Any tips on buying SKS?

[CMichaud]

I have owned and shot a whack of guns. Nothing wrong with the SKS...It is $200 semi. It is cheap to shoot.

Tula vs Izzy - no difference really but Izzy made less so are arguably harder to find d and more collectible

Hard wood vs laminate - either is fine e. Some say the laminate is stronger and more resistant to moisture

Collector vs shooter - collector grades are rarer years, all matched, non refurb, rarer country of origin etc. Ultimately they all shoot the same

Corrsove vs non-corrosive ammo - clean your rifle and you should be fine. Corrosive ammo is cheaper.

Floating pin vs spring pin - I believe they went away from spring assist in 1951. Spring is better but not a show stopper if you keep your weapon clean and practice safe shooting.

Chrome lined bore - I believe it was 1954 and later but may be off. Some claim chrome is better CA corrosive ammo but accuracy can suffer

Most important thing that many do not know is sear engagement. The safety is a trigger only safety. If you have negative sear engagement and the rifle is charged, a bump could cause the gun to go off. It is easy to check and an aftermarket sear will remedy.

Just my 2 cents

[FellSwoop]

I decided that it would be a good addition to the safe a couple of years ago. I bought 3 of them and kept the most accurate. They all cycled great, but the ugliest one groups the best, so I kept it and sold the others. I can get about 2.75" at 100 yards with it doing my part.
I have carried it hunting but only got one rabbit with it. For now it is a keeper.

[Random_randall]

Some people spend $5000 or more on a range rifle for 500 yards or more, some people just plink and hunt with a 22 you spend your money on what ever makes you happy!

[pikeman06]

Buy a 223 savage package gun and throw the s.k.s in the garbage. For the price of gun and ammo and the accuracy you get out of box I don't know why people bother with 50 year old military surplus crap. Give yourself a chance with a decent accurate rifle unless you just like the noise.

[hogie]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Buy a 223 savage package gun and throw the s.k.s in the garbage. For the price of gun and ammo and the accuracy you get out of box I don't know why people bother with 50 year old military surplus crap. Give yourself a chance with a decent accurate rifle unless you just like the noise.

Only way to make that fair is to get an Axis with iron sights. I'm sure most guys wouldn't shoot it much better, if any than a milsurp rifle.

Many of the old milsurp rifles will shoot well. If you can handload and find one that's decent they can shoot. I have several milsurp rifles that will hold 2.5inch groups or better. Most accurate milsurp is a Ross mklll. Not a great bore but I've shot many groups 1.75 inches or better. All at 100m. All with iron sights.

The sks is not a target rifle, to expect any more than 4 inch groups at 100m is pushing it. Right ammo with right rifle and some guys are getting better. Not so good ammo and rifle gets worse. Semi auto rifles generally do not give great accuracy.

[pikeman06]

I hear ya hogie. I guess I just don't see the attraction to those s.k.s. to me firearms are all about clean kills, a nice group on the range or whatever you choose to strive for. Guns that fling lead all over the place are bad for confidence. I only shot a couple s.k.s so am no expert but a 5 shot 12 inch group just don't get er when the gun is in a vice.

[sjr]

What ever SKS you buy , just please clean up your mess of shot up targets - junk + empty brass in the bush after you shot
Thanks

[sillyak]

Originally Posted by CMichaud

I have owned and shot a whack of guns. Nothing wrong with the SKS...It is $200 semi. It is cheap to shoot.

Tula vs Izzy - no difference really but Izzy made less so are arguably harder to find d and more collectible

Hard wood vs laminate - either is fine e. Some say the laminate is stronger and more resistant to moisture

Collector vs shooter - collector grades are rarer years, all matched, non refurb, rarer country of origin etc. Ultimately they all shoot the same

Corrsove vs non-corrosive ammo - clean your rifle and you should be fine. Corrosive ammo is cheaper.

Floating pin vs spring pin - I believe they went away from spring assist in 1951. Spring is better but not a show stopper if you keep your weapon clean and practice safe shooting.

Chrome lined bore - I believe it was 1954 and later but may be off. Some claim chrome is better CA corrosive ammo but accuracy can suffer

Most important thing that many do not know is sear engagement. The safety is a trigger only safety. If you have negative sear engagement and the rifle is charged, a bump could cause the gun to go off. It is easy to check and an aftermarket sear will remedy.

Just my 2 cents

Every SKS I've seen has negative sear engagement. Despite the inherent danger having negative sear engagement 98% are still safe due to the large engagement and super high spring tension.

Really easy to give the rifle a wee bit of positive engagement and reduce the amount of engagement to get a crisp (although still heavy) trigger. The sear is so big it is the perfect sear for a beginner to take a stone to.

[hogie]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

I hear ya hogie. I guess I just don't see the attraction to those s.k.s. to me firearms are all about clean kills, a nice group on the range or whatever you choose to strive for. Guns that fling lead all over the place are bad for confidence. I only shot a couple s.k.s so am no expert but a 5 shot 12 inch group just don't get er when the gun is in a vice.

I get that as well, always trying to get good groups and accuracy. Just have different expectations for different rifles. I don't expect target accuracy from every rifle.

SKS is not the most accurate but in all reality if a soldier could shoot 5moa or better that all that was needed out to 300. They are a battle rifle designed at the end of ww2. By that time Russians had done a lot of fighting that 300m was plenty of distance for a rifle to be accurate.

I've never tried to make a SKS accurate, doesn't make sense to handload for one or buy better ammo. I think they could probably be a 3 moa iron sighted rifle if everything was good.with iron sights.

Part of the fun with the old ones is spending the time behind them, handloading, shimming stocks all trying to make one shoot better. Sometimes it works and some rifles just won't.

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by Henzo45`

Hi guys, I am planning to add an SKS to my gun safe, and i need your wisdom.

I have been doing my own research, like look down the barrel for silver lining, or make sure all parts numbers are same. But i dont think this is enough.

Anyone want to teach this grasshopper how to choose best one in the bunch?

Thanks.

There's some great info on collectable SKS,what to look for,identifying etc. stickied in the Red Rifles forum on gunnutz.
You might need to be registered on CGN to open the link?
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...e-feb-8th-2011

I had a mild interest in SKS when I found above link a few years ago.....then,on the day after Fed election 2015 I went out and bought one with a crate of ammo just to somewhat cheer myself up .As of yet I've been uninspired to fire a single round thru it or even clean off the cosmoline.....but it doesn't eat much,require a room of its own, or hog my TV remote,sooooooo....??

[Henzo45`]

I do have CGN account. I rarely go there because most of them are always trashing others opinions. This was something. I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this

[CMichaud]

Originally Posted by sillyak

Every SKS I've seen has negative sear engagement. Despite the inherent danger having negative sear engagement 98% are still safe due to the large engagement and super high spring tension.

Really easy to give the rifle a wee bit of positive engagement and reduce the amount of engagement to get a crisp (although still heavy) trigger. The sear is so big it is the perfect sear for a beginner to take a stone to.

I actually have had one of each (pos/neut/neg)

It is an easy fix and agree with the ability to also address with a stone - but it should be checked regardless as many people do not realize that the safety is a trigger safety only. I am not sure if wear and tear may aggravate the situation over time.

[Groundhogger]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Buy a 223 savage package gun and throw the s.k.s in the garbage. For the price of gun and ammo and the accuracy you get out of box I don't know why people bother with 50 year old military surplus crap. Give yourself a chance with a decent accurate rifle unless you just like the noise.

^lol

Pretty sure the OP asked about the SKS only, and I quote; "how to choose best one in the bunch?"

I get what you're saying, because I'd never pick an SKS ahead of a good .223 bolt gun~and didn't either! I've never tried to sell anyone ON the idea of getting an SKS at any point in my life, but at least 2 buddies who have tried mine ended-up getting their own. Wouldn't be my first, second, third...even 10th choice of a firearm but yet here I am with a smelly 1954 Russian SKS in my safe. And I like it! I paid $225 for mine and it's worth every penny of $225 to me.

On a side note...my almost 13 year old son just mentioned the SKS recently, as he's yet to try it. I told him "next nice day we get, we'll take it for a drive out to the country". He asked if we can bring a watermelon. lol I guess tight groups aren't the first thing on his mind when it comes to the SKS either. Fun rifle.

[Wiz]

Originally Posted by sjr

What ever SKS you buy , just please clean up your mess of shot up targets - junk + empty brass in the bush after you shot
Thanks

Sks is a neat piece of history to own and play around with. Just shooting the thing is fun enough.

[Unregistered user]

Here's a handy link for maintenance.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/art..._campaign=0217

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by sjr

What ever SKS you buy , just please clean up your mess of shot up targets - junk + empty brass in the bush after you shot
Thanks

Originally Posted by Wiz

Thanks for a useless post.
.

Unsolicited advice granted,and perhaps painting SKS owners with a broad brush.....but he does have a point.
Any and all "bush ranges" that I shoot at,while they all have their slobs that leave a mess behind,I can say without a doubt that x39 casings are by far the most abundant cartridge to be found on the ground.
I'll go out on a limb here and also assume that a disproportionate amount of targets stapled to cardboard boxes,shot up TVs and toasters,and fragments of random objects previously exploded with binary targets are left behind by the same slob SKS warriors.

[gitrdun]

Who invented the SKS? there are so many variations. But was it the Chinesse or the Russians?

[Henzo45`]

It was Russians nearly at the end of WWII. Then Chinese copied it

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by Henzo45`

It was Russians nearly at the end of WWII. Then Chinese copied it

Thanks. Do you know what SKS means?

[Henzo45`]

Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova.

It means self loading Carbine of Simonov system.

[trooper]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

Wouldnt take one if it was free

Same here.. Save your money for a real rifle...

[Pioneer2]

It was scaled down to what it is today from an existing anti-tank rifle.Proto=type was 7.62x41 and became the 7.62x39 .Russian invented them and sent their tooling to the Chinese,Early Chinese guns had screw in barrels with blade bayonets then went to pinned barrels with spike bayonets.Chinese always had chrome lined barrels Russians since mid 1951.Mine shoots claybird sized groups any day at 100 yards benched.They were made to kill people out to 400 yards and hitting someone stationary would be no problem.... more accurate than the AK that replaced it.....little known fact ...they saw experimental use in the closing days of WW2....hence the M43 name...the "U" marking on the rear sight is a 300 meter battle sight....aim at the belt buckle from the muzzle to 300 meters and he's wearing a bullet.....Harold

[Pioneer2]

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by sjr

What ever SKS you buy , just please clean up your mess of shot up targets - junk + empty brass in the bush after you shot
Thanks

That says it all right there why most of us dont like them because we associate the sky's with smart so and so kids with no respect because most of us have seen the results.

[Pioneer2]

You blame the gun and not the user.Harold

[Viking Caliber]

Shop around to all the places that sells them to find the best price.
Canadian tire (Deerfoot City next to Cabela's) and Cochrane Canadian Tire are in fact competitors. They will price match each other. for this example I will use Deerfoot City Canadian Tire is A and cochrane is B.
I bought a Mosin Nagant at location A for $250, I went to the Shawnessy location and saw the Mosin Nagant for $189. I came home and called location A and told them that I went to the Canadian Tire in Shawnessy, told them the price.
They went to their internal computer and couldn't find Shawnessy but they found location B, price $179. I went back to location A and got the difference back.
Mosin Nagant 91/30
Location A $250
Location B $179
so it pays to shop around first. I know this is not the SKS, but the idea is the same, shop around.
I heard that at Caroline outfitter's store, they offer SKS's at a decent price.

hope this helps

[densa44]

It punches above its weight that is for sure, heck it defeated the "Master Race". I took a stone to the sear too and I put a cheap scope on mine and a cheaper cheek piece and shoot at 200 M all the time. The ammo is pretty good too. My friend has a repeater in the same caliber and it shoots very well.

[Henzo45`]

Originally Posted by Viking Caliber

Shop around to all the places that sells them to find the best price.
Canadian tire (Deerfoot City next to Cabela's) and Cochrane Canadian Tire are in fact competitors. They will price match each other. for this example I will use Deerfoot City Canadian Tire is A and cochrane is B.
I bought a Mosin Nagant at location A for $250, I went to the Shawnessy location and saw the Mosin Nagant for $189. I came home and called location A and told them that I went to the Canadian Tire in Shawnessy, told them the price.
They went to their internal computer and couldn't find Shawnessy but they found location B, price $179. I went back to location A and got the difference back.
Mosin Nagant 91/30
Location A $250
Location B $179
so it pays to shop around first. I know this is not the SKS, but the idea is the same, shop around.
I heard that at Caroline outfitter's store, they offer SKS's at a decent price.

hope this helps

I have a spread sheet of that already. It includes price, condtion, accessories it comes with, location of the store, shipping option, and the origin country.

I also have spread sheet of ammo by store, round per box, total price, price per round, shipping option, stripper clips included, and location.

I did some research on my spare time and best price was offered from CT in Edmonton.

[Unregistered user]

There was a time you could buy surplus Enfields for $20, now folks are asking $1k for a full wood, used one. Buy a few SKSs and hang on to them, the well may dry up and voila. FWIW $350 is the usual selling price in the USA as supply is tighter there.

[Henzo45`]

Glas our PM didn't ban on importing guns.