SKS as a hunting rifle

[Imperial Guardsman]

Don't have an SKS myself, but I see no reason why it could not be used. However, check local laws on magazine capacity.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I have an SKS but I've never hunted with it. I know folks that do, and they typically use irons only and shoot inside of 150 yards. I have no doubt the SKS would server anyone well in those scenarios and more.

But myself? I'd rather lug around a lighter marlin 336 or winchester lever gun when I go through the woods. It is lighter, more compact and put down more north American deer than any other combo out there.

Then again, I do so enjoy shooting a lever with peep sights...to me it is just more fun than shooting my sks.

 

[MCgunner]

In a state that requires a 5 round mag, I got mine for under 20 bucks. See the picture. It also fits flush which, when there's no scope in the way, allows for easy one hand field carry. Texas has no magazine limits, but I still prefer the five rounder. No big deal for hunting.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I put a flush mount magazine like the one you have Mcgunner on a Russian (1954 Tula)with a walnut monte carlo stock. It looked and shot great but was a bit on the heavy side even without a scope.

 

[MCgunner]

I agree, it's a heavy gun for what it is. My M7 Remington is my spot and stalk fave, even with a scope it's a couple lbs lighter and one HELL of a lot more powerful and more accurate. I've shot 1/2" 3 shot 100 yard groups with it. But, for knockin' around on my place, the SKS is fine. I no longer even consider it for hunting. I've got too many other better choices. BUT, one CAN successfully hunt deer and hogs to 200 yards with it, especially if you don't have or can't afford another choice. But, my Norincos, a 16" paratrooper and a 20" rifle, were 115 bucks and 75 bucks respectively 20 years ago when i got 'em. They're a lot higher now, high enough that I don't think they're a "cheap" alternative when you can get a Savage 110 for near the same, a much better hunting rifle choice IMHO. They're quite fun, though, regardless. If you want a CHEAP alternative, the Mosins I could have bought 20 years ago for 30 bucks a pop are still only around 100 dollars and they're more accurate, typically, than a comparable SKS and a good bit more powerful. I mean, I'm still a Remchester guy when it comes to hunting rifles, always will be. You can keep your ARs and milsurp stuff.

Oh, a major reason I prefer the SKS over my .357 magnum chambered Rossi 92 lever carbine for a knock around gun, other than its ruggedness, is it is a lot easier to unload when I get back to the truck. I gotta jack all those rounds out of that Rossi. With the SKS, I just drop the mag floor and dump the ammo, jack the round out of the chamber, done.

 

[T.R.]

My Dad (1922 - 2004) always seemed to favor auto loading rifles. Perhaps because of his experiences with the Garand in Europe. His last hunting rifle was an SKS Russian carbine. He lived in Michigan during his later years and hunted from a shack in the forest over bait piles of carrots and corn. Baiting was legal at the time. Please do not accuse the old man of illegal or illegitimate hunting.

Dad took down many deer with his SKS hunting with WINCHESTER SUPER X soft tip ammo. He had a custom scope mount with a long eye relief pistol scope.

The 7.62 Russian cartridge is a KEEPER!!

TR

 

[MCgunner]

Baiting is still the method of choice in Texas. There is a whole industry around automatic feeders. From a stand over a feeder, you control your range, IF the deer comes to the feeder, which is not always the case. But, in heavy brush, I can't even see more'n 150 yards down at my place and that's from a 12 ft tripod.

Yeah, an SKS would be a little out of place on spot and stalking from a west Texas canyon. But, then, so is a .30-30.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I'm no expert on deer hunting (only taken a half-dozen or so), but an SKS wouldn't be my first choice...or second, or third.

I guess it would be okay, but to me, they're clunky. I just don't think they shoulder well, at least not for me. Accurate enough, I suppose, but an awful lot to lug around, and for no particular advantage over a 30-30.

Sort of like the guy who walks into a bar, has a few, then wonders if he could get lucky with the nastiest woman in the place. He probably could...but what's the point?

 

[mr.trooper]

It wouldn't be my first choice either, but that doesn't logically make it a BAD one.

The only real problem I see for the SKS as a 100 yard deer rifle is the terrible trigger most of them have. You just have to live with it - no 'G2' drop in units thanks to the unnecessarily complex fire control group, and most smiths probably aren't willing to screw around with them.

Much practice is the only solution.

 

[Smokey Joe]

SKS Triggers...

Mr. Trooper--There is ONE smith who does SKS triggers; has made a business of it. The deal is, you send him your trigger group and some $$, and he sends it back to you MUCH improved.

It's Kivaari Triggers; here's his website:

www.kivaari.com/SKS Target Match.htm

At $60, it's about what a Timney Trigger would cost, if there were an SKS Timney Trigger. Now, I can't speak from experience, but Kivaari SKS triggers have been reported on these fora, in very glowing terms.

Anyhow, with the Kivaari trigger, and the firing pin return spring (which, BTW, Comrade Simonov designed it for in the first place!) the 2 main objections to the SKS are gone!

 

[mr.trooper]

Very nice. Thank you for posting - I will pass this one to a friend of mine.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

there are so many better choices to hunt with.

 

[shiftyer1]

I'm not as in love with and sks as I once was due to my tastes evolving. I do think it makes the perfect truck gun. It enjoys being beaten up and stills shoots good enough to do the job.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

Commercial loads in 7.62x39 can be quite accurate. I put together and AR15 with a 16" Olympic barrel and a new production Redfield 2-7. From the bench at 100 yards using the three available commercial loads (Federal 123gr JSP, Winchester 123gr JSP, and the Corbon 150gr JSP.
The winchester round shot best being a .310 diameter bullet. (the Oly barrel is .310) It gave reliable 1"groups. As i recall the other two shot 1 1/2"or so... the Federal was a .311 bullet (Soviet spec) and the Corbon was .308. Or was it the other way around

 

[2ndAmFan]

I've taken a couple of deer with my bone-stock Russian SKS and a buddy of mine took one with it. All shots were 100 yards or less. I don't think the SKS is necessarily an ideal weapon for hunting deer but since it works why fix it?
I wouldn't use it at ranges over 100-150 yards but the part of Texas where I live is hilly, rugged and has lots of woods and brush so it's rare for me to even see a deer farther away than that. All the deer taken with my SKS were one-shot DRT. I prefer Wolf 154 grain SP for hunting because the Russian HP often fail to expand and also because the soft primers on US made rounds can cause slamfires. Wolf SP is inexpensive and does the job. You can still find SKSs for $250-$300, For the money the SKS is bargain, IMHO.

 

[sixgunner455]

baylorattorney said:

Hello, hunting deer with an SKS is not the best way to hunt deer. I mean sure you can bag a deer with one no problem. At 120 yards? Sure. With practice, skill, luck and optics. Would I? No. The SKS is a battle rifle designed for battle. Nuff said.

Uh-huh. You're right, of course. But so is the Remington 700(design child of the P14 Enfield) and the Winchester 70 (Mauser). And the Winchester 94 is a design child of the original assault rifle, the Henry rifle from the 1860s. So what? Original design intent has very little to do with it.

I had an SKS, and I did hunt with it. But I didn't like it well enough to use it much after the initial honeymoon was over, and it's gone now. It will work, for a careful shooter at limited ranges. Where I live, I need something with more precision and range, and preferably something lighter to pack.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

in my experience id choose them over a muzzel loader, well not a inline.i have a couple inlines that shoot better than my sks.id not be a bit afraid to hunt with it. ive done it and its just like anything else.aim small and hit small.the ones i got would easily shoot a deer in the head at 75 to 100 yrds.its a totally capable of killing a deer.just know yur limitations.

 

[MCgunner]

My Hawken Hunter Carbine shoots better than either of my SKSs. My inline, a CVA Wolf, does, too.

Now, what's an SKS run now days, about 400 bucks? Maybe 300? Can you not get a Savage 110 for not much more? I mean, if you already have one and nothing else and wanna hunt deer, SURE it will take deer. But, if you're looking to buy a deer rifle, SURE, there are better choices. Me, I have two SKSs, set me back 75 bucks and 115 bucks, and I have a multitude of other rifles i hunt with, favorite, I guess, being my Remington M7 Stainless in .308 Winchester that I've mentioned already. I would NOT buy an SKS as a first deer rifle, but that don't mean they can't be effective.

On the triggers, I used to buy a lot of SKSs when I had an FFL. I found about 1 of 10 had a crisp trigger. My 20" rifle Norinco (all were Norincos) had such a trigger and i kept it and ordered another one for the football pot at work... Yeah, in Texas, we give rifles away on football pots. Doubt you'll find that in New Jersey.

 

[Sky]

$289 for a Yugo at:

Classic Arms
A DIVISION OF U.S. ARMS LLC.

 

[Zen Archery]

biggest hogs ive taken to date have been with my 7.62x39 in either SKS or AR Platform. I don't know too many 350-400# Texas Deer with the shoulder as thick as a 2x4. So yea, you're good to go.

 

[usmccpl]

A guy I grew up with was a short little feller. Couldnt shoulder and shoot my tiny little 30-30(Savage 170) when we were in 7th grade and I had been shooting it since 3rd grade. Anyway when he was gonna start hunting his dad found a Bubbaized SKS with nearly 5 inches sawed off the stock and the kid could shoulder it so it was his deer rifle from then on. 18 years later he still uses that same rifle. Only time he ever failed on a deer wasnt his or the rifles doing. The bullet he fired broke apart in a layer of fat but the deer still went down. He then unloaded and went to start field dressing and it jumped up and ran right to his brother who shot it dead.

 

[Eb1]

For $289 you can get a Marlin XL7 in .25-06 if you have a scope. You can probably get a scope and the gun for that much, and have a more apt hunting rifle.

 

[d2wing]

I've used SKS's and AK-47's at close range, less than 50 yards. Anything over that is pretty iffy on any that I've shot.

 

[MCgunner]

My SKS rifle normally shoots about 3" at 100 yards. That's plenty accurate for hunting to that range. With Wolf 154, it'll shoot 2.5".

 

[d2wing]

The best of 5 I've shot was 6 inche groups at 100 yards. I have 3 .22lr rifles that do much better. I guess the op would have to see how it shoots at the range he wants to shoot it under hunting conditions.