SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
11-11-2003, 03:40 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
I' m really shocked to hear that coming from Vapodog.....
Anyway, about the gun, if you can shoot it accurately, there' s nothing wrong with using an SKS as a deer rifle. If you use suplus garbage, you' ll get what you pay for, cheap crap...but if you buy hunting grade ammunition, there' s nothing wrong with a SKS for deer, the power of the 7.62x39mm is just short of that of .30W.C.F. or .30-30win, which has been VERY successfully used on deer for nearly a century at ranges out to 300yrds (some farther I' m sure). A magnum it' s not, nor is it a long range deer rifle (300yrds+), but people get so caught up on " Fast=good, slow=bad" that they don' t give credit to cartridges that simply get it done. The SKS is no different than any of thousands of other centerfire rifle cartridges, you can pretty much hunt it as far as you shoot it accurately, it' s dropping too fast past 200yrds for most people, but if you' ve got heart shot accuracy at 300yrds, I' d do it, in fact, I have at just under 250yrds, 180# dressed weight doe- using handloads.
Ask on this forum if a Marlin 1894 .44mag is a good deer rifle, you' ll get rave reviews, and range quotes out to 150yrds, if not farther, ask about a .30-30, same deal, but out to 250yrds or more, while the 7.62x39mm is typically more powerful than the .44mag, and barely behind the .30W.C.F. (aka .30-30win)...there are a lot of people on here that do a lot of talking about things that they really have no experience with, they hear the SKS is crap and the round is weak (which compared to a .300win mag, it is), and they never actually consider the real power of the round...while the .44mag and .30-30 are also " weak rounds" , but well known tradition keeps them in the good graces of hunters, right where they should be.
If you handload, try rolling some bullets designed for the .308win into the 7.62x39mm cases, get fairly lightweight and light construction bullets, i.e. 130gr maximum weight in a soft point or ballistic tip...then work the load until you' ve got to about maximum pressure and the best accuracy you can get. I took a 170# dressed weight doe a few years back at just under 250yrds with one of my SKS' s...it' s very accurate, and I had faith in the load, she took two steps and dropped dead.
What you can do about the magazine, if you don' t care to purchase a new 5rnd mag, either pick up another of the fixed box mags (usually much cheaper than the detach 5rnd mags), or use the one you' ve got...you can then put 5rnds in the magazine and make a block that would set under the follower that limits your capacity, then once you' ve got it to the right thickness, drill a hole or two in your floor plate and run a screw into the block from the outside to keep it in place...you' ve got to make the block be permanent during your hunt...I' ve checked with KDWP, and this was a legal conversion, it may not be in your state, it never hurts to check, but it' s much cheaper than buying a 5rnd mag, and you can take the block out during off season to restore your 10 (or 11rnd) capacity.
Anyway, about the gun, if you can shoot it accurately, there' s nothing wrong with using an SKS as a deer rifle. If you use suplus garbage, you' ll get what you pay for, cheap crap...but if you buy hunting grade ammunition, there' s nothing wrong with a SKS for deer, the power of the 7.62x39mm is just short of that of .30W.C.F. or .30-30win, which has been VERY successfully used on deer for nearly a century at ranges out to 300yrds (some farther I' m sure). A magnum it' s not, nor is it a long range deer rifle (300yrds+), but people get so caught up on " Fast=good, slow=bad" that they don' t give credit to cartridges that simply get it done. The SKS is no different than any of thousands of other centerfire rifle cartridges, you can pretty much hunt it as far as you shoot it accurately, it' s dropping too fast past 200yrds for most people, but if you' ve got heart shot accuracy at 300yrds, I' d do it, in fact, I have at just under 250yrds, 180# dressed weight doe- using handloads.
Ask on this forum if a Marlin 1894 .44mag is a good deer rifle, you' ll get rave reviews, and range quotes out to 150yrds, if not farther, ask about a .30-30, same deal, but out to 250yrds or more, while the 7.62x39mm is typically more powerful than the .44mag, and barely behind the .30W.C.F. (aka .30-30win)...there are a lot of people on here that do a lot of talking about things that they really have no experience with, they hear the SKS is crap and the round is weak (which compared to a .300win mag, it is), and they never actually consider the real power of the round...while the .44mag and .30-30 are also " weak rounds" , but well known tradition keeps them in the good graces of hunters, right where they should be.
If you handload, try rolling some bullets designed for the .308win into the 7.62x39mm cases, get fairly lightweight and light construction bullets, i.e. 130gr maximum weight in a soft point or ballistic tip...then work the load until you' ve got to about maximum pressure and the best accuracy you can get. I took a 170# dressed weight doe a few years back at just under 250yrds with one of my SKS' s...it' s very accurate, and I had faith in the load, she took two steps and dropped dead.
What you can do about the magazine, if you don' t care to purchase a new 5rnd mag, either pick up another of the fixed box mags (usually much cheaper than the detach 5rnd mags), or use the one you' ve got...you can then put 5rnds in the magazine and make a block that would set under the follower that limits your capacity, then once you' ve got it to the right thickness, drill a hole or two in your floor plate and run a screw into the block from the outside to keep it in place...you' ve got to make the block be permanent during your hunt...I' ve checked with KDWP, and this was a legal conversion, it may not be in your state, it never hurts to check, but it' s much cheaper than buying a 5rnd mag, and you can take the block out during off season to restore your 10 (or 11rnd) capacity.
11-11-2003, 03:44 PM
#13
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,491
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
The SKS was made for the same purpose any firearm was made for! To launch a projectile towards a distant target! (The target depends on who is pulling the trigger!)
Any other questions?
P.S. What were the .30-06, .308 Winchester, .223 Remington, .45-70, .30-40 Krag, .303 British, 8X57, 7X57, 6.5X55, and a slew of other cartridges originally made for?!? (Or if we are talking specifically about actions...not calibers.....what were Mausers, Enfields, Springfields, Trapdoors, Krags, etc....or for that matter justify the Remington 7400, the Browning BAR, the Ruger .44 Semiauto carbine....get the point?!?)
P.S.S. Do we want to have a discussion about the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
Any other questions?
P.S. What were the .30-06, .308 Winchester, .223 Remington, .45-70, .30-40 Krag, .303 British, 8X57, 7X57, 6.5X55, and a slew of other cartridges originally made for?!? (Or if we are talking specifically about actions...not calibers.....what were Mausers, Enfields, Springfields, Trapdoors, Krags, etc....or for that matter justify the Remington 7400, the Browning BAR, the Ruger .44 Semiauto carbine....get the point?!?)
P.S.S. Do we want to have a discussion about the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
11-11-2003, 05:40 PM
#15
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location:
Posts: 23
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
well you dont need a gun to do somebody in stick ,rock ,car ,there are all kinds of ways .so much for that !my sks likes 125 sp bullets like the fella said 100 yds should be tops . in fact can" t remember where but a fella killed a state record buck somewhere the story was a father let his son use his 7mm and he used the sks and shot the deer .
11-12-2003, 04:32 AM
#16
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,491
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
If we want to have arcane arguments about the merits of particular " tools" as related to how they may have been used (misused) in the past.......then here is one for you! I believe all Chevrolets should be outlawed because a drunken fool driving one nearly killed my little brother! Make sense?!?
Sometimes gun owners ARE their own worst enemy! I suggest anyone that owns a firearm, believes in individual liberty, the U.S. Constitution, or even just the notion of " freedom" take some time out of their " busy" lives and read (with understanding) the Federalist Papers!
It is a shame that humans have a need to relearn lessons over and over again, (often the hard way), every several generations!
A quote from a source I don' t remember...but I sure do like it!
The four boxes of liberty:
1. The Soap Box
2. The Ballot Box
3. The Jury Box
4. The Ammo Box.........to be used in that order!
It' s not the " gunhaters" I fear as much as the " misinformed" among us!!! The last sentence is mine!
Sometimes gun owners ARE their own worst enemy! I suggest anyone that owns a firearm, believes in individual liberty, the U.S. Constitution, or even just the notion of " freedom" take some time out of their " busy" lives and read (with understanding) the Federalist Papers!
It is a shame that humans have a need to relearn lessons over and over again, (often the hard way), every several generations!
A quote from a source I don' t remember...but I sure do like it!
The four boxes of liberty:
1. The Soap Box
2. The Ballot Box
3. The Jury Box
4. The Ammo Box.........to be used in that order!
It' s not the " gunhaters" I fear as much as the " misinformed" among us!!! The last sentence is mine!
11-12-2003, 10:46 AM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
Wow, bet you didn' t figure your simple post would take a turn like this!!!
As for factory ammo, Remington core-loct are alright, the bullet is pretty good but the accuracy tends to be terrible, they' re common and cheap...Winchester Super-X softpoints are harder to find, but I like them more than most other factory ammo.
Just don' t use any Wolf ammo on game, or any of the other surplus or steel cased imported ammunition out there.
As for factory ammo, Remington core-loct are alright, the bullet is pretty good but the accuracy tends to be terrible, they' re common and cheap...Winchester Super-X softpoints are harder to find, but I like them more than most other factory ammo.
Just don' t use any Wolf ammo on game, or any of the other surplus or steel cased imported ammunition out there.
11-12-2003, 04:25 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bossier City LA United States
Posts: 2,425
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
Every SKS that I have seen all had chrome-lined barrels. Most averaged 6-10 inch groups at 100 yards with the iron sights which are fine for battle but not really set up for pinpoint accuracy. By adding a scope you can usually get the groups down to a respectable 4 inches or so at 100. Never really found a scope mount that I really liked for the SKS. They all seem flimsy to me. If you want a gun that you can abuse and still shoot then the SKS can take whatever you can dish out. It just isn' t a target rifle, nor is it the best choice for a main deer rifle. It will do in a pinch.
11-12-2003, 05:05 PM
#20
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Body in SE WI, mind in U.P.
Posts: 4,781
RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
I know its in a completely different league than the sks as far as sights, accuracy, and cartridge goes, but I' m using my Garand for deer hunting this year