SKS rifle?

[spydermdz]

anyone own one? anyone ever owned one? i am thinking about buying one to go with my AK as a brother.. any suggestions? or comments on the SKS rifle?

[WORKER#9]

The SKS is the single greatest rifle ever produced.

That is all !






































































Sorry, could not help myself on this one.

[greencobra]

Check this site out. A ton of info and links there.

http://www.simonov.net/

[spydermdz]

worker, i always have thought of it as being one of the best. just wanted to hear what you guys thought about it....


its really cool though, they are cheap as dirt and as more reliable than any other rifle out there.. people are so crazy about paying big bucks for AR-15s and remington model 700's when you can go to a gun shop and get an SKS for under 200 bucks and the thing will outlast any of the other ones... not to mention you can pop off rounds fast too, with the semi automatic fire...


what about the huge 40 round banana mags worker 9?

[zenheretic]

anyone own one? anyone ever owned one? i am thinking about buying one to go with my AK as a brother.. any suggestions? or comments on the SKS rifle?

I could swear, I was giving you crap about the SKS a few months ago.

I would try to track down a European made model over the Chinese ones if possible. The stock fits the body better of the average American, and usually the construction is much better. I don't know if the aftermarket stuff has improved, but the those banana mags used to just screw up a good thing. I know I did post some links to some history on the SKS in one of your AK threads. (aftermarket stocks seem to work well though)

[peacefuljeffrey]

I have had one since about 1994 or so. I got it from my friend's brother-in-law, an FFL who had somehow come upon several of them, for about $150 at the time.

It came with a 5-round (I think it was five, might be ten) attached magazine, but I got a few 30-rounders that can detach just about as easily as any other rifle's.

The ones we got (my friend got one too) are Norinco (Chinese made). They came with some printed warnings about how some specimens might potentially have soft spots in the steel, and about how you should load two rounds at first to see how it fires just in case it should inadvertently go full-auto on you!

The rifles were surplus, and were packed in this smelly grease (is that creosote or something?) for preservation. Came with a funky little cleaning kit that sticks into the stock, I think.

We never had any problems firing our rifles, and they did not exhibit any of the flaws that the paperwork warned about. I don't know what incidence of those flaws showing up one can expect.

The rifle has a folding spike-style bayonet. Once, I fired it with the bayonet extended, and after a while something must have rattled loose because the bayonet assembly shook itself off the rifle. I was fortunate to be able to find all the parts there on the sand at the outdoor range. I decided not to fire it with the bayonet extended anymore.

It has been years and years since I even fired that rifle, now that I think about it. At least since I moved to Florida 9 years ago! (I can barely believe it's been 9 years. I didn't want it to be 9 years...)

I'm not sure how easily you're going to find affordable 7.62mm ammunition. The guy at a local gun shop told me that .223cal. and 7.62 are pretty scarce these days on the commercial/civilian market, and he attributed it to the action in Iraq. I have not checked far and wide, though, so I can't say whether that's an accurate depiction.

-Jeffrey

[spydermdz]

you are right jeffrey, the ammo is hard as hell to find. howver it will come back and the ammo will resurface someday in plentiful ammounts... its just a matter of time... with the whole deal in iraq and all right now, you are correct, its hard to find... nevertheless, i still wanna get an SKS to have

[d.g.g]

Ammo isn't that rare or expensive. 500 rounds for $80, 16 cents per.

http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_s...2x39_ammo.html

I bought an SKS to see how it compared to my old Garand. It isn't super accurate but then neither am I. I was very reliable, never failed to cyle. It is very easy to field strip and clean. It isn't very big but somewhat on the heavy side with the wood stock but nothing compared to the Garand. The .30-06 Garand ammo had more punch than the 7.62 x 39 SKS ammo. The SKS has a chromed lined barrel that the Garand doesn't. This is a definate plus if you do alot of shoting with surplus ammo I think.

I think for the money it is great. Take a look at the Ruger mini-14 prices. The mini-14 is just a baby Garand.

Here is a good SKS review. I wouldn't mess around with any auto conversion kits.

http://www.cruffler.com/Features/APR...-April-02.html

[spydermdz]

dgg, i dont plan on it... the SKS is one of the most reliable rifles ever to be produced... i have an ak47 (maadi) and was wanting an SKS to go with it.. i like the sks a little better than the ak47 basically because its got a longer barrel and i am more accurate with it... plus the semi automatic firing capabilities are a major plus!!! what kind do yuo have again?

[WORKER#9]

The sks is the best rifle ever made, it is better and more reliable than the most custom remington 700. I like it better than the best ar-15 because of the chrome barrell. It is so good that it is better than the best rifles ever made. That is why you find it in third world conflicts because in such dangerous places like Liberia you don't want to get stuck with anything but the best. It really is the best, those soft metal parts, because of poor heat treat are on purpose because softer steel can take more abuse and if it does go full auto that could be a benefit if your like in some country as bad as Liberia where it could be real good. So I think its the best.

Did I mention that I think it's the best!

[WOTANSON1]

I've had one forever, it's easy to use, clean and disassemble, you can use it as a hammer and it still shoots very well. The local ammo guy orders bulk for me and I'm out shooting every 3-4 weeks.
Cheers,
Rob

[StuntDouble]

Pros: Still relatively inexpensive
-Ammo is cheap and easy to find
-Stripper clips are cheap and easy to find
-Reliable
-Not too heavy
-Accessories!

Cons: Not the most accurate of surplus rifles
-Some can be pretty rough
-To maintain reliability, you'll probably need to stick with the fixed 5 or 10 round magazine. I haven't read good things about the fixed 20 rd and up magazines. Same goes with modifying the SKS for removable magazines. It usually requires every magazine that's going to be used to be modified.
-Norinco stocks may be too short for some.

[spydermdz]

Pros: Still relatively inexpensive
-Ammo is cheap and easy to find
-Stripper clips are cheap and easy to find
-Reliable
-Not too heavy
-Accessories!

Cons: Not the most accurate of surplus rifles
-Some can be pretty rough
-To maintain reliability, you'll probably need to stick with the fixed 5 or 10 round magazine. I haven't read good things about the fixed 20 rd and up magazines. Same goes with modifying the SKS for removable magazines. It usually requires every magazine that's going to be used to be modified.
-Norinco stocks may be too short for some.

even with those cons, they are amazing rifles... they get it done. plain and simple

[peacefuljeffrey]

I never had any problems with the accessory magazines my friend and I got. They were 30 rounders, if I'm not mistaken.

-Jeffrey

[Jimd]

I've owned several SKSs over the years, and all have functioned flawlessly. Accuracy past around 150 yards was horrible, but then they weren't made for sniping. Within this distance, accuracy was decent.

I would stick with the ten-round, integral magazine. The rounds can be loaded quite quickly with stripper clips from the top, so rapid reloads aren't a problem.

Comparing the SKS to an AR-15 is like comparing watermelons to grapes; not even in the same class.
AR-15 ergonomics are way ahead of the SKS, ie., safety/selector switch, magazine release/changes, sights. AR-15 reaches out much farther and is far more accurate at a much longer distance than the SKS could ever hope to be.

But generally, I'm a fan of the SKS. They're simple, reliable, and fun as hell to shoot. For the money, you can't beat them.

[StuntDouble]

I agree spydermdz. I like them so much I bought mine back for twice as much as I sold it for:-p


Jeffery,

Do you remember what brand the magazines are? Were they fixed or detachable? I found detachable 10 rd mags in the latest Sportsman's Guide that I might have to try out.

[zenheretic]

The sks is the best rifle ever made, it is better and more reliable than the most custom remington 700. I like it better than the best ar-15 because of the chrome barrell. It is so good that it is better than the best rifles ever made. That is why you find it in third world conflicts because in such dangerous places like Liberia you don't want to get stuck with anything but the best. It really is the best, those soft metal parts, because of poor heat treat are on purpose because softer steel can take more abuse and if it does go full auto that could be a benefit if your like in some country as bad as Liberia where it could be real good. So I think its the best.

Did I mention that I think it's the best!

Many, if not all, AR-15s have a chrome barrel.

I guess Spyderco should make their knives out of soft steel, so they can take more abuse.

SKS's don't "go full" auto, the risk is slam firing, which is an uncontrollable rapid firing that resembles "full auto" in every respect accept slam firing doesn't need someone to pull the trigger once it begins. This means that when a gun is slam firing you could throw it on the ground and run yet it would still shoot. Slam firing continues until there are no more bullets or until it blows up. This is an incredibly dangerous condition to have a firearm.

The SKS compares to only one rifle ever used the US military, that being the M1 Garand. The M1 Garand is vastly superior in every detail. Sites, range, accuracy, workmanship, ammo., you name it.

[J Smith]

If you get one check with Coal Creek in Knoxville,they had some Yugos cheap and one of them was an older one that did not have the grenade launcher on it.

[peacefuljeffrey]

I agree spydermdz. I like them so much I bought mine back for twice as much as I sold it for:-p


Jeffery,

Do you remember what brand the magazines are? Were they fixed or detachable? I found detachable 10 rd mags in the latest Sportsman's Guide that I might have to try out.

I'm not sure, but I can check. I think I still have one in a package, actually. Unless I'm really mistaken, they hold 30 rounds.

I don't think I even have 30 rounds of 7.62 on hand, anymore! That ain't cool, but I so rarely fire that thing, it doesn't seem pressing to get more.


-Jeffrey

[peacefuljeffrey]

The SKS compares to only one rifle ever used the US military, that being the M1 Garand. The M1 Garand is vastly superior in every detail. Sites, range, accuracy, workmanship, ammo., you name it.

I think the original post was seriously meant to be sarcastic.


-Jeffrey