younggun308

Hey guys, it's been a good while since I last came to this forum, I've been really busy in the Turkey forum, lol.


I have been seriously considering getting an SKS at the next gun show I go to, which will probably be in August, since it turns out I checked 3 days too late for gun shows in my state.[:@]

I know there's quite a few out there, different makes, etc.
I was wanting to know several things to look in SKS's, things like, country of origin, where to look for wear, etc.

When I get one, I want to get one that's accurate, by SKS standards of course.
Also, one that doesn't jam.

Thanks in Advance,


Josiah

Briman

For the money, its hard to beat a Yugo SKS. You can get an unissued or lightly used one for under $200. They are very solidly built. The only downside is that they don't have chrome lined barrels- not much of a downside unless you plan to shoot a lot of corrosive ammo and/or have Rambo fantasies. Stick with the 59/66 model which has the grenade launcher- most of these were made int eh early 1980s and had little use, the model 59 without the launchers are usually in pretty rough shape.

Chinese SKSs are much lighter than Yugos and vary somewhat in quality to well made to POS. They have chromed barrels and cost more than Yugo SKSs due to them no longer being able to be imported.

Albanian SKS- they are readily identifiable by the sling mounted to the side fo the stock. Usually in really rough condition. Only upside to them is that they are pretty rare.

Russian- The standard by which all others are judged. They'll cost $300-400. There are quite a few of hem out there that are in unissued or lightly used condition.

kirby375

The Russian ones have the best fit and finish. As far as wear, most you will find, will be new. I have owned a couple of sks rifles, actually three,I had a paratrooper carbine as well. All were fun to shoot and reasonable accurate.I got tired of them and sold them, just not my cup of tea. When I used to live in the country, the paratrooper saw a lot of action on coons, and opossums, stray dogs and cats etc. A bunch of the guys I work with got into buying them back when you could pick them up for under a hundred bucks at gun shows, we used to split cases of ammo as well. I work about five minutes froma public range, so we spent a lot of lunch hours, and time after work out there blowing away ammo : )

BigJ71

I'd look for a Chinese SKS if you want a solid performing SKS. The Yugo's are good, but they are heavy and don't have Chrome lined barrels, You will need to watch what kind of ammo you shoot through it as someare corrosive. You will NEED to clean the Yugo after ever shooting. That doesn't bother me as I clean all my guns after I shoot them but I know some friends who NEVER clean their SKS's or AK's and they just keep on shooting....all chromed lined barrels.


As stated by Briman, there are many different types of SKS rifles, but all will do what you want without jamming and little maintenance. The Yugo's 59/66are the cheapest right now if price is a factor. The earlier Yugo's are the model 59. If money is not a factorlook for a Russian, they overall are built the best. You can get a better price on the Russians if you stick to the factory Russian rebuilds. They are the most common and are easilyidentified because their receivers and top covers are painted black. If you find a Russian in blue it's most likely original (or a forgery to look original) and command a higher price. The function the same just harder to find. The Romanian SKS's are also a good rifle but also cost a little more and most I've noticed are in pretty rough shape cosmetically, make no mistake about it they will still function fine.

The Albanians are different from all the other SKS's, besides what Briman mentioned they also have a longer front guard and they are much harder to find. They also by the way have the most problems. I have one but rarely shoot it, my others are far more reliable.

Then there are the SKS "D" models and "M" models, both of which will accept the AK magazines, Not the silly "duck bill" aftermarket mags but REAL AK mags. These are also harder to find and bring top dollar as well.

Lastly you will find them in two different basic configurations..."Standard" and "Paratrooper" The standard SKS's have the longer (20inI Believe) barrels while the paratrooper sports a cut down 16 in barrel. Contrary to popular belief no "paratrooper" model was ever issued as a military weapon. They might have been military surplus before they were converted to "paratroopers" but none were issued in that configuration.

I have a couple of those as well and they function just like their longer barreled counterparts, they do make a pretty handy little rifle though and I find myself grabbing a paratrooper model more often to plink with or even hunt.

Good luck with your search and let us know what you get.......with pictures!

bigtim6656

i am not big on sks i like the aks
also i have always been told to stay with either Chinese made or Russian made

younggun308

Hey, thanks alot, guys, I'll keep all of this in mind, if I were to get one, I'd probably shoot bulk ammo, instead of spending $14.00per20-roundboxfor Super X ammo.

Thanks, guys, I really appreciate it.

Josiah

BigJ71

youngun308

A SKS it a great little rifle. It's accurate enough for hunting but it won't set any marksmanship records. Just as long as you know it's limitations before you buy it you will absolutely enjoy it for a long time.

One other thing I forgot to add. The Yugo 59/66 (the one with the grenade launcher) has a slightly different operating system than the other SKS variants in that you can shut off the gas flow to the gas piston by means of a switch at the gas port just behind the grenade sight and forward of the upper hand guard. It's EXTREMELY important that you check the valve for pitting.

Remember when I talked about cleaning the SKS and corrosive ammo? Well not only should the Yugo soldiers have cleaned the barrels but they should have also cleaned the gas port as well. The problem is A LOT of them didn't and the result was a corrodedpittedvalve that now leaks causing the gas to bleed around it instead of routing through it to the piston to push the bolt back open and reload another round. What you are left with is essentially a single shot rifle and not a semi auto as designed.

The good news is the little valves can be purchased for about $20.00 but you still have the hassle of getting it to work as originally intended. If you're seriously looking at a Yugo SKS you need to check TWO major things before buying to make sure they are clean and crisp......The bore and the gas valve.

It's that reason and that reason only I suggested the Chines variant even though the Yugo's tend to shoot slightly (and I do mean only slightly) better. They have chrome bores and no gas valves to worry about.

younggun308

Yeah, from what I heard you guys say, I wasn't thinking of getting a Yugo, I guess I would rather have chrome bores and not have to spend $20.00 on top of everything else.

I'll probably save up, and get a Russian SKS, that is, if I can find one for $300 or so, I'll certainly be able to come up with that much by August, lol.

But just out of curiosity, what is the importance of making sure the gas valve is open? I'm really not familiar with grenade launchers.
Also, justa "what the heck" question, do you know what kind of grenades the launcher fires?

I did hear you mention that some Russian SKS's have been pained black at the receivers and tops,is this better, than blued, like, does it last longer and is it less vulnerable to rust?
I have a hunting rifle with a blued barrel, and it's really frustrating that whenever I accidentally touch the barrel with my fingers, it stains, and never leaves, and the bluing generally fades away slowly after that, no matter how much oil or solvent I use.
Would this be a non-issue with a black-painted SKS?

Also, does the country of origin for the SKS determine what kind of magazine it has?
My grandpa's Chinese SKS is one of the hinged floorplate versions, so the fastest possible way to load it is with a stripper clip, and also the gun is only able to fire 8 rounds per load, so it's basically a Communist Garand right now, lol, soI was kind of hoping for something better than that in terms of ammo capacity.

Are there detachable-magazine SKS's, besides the "D" and "M" models?


Sorry to fire more questions, I really do appreciate y'alls in-depth posts.

Josiah

Knightia

SKS




Type
Carbine

Placeoforigin
Soviet Union

Production history

Designer
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov

Designed
1945

Variants
Chinese SKS; Yugoslavian PAP; Romanian SKS; Albanian SKS; East German SKS; (North) Vietnamese SKS; North Korean SKS

Specifications

Weight
3.85 kg (8 lb 8 oz)

Length
1021 mm (40.2 in)

Barrellength
521 mm (20.5 in)


[hr]


Cartridge
7.62x39mm

Action
Short stroke gas piston, tilting bolt, self-loading

Rateoffire
Semi-automatic

Muzzlevelocity
735 m/s (2,410 ft/s)

Effectiverange
400 m (433 yd)

Feedsystem
10-round internal box magazine, 10-round stripper clip-fed or individual round loading

Sights
Hooded post front sight, tangent notch rear sight to 1,000 meters
.................................................. .............

Nations that utilized the SKS but did not receive manufacturing rights included Afghanistan, Congo, Indonesia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, the United Arab Republic (Egypt) and the Yemen People's Democratic Republic.
.................................................. ..............

Far as i know the vast majority come with the fixed/hinged mags - but a 10 rounder not 8- reguardless of country of orgin( tho i heard in Canada there only alowwed afixed mag that hold 5, tho im not sure if thats true or not myself), .

Though like mentioned by other posters abovethereare also some models( D & M)made by the chinese that came from the factory & are/wheremade to use Ak mags.Chinese firearms(and ammo)import into this country including Sks,s where stoped by billy clintoon in 1994.


I bought a few before billys ban- including a older( earlyier productiontype 56 chinese for 89 dollars(with tax)that has no chrome lined barrel & came with a blade bayonet instead of a spike.

From data avalable& some research etc. I believe it was made in the mid tolate 50,s/early 60,sor around there- possibly with some original ruski parts- but its not all origninal i dont think(different stock?/sling bottom sling mount etc) & may be a & had a arsenal/factory rebuild along the way.

The wooden stock "was"pretty ruff- metal is all ingood shape no rust at all,or much wear etc-but with a dark bore- after many thousands of rounds(including variousmil surp)fired after i had it ,threw it *& lack of much care on my part- it has never failed in fuction & fire as intended.(And i expect it to do just that for many yrs to come still)

I have also a newer oneproductionChi/com (with chrome barrel/spike bayo)that came with a very nice lookingstock etc- it has a pined barrel instead of the screwed on type- not fired very much by me. I will be giving that one to my son in Ky soon.

Briman

The gas valve on a Yugo is used to cut the gas flow off to the piston for launching grenades. The valve is basicly a steel cup with a hole in it to line up with the gas port on the barrel- the cup sits paralell to the barrel at the front of the gas cylinder. Rotating the valve counterclockwise about 75 degrees cuts off the gas and allows extension of the grenade launching sight.

The potential problem with them is if the valve is corroded, enough gas could leak out of the gas cylinder so that there isn't enough pressure to operate the action. This is generally only an issue with rifles that have seen a lot of use wear the barrel will show signs of corrosion/pitting as well. If you buy one that is in 'unissued' form, you won't have this problem.