What do you think about the SKS

delete

The cheapest option for a semi auto centerfire to date. Its all around medium range caliber rifle. For self defense and shortrange hunting ,cant beat it. If on a budget, get a Norinco or Yugo sks. YOu will have a reliable weapon to last a lifetime.

SKS boards forum has lots of info.

Good truck gun but don't expect much out of it, its not top quality and it ain't the tightest ship in the navy otherwise fun for plinking or brush gun but thats it.

Quality will vary. The best is probably the Russian issue ones.
At best you are looking at a 3-4 MOA rifle. For hunting, the 7.62x39 round is roughly equivalent to a 30-30 which makes it at most a 200 yard rifle. In my early years, I scoped a Russian SKS and got a deer at 225 yards. I would never do that again.
For short range plinking, they are a fun rifle. The 3 that I have are all very reliable. I don't shoot them much because the more accurate milsurps and longer range shooting interest me more.
They are very easy to field strip and seem to be pretty hardy. The ammo has had a history of varying prices, but generally at any given time, it is among the cheapest to shoot. In 1993 I paid 9 cents per round, in 1997 I paid 20 cents, 2003 I paid 8 cents, and now we are looking at roughly 20 cents per round. I wish I would have stocked up more at the last low cycle.
For a cheap semiautomatic, you can't beat an SKS.

they are fun to own and shoot. they aren't gonna win no accuracy awards but they will hit a man sized target at 200yds, well the ones that i have shot will. Quality and accuracy will be different form specimen to specimen.

A Russian SKS in collectable condition runs about 400-500. If you just want a quality shooter I'd get a Yugo.

To me it's one of the best all around rifles for the money. I have several and love them. I guess it really just depends on what your going to use it for. If you get one keep these two things in mind. 1. Clean your gas tube and piston.( eventually it will cause it to not cycle). 2. Though Tapco makes good high caps for the sks. I would keep the factory 10 round fixed mag for ultimate reliability. Good luck.

The Russians are the best and do offer battle issue quality and rugged construction. I have two and they are more accurate than my AK's. With stripper clips it reloads quickly. Try to find a Russian SKS. You may still be able to get one for around $300 - $350 which is still a good deal.

Its the closest thing to an Assault Rifle you will be able to touch under $650 for a LONG long time.

Decent for their purpose. I sold 2 Russians off and kept a short barrel Norinco. The Norinco was simply more accurate than the other two.

I like my Chinese SKS. It's seen some use but is fun to take out every once in a while. I'm happy with its accuracy as I've gotten 2MOA groups with it using Yugo M67 ball ammo.

The thing about SKSs is that they are what the are: There no good way to mount optics on them, They work best with the integral 10 round mag, Most of the folding stocks are just a complete wast of $.

If you want a cheap rifle you can modify, I'd look at a Saiga. They use the same cartridge, already have a mount for optics, and are basically an AK in a sporter stock.

Saigas can also be converted to EBRs by relatively simple modifications. BSW

I have owned several SKSs over the last 20 years Russian,Chinese and Norinco. I have never seen any that I would call "poor quality". They ALL went bang every time and nothing ever broke. In a shooter, it doesn't matter if parts are milled or stamped so long as they work. As with any firearm an SKS will get more accurate the more YOU shoot it. Keep it clean and it should outlast you.

One alternative you may wish to look in to is the "Saiga" rifle. I'm considering the SKS and the Saiga, currently.

I think they fit right in with all my other old wood.

I had a Yugo and a Russian. The Russian had a nicked up crown and it was a real PITA to recrown because of the chrome lining in the bore but I got it done. It was a decent shooter.

The Yugo had a HORRIBLE trigger. Must of broke at about twenty pounds... I had no love for that rifle.

Then I found a cherry Norinco SKS-M that takes regular AK mags and has a somewhat decent trigger and is pretty accurate. I sold the other two off.

I have a Yugo SKS and I love it, very fun rifle to shoot, mine will do 4 MOA at 100 yards. Its dead nuts reliable and shoots a cartridge with pretty good short range power. For the $150 I paid for mine, best money I have spent.

I'll parrot what the others have said. Great value rifle. Tons of fun to shoot. I wish I had bought these when they were sub $100. I got a very nice one from a fellow THRer for a very fair price and really, really, enjoy shooting it.

Get one.

when they were a 100 or 150 dollar gun, maybe, if it were my last choice. other wise, I hate everything about them. they are too long, too heavy, very loud and clanky, and the absolute worst big, 3 point star stupid magazine design, ever foisted on mankind. Just terrible.

if you can get a paratrooper model, that is chrome lined, and takes standard ak mags, then I would do that. but that is going to be chinese or russian, and I would guess that either one will cost you about 700 bucks.

Love'em. Everybody should have a couple, one of the best deals going, though as others have pointed out, 100 bucks was significantly better than current prices.

You won’t find a better more reliable semi-auto for under $350. The magazine makes for easy bench/bag range use and they’re as accurate as I can shoot with iron sights. Reliable and as robust as an AK there’s no reason not to own one.

I had one

about 15 years ago (I believe it was a Norinco). I remember the bayonette was triangular-shaped as opposed to flat knife-shaped.

I tried deer hunting with it by placing a carefully-carved wedged-shape wooden piece underneath the riser in the bottom of the magazine well that made the magazine hold a maximum of 5 rounds (+1 in the chamber) to be legal in the state in which I reside.

Even after removing the bayonette, I remember the gun being extremely noisy when trying to deer hunt.

The length of pull was good for maybe a five year-old.
I ended up trading it for something else over 10 years ago, and I haven't miss it a bit.

Like others state, if you can get a better quality one than the $89 one I had (back then prices), it might be worth it.

Now, with prices the way they are, I DEFINATELY would NOT buy one! If people stop buying, then the prices are bound to come down (Supply & Demand Economics).

How's the quality of the iron sights on these things? Are they coyote accurate?

What is "Coyote Accurate?"

Well, if you consider that at 100 yards you should be happy with a sub 3MOA group, yes.

If you mean can you be sure to hit the vitals on a songdog 400 yards away, like it's a 22-250 boltgun, no.

I look at the SKS as "a big boy's 10/22." Mine are handy, reliable, tough, and as far as accuracy is concerned, just about what you'd expect out of a lever action with irons. It's a GREAT truck gun. It's NOT a precision sniper rifle or an assault weapon. It does do everything it was designed to do in an exemplary fashion. I love mine (Yugo and ChiCom) but I don't ask them to do something they weren't designed to do. And at what I paid for 'em, (under $200), I'm happy with the value.