SKS Rifles? Thoughts?

podman · #1 05-03-2010, 01:43 PM

Cabelas Canada has these SKS rifles for sale from 250-300 bucks. Curious if anyone has one and what they are like. Surplus rounds are $199 for 1120. Thinking about buying for the heck of it. What do you think?

timsesink · #2 05-03-2010, 01:51 PM

They're fun for just plinking around, however they feel cheap, are cheap and aren't super reliable. I'd save up a bit and go for a M14 Norinco. However for pure shooting fun and price you can't beat them.

timsesink · #3 05-03-2010, 01:53 PM

A guy was selling one on the B and Sell forum fro 300 with a nice TAPCO stick

trooper · #4 05-03-2010, 02:06 PM

I used to own a few one made by Norenco and the other made in the soviet union. They're nice to play with but stay away from the scope/ dust covers. the problem with these is when you strip the rifle to clean it, you remove the dust cover and in so doing you ruin the rifle's zero. (I had a leapers scope affixed to mine and I was shooting the occular lense on the scope fell out of position!) I took the scope back to Mil arm in Edmonton and they refused to refund the thing. However they did let me take the scopes value in merchandise out of the store. Another thing about that cartridge, It's now legal to hunt big game in Alberta with a 7.62x 39mm provided you use an expanding spitzer bullet! Don't do it! The spitzer bullet, a 123gn weight, in the hunting load doesn't have the energy to kill a deer. I had a friend shoot a big buck from 60 meters last fall. he placed 5 rounds into the animal and we tracked it for 270 yards it was still alive when I put a .308 into it. I was pretty disgusted with that.

gunner72 · #5 05-03-2010, 02:20 PM

My buddy's and I bought some a couple years ago and there fun to shoot but ya i don't think that I would use it for hunting alltough I sure would have thought it was able to kill a deer at 60 yards? Wow that sucks! They shoot fairly close to a 30-30.

podman · #6 05-03-2010, 02:38 PM

Thanks for the replies. Ya I would not use if for anything other than plinking if I were to buy one.

mtylerb · #7 05-03-2010, 02:45 PM

I just picked one up. They're great to get out and do some cheap plinking with. I have a '45 Simonov and am looking for a Tapco T6 stock to replace the wooden one. Good, relatively cheap, fun.

mudbug · #8 05-03-2010, 02:58 PM

I've got a Chinese Type 56 SKS and I've used it for almost twenty years now. I've never had a jam, misfire or any problems with it and I'm pretty hard on it. Works really good for pest control. Accuracy isn't too bad either but anything past 200 yards is really pushing it, up to 150yards I've hit everything I've shot at and I just use the open sights on it. I wouldn't bother putting a scope on it though because when cleaning them the section of rifle with the scope comes off to be cleaned and you'd be constantly re-zeroing it I figure. Best $110.00 I've ever spent on a firearm.

TheClash · #9 05-03-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudbug

I've got a Chinese Type 56 SKS and I've used it for almost twenty years now. I've never had a jam, misfire or any problems with it and I'm pretty hard on it. Works really good for pest control. Accuracy isn't too bad either but anything past 200 yards is really pushing it, up to 150yards I've hit everything I've shot at and I just use the open sights on it. I wouldn't bother putting a scope on it though because when cleaning them the section of rifle with the scope comes off to be cleaned and you'd be constantly re-zeroing it I figure. Best $110.00 I've ever spent on a firearm.

well that is ok cause podman has an aversion to cleaning his rifles haha

mudbug · #10 05-03-2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheClash

well that is ok cause podman has an aversion to cleaning his rifles haha

I clean the SKS regularly because the surplus stuff is really corrosive but then again I've left it a few times between cleaning. You can throw the thing in the mud though and it'll keep shooting though, like I said I've been pretty hard on it but then again that's what I bought it for so I wouldn't wreck my other ones. It's fun to shoot at military shoots too, I used to take it to those shoots quite a few times.

trooper · #11 05-03-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheClash

well that is ok cause podman has an aversion to cleaning his rifles haha

Yep I agree with the durability of that rifle. It was made as a cheap easily maintained assault rifle, The VC used them alot along with the AK 47. Just like that AK, you can throw it in the mud and still see it never jam. As far as accuracy goes, I guess it depends on the ammo you get. there's chec ammo romanian and Chinese as well as Russian. some is accurate and then again some aint. as I said, some years ago, I took my Russian rifle and mounted it into a choate dragonov type stock,bought a dust cover that would take a scope, and a Harris bipod. I even modified the magazine so that I could remove the whole thing like a standard mag. a bit of welding on the mag and some grinding and you have a removable mag. If you do a slight mod to the bottom of the breech block, you can remove the mag with the bolt closed. Look closely at the sides of the bolt you'll see a slot running along each side of the bolt. This is for the magazine lips. when the mag is in the rifle, the bolt moves forward and to the rear as the rifle cycles. I showed my modified rifle to a friend of mine, he was so impressed, He had me do it to his and then some others got involved as well. it works neat. If you want, I can show you how to modify yours. Email me armouredtrooper@hotmail.com

westwest · #12 05-03-2010, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timsesink

They're fun for just plinking around, however they feel cheap, are cheap and aren't super reliable. I'd save up a bit and go for a M14 Norinco. However for pure shooting fun and price you can't beat them.

"Aren't super reliable" What are you smoking ?

Grizzly Adams · #13 05-03-2010, 07:33 PM

Like most Commie guns, a bit on the crude side and built for smaller people.

The Russkies must be cleaning out their armories, judging by what's available. All the recent ones I've seen are arsenal refurbished, dated early 50s and there seems to be a wide variation in price without any obvious difference. Cabelas lists three, ranging in price from. 259. to 399. I paid less than 200. for mine. Easy to know who owns one. One of the guys in the neighborhood must go through a case of ammo, every weekend.

Grizz

gunner72 · #14 05-03-2010, 07:51 PM

I noticed I have what looks like a bad scare in the top of my rifling about 2/3 the way down the barrel. Is that kinda thing common in these guns or is it just my luck? I had a buddy pick it up for me in red deer so i never got to really check it out. How good of a group can you guys get them to shoot at say 100 yards? Or maybe even 50 if 100 is to far to be accurate?

mudbug · #15 05-03-2010, 08:53 PM

On a good day I could put them in an 2" group using open sights but that was when I was doing lots and lots of shooting and it also depends on the ammo being used. I don't get out as much now and my grouping reminds me of this fact

podman · #16 05-03-2010, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheClash

well that is ok cause podman has an aversion to cleaning his rifles haha

you won't have much time to clean your guns either once those twins come.

Thanks for the responses, sounds like a fun gun.

mudbug · #17 05-03-2010, 10:40 PM

You can get the Chinese and Russian ones at ther Shootist in St.Albert for around $200.00 and Moving Target also has a good selection of SKS's as well. PM me if you want their email addresses and I'll send them to you, I'd post them now but they're not handy

Found them,

www.shootist.ab.ca Ken orders them in/request and doesn't have them in stock

www.movingtarget.ca Edgar seems to have lots in stock so you can see ahead of time what your getting

BigLou · #18 05-03-2010, 11:10 PM

The Shooting Edge in Calgary has a bunch of chinese SKS' in stock for $199.

trooper · #19 05-04-2010, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner72

I noticed I have what looks like a bad scare in the top of my rifling about 2/3 the way down the barrel. Is that kinda thing common in these guns or is it just my luck? I had a buddy pick it up for me in red deer so i never got to really check it out. How good of a group can you guys get them to shoot at say 100 yards? Or maybe even 50 if 100 is to far to be accurate?

I'm guessing that "scar" you see may be the port for the hot gas to bleed off when the bullet passes that point in the barrel.

westwest · #20 05-04-2010, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner72

I noticed I have what looks like a bad scare in the top of my rifling about 2/3 the way down the barrel. Is that kinda thing common in these guns or is it just my luck? I had a buddy pick it up for me in red deer so i never got to really check it out. How good of a group can you guys get them to shoot at say 100 yards? Or maybe even 50 if 100 is to far to be accurate?

o

Sir Rollo · #21 05-04-2010, 07:23 AM

I chronied 10 rounds out of mine, and they were all within 20 fps, right around 2420.

gunner72 · #22 05-04-2010, 07:35 AM

Ah yes thats exactly what it is.

viral_override · #23 05-04-2010, 07:40 AM

I ve a ruskie and the Chinese...simply put...fun as hell. Gophers worst nightmare..lol...cheap ammo...looks cool...indestructable...cheap ammo...plink away....

Just clean up the 2 million shells you leave behind..

TheClash · #24 05-04-2010, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by podman

you won't have much time to clean your guns either once those twins come.

Thanks for the responses, sounds like a fun gun.

haha true true

Sir Rollo · #25 05-04-2010, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunner72

Ah yes thats exactly what it is.

My memory may have failed on the velocity, but what struck me as odd was how consistant each round was, compared to the last. Not something I was expecting from military surplus ammo in a semi auto.

Nester · #26 05-04-2010, 02:18 PM

It's a fun little rifle. Get these, it really helps me with my shooting

madatter · #27 05-05-2010, 04:51 AM

Great gun,cheap ammo,fun to shoot.....even better if it was a 10 rounder...oh well.

madatter · #28 05-05-2010, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nester

It's a fun little rifle. Get these, it really helps me with my shooting

I just installed this Williams Firesight combo but have not had a chance to shoot with em yet.
The factory sights just don't work very well with my crappy eyesight!!

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/...ight/index.asp

gitrdun · #29 05-05-2010, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by podman

Cabelas Canada has these SKS rifles for sale from 250-300 bucks. Curious if anyone has one and what they are like. Surplus rounds are $199 for 1120. Thinking about buying for the heck of it. What do you think?

crap, junk , garbage.

Grizzly Adams · #30 05-05-2010, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitrdun

crap, junk , garbage.

So, who ****ed in your corn flakes today?

Grizz