The SKS and Hunting Deer

I meant to spell it DEER when I created the thread. 30 years ago a friend won a raffle, and his prize was a very new looking (mint?) Norinco SKS with a chrome lined bore. I traded him a .22 pistol for it. I had never fired an SKS but I had owned a Ruger mini-30. The SKS shot very reliably and I was getting 2" off the bench, with stock sights and cheap ammo. Its rugged. I bought all the plastic junk and hotrod stuff, then went back to original because it works best in its pristine form. A few years ago I started taking it on hunts for use in short-range brush or woods, no scope, because it is easy to use in those situations. My close friend for years bought a Russian SKS and he uses it also. We have all the good stuff, Browning A-bolt etc, but the SKS is very handy sometimes. I dont see too many hunters using an SKS really and I wonder if anyone here uses it occasionally as we do. For 50 or 80 yards visibilty it seems to be OK with soft points. Any opinions out there? I also do shotguns in short range hunts, but the SKS is very handy there.

 

As long as it's legal where you live why not? It's about the perfect round for deer inside of 200 yards (provided you're using soft point hunting ammo).

 

Get good bullets for it, and you’ve got yourself the most reliable, handy lil’ autoloader available. Nothing holds 10 rounds of centerfire ammo in a more compact package, and the 7.62x39 (with the right bullet) is just as good as a .30-30.

 

I'm going to preface by saying I really like the SKS. I've owned one for 20+ years now.

It depends on where you hunt I reckon. For me, something like an SKS is not ideal for deer hunting. My shots are usually 100-200 yards in open-ish country, sometimes longer if I desire. I can see a use-case in heavy brush where shots are in the range you mentioned (<80 yards) and your bullet-type is something that has some level of expansion. That said, there are so many better choices, IMO for deer hunting in both brush and open country.

Different strokes for different folks...

 

With expanding ammunition, the SKS is a great deer rifle. The 7.62x39 works fine within its range limitations, and the rifle is quick and handy, hard to beat it if your preference is auto loaders

 

I took a decent 8pt about 25 years ago with my 1967 manufactured Norinco. I believe I was using Winchester Super X 7.62x39, 123gr soft points.



The shot was about 60 yards, he went probably that far before tipping over. A nice light rifle for walking, but I wouldn't think of taking a crack at one farther than 100 yards. It's a bit on the light side for anything farther than that, of course, my opinion
The scope mounts that they sell for these that mount on the rear cover are a waste of time. There is so much slop in the fit of the cover that I've never could get one to hold zero, and never even close.

 

I used one for several years in Tn after a nasty divorce that forced me to sell most of my good guns. I mounted a $20 scope/mount combo on it and took several deer using Winchester SP ammo. The accuracy wasn't great but was sufficient for 100 yards and closer- typical distance where I was hunting at the time. What I didn't like is the fact that I rarely got a complete pass-through on deer. I even have a couple of recovered slugs from deer I shot with it. I like an exit hole because I want as much damage as possible for my trouble, but mostly for a good blood trail when they run.

 

I used a scoped Norinco Paratrooper for several years during meat-doe seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s. 250yrds and in, it put meat in the freezer.

I wouldn’t pay 2022 prices for an SKS to do the same, and of course, not all SKS’s were created equally, but if you had a decent SKS which would print 2moa or less, it did the job.

Keeping zero with most scope mounts was a problem. I used a replacement receiver cover which bolted to the receiver - which did require permanent modification, which was unpopular in the market opinion at the time - but it was the only mount I really found to be satisfactory.

 

I shot a few deer with one around 30 years ago. Too inaccurate and short range for me. I like Bolt actions with full power cartridges best for hunting. Lighter and better handling and more power and accuracy. But if it works for you that's great. Low recoil and they do the job within 100 yards. Lots of guys still like them.
I tried a few SKS's and AKs. The only one with decent accuracy was a Saiga that I found. Plus you can mount a rigid side mount scope on it. 2-3 MOA at 100 yards depending on ammo. I also used Winchester soft points.
I tried the replacement rear cover with a rail welded on it scope mount but it was too loose and wobbly.

 

I've killed several deer in thick brush with the SKS, and I like it in that role. I prefer my cz527 as a deer gun though.

Once I saw some deer heading down one edge of a overgrown clearcut, and ran several hundred yards to head them off. I skid to a stop right where they should cross my trail, and to my surprise the buck arrived at the same time! We are 12 feet apart, and I raise my SKS and shoot. When the smoke blew away the deer is still standing there blinking at me, and I realized that I had shot a thick piece of scotch broom between me and the deer. So I stood up a little straighter and let another one go. Knocked that deer flat, he was drt. The SKS is a great deer gun if you aren't busting brush with it...

 

If it was what I had and I couldn't or didn't wish to buy another rifle I wouldn't really hesitate to take an SKS hunting with appropriate ammo. If I had a more suitable gun (eg, you mentioned you had an A-Bolt) then nah, I'd never take it out hunting.

 

I hunted with one one year. Didn't get a shot, but I'd shot it enough to know that for the 50-100 yard shots I could have had, I would have brought home venison.

 

you had black powder 7.62 rounds?

 

Some of that old school Barnaul ammo sure seemed like it....

 

Yeah both work fine, just remember the range limitations and any decent x39 gun can hunt.

 

The 7.62x39 with appropriate hunting bullet is a fine east cost deer hunting round where shots are almost always less than 100yd.

 

A Yugo SKS was almost my first hunting rifle 12 years ago. Cabela's had one for $299 with a cheapo scope on it. Had a bayonet as well. Only reason I didn't go for the SKS was because apparently there had been reports of soft point ammo not feeding into the rifles reliably. Wish I had jumped on it. But being in Minnesota at the time, for whatever reason needed either a CCW permit or permit to purchase. Could not get a CCW permit and didn't feel like jumping through hoops getting the permit to purchase. Had I gotten the rifle, I would be using it.

 

any pics of rifle and mount?

 

I used one for years on hogs mostly, worked well with expanding projectiles. Surplus FMJ not as well but it was all I could get at one point.

 

Minnesota is the pits for buying guns. It will probably get worse with Waltz still in office.

 

I'd keep it under 150 yards but it will work fine. 'Not just because of the 7.62x39 ballistics, but also the SKS open sights and inherent accuracy of the gun.

 

That's why we moved to Nebraska! No shenanigans for buying firearms, but it's harder to find land to hunt since majority of the land is privately owned and state land is hit or miss for rifle usage.