SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Would like to know if anyone has or knows anyone that uses a SKS 762x39 for deer hunting. I am thinking of adding a scope to the one I have and using it for whitetail. Am I wasting my money? If it is good for whitetail what ammo should I use?

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

you' ve already wasted your money...unless killing people is what you had in mind.

there' s a lot of deer rifles out there....and yours is not one of them.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

The 7.62x39 will kill deer, definitely. First, check magazine restrictions in your area, you may need to get a new magazine that only holds 3-5 rounds. Then, you have to find some good ammo for that, which won' t be hard, but make sure you don' t just go to the store and get regular target loads with full jackets on them. A stout expanding bullet is a must. Also, with this type of rifle and round, I would limit yourself to a 100 yard shot on whitetails, nothing against automatics or your shooting ability, just the inherent inaccuracy and limited downrange power of the round should keep you under 100-125 yards. Other than that, good luck man. Remember though, CHECK LOCAL HUNTING MAGAZINE RESTRICTIONS.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

It would work, but use soft point bullets and keep the ranges under 100 yards. Adding a scope isn' t going to make it more accurate, surplus plinking ammo is very cheap, so get lots of practice with the iron sights.

Now that is an unnecessary if not completely ignorant statement if I' ve ever heard one. I would guess that because its a semi-auto, its for killing people, and the fact that it only has as much energy as a .30-30, its inadequate to kill deer with?

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

A friend of mine used to use a SKS for deer hunting back in Wisconsin. Of course I would always make jokes to him about being a want-to-be-rambo, but as far as I know, he never lost a deer with it. Proper placement and limiting your range like said above is advised.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Lest we get started in a lot of " name calling" I' d like to add my two cents worth about something!

First, any firearm will kill people if used inappropriately, carelessly, (or even that matter in self defense....APPROPRIATELY!).

Second, the 2nd Admendment most specifically has NOTHING to do with sporting arms...and was intended to keep power in the " hands of the people" ....NOT government.

Third, and SKS used with appropriate ammunition, sighted properly, and used within its effective range WILL KILL DEER like any other rifles that are used as above.

Fourth, I took an oath to protect and defend the CONSTITUTION against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.....and spent better than 20 years of my life living up to that oath.

Fifth, just because I retired from the U.S. Army, does NOT mean that I quit honoring that oath!

Now, before I P**S alot of people off.....I know that this forum is predominantly used by sportsmen/women. And that is fine. After all shooting and hunting are both a part of this nation' s heritage...and just about the best ways I know of relaxing. But I take afront to the notion that because a firearm has a " martial past" , or is a semiautomatic, or because it was previously associated with Eastern Block nations......some how it is a " PEOPLE KILLER" . And without qualification....that statement is NOT indicative of something negative. Let me pose this question to any who would disagree. If you were to use your favorite Remington 870, S&W Model 13, Ruger .44 Blackhawk, Marlin 1894, or _________(you fill in the blank), to successfully defend your life and the lives of your family members....would that then mean that YOUR PEOPLE KILLER was a BAD tool??? Would it then somehow become EVIL?

Firearms are tools! And like any tool they need to be used responsibly. And when they are not...they have the potential to " do wrong" . But let' s not paint with such a wide brush! A house divided falls! RESPONSIBLE gun ownership is the correct solution to the problem....NOT pointing fingers at someone else' s gun (as if it magically will jump up and start murdering innocent people) because of its design....and make the illogical jump to an erroneous conclusion!

And I' ll say it again.....just in the event someone missed it the first time. The 2nd Amendment was specifically about defense, (personal, societal, and as a whole population), NOT about SPORT!

P.S. As was already pointed out by another post. Use a good soft point, insure the rifle is sighted in, and limit your shots to probably no more than 150 yards or so and your SKS will be fine! (Check local laws governing use of semiautos and magazine capacity.)

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

my sks has accounted for 2 deer , and did so very well. I took the bayonet off, added a syn stock, and put on a 4x compact scope. I handload 150 gr sp' s for it, but the 123gr sp' s by rem, win, should work ok to. black hills ammo is loading a 150 gr sp if you can find it. wolf ammo is also loading a 150 gr sp, but i did some tests with them and the bullet did not preform well, eratic expansion, no expansion, or core seperation. Both deer were one shot kills with pass through. I plan on using again, even though I have many deer rifles to choose from. That remark(cheap shot) by vapodog was a load of BS!

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Come on Vapodog that statement is shear stupidity. A rifle is a TOOL. It is how one uses that tool that is important.

Useing your logic one could classify the Springfiel 01A1, 30-40 Krag, any number of Mausers that have been sporterized, M14, etc etc.

Heck OUR Marine snippers use a Remington 700 for their " work" . We might as well label the Remington 700 a " people killer" . Why stop their the .308.30/06, .223, .45/70, 30-40 krag are ex military rounds lets just do away with them.

One could make the argument for the Browning B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle) Though it wears a prettier stock and metal and is only a some-what evil semi-auto it is derived from its WWII sibling.

True the SKS is not on anyones list of " classic" deer rifles and the 7.62x39 is not on the " classic" rounds list......But you might have to wonder why Ruger is chambering it in their bolt action and their #1 as well as CZ in their 527 bolt action carbine. I forget to mention the Ruger mini--thirty--but that could be one of your evil people killers. Also there are bullets available for the purpose of deer hunting.

Vapodog, I think you made your comments in haste. Theres no need in giving the antis more rounds to fire back at us, by dividing us.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

using appropriate ammo and appriate limitations on range its will perform well for you. assuming its accurate enough.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

The SKS is at its best used as a knock-about truck gun or a plinker. The qualities that make it a reliable combat rifle do not necessarily make it a good deer rifle. It is just about bullet proof but it is heavy, clumsy, and often times not very accurate. If minute of pieplate is acceptable to you then the SKS is your gun. The 7.62X39mm cartridge is slightly more anemic than the 30-30 Win. I am not a fan of either but I would rather see them used on deer than any of the 22 caliber cartridges. Out of an SKS your shots should be limited to about 100 yards or so unless you have one of the rare, fairly accurate rifles. Out of a good bolt you might stretch to 150 yards. Anything after that you are losing steam in a hurry. If you want to use an SKS and are willing to abide by its limitations then more power to you and good luck.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

what was the SKS made for?

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.

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?

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

The exact same thing the firs bolt action 30-06 was made for.;)

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 .

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!

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.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

i just thought i would spice it up.
i would think the sks would have a rather rough barrel since it probally was used during war time. how does she shoot at the range.

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.

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:D

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

hmmmmmmmm

30-06
.303brit
.308win
.223
too many 7mm' s to count
several 8mm' s
.45-70
.45colt
etc... etc...

Were all people killers first. Not to mention all the wonderful cartridges that were devoloped from the ones above, like the 7mm-08 from the .308...

Then you have the Mauser actions, The 03' Springfield, Enfield and numerous other MILITARY weapons that are now hunting weapons or weapons derived from military weapons.... Guess a history lesson is in order ;)

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Briman..

fine rifle for hunting. still looking for a nice one to come by. good luck with it this year.
also what is the average grouping do you or should you expect with a M1 garand? do you use a150gr?

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Yes you are right. I never expected this much feed back. My bubble got a little burted from the first statement made. But I really appreiciate the positive feed back. I Got the SKS from my son . He picked it up at a show. It is brand new. It still was packed full of cosmoline when I got . It took awhile to clean it up.

I also have two others that are pre-ban. One is Russian with a lamimated stock Dated 1955. It is beautiful and it is considerd a collecter item. The other is a pre-ban Chinese. All number match also on the Chinese. It has papers and documentation that it is a legal VN souvenir. Also a valuble collecter item.

Just thought what the heck I got this fine looking weapon and I might as well use it if possable. My mind is made up. I will use it this up coming deer hunting season. But I will take the advice of limiting my range and the get good ammo.

Quilly: She shoots wonderful. Nice piece. At the range I am hitting a 4" square target at 100 yards 4 out of 5 times. The fifth I figure is me not the weapon. But I am using a scope. With my old eyes I need a scope LOL. I was shooting Wolf ammo. Just the cheap stuff but I will re-zeroing with good ammo.

Frizzelli: I Got my scope and adapter from Cheaper than Dirt. Nice quality mount and scope.

To sum it all up. Thanks a million for the positive:D and honest feed back.

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

chilly_47,

Glad to hear you got it all " sorted out" and are set to go! I' d bet good money if given a chance, your SKS will acquit itself well!

Good luck to you!

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

With military ball ammo mine groups about 4" at 100 yards. With handloads using hornady flat based 165 gr interlocks, I was able to shoot a couple of 5 shot groups this last weekend that were under 2" - 1 group was exactly 1.5" . I think the rifle can do a little better with a bit of tweaking.:D

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Briman,

Sounds like you got a keeper there! One of these days I' ve promised myself a Garand....hopefully soon!

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

My friend...that comes from a member of the John Birch society....for your records.....

RE: SKS 762x39 for deer hunting?
 

Vapodog,

Thanks. I know I' ve read it several times before...but sometimes it' s dang difficult to find a quote when you' re looking for it! Thanks again.

Another of my favorite was by TR about " daring great deeds" .....one of these days I will actually take the time to learn them in their entirity and then memorize them. It' s amazing how the older I get....the more relevant history seems to become, (and the worse my memory becomes)!