SKS Questions

[Cosmoline]

I picked up a short barreled SKS recently because the price was right and it fits well on my bike. I don't know very much about these "sporter" or "paratroop" models other than they were originated by Navy Arms and copied by the chicoms. I realize it's not actually a paratrooper carbine. But other than that I can't get a positive ID on this one with the usual searches.

--It has a standard military stock in excellent condition with a bayonet cut, but no bayonet.

--The barrel has been bobbed down, but it was done expertly. The bayonet lug is still fully intact, but there's no bayonet attached. I guess because it would not be able to fold down. Does the intact lug indicate whether it was pre or post ban?

--There's Norinco marks on it plus a very faint importer stamp on the left side of the receiver.

--The receiver appears to be milled, and the whole thing has a solid feel to it.

--This one has a 9200xxx sn, which I understand means or may mean that it was made in 1992. Is this right?

--Do I get to scream "DI DI MAO! DI DI MAO!" when I'm shooting it?

I don't think it's the "Cowboys Companion" because there's no such name on it, and it has a military stock. But I'm not sure. The fellow I bought it from got it from someone else and had no idea what its background was.

How do folks like these pups? I mainly got it for a cool plinker, and because it's short enough to fit easily in a range box or the bike scabbard.

 

[QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW]

i really wont act like i know much about them. i owned a paratrooper one a while back (traded for a mossie shot gun) anyways it was great picked it up unissued for $89 in Arizona.

great plinker expecially with the magazine conversion for the ak mags. couldn't beat it for a cheap hunting rifle/plinker

 

[ROMAK IV]

You can find a short bayonet, but replacing it is of questionable legality. The Paratrooper SKS is shorter, that's about it. They seem to be a bit more valuable because of relative rareity, but the accuracy, reliabilty, power, ect. are probabiy not even noticably different from a regular Chinese SKS, and that will still be excellent. I did see one myself and it had the 5 round AK magazine, but the latch was different from my two Sporters, who also accept AK magazines. The stock was also more substancial than the usual SKS stock and was a bit longer, wider at the butt, and with a recoil pad. It's one handy rifle. I would get a paratrooper if I didn't have six SKS's already.

 

[easy]

Get your answers here;

http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php

 

[Cosmoline]

Thanks!

Never knew about that forum.

 

[Omaney]

Cosmo...If you post the carbine on that board you will get answers. There are alot of SKS answers on that forum. The SKS is on of the best plinkers ever IMO. Ammo is reasonable and the carbine is just plain fun. Enjoy.

 

[Cosmoline]

Update:

I cleaned this pup up and took her to the range. I'll preface this by saying I've owned three SKS's in the past and a couple of AK's. This little chicom outshot all of them!

It had clearly never been sighted in. I used the usual took and screwed it into place. The groups were great at 25, 50 and even 75 yards. At 100 I was still getting beehive shaped groups of about 2.5 inches, with all the bullets touching each other. I've never seen the like from any x39 other than a CZ mini-mauser I had once. I was shooting mostly some HP BT rounds under the golden tiger brand, made my some Russian outfit.

Action was flawless, with no jams of any kind. When I cleaned it up I noticed the working parts had a little bit of rust on them, apparently from being stuck in some closet for fifteen years. But this doesn't seem to have hurt it at all.

Balance is good, but shooting is marred by the crappy rear sights. I will probably replace it with a mojo. I can barely see the post inside of the notch as it is. Accuracy is solid enough I could even see putting a red dot on it. Dare I say it, with some good bullets you could actually use this as a sporting rifle.

Portability is good, and it could be made excellent with the addition of a folding stock. Not sure about the legality of such a change with the byzantine confusion of the import ban, though. AFAIK the stock only mattered with the now defuct AWB, but then again I have no way of knowing the precise conditions under which import was allowed way back when.

 

[grimjaw]

Cosmoline, I much preferred that version to all the other Norinco experiments.

jm

 

[chris in va]

I will probably replace it with a mojo

Skip it. My friend has it on his AK, they move around quite a bit. Get the TechSights like grimjaw has in the pic.

 

[aka108]

Bought one of the short barreled Norinco's years ago. Ground off the boyonet lug and inlaid a piece of wood into the boyonet cut in the stock. Nice shooter.

 

[Cosmoline]

My friend has it on his AK, they move around quite a bit.

? The Mojo sights I'm talking about are replacement irons that make the rear an aperture. I'm not sure how they can move around, and I've never seen it happen. Are you thinking of a scout mount?

 

[Limeyfellow]

I would skip the Mojo rear sight for the SKS since its located in the same place as the traditional rear sight for the SKS, which is rather far away for a peep sight.

Try and go with a Tech-sight TS200 instead. It mounts much closer to the eye, keeps it zero and is adjustable for height and windage and one of the best aftermarket parts you can get for the SKS.

I also like the William Firesights for the front since it gives you a fibre optic thats easily seen. You could always use a bit of nail polish on the back of the standard front sight to make it more visible too.

 

[Cosmoline]

I would skip the Mojo rear sight for the SKS since its located in the same place as the traditional rear sight for the SKS, which is rather far away for a peep sight.

I know, but my eye is trained to use them. I've set them up on my other rifles, and a receiver aperture seems odd to me.

 

[Hoppy590]

cosmo, are you expanding into the SKS world? what will your mosins think of the young wippersnappers

 

[Cosmoline]

I've had them and some AK clones off and on. It's interesting to note how the various Russo-Soviet designs all seem to share certain elements. From the contrarian reliance on .310-.311 bullets to the "best is the enemy of good enough" engineering principles.