Yugo 7.62 X 39

[Cornbread]

I hope this is not a repeat question.

I am getting ready to purchase a Yugo SKS 7.62 X39 for $149 from a local gun shop. The shop has six of these rifles and they all look like they are in pretty good shape (except for all of the oil that is caked on them)

I was hoping that someone could tell me if I was getting a good deal and what I should look for when inspecting the rifle before purchase (ie. inside of barrel, etc.).

For the people out there that have owned or own one of these rifles what do I have to look forward to?

Thank you.

Cornbread

 

[jar]

Depending on the condition that is either an okay price or way too much. Before you buy it I suggest going Here to get some info on how to dissassemble a SKS. IMHO, the SKS is about the easiest rifle to field strip out there.

Some things to look for: At that price, all the key numbers should match. They will be

• stamped on the stock
• stamped on the bottom of the trigger assembly
• stamped on the rear of the bolt cover
• stamped on the left side of the receiver
• electro etched on the bolt assembly

The Yugo SKS does not have chromed bore so you want to take a good look there. To do so you really need to get the bolt assembly out. If the dealer won't let you do that, walk away.

Once you get one, give it a really, really good cleaning. The oil you see on it is most likely cosmoline. And they usually have plenty of that to work with. The number one problem I've seen from SKS owners is poor performance that most often terns out to be caused by not getting all the cosmoline out of the nooks and cranies. The best way I've found to get it off is to fully dissassemble it and soak the smaller parts in kerosene, rubbing alchohol or just boiling water. For the barrel and other places I also use a hair dryer to run hot air through the interior. Cosmoline will literally run out the other end. For cleaning the stock, get some old towels and rags. Wet them and then run a steam iron over the stock. The steam will dissolve the cosmoline which gets trapped in the towels and also will help fill any small nicks and dings.

Good luck. My Yugo SKS is the most accurate SKS I've shot so it's well worth the work.

One other thing. Most of the ammo out there is pretty corrosive so after shooting, run some Windex with Ammonia through the barrel and you'll be a happy camper.

 

[MonkeyMan]

One additional point. The Yugo SKS has a cut-off valve for the gas tube so the grenade launcher can be used. I've heard lots of complaints about Yugo's not cycling properly that can be traced to problems with the gas valve. Look closely.

 

[Tropical Z]

I just got a $109 special from AIM that had all matching #'s except for the bolt.I dont expect any problems,but when all is said and done i'd get matching #'s if i could at that price.My barrel is nice and shiny but a lot of them arent.