Yugo vs. Chinese SKS - Same price/ NEW

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NWAttorney

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I'm looking to pick up two SKS's, and want to know which is better, the Chinese or the Yugo version. I've heard the Yugo's don't have chrome lined barrels, but the others don't always either.

If you could chose between the two for the same price brand new, which is a better gun?

If there is a thread on this, please point me there and I'll drop this one. Thanks.

NWAttorney
 
If they are both new, unfired, I would lean towards the Chinese.

Little better materials, chrome lined.

The Yugo may or not have laminate wood, which is a personal preference, and also a grenade launcher.. see above as to preference.

Me? I would just get one of each and be happy.


.... but then again, I have a couple Chinese, Russian and no Yugo.. so I guess I need to go shopping again....
 
True enough.

However, the Yugo SKSs are the most ruggedly constructed due to that reason. So I have read, although I can't recall where I read it.

The site alleged that the Yugo's were built stronger because they lacked the steel to make high quantity of rifles, so they made high-quality of rifles. From what I have seen, that has been true. For my part, I will buy only Yugo SKSs. I currently have 2 and am looking at 2 more.

Where else can you get a .30 cal autoload for $119.00 to $179.00?! No chrome, no problem. Simply keep it oiled. :)
 
However, the Yugo SKSs are the most ruggedly constructed due to that reason. So I have read, although I can't recall where I read it.

The site alleged that the Yugo's were built stronger because they lacked the steel to make high quantity of rifles, so they made high-quality of rifles. From what I have seen, that has been true. For my part, I will buy only Yugo SKSs. I currently have 2 and am looking at 2 more.
Click to expand...

Actually it was due to the lack of Chromium deposits, the article you were//are referring is the Surplus Rifle page:

The main difference between other SKS rifles and the Yugoslav versions is that the bores of the Yugo versions were not chrome plated--Yugoslavia has no significant native chromium ore deposits, chromium was expensive to purchase and Yugoslavia's relationship with the USSR (a major chromium ore exporter) since 1948 was lukewarm at best. One reason Yugo SKS rifles (in fact all Yugoslav small arms seem "beefier") is because Yugoslav cartridges are much "hotter" loads than other similar "East Bloc" ammo, plus since Yugoslavia's manufacturing capacity was relatively limited, each weapon had to be more durable.
Click to expand...
http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp

I think it comes down to personal preference, or which one looks better to you. As noted in other threads and in my signature, I was looking for a Yugoslavian M59/66 but my eyes were just snapped to attention by a Chinese SKS that I saw one day.
 
Yes, that's it! Thanks. Wow, the old brain cells still got it. :D
 
nothing wrong with my lovely yugo!
in fact i hear more compaints about the chinese ones
it would be nice to have a chrome lined barrel though
 
A lack of chromium in Yugoslavia being responsible for Yugo SKS rifles not having chrome lined barrels is disputed elsewhere:

So, in short, Yugo had/has plenty of chrome, the know how just came late, after 1970.
It has nothing to do with Russians, cost prohibitive, or else.
Click to expand...

Personally, cost being equal, I'd take the Yugo. The chinese seem to vary hugely in quality, with some being barely better than junk.
 
I've owned exactly one SKS, a Yugo 59/66 that I bought as unissued, pristine and all numbers matching. So I am by no means an expert.

But I've shot side-by-side with a shooting pardner who at one time or another has owned three Chinese SKS rifles. The reason he owned three is that he kept having reliability issues and would trade in for another.

The truth is, I liked his rifles for their lighter weight and more compact size. But the length of pull on each of his was too short for me. I liked the longer buttstock on my Yugo (aided by the nice rubber recoil pad). But Yugos are soooo much heavier than your average Chinese. It seems like it weighs as much as an M-1 Garand.

I could care less if the bore is chrome lined.

My trigger is horrible, but every square centimeter of my Yugo is of very high quality. It has never had a single reliability issue. So I guess, in spite of it's masive weight, it's a keeper.

Of Tom's three rifles, in the end none were keepers. Just last week he got $180 for his #3 as trade in toward a $500 Norinco AK-47.
 
The Yugos I've seen (I have one) look to be excellent quality.
I also have a Chinese (actually Sino-Soviet) model that is also top quality.
Having to choose between them I would choose the Chinese, because it's a little lighter and the chrome barrel.

The chrome barrel is a big thing to me. Back when I was much younger and stupider I liked to see how fast I could pull the trigger 30 times, them another mag, then 30 more times- corrosive ammo, not as much cleaning as I should. The barrel is still perfect and shiny as a mirror. Now- I haven't shot either in years. Not really my thing any more.

I would not take a lower quality Chinese over the Yugo, but I once owned a wore-out lower quality Chinese SKS that still worked fine. Reliability issues on these guns can almost always be traced to aftermarket magazines, or a rusty chamber.

I have one other nationality of SKS that most people have never seen- North Vietnamese. Excellent quality but a little pricy if you can find one.
 
i'd take the yugo mostly for all the cool bells and whistles. flip up night sights, grenade launcher/sights etc, muzzle break... also i've heard the chinese one's can be hit or miss for quality.

and dont stress about the non chromed bores on the yugos. if you dont fire corrosive ammo its not a big deal, clean it the same as all others. if you do for some reason fire corrosive, a little bit of a home made mixture cleans it up.
 
I prefer the Yugo due to the milled receiver and general better overall construction sans chrome lined barrel. The one Chinese SKS I handled did not really impress me. Guess I just liked the robust feel of the Yugo better. I sold mine to one of my nephews in a time of need, and, I miss that rifle. :(
I'm seriously considering trying to get another one(or buy that one back from the nephew. I understand he's never shot it and just put it in storage) even though I have no real need for one. I just loved the robustness of it and all the goody's that came with it. It was also not too shabby in the accuracy dept. either. Pretty doggone good actually.
 
the ruggedness of the yugos is also pretty good, like a lot of guys are saying. i read somewhere that the bores are nearly twice as thick as the russian sks's, making them able to handle hotter loads. if anyone cares about hotter loads as compared to cheap loads in these :p
 
The whole chromed bore is over-rated. Chrome will corrode just like bare steel, it just takes longer. If you fire corrosive ammo, simply clean the firearm with Windex with ammonia. That kills the corrosive salts immediately. Then, wipe and oil as usual. No big deal. Since I clean after every firing session, corrosive means nothjing to me. If one is laid-back, prefering to clean their firearms somewhere along the lines of annually, then corrosive is an issue. :banghead:
 
I agree with the others on the Yugo's beefiness. It just feels like a battle rifle. I owned a Chinese sks but sold it back in 94 before being stationed overseas. My Yugo I bought unissued a few years back; matching serial numbers and beautiful wood and metal. I have not seen another Yugo in as good as condition as mine since I left the East coast. If I remember correctly, it was built in the 80's.

I have never had a malfunction in my Yugo, and I can't remember any with my Norinco.

 
In my experience, the stocks on the Yugo SKS feel more comfortable to hold inthat they are not as non-descript as the Chinese stocks. The Chinese stocks are shorter than the 59/66 stocks. The one time I shot a Chinese SKS, the 50 yard grouping was inferior to what I've seen yugoslavian rifles shoot at double that distance.
 
I have owned 2 Yugos with the grenade launcher. They are complete pieces of drek. Mine continually had problems with the gas selector switch, didn't like steel cased ammo like wolf, and jammed so much that I sold my first one and GAVE Away my second one. I have since procured an Albanian, and a Chinese model. The Chinese is excellent. It eats whatever I give it, and there hasn't been a single problem with it.

Yugos are a good deal pricewise, just make sure you REALLY inspect that gas system, or else be prepared for a lot of single shots. Chinese are the best for reliability
 
I have to say go with the Yugo. I recently got mine, several hundred rounds later and I have yet to have a single problem with it. The lack of a chrome lined barrel is not a problem if you keep it oiled and clean it after you use it. My rifle came new and unissued, all the serials match, if it is in good or better condition, by all means get it.
 
I've owned Russian, Chinese and Yugo. Sold them all and bought an unfired Chinese Norinco. There are some excellent Chinese SKS's if you know what to look for. Yugo's are excellent build quality and you can't go wrong with one. Personally, I prefer Chinese because they're lighter and there's no grenade launcher, they just look cleaner to me. Chinses also don't gas gas valve issues like the Yugos do, though admitedly, there are some fine aftermarket gas valves that are cheap and easy to replace.
 
A lack of chromium in Yugoslavia being responsible for Yugo SKS rifles not having chrome lined barrels is disputed elsewhere...
Click to expand...

Maybe due to things like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium

Chromium is mined as chromite (FeCr2O4) ore. Roughly half the chromite ore in the world is produced in South Africa. Kazakhstan, India and Turkey are also substantial producers. Untapped chromite deposits are plentiful, but geographically concentrated in Kazakhstan and southern Africa.

Approximately 15 million tons of marketable chromite ore were produced in 2000, and converted into approximately 4 million tons of ferro-chrome with an approximate market value of 2.5 billion United States dollars.

Though native chromium deposits are rare, some native chromium metal has been discovered. The Udachnaya Mine in Russia produces samples of the native metal. This mine is a kimberlite pipe rich in diamonds, and the reducing environment so provided helped produce both elemental chromium and diamond.
Click to expand...

Maybe somewhere on line is a world map with little dots showing where the
deposits are located.....it may be a matter of the FRY not having enough local
ore to do their firearms and some other manufactured product. Maybe they
were saving it for the chrome trim on their Yugo Automobiles? Nothing like
extra adornments for a 45 hp car....:D

In all seriousness, the FRY did not always have the best relationship w/ the
FSU and I would wonder if this had hindered their imports of chromium from
their communist big brother.
 
SKS

I've had the Russian, Yugo, Chinese, Albanian. My first choice is the Russian then the Yugo by far. I have gotten rid of all my Chinese and have no plans for another one. I have had the problem with the gas valve and a 20.00 piece will fix that forever. The chrome is not a problem for me if you clean the gun even with crosive ammo. I like the heavy gun, none of the triggers have been worth a darn. My Yugo's are as accutrate as any of the others. My useless .02 worth. Thanks MK
 
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