Garand vs SKS

[22250Rem]

What say you? Which is more fun to go plinking with?

....... Well; I like both but would lean in the direction of the SKS due to economics, and the fact that I probably have enough 7.62x39 to last the rest of my shooting days. I handload for my M-1 but still reserve shooting it for special occasions, usually not more than 2 or 3 times a year. Although back in the latter 1990's -early 2000's I shot a lot of NRA High Power with it. It's a genuine piece of American military history that I'm proud to own. To me, an SKS is more of a plinking fun gun and not as iconic a piece of history. A cheap to shoot, rugged, reliable tool useful as a truck gun, or a handy centerfire "just in case" gun that's also relatively inexpensive to acquire.

 

[Mn Fats]

Garand. The few SKS's I've fired weren't satisfying to me in the accuracy department. I'd buy one...20 years ago when they were way cheap. And if plinking and ammo cost is a factor, I can reload 30-06 for less $ than factory 7.62x39mm costs.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

Garand. The few SKS's I've fired weren't satisfying to me in the accuracy department. I'd buy one...20 years ago when they were way cheap. And if plinking and ammo cost is a factor, I can reload 30-06 for less $ than factory 7.62x39mm costs.

I would agree with you on the SKS accuracy. I have had probably 4-5 different SKS's, and most would put a pattern of a shotgun blast on the side of a building, especially the "Paratrooper SKS" I had some years ago. I have shot my brother-in-law's M1 Garand, and its pretty nice, though I never shot it for accuracy, just general plinking.

 

[Dunross]

In terms of practical usefulness I say go with the SKS.

The Garand has tremendous nostalgia behind it, but it's ten pounds and fires .30-06 so it's always going to be expensive to feed.

The SKS can be accurate enough for reasonable shooting and can be made better. Most of all though you'll be able to afford to shoot it regularly enough to gain proficiency.

 

[Mn Fats]

I have shot my brother-in-law's M1 Garand, and its pretty nice, though I never shot it for accuracy, just general plinking.

You should try it out for accuracy some day. I was surprised with my M1's accuracy. Hands down the most accurate I've been with open sights on a centerfire autoloader.

To SKS guys, yeah they made sense 15 or 20 years ago. Nowadays you can pick up a Ruger or Smith AR for about the same price and plink away for equal or less ammo price.

I missed the boat on the $100 SKS's. No interest in them now for what they cost for what they are.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

You should try it out for accuracy some day. I was surprised with my M1's accuracy. Hands down the most accurate I've been with open sights on a centerfire autoloader.

To SKS guys, yeah they made sense 15 or 20 years ago. Nowadays you can pick up a Ruger or Smith AR for about the same price and plink away for equal or less ammo price.

I missed the boat on the $100 SKS's. No interest in them now for what they cost for what they are.

I too never got them when they are 79.99 listed on the good ol Shotgun News. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[Sistema1927]

 

[d2wing]

I would agree with you on the SKS accuracy. I have had probably 4-5 different SKS's, and most would put a pattern of a shotgun blast on the side of a building, especially the "Paratrooper SKS" I had some years ago. I have shot my brother-in-law's M1 Garand, and its pretty nice, though I never shot it for accuracy, just general plinking.

That is my experience too. Any accuracy claims for an SKS are highly suspect. I even tried scoping one. But the OP says he decided on the SKS. With Mosin in his handle you'd kinda expect that. I also was once attracted to cheap commie stuff when I was younger so I can't criticize that.

 

[eastbank]

i have worked my m-1,s to 500 yards and they are solid 500 yard preformers with GI speck reloads, my lone sks makes it to 500 yards but not with the same accurecy or steel plate knock down, but then again my stock ar,s don,t do much better than the sks.

 

[Safton]

My first ever firearm was a Norinco SKS that I got for my 18th birthday (affectionately named "Chairman Mao"). In my young and misguided years, I hurriedly replaced the original furniture with the TAPCO Intrafuse stock, 20-round detachable mags, etc. However, I recently converted it back to its original state and happily at that. I learned to shoot rifles on that SKS, I've taught the fundamentals of marksmanship to others, and I kept it loaded and propped in the corner of my room as a home defense gun for many years. I don't plan on ever getting rid of the rifle... with the possible exception of trading it for a Paratrooper model if I ever come across one. Even now it holds a special place in my gun safe.

That being said, I would love to get my hands on a Garand one day... I've never handled one, much less shot one.

 

[Garandimal]

Mmmm......

Get the Service Grade one from the CMP that looks like this:

​

...whichever one that is.




GR

​

 

[Mosin77]

That is my experience too. Any accuracy claims for an SKS are highly suspect. I even tried scoping one. But the OP says he decided on the SKS. With Mosin in his handle you'd kinda expect that. I also was once attracted to cheap commie stuff when I was younger so I can't criticize that.

I still plan to pick up a Garand, but the thing about those is, you don’t see ‘em every day. I realized, thanks to the replies on this thread, that I was forcing myself into a corner unnecessarily. If I have no qualms about dropping $1k on a Garand (seems I can take my chances from CMP for, say, $750, or pay a little more for a sure thing) then why not pick up an SKS now while I can get one cheap? Even if I use them in the same “role,” plinking a couple times a year, there’s no good reason not to try both.

 

[GBExpat]

Disregarding the cost of ammo, and assuming each gun is equally “historically cool,” which one is actually more fun to take out and shoot? ...

After reading your OP I am convinced that the answer to that for you is probably the SKS.

For me ... it is the M1.

The only flavor of SKS for which I have felt any amount of affinity is my Albanian.

Now, AKs, I think that those can be a lot of fun for plinking.

 

[Garandimal]

This may also help in the decision making...

​

GR

 

[Mosin77]

After reading your OP I am convinced that the answer to that for you is probably the SKS.

For me ... it is the M1.

The only flavor of SKS for which I have felt any amount of affinity is my Albanian.

Now, AKs, I think that those can be a lot of fun for plinking.

Please expound on the fun factor of AKs vs Others for plinking. I know it’s all kind of subjective, but we all love these things called rifles, so do elaborate. Don’t the SKS and most AKs share the same cartridge?

 

[amd6547]

In my youth, I bought a stainless Mini 14. It was horribly inaccurate, and I sold it quickly. To replace it, I bought a norinco SKS...they were $139, at the time.
With the steel core Chinese ammo they sold by the spam can, it would do 2.5” at 100yds. Made the Mini look like a polished turd.

 

[mustanger98]

Do you have a source for this? This would actually free me up a bit, as I was thinking of getting the ported gas plug to save for a rainy day if I couldn't find the components I am using.

I'd say go ahead and get the ported plug and be on the safe side.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

In my youth, I bought a stainless Mini 14. It was horribly inaccurate, and I sold it quickly. To replace it, I bought a norinco SKS...they were $139, at the time.
With the steel core Chinese ammo they sold by the spam can, it would do 2.5” at 100yds. Made the Mini look like a polished turd.

Nice.

 

[rust collector]

The M-1 is a fine rifle which is more historical, more powerful and more accurate than the SKS. It will always be an object of desire. The SKS, however, is much less expensive to buy, feed and farkle. Mine wears an inexpensive red dot, 1" bolt-on buttplate, red fiber stock, and web sling. Recoil is not unpleasant, the low-pitched boom is distinctive, and I am glad I picked one up when it was inexpensive.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Disregarding the cost of ammo, and assuming each gun is equally “historically cool,” which one is actually more fun to take out and shoot?

Classic has SKS’s for $299. Which has reawakened my desire to try one. “Get while the gettin’s good,”’and all that. On the other hand, the Garand is really neat and was formerly top in my “buy next” list. On paper the SKS makes more sense.... affordability of 7.62x39 and cheap Russian commercial plinking fodder, etc. Certainly if I were buying one gun only, it’s hard to argue with the cheap n’ cheerful SKS. But I figure that, as a city boy, these guns see only gonna get exercised a couple times a year anyway, so if the Garand is more expensive to feed, well, it’s not like I have to do it every week.

What say you? Which is more fun to go plinking with?

If we're gonna disregard the cost of ammo and pretend they are "equally historically cool" (NOT!) we should also disregard the firearms' relative costs.

Then, left with "... which one is actually more fun to take out and shoot?" it seems beyond debate for me.
Accuracy, range, heft, walnut, sights, en-bloc.... All factors for me point to Garand.

I truly do have fun shooting my SKSs but they are no where near a Garand for fun and satisfaction.
To point, If I have to go out to spend time test-firing professionally, I always take a Garand with to fire 2-3 clips to clear my head in the case of having dealt with pains in the butt on the other guns.

Todd.

 

[HankC]

Still a going thread! I will give my 2 cents. Before I have my CMP Garands, my SKSs are my poor man's Garands, now I still shoot SKS more than my Garands and SKS accuracy is not too far from my other battle rifles. SKS is lighter and cheaper but it is time to get a Garand while CMP offers again if you want one.

 

[Mosin77]

If we're gonna disregard the cost of ammo and pretend they are "equally historically cool" (NOT!) we should also disregard the firearms' relative costs.

Then, left with "... which one is actually more fun to take out and shoot?" it seems beyond debate for me.
Accuracy, range, heft, walnut, sights, en-bloc.... All factors for me point to Garand.

I truly do have fun shooting my SKSs but they are no where near a Garand for fun and satisfaction.
To point, If I have to go out to spend time test-firing professionally, I always take a Garand with to fire 2-3 clips to clear my head in the case of having dealt with pains in the butt on the other guns.

Todd.

Thanks for the methodical answer. Obviously the Garand IS indisputably more cool and historically interesting than the SKS. I just didn’t want everyone to default to “Get a Garand because General Patton and your grandfather would approve” -if the SKS was actually more pleasurable to shoot, or the Garand was less fun to shoot, I wanted that to come out, rather than just hearing “you should buy the Garand because of WWII” or “you should buy the SKS because it’s cheap.”

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Thanks for the methodical answer. Obviously the Garand IS indisputably more cool and historically interesting than the SKS. I just didn’t want everyone to default to “Get a Garand because General Patton and your grandfather would approve” -if the SKS was actually more pleasurable to shoot, or the Garand was less fun to shoot, I wanted that to come out, rather than just hearing “you should buy the Garand because of WWII” or “you should buy the SKS because it’s cheap.”

Yup, being as dispassionate as one can be when discussing *fun*, it is really difficult stay on point.

It applies to other guns as well. I have several *better*, cheaper/more expensive (matters to some folk), more accurate or whatever .22 long guns and yet, my Marlin 39 is hands down my most *fun* .22 to shoot for what are oddly very clear reasons when discussing so potentially foggy a subject.

Todd.

 

[ford8nr]

seems I can take my chances from CMP for, say, $750, or pay a little more for a sure thing)

Take your chances ?
The CMP's are inspected and repaired before sale. Gun show guns not so much but I'd say most are CMP guns at a higher price. I got my HRA when they first offered them. Barrel gauged in the new range and it had all HRA parts which showed no signs of wear. I'd buy another from the CMP in a heart beat.

 

[badkarmamib]

seems I can take my chances from CMP for, say, $750, or pay a little more for a sure thing

Like @ford8nr said, the CMP is as close to a "sure thing" as you will get. Search online for "Garand Welded Receiver" and you will see what problems can be had. CMP guarantees their rifles to be complete, functional, with .mil parts. They may not be as cosmetically nice as some gun show rifles, but you can buy brand new wood from the CMP, as well as other places.