is inexpensive 1000rds for $100 at cabela's with free ammo cans. And it is pretty accurate as well!

 

[cortez kid]

I wouldn't worry about the models. Once you get your first one, you will be infected. It will become an overwhelming drive to aquire all the different models you can. Yugo's are great shooters, the grenade launcher adds to the experience. Chinese are great too. Are they better than a Romanian? Albanians look great and how can you get by without the "mother of them all" a beautiful Russian. Don't short sell the bayonets either. A chinese with a bayo is awesome. There's a conversation in which is better, a spike or a blade bayo. Once you get all your models together, don't forget bubba. Lots if not all bubba's are semi ugly and fairly useless, but once in a while someone introduces a bubba that's out of this world! Have fun
kid

 

[pmbiker]

Buy a good condition Russian or chinese model. It will cost a little more than the dime-a-dozen yugos but you will appreciate the chrome lined bore and chamber. Accuracy, in my experience with my chinese is more an ammo issue than anything else. Wolf is @6" with some random fliers. Silver bear and golden tiger are 4-5" with less radical fliers. My sks shoots best with norinco(good luck finding some)ammo with 2-3" groups. All this is from a sandbag at 100yds using irons.

I guess the sks doesn't bring out that "I gotta have them all" feeling in me. IMO, find a good one, don't bubba it all to he11 and just shoot it. Cheap to buy, cheap to feed, reliable and durable. Every gunner should have one, or 8.

Look at http://www.sksboards.com/forum/ for more sks info than you could imagine.

 

[gm]

save up and get a russian model.albanian versions and chineese are good also but the russian version seems,in my opinion, the best quality.


as far as scoping them...theres different ways to go about it, you can add a redot or pistol scope on the sight housing or use a receiver mount and of the receiver mounts, the only one that didnt move point of impact and shift was the original military mount which is drilled and permanently mounted on the side of the receiver, similiar to the kalashnikov mount seen on the ak..the mounts that replace the receiver cover are worthless.they shift.the other mounts that go over the cover,you cant remove the thing for cleaning without rezeroing the rifle every single time.

im surprised nobody has rebarreled one with a longer barrel or a heavier one just out of curiousity to see if one could stretch the x39 rounds' ballistics.

 

[jefnvk]

Chinese are the only ones I see without bayo and GL, although you could buy any and take the bayo off.