Tell me about the SKS, Uncle High Road....

[MIL-DOT]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

MIL-DOT, I gave $378 ($350+tax)

The only markings on it are, as pictured, 3 Chinese characters, then the arsenal mark [0141]. To the right of the arsenal mark is a 6 digit serial number. Then, a small CAI import mark on the right side of the barrel in front of the hand guard.

In that condition, and especially coming from a retail store, I'd say you did just fine.
Other than very rare arsenals among the real afficianodos, the most desirable rifles seem have the "triangle 26" arsenal stamp, but in reality, there isn't much difference, other than the triangle-26's are believed to be the one's that can most accurately be dated.
I believe the 3 Chinese characters and arsenal stamp mean it's military issue, rather than one cobbled together for the US civilian market (and most of those are just fine,too, since they ALL came from the military arsenals).
Do all the serial numbers match? (bottom of magazine, trigger guard, bolt carrier, bolt, receiver cover, stock). Again, this mostly a selling point to the hardcore fanboys, it really isn't critical. Loads of guys have excellent rifles that have had some parts juggled by the factory.
Here's the list of arsenal stamps. Scroll down and you'll see your "rectangle 0141" stamp:
http://sks-files.com/chinese-sks-military/17/arsenal-stamps/43/

Ill buy that in a heartbeat if it has the screwed in barrel . If pinned, i pass it.

I used to agree, but from what I gather from the experts on the SKS forums, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the pinned barrels. In fact, a whole lot of guys insist their pinned barrel rifles are more accurate than their threaded barreled rifles. There also doesn't seem to be any evidence indicating they suffer breakage or don't last as long.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Why, oh why, didn't I buy cases of them when they were coming in at under $70/ea...

Yeah, if only... :banghead:

Dong's in Tulsa had them at 69$ and I bought one for my wife so she could shoot the CMP matches at the club. I went back a month or two later and had to fork over 79$ for mine.
Fixed the short stock problem by screwing on a pad from an 870 that I had laying around in the box-o-stuff. It is an ugly gun but it shoots, had a visitor from France over this summer and he had a heck of a good time shooting a semi auto till the barrel got too hot to touch.

 

[MIL-DOT]

I was interested in the Navy Arms shorty SKS but did not strike while the iron was even luke warm.-kBob

A couple months ago, I traded a WASR for some cash and a Navy Arms paratrooper, the one they called the "Cowboys Companion". After a problem cycling the last round, I had to buy a replacement magazine, but now it's a great little carbine.

 

[mf-dif]

They go bang every time and shoot cheap ammo. OK accuracy so that combo alone makes it a fun gun. Tough as hell guns. Mine was a Norinco and really solid. The cons...it's heavy and long by todays standards. Make sure you clean that bolt...the range officer wasn't happy about my slam fires and it doing a burst.

Does that one have a scope mount on the other side? It seems raised up a bit in the pic so maybe? Mine did and I have to say, that was a very desirable feature. It allowed me to pop a PU scope on it.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I have a Yugo SKS that I bought back in 2005 for $150. Its a great rifle, very reliable and durable.

I can print a 6" group off-hand at 50 yards with Wolf ammo all day long. If I put it on a bench rest, I can get it down to 4" at 100 yards.

I really enjoy the rifle and its an awesome range blaster.

 

[rduchateau2954]

I've got a Norinco stashed. It's a love hate thing. I inherited it and took my 2nd deer with it. Yes the sights can be fixed with tech sights, but the one thing nobody is mentioning are the horrible triggers. Not only are they horrible, but little can be done to fix them. A timmeny style drop in would completely change the rifle.

But, $400 rifle + $100 sights + $100(?) trigger = more money than any of a dozen ar15s on armslist right now.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I have one of the Norinco models. Haven't shot it in decades. My recollection was that it's heavy, too short for a tall guy, not particularly accurate, and kinda ugly...but fun and reliable.

I suppose I should sell mine some day, but I still have a few boxes of those steel-core bullets. You never know...

 

[bhhacker]

Picked up this Romanian SKS with Willams sights on it for 350 including shipping/FFL/Etc

Its the best SKS ive ever shot. The trigger is impeccable. Most of the time, when friends shoot my Yugo SKS they pull the trigger and ask me whats wrong with it. I tell them to pull HARDER and it will go bang haha.


I will never sell this one. Super accurate. About 4 inches at 100 yards using janky surplus ammo and Irons. Its my hunting backup because it has never let me down!







Hers my Yugo. got it for 200$ Unissued back in 2007 or so. Wish i had the money to have bought cases and cases of ammo but i have been stocking up on the Wolf/Tula/Herters 154 gr softpoints when i am visiting other states. Cant find it for anything up here in Juneau unfortunately :banghead:

 

[lobo9er]

I have a yugo and like it just fine. Always wanted to take a deer with it but never have taken it out. Plenty accurate for that for sure.

 

[Swampman]

A lot of people dislike the commercial pinned barrel rifles, but a friend has one that's among the most accurate SKS's I've ever fired. It'll hold under two inches at 100 yards with 165 grain cast bullets if the shooter does their part.

The Yugoslavian 7.62x39 from AIM linked above is good, accurate ammo and the stripper clips are nice as well. Just keep in mind that it's corrosive and requires appropriate clean-up after shooting.
I've also found that the strippers work much better if you hit the surfaces that that actually touch the cartridges with a brass bristle brush and a little silicone lube.

Chinese stripper clips are kind of a crap shoot, some work well and others are trash, current production NC Star fall in the latter category.

The Czech BXN strippers work the best of any I've tried, which is kind of odd since they weren't even designed for the SKS or AK.

 

[DPris]

The thing with the tourist models is not that they wouldn't shoot, it's that they were built to a lesser standard.

When the first wave of genuine mil-spec government models sold so well here, Norinco geared up for new-made SKS rifles specifically built for the US market, and not to military specs. They were cranked out in a hurry in large numbers, strictly for sale abroad.

Norinco is a giant Chinese government-run combine, it's not one or two centralized plants.
Tourist model guns were built at several smaller operations & quality, since the guns were not built and inspected for government use, varied.

As I said, one of the tourist guns I had almost required a hammer to break down for cleaning & reassembly.
The other tore the mouth off a brass case at one range session.

They are not necessarily "bad", they just tend to be a shade below the military surplus guns that started the craze in the late '80s.
For that reason & based on my experiences, I won't own one.
That's just me.
Denis

 

[nathan]

The recent import years ago of Chicom SKS with the blade bayonet, those are nice too if you find one in very good condition.

 

[T.R.]

SKS rifles are not tack drivers but accurate enough for deer hunting within reasonable distances. They're basically well built battle rifles that were imported to USA in large quantities a couple decades ago.

TR

 

[Speedo66]

Many say they would not buy a pinned model. Mine, a Chinese version, was bought brand new unused in the box for $79. It has performed flawlessly, has eaten every brand, nationality, bullet type, etc. without a hiccup. The only flaw, if you want to call it that, is that the trigger release button has to be pushed with some authority to open.

I see no problem with the pinned barrel for the average shooter. Maybe someone who will use it in competition where thousands of rounds are expended on a regular basis might find a screwed in barrel a better choice, but I'm not even sure about that.

I sometimes use it with a 20 round Tapco magazine which also works fine. Used it last week and it still puts a smile on my face after 25 years, even with a pinned barrel.

 

[Reloadron]

Ah yes, the SKS rifle. The SKS is a Soviet semi-automatic carbine chambered for the 7.62×39mm round, designed in 1943 by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. Its complete designation, SKS-45, is an initialism for Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945. As ripped off from the WIKI.

When they began pouring into the country during the early 90s we were buying 10 or more for about fifty bucks a rifle and selling them for about $69. Then variations began to appear, like the "paratrooper" which is interesting since the Chinese who made them do not have paratroopers. Go figure. The rifle itself is a good well made rifle and did well what it was originally designed to do. I did keep one early Chi-Com for myself and I like the little rifle but keep in mind, the SKS was designed as a combat rifle, it is not by any standard a target rifle. Just a nice fun gun. Wasn't long before hundreds of add on accessories popped up, including assorted high capacity magazines of 20 or 30 rounds. (USA made a great metal 30 round magazine) but they are no longer in business. When the Clinton Administration banned further import the Russian and other former Soviet Block rifles began to pour in. I can't believe what the things sell for today.

Do some reading and homework on the SKS sites. The early well made guns had a screw in barrel and the latter press fit pinned barrels. They all shoot. I have never seen a pinned barrel fail or shoot any worse than the former. I likely haven't shot mine in 15 years, maybe I'll get the grand kids started on it someday.

Overall? Damn good fun little rifle which does exactly what it was designed to do.

Ron

 

[kBob]

I took an SKS to a "Carbine Class" run by an nationally recognized instructor once. Most of the class was LEOs and about half one flavor of fed or another. I shot an AR-180 which freaked some folks out. One other "Civilian" shot a Mini -14 and that interested some of the LEOs. Second day I brought in an M-1 Carbine and the 10.5 inch M-16 shooters were shocked I could keep up with them with "that old piece of crap". This name calling upset me so over lunch I dashed home for my SKS.

The instructor would not let me shoot it in his class as he had no experience with them (from the back end and maybe his USMC SEA experience from the other end made him a bit quissy about them) and he thought I was "Just being silly". While both the "local yokel" LEOs knew what it was and ask me to show them how to lock and clear it, several of the feds had no idea what it was! They got a lot more interesting during the afternoon break when the local deputy explained they were a ten shot semi auto that could shoot through soft body armor and most helmets and I commented that there were 6 million in "civilian" hands. Oddly a couple seemed very concerned about the spike bayonet. Later the pair concerned abut the bayonet freaked when the instructor called a knife check and my butterfly knife made its distinctive sound. I was unaware that several states at that time considered them "Gravity Knives" (heck I carried a real gravity knife for a while in Europe and butterflies aint that) and so verboten. The Local Yokels boredly explained they were not "illegal" locally and the Feds slunk away.

Mil-Dot, if I were Daffy Duck I would glare and mutter "I Hate You" from pure jealousy.

-kBob

 

[joem1945]

If you replace the gas valve it may cure the FTE. It did on mine.

 

[MIL-DOT]

If you replace the gas valve it may cure the FTE. It did on mine.

I'm not sure who you're addressing here. If you're talking about the last-round issue I had on my CC Paratrooper, the problem there was that the bolt consistently slid over the last round in the magazine. Switching mags with another rifle fixed the problem, so I'm pretty sure it was just a mag-related issue, and I just ordered another mag, which fixed me right up. I found a virtually brand new Russian mag on e-bay for $40,delievered, which is about as good as it gets, these days.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Mil-Dot, if I were Daffy Duck I would glare and mutter "I Hate You" from pure jealousy.
-kBob

Actually, after spending the money on a new mag, and all the ammo I blew through troubleshooting the problem (following wide-ranging advice from the guys on the SKS forums), it wasn't such a deal, especially now that they've stopped the importation of WASR's, and SKS's seem to still be dropping in price.
Still, it is a pretty cool little rifle, and they don't pop up as often as WASR's do, so I guess I can't really complain.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

The one thing you'll need to buy for it is a rubber buttpad, just to extend the stock a bit. Amazon sells them cheap.

SKS's honestly are too long and heavy for what they are, but they are just an overbuilt tank of a gun. I like the feel of them, same with most milsurps. After living in a world where nearly everything you touch is plastic or cheap stamped metal, it's nice to grab a solid piece of wood and steel, that hasn't been "cost-optimized" to have every dime of extra material removed from it. It's something you don't see any more.

As far as shooting them, they do have mediocre accuracy and poor triggers like others have said. It will shoot minute of milk jug offhand using cheap steel ammo, which is exactly what it was built to do, and that's all I need from it. It's a cheap, tough, fun blaster, and I bet you'll really enjoy yours.

 

[Gun Master]

Norinco sks

Got mine in 1990 NIB with blade bayonet and all the goodies for $ 167 OTD.
I had been MIA from the gun scene for several years (work related), and could not believe a center fire semi was so cheap.

Guess mine is a commercial job. No Chinese characters or arsenal marks.
Presumed made in 1989 since "89" precedes the serial # on left side of the receiver. All matching #'s, even on the stock. Serial # 08xxx.

Also on left of receiver, crude markings which appear to show:
"MADE IN CHINA BY CGA SEMI-AUTO IMPORTED BY GLIIC L.A. CA"

 

[joem1945]

Mine had a FTE or stove pipe almost every round. After replacing the gas valve it ran fine.

 

[tubeshooter]

I have a couple. I like them - one of them is actually my go-to general purpose rifle.

The second one I bought had a bent op rod (I found out later). I think it must have been run over with some kind of vehicle. A new op rod has it running like a sewing machine.



You could do worse. Prices are higher now than before obviously, but still a relatively good value. Clean it up good and have fun. I use some kerosene and a 5 gallon bucket, along with a toothbrush, a bigger brush and a rag.

 

[lobo9er]

There's an excellent documentary on Netflix called "Happy People" about people living in Siberia. In it you can see a SKS slung on the back of one of the people in it while trapping. This does not prove anything about the rifle except maybe ruggedness, I just thought it was worth noting.

 

[Speedo66]

The only real compliment I can give it, aside from the former low prices and cheap ammo, is that it was designed as a battle rifle.

As such, it should fire under all climatic conditions, i.e., cold, dirty, wet, dropped in dirt or sand, etc., which a rare commercial semi auto rifle may do. It should also hold up to high rates of fire for extended time periods, and high round counts in general before needing parts replacement. The chrome lined barrels and plated bolts most of them have are an added guard against rust and corrosive ammo. Add in easy take down and cleaning ability. As far as accuracy, well, is it really any worse than a Ruger Mini-30 which is twice the price?

Getting all of that, even at current prices, is still a bargain.