Wood stock on Yugo SKS..what kind of wood?

[Marko Kloos]

I recently picked up a Yugo SKS from the shop, and there was actually a gorgeous little rifle underneath all that Cosmoline. (For easy, sweat-and-odor-free Cosmo removal, submerge the metal parts in boiling water, let them sun-dry for an hour or two, and work off what little grease remains with Powder Blast.)
The wood stock is not plywood like my old Norinco Para, but rather a nicely-grained hardwood stock of indetermined provenance. I've heard that the Yugos used teakwood, but my wife says the grain is all wrong for teak. Also, teak is relatively expensive South American wood, and I doubt that the Yugoslavs would have spent valuable hard currency to import teak just for rifle stocks. I think they would have used someting somestically available, which would make the stock birch, poplar, or something similarly common in the Balkans. From my limited wood-working knowledge, it looks most like streaked walnut to me.

Does anyone know for sure what kind of wood they used on the Yugo M59/66 SKS rifles?

 

[DMK]

I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that the M59/66 Yugos have either teak or beech stocks.

They definately used more that one type of wood on these.

Since they didn't chrome plate the bores, maybe they put the saved money towards better wood.

 

[rbernie]

I've heard teak or beech. I can't tell the difference between the two, so I can't tell you what's on my two Yugos - I just know that it's really pretty nice for military furniture.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

While I'm nut sure what kind of wood it is, I do know they seemed to have switched in the early 70's to some kind of blonde soft wood(about the same time they switched from paint to fiber optic style night sights). I've got some of the early ones, and I know what you mean. Some of those early ones have gorgeous wood.

Anyhow, hope someone can answer this for sure. I'm curious myself.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Congratulations on your purchase Marko. I've got a Yugo with an "I" preceding the serial no., which means a 1972 date of manufacture. The wood is blond colored, and I think it is birch. There are a couple of websites that provide good information on the SKS. I'm at work now and so am unable to access them or even get the addresses. One is survivors sksboards with links to other SKS sites.

Let us know how it shoots!

 

[Lennyjoe]

2 of the 3 I got have nice wood patterns. Think I am gonna strip them down and refinish them. Unfortunately the one on the left has a mismatched top half. Bummer.

 

[Ash]

Teak

The earliest plantations in the world were Teak plantations in India. As the supposedly democratic Indians tended to support commies during that time period, it makes perfect sense that they would sell Teak to the Yugo's. We used Teak for the decks of our battleships during WWII. It isn't all that expensive, really, especially in use for gunstocks. However, it is a heavy wood, so heavy that it won't float in water on its own, which would translate into a very fine but heavy stock. Teak tends to be be grey, though it can take other colors, and is very weather resistent.

(I'm a Forester and deal with these things all the time.)

Davis

 

[albanian]

The only two woods I have heard used on the Yugo are Teak and Walnut. I have never seen a walnut stock in person but I have seen pics on the net.

I have re-finished two of my Yugos and they really take a nice finish because the wood is so dense and hard.