Which Country for SKS

[Speedo66]

Nobody has mentioned aesthetics. There is nothing nicer than the arctic birch stocks on some Russian SKS's. The Chinese are fairly hideous with a cheesy orange shellac nightmare that looks like it was applied with a roller.

Other than that, I've got a Chinese version and like it, goes bang every time. Good deal for the $89 I paid for it new in the box.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Nobody has mentioned aesthetics. There is nothing nicer than the arctic birch stocks on some Russian SKS's. The Chinese are fairly hideous with a cheesy orange shellac nightmare that looks like it was applied with a roller.

Other than that, I've got a Chinese version and like it, goes bang every time. Good deal for the $89 I paid for it new in the box.

While we all like to have a good looking gun function is far more important.

I would much rather a forged receiver and quality barrel wrapped in ugly wood than a stamped receiver and so-so barrel wrapped in fancy wood any day.

 

[Inebriated]

I went with a well-built rifle in a nice (enough)-looking stock.... Why compromise?

 

[Speedo66]

I went with a well-built rifle in a nice (enough)-looking stock.... Why compromise?

That's what I'm talking about, very nice stock. Love that mottled look. I guess the Russians are the best of everything.

I knew nothing about them until the Chinese versions flooded the market.

 

[BSA1]

Thank all of you for your replies. It helps me a lot.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I screwed a Remington 870 recoil pad onto the butt of my cheap, 69$, Chi-com SKS and it helped the stock fit for me. YMMV...
It's a fugly rifle, stock had dents and dings under that aforementioned lacquer finish but it shoots pretty well considering.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Russians are said to be better but you pay a premium price for them. BTW I am way of Paratrooper models too because some didn't have a chrome lined barrel either. You have to pay attention to what parts were used to make those Paratroopers too as most were built out of spare parts left over from the milsurp builds. That means some lack things like a slot for stripper clips. The bolts can come from SKS models made to accept detachable mags and those bolts didn't have the slot for the stripper clips

My paratrooper is 100% matching # and has a chrome bore.

 

[Cee Zee]

My paratrooper is 100% matching # and has a chrome bore.

Some were built as well as the Factory 26 rifles because they were using leftover parts from that factory. But some weren't. Just be careful which one you get. And the 20 round mags that came on some were less than spectacular too. Just some things to watch for though. Some of them are quite good.

I think the Chinese models were very nearly as good as the Russian models in reliability. I can't imagine any rifle working better than my Factory 26 Norinco. It has been pretty much perfect for over 20 years and still is. But the Russians are valued more by collectors because they look better and they are the originals. If you to collect milsurp rifles I'd get a Russian. If you want a shooter I'd get a Norinco.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Some were built as well as the Factory 26 rifles because they were using leftover parts from that factory. But some weren't. Just be careful which one you get. And the 20 round mags that came on some were less than spectacular too. Just some things to watch for though. Some of them are quite good.

I think the Chinese models were very nearly as good as the Russian models in reliability. I can't imagine any rifle working better than my Factory 26 Norinco. It has been pretty much perfect for over 20 years and still is. But the Russians are valued more by collectors because they look better and they are the originals. If you to collect milsurp rifles I'd get a Russian. If you want a shooter I'd get a Norinco.

I looked at hundreds of SKSs on gun show tables late 80s-early 90s[when I bought mine] and never saw that 20 mag [the red star one, right?] on a gun. They were being sold separate.

Mine is a arsenal 26, SN puts it at 1964 and if there is a norinco marking on that gun my eyes can't see it.

 

[Ignition Override]

The original Yugo M59 (produced Before the common 59/66) has No grenade launcher.

These actual M59s are much harder to spot in gun shows than the Russian version, yet the Russians command (in theory/price tag) about $100-$150 more around Memphis/Jackson TN.
Any gun owner who has respect for his guns does not need a chrome-lined bore.

For those who have only contempt for what they own, they are better off with only chrome-lined bores.

 

[Cee Zee]

I looked at hundreds of SKSs on gun show tables late 80s-early 90s[when I bought mine] and never saw that 20 mag [the red star one, right?] on a gun. They were being sold separate.

Some did come with the red star 20 round mags. My cousin bought one that way.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I have 3 Chinese (Norinco) SKS's... all 3 have been excellent in reliability and accuracy.... And all 3 also look very pretty, if you're into staring at your firearms nether-regions.

Any will be good choices as long as they are in good shape. Good Luck, Comrade

 

[Caseless]

My unissued Yugo M59/66 can print very respectable groups at 200 yards. Sights have been replaced with Tech sights. It took a few shots to adjust the POI since the typical diet for this rifle has been Wolf HP, which also shoots pretty good in Yugos.

 

[Panzerschwein]

It's well known that Russia made the best SKS... at least that's what the internet says!

All I know is the Chinese can make a good one... both of the Chinese I've owned over the years shot very well and were reliable. They might be the most common SKS, but they are good bangs for the buck.

 

[Swampman]

Originally posted by jim in Anchorage

Mine is a arsenal 26, SN puts it at 1964 and if there is a norinco marking on that gun my eyes can't see it.

That's because Norinco didn't even exist until 1980.
Any SKS built (as opposed to just exported) by Norinco is almost certain to be an "export" model built for civilian sale in the US or Canada, not a weapon built for use by the Peoples Liberation Army, and therefore of inferior quality to the military versions.
Calling an older, higher quality weapon built for use by the PLA a "Norinco" is to do it a disservice.

This isn't meant to be disrespectful of the quality of Norinco weapons in general. Their Type 56-2 (basically a Chinese AKM copy), known in Finland as the 7.62 RK 56 TP, was considered good enough to be adopted for use by Finnish reserve forces. Considering that Finland is home to Valmet, who make what is considered by many to be the "Cadillac" of all AK's, that's a pretty big endorsement!

 

[CWL]

That's because Norinco didn't even exist until 1980.
Any SKS built (as opposed to just exported) by Norinco is almost certain to be an "export" model built for civilian sale in the US or Canada, not a weapon built for use by the Peoples Liberation Army, and therefore of inferior quality to the military versions.
Calling an older, higher quality weapon built for use by the PLA a "Norinco" is to do it a disservice.

The factories pumping out Norinco weaponry have been around since the 1950's, but they used to be called the Fifth Ministry of Machine-Building -a pretty difficult brand to market. They adopted the "Norinco" name when they started exporting weapons. Same military organization, same weapons, just with a brand on it now.

 

[nathan]

The CHinese Honor Guards have the chrome finished SKSs. Some of these were imported and sought after today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLipO87Z-Mo

 

[Cee Zee]

My unissued Yugo M59/66 can print very respectable groups at 200 yards.

Careful. I've had people seriously question my posts for saying stuff like that. If they can't do it they figure no one can it seems.

Calling an older, higher quality weapon built for use by the PLA a "Norinco" is to do it a disservice.

My Factory 26 rifle says Norinco right on it and according to the info from Yooper John's web site the date of manufacture was 1964 based on the serial number dating methods plus the location of the Factory 25 triangle and the Chinese markings between the triangle and the serial number which identify the rifle as a Type 56. The rifles were actually made in the Jianshe Arsenal which is the famous Factory 26. The way I understand things is that Norinco became the exporter of these milsurp rifles (of which mine is certainly one because the barrel isn't pinned among many other things). Norinco assembled rifles almost always had pinned barrels AFAIK. They also had stamped trigger guards (mine doesn't) and the serial number is located very high on the barrel (which mine doesn't have) instead of being fairly even with the other markings.

It's hard to be 100% sure of almost any Chinese rifle just what it's history was but there are a lot of indicators that give you a very good idea of when a particular rifle was made and everything about mine says "1964". And it says "Norinco" on the receiver.

I spent a lot of time dating and identifying my rifle. It has all the markings of a true milsurp rifle and it also has "Norinco" stamped on the receiver.

There is a lot of confusion about Chinese SKS production. It's a big country and they had no standards for markings. Heck they had never really made firearms before the Russians showed them how to make the SKS. It's no surprise that the Factory 26 rifles are called Norincos. There are just too many variations and people have pretty much settled on "Norinco" almost as a catchall name. But there are good reasons for that too. They were involved with getting the rifles to the USA in many ways. And even my 98% certain to be a 1964 milsurp says Norinco on the receiver.

 

[CWL]

There is a lot of confusion about Chinese SKS production. It's a big country and they had no standards for markings. Heck they had never really made firearms before the Russians showed them how to make the SKS. It's no surprise that the Factory 26 rifles are called Norincos. There are just too many variations and people have pretty much settled on "Norinco" almost as a catchall name. But there are good reasons for that too. They were involved with getting the rifles to the USA in many ways. And even my 98% certain to be a 1964 milsurp says Norinco on the receiver.

Nah, that's pretty much completely incorrect except that Norincos are milsurps.

Communist China purposely obscured their armaments manufacture and manufacturing capabilities from the West as well as Russia after they split in the early 1960s. What may not be clear to the American consumer does not mean that China didn't have organized munitions identification.

"...never really made firearms before the Russians showed them..."? -I suggest you take some world history courses. China was manufacturing firearms before any of the modern European nations existed. By the turn of the last Century, China had a thriving modern weapons manufacturing industry, much of it the latest Krupp and Mauser armaments (the Soviets sold airplanes and tanks.) Japan also had major manufacturing centers in the North. It was only after the devastation of WWII and their Civil War that they needed Soviet help because Western technology dried-up.

 

[Cee Zee]

Nah, that's pretty much completely incorrect except that Norincos are milsurps.

So rifles made in the Factory 26 are actually Norinco rifles even though that factory was opeated under the name Jianshe Arsenal?

But for you to claim that my statements are incorrect without even being specific about what exactly was wrong about what I said is specious at best. The claim that the Chinese knew their armament markings isn't backed up here by anything you said. It sounds like speculation to me. Do you really think they would have hidden that information even during the time they were selling massive numbers of those rifles to the US for consumer use? My speculation is that they had no reason to do that. And my statements about their rifles not having a clear marking system is backed up by the fact that many rifles have very few markings that would even possibly indicate where they were made. You might benefit from looking around on YooperJohn's web site.

As for them not making firearms before the Russians came along well of course we aren't talking about the things they made 7 centuries ago. And for the record the western European nations had been formed long before that. I was talking about modern firearms and my point stands. You claim they were making modern firearms in the 19th century which seems pretty strange for a per-industrial revolution society to be making modern firearms at anything more than a cottage industry rate and even that would be rare and no standardized arms could even have existed most likely. Without specific examples of these arms from "before the dawn of the last century" I find your argument without merit. If you're referring to the "Jingal" rampart rifles all I can say is that is hardly a modern implementation of firearm production. It was a cottage industry at best and bears almost no resemblance to modern firearm production. The design originated in the 1700's and yes they adopted some cartridges into use in those "rifles" (if you can even call them rifles - they were more like small canons being huge in design and operated from a fixed position rather than as a carried weapon). Again they are not an example of modern manufacturing IMO. You'll never convince me that what the Russians taught the Chinese about manufacturing was not new to them. BTW those Jingal rifles were not western in design at all. The only other place they were ever used was in India.

And BTW I have a degree in history and I do history for a living (not teaching it either - recording it) so careful about throwing around advice based on assumptions. I do research on subjects before I post on them. I can point you to others who say the same thing about the Russian influence on Chinese production for example. And it would be people a great number of other posters here would recognize like YooperJohn, a well known expert on the subject.

I won't continue in this conversation without specific references instead of sweeping generalizations about my comments. It will be useless to do so. Please be more specific in your claims.

 

[BSA1]

Well it looks like the wheels have fallen off of the original topic.

Thanks again for the information and advice.

 

[CWL]

CeeZee,

I talking about 20th Century. We're living in the 21st Century, btw.

Use that history degree of yours rather than pulling your data from milsurp.com.

China was Germany's biggest arms partner up until WWII. Their relationship ended because Japan demanded Germany's withdrawal from assisting China.

I can go on for hours about China's decentralization policy regarding armaments in preparation for nuclear war, followed by the privatization of military industry in the 1980's, but that's straying from the subject.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I've had a few chinese made SKS's. One for a very long time. I would buy another.

I've wanted a Russian, because I like them. In looking at them they do appear to be the nicest of the SKS's that I have handled. Very similar to my Chinese SKS.

 

[bullseyebob47]

i was looking at a russian sks. not a scratch, no wear, some sort of coating on metal, but it has a plastic hunting stock. he wanted $400. good deal?

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Resale will be hurt by non original stock....

Most russian SKS's in very good original condition in my area are 500.

Up to you, 400 for a nice rifle with a aftermarket stock isnt bad IMO, but that's up to you.