Why the SKS is a better than the AK47 for civilian use

[will11]

To me there is no argument. They are both great rifles. Just get one of each and have fun. You will then see the what one does better than the other.

 

[Cee Zee]

Back in the Spring of 1969 I was a Marine Corps 2nd Lt Platoon Commander leading my platoon on a patrol through the jungle about 20 miles west of Da Nang.

Thanks ever so much for your service. May God bless you!

BTW my AK wasn't much less accurate than my SKS. But it wasn't reliable at all. Go figure. The brand of these rifles and the time they were made plays a big role. My BIL's Maadi was an excellent rifle. My Norinco true milsurp Type 56 is incredibly reliable and more accurate than people are willing to believe. Things can be done to make these firearms work better BTW. But this argument is endless. My main point would be that the ergonomics of the AK were designed for a full auto weapon. The SKS was designed to be a semi-auto. To me it's a much better rifle as far as ergonomics go.

 

[Davek1977]

And no the 7.62x39 doesn't hold a candle to a 30-30 on deer. I've shot at least a dozen deer with them. It will kill them but not reliably. It sucks as a deer round. Good for war though.

I own a Norinco SKS and a Marlin 336....I've shot deer with each, and I couldn't tell that one was any more dead than the other, and neither moved more than 2-3 feet from when they were hit. Ammo choice is of course important. Using quality SP ammo, there's no reason whatsoever the 7.62x39 isn't sufficient medicine for Bambi. Its dropped big mule deer in their tracks for me repeatedly. Others have used it on Black bear with success. If you aren't killing deer with the 7.62x39 reliably, I put forth that its not the rounds fault. It has sufficient energy to easily take deer size game humanely within reasonable ranges.

 

[amx4080]

Back to the original question: Why the SKS is a better than the AK47 for civilian use

SKS, as it's simpler but only by a small margin. Easier to shoot prone with a standard fixed mag.

 

[goon]

SKS, as it's simpler but only by a small margin. Easier to shoot prone with a standard fixed mag.

In complexity, the SKS is about the same and the fixed magazine is a little more complex than an AK magazine.
And AK magazines can be had in 5, 10, and 20 round capacities for those who may wish to shoot prone.

I personally do like the SKS better, but I don't think it actually is better (or worse).

 

[mr.trooper]

Even the best weapon is subject to flaws in its ammunition.

Every weapon firing the M43 cartridge suffers, as a result of the abismal lack of consistancy in the loading of animal ammo. Some more so than others.

 

[Nite Ryder]

Personally I don't think one is any better than the other for civilian use, but of course that depends on what civilian use is. The SKS may be a bit more accurate, but neither of them use a cartridge that is what I would consider to be powerful. Ballistically they are probably close to what you would expect form a 30-30 Winchester, enough to kill a deer but not most big game animals. The one thing going for both of these guns is they are cheap and the ammo is cheap, so if you are on a limited budget, either of these guns would work well for you.

 

[Cee Zee]

Ammo is the limiting factor for accuracy on both the AK-47 and the SKS in my experience. Once the Russian made bullets get past about 200 yards they start to open up a lot and it was the same for both my AK and my SKS.

My SKS was more accurate but not by a lot. And it wasn't a case of the barrel being longer. My AK actually had a longer barrel. It was a pre-WASR Romanian AK. Overall it was longer than my SKS.

 

[goon]

I had a particularly good batch of Ulyanovsk 7.62x39 back when I was into AK's that was very consistent and accurate for some reason. I started with two 700 round cans of it, opened one and was astounded, then put the other one under the bed and didn't touch it. Last I knew of it, I sold it to a friend when I got out of 7.62x39's and told him to never open it because it was as valuable as Gold. If you guys could lay hands on some of that stuff, you'd also likely be impressed with what the 7.62x39 can do.

If not, try experimenting with some handloads. The AK is a little harder on good brass than the SKS, more so since you can pull the piston out of an SKS and use it as a straight pull bolt action, but both can do more than you'd think with good ammo.

 

[Mayvik]

Just don't Bubba that Chinese trying to turn it into an AK...do some research but you could have a relatively rare gun (first-run Chinese, Sino-Soviet, etc). Keep the Tapco away!

 

[justice06rr]

For purely civilian and sporting uses, I can see why the SKS might/can be better than an AK.

Its a no-fuss, non-tactical, accurate, well-balanced, very robust and easy to use rifle IF only used for recreational uses. In this manner can totally agree.

But from a defensive/offensive/tactical use, the AK is better. Of course, having one of each is always better

Although I'm sure the SKS will suffice if you had to use it when your life is on the line.

 

[Werndl]

I hesitate to get involved in this because this is the same type of info that kept me away from the ak for so long but here goes...
My wasr with a few cheap mods, namely the trigger, hits a 12" steel off hand 9 out of 10 times at 200yds. (Wolf military classic)
To me that is outstanding for a battle rifle. Maybe i got lucky as hell, but im sorry to say that i gotta feel that most of the reports that an ak cant shoot are from people that dont shoot enough. .30 cal in a light to no recoiling iron sighted rifle, that goes bang every time is a true treasure. If god forbid shtf, my high dollar ARs dont get the call. Ak, hands down. For egg shoots at 200, AR wins all day. Play to your strengths, everything else will fall into place if its meant to...
Flame away... i just cant let the ak accuracy talk go without chiming in just a little bit

 

[kilibreaux]

Ergonomically the SKS IS INDEED the better choice! It holds plenty of ammo for hunting purposes, and can be recharged pretty darn quickly using strippers though in the hunting field that is simply NOT a standard requirement.

I wholeheartedly agree with you...

The AK is a poor design ergonomically speaking...it's GREAT in every other aspect, but the stock is too short, front too heavy, sights suck, heavy, weird "safety" that harkens back to the middle ages...don't get me wrong, AK's are highly reliable, but then so are SKS rifles.

Slap a removable 30 round mag in an SKS and you have a BETTER rifle than the AK...but don't say that too loudly....shhhh

 

[Baron_Null]

Unpopular opinion: I find the AK pattern to be superior to the SKS in regards to ergonomics, at least when it comes to fitting my frame.

but the stock is too short, front too heavy, sights suck, heavy, weird "safety" that harkens back to the middle ages...don't get me wrong, AK's are highly reliable, but then so are SKS rifles.

The standard AK stock is indeed too short for many people, but fits smaller people like me perfectly.

Maybe it's just me, and my girlfriend, and my friends, and my mother, and my mothers boyfriend, but all of us find my SKS significantly more front-heavy than my AK. Of course, my SKS still has the bayonet on it, which contributes to its balance issues.

Any complaint that can be said of the sights can just as easily be said of the SKS, since they both use the same type of sights. The only thing the SKS has going for it over the AK is sight radius, which is not unimportant, but saying the "sights suck" implies that the sighting style of the SKS is significantly different.

The SKS just as heavy as the standard AKM pattern rifle, and even more so if the rifle is a Yugoslavian variant.

I will concede that the safety on the SKS is far superior in regards to manipulation to the AK.

My opinion on the matter is that the best one for civilian use is the one that you are most comfortable with. IMO, there are not enough significant differences between them to make one the clear winner over the other, and it mostly comes down to personal preference.

 

[geronimotwo]

i have to argue for the superiority of sks, as i live in NY. unfortunatly, many ak's are now banned here. because of the internal magazine the sks does not meet the definition of an assualt rifle in this state, thus becoming more useful to me.

 

[javjacob]

I like the SKS just for the reason it has a straight stock. I cant stand the pistol grip the AK has, just feels wrong to me. The 7.62x39 is a great round and is rather cheap. affordable ammo is important to me. I was unaware they still make the SKS? I would like to get one but not sure which one to get and most of them I see for sale are asking $450 for one in rough condition. I might just have to start searching and take my time.

My dad has a SKS and it uses the AK47 magazines. Is this a mod that was done to use the AK magazines and which ones are able to convert to the AK mag? I really like that set up. I need some schooling on the SKS as I know very little about them.