Cordite

Saw a TV blip about the SKS being a popular hunting rifle in Wisconsin! [:-] Give me a break! Surely not! I am not sure it is a popular hunting rifle anywhere! Geez! The anti-gun people will have a field day with this. Hillary and her gang will profit from this. I hope the NRA has already put on their sharpest guys to handle this one. Personally, I think we ought to get rid of all this "junk," but I would hate to see any more bans etc. Most hunters have more sense. BUT, if the SKS is a popular hunting rifle in Wisconsin, now I know why they aren't winning too many football games lately

JagMagMan

I doubt that they are even popular with the novice hunters! Most hunters know that most of the SKS' don't have the accuracy to be considered a true hunting gun, and the energy that they have is borderline at best!

BareBack Jack

I don't see the SKS as a popular hunting gun,but more of a plinker at targets and such.

I have a SKS but it is just a knock-a-round,bounce in the pick-up and shoot varmits gun.

slugman

what is the magazine capacity of this rifle ?

HNI_Christine

If you think all SKS's are inaccurate, then it must really miff you that people are allowed to hunt deer with smoothbore shotguns, handguns and... egads.. bows.

The 7.62 X .39 is the ballistic equivalent of a 30-30, and the 30-30 has killed more deer than most all other calibers put together.

ELKampMaster

While it is not a classic American hunting rifle, it does have what it takes. Deer are pretty easy to bring down. Much of the Eastern backwoods deer hunting chatter I hear frequently sings the praises of the 30-30 carbines being just great for short range deerhunting.

The SKS with its "short russian 7.62" is essentially the ballistic twin to the 30-30 plus you DON'T have to use those flat nose bullets. Bullet selection is way superior for the SKS. Short and quick handling like any carbine. 5 shot magazine with rapid fire easily equal to any lever gun. A proven record of functionality in adverse conditions. At ranges of 30 to 90 yards plenty sufficient accuracy.

Its not my style for a hunting rifle, but for the kind of hunting described above it is way up to the task, even though no doubt it is currently the "devil's gun" in Wisconsin.

EKM

Knightia

Exellent points&posts AV&ELK.
My sks,s came with the fixed 10 round fixed mag like 1below .
______________________________
But yep the devils gun to some .
Specifications:
Weapon nomenclature - Samozariadnyia Karabina Simonova (SKS)
System of operation - Gas, Semi-automatic fire only
Bolt type - one-piece, tipping, rear-cocking
Weight (loaded) - 8.8 lbs.
Length, barrel - 20.34 inches
Length, overall - 40.16 inches
Feed device - 10-round, fixed, staggered double-row box magazine
Sights, front - Hooded post
Sights, rear - Tangent leaf, graduated from 100 to 1000 meters
Cartridge - 7.62 x 39 Soviet M43 (Type PS ball)
Muzzle velocity - 2411 fps
Bullet weight - 122 gr.
Working pressure - 45,000 psi
Bore diameter - .301 inches
Groove diameter - .311 inches

TommyTANK

You can get mags for it that hold 30+ rounds. I'm from Wisconsin, and the SKS is not exactly popular, but amongst the kids from up north around my age, that is the gun I have heard many say they wanted. (I dont understand it either) Personally I dont like the look of it or the way they feel. Never shot one, so the only thing I know about their accuracy is what I just read from above. Its kind of disturbing when you hear thirty shots ring out in the woods (I have). You just hope they are not shooting at deer err make that anything living... :*(

Nomercy

I would say that the SKS is much more common than you'd think...I'd venture that there are twice as many SKS's being used as 6.5x55 98's, or likely just as many as TC Encores. I'm sure there are more SKS's being used than Garands or M-1A's. Group all semiauto rifles together and I'd venture that they're every bit as common as those that use handguns for hunting.

No, I don't think it is common for it to be someone's ONLY deer rifle, but I can name at least 10 hunters I know that have at least taken ONE deer with an SKS, for one reason or another, myself being one of them. That said, I do know three hunters that do indeed ONLY use SKS's for ALL of their hunting.

What I'm trying to say is, No, the SKS isn't commonly thought of as a "deer rifle" = the one rifle you plan to use for deer, however, it IS INDEED commonly USED as a deer rifle, at least occasionally by many hunters.


To those concerned about magazine capacity, the standard FIXED box mag is 10 (11 in some magazines), HOWEVER, this magazine is easily removeable (no tools required) and can be replaced by a detachable magazine of any size made available...I have a few 20, 25, and 30rnd magazines for plinking with my SKS's, and I have a 3rnd and two 5rnd magazines to be used while hunting.

Change some hardware around on an SKS and you're not that far from any other "non-assault" semiauto rifle....

To address the "power factor", it's not typically understood to be a "high powered rifle", but most people think of a "high power" as ANY centerfire, and many common folk think of any rifle that has a hole in the front as "high power"....my point is, there is no real, constant dividing line...i.e. is a .44mag rifle a high powered rifle? What about a .223 rem? .32-20? Where do you draw the line, and by what qualifications?

Balistically, the SKS isn't too terribly far behind the .30-30 on energy, roughly the % difference between a .30-06 lt. mag and a .300Win mag, or the .300win mag and the .300WSM, not enough difference that a deer is ever going to know it. The only real draw back with the 7.62x39mm is the light bullets it usually throws, and the fact that most SKS's aren't really accurate, nor is most ammo produced for the 7.62x39mm honestly trying to be accurate, it's trying to be cheap. In quality ammo (I reload mine), you can expect virtually the same performance from the SKS or the Win 94.

JagMagMan

Whats to be miffed about? I'm not sure what you are trying to say here, or more to the point, what you are trying to start! I handgun, and bow hunt also!
There are some calibers that are better suited for hunting than others, and there are some types of guns that are more suited to hunting than others!
If hunting with an SKS or similar type gun is what you want, and its legal in your area, by all means, knock yourself out!
I will say again, that most SKS' lack the accuracy, to be most hunters "weapon of choice!"