Yugo SKS speculation.... - The Firearms Forum

polishshooter · 12-07-2006, 09:00 AM

As I was sitting contemplating refinishing the stock on the 59/66 again, and wishing it DIDN'T have the grenade launcher so I wouldn't have to agonize over "Keep it stock/cut it off" AGAIN....

...I got to thinking....

Has anyboidy done any research on how these were issued in the Yugoslav army?

I mean, TRADITIONALLY, the grenade launcher was a SUPPORT weapon in most armies, with only a FEW issued to each squad or platoon...but if THAT was the case, we should be seeing TONS of standard M59s and the 59/66s should be the ones that are more rare, but that's not the case....

SOOooooo...logically it can mean only one of two things....

(a) The standard ISSUE SKS at the grunt level was the 59/66, so EVERY infantryman had the ability to fire them...so the 59 WAS more rare....

OR...if they used them like just about ANY other army did....

(b) There's still a CRAPLOAD of standard Yugo 59s out there, maybe STILL in service?????

I mean in the WESTERN world the army that used to use the rifle grenade the MOST and most recently was the INDIAN army, which accounts for most of those "wire-wrapped" Enfields, BUT proportionately there were STILL a LOT more STANDARD Indian and British Enfields on the market when they dumped them all....

Maybe we need to do a little research to find out if we should be saving our money to be able to buy up a bunch of $79 SKSs soon...

And whether I even SHOULD be thinking of cutting off the launcher on my soon -to-be RARER 59/66

!

Pistolenschutze · 12-07-2006, 11:13 AM

Polish, you bought an inexpensive SKS. It's a shooter, not a lover! Get rid of the bloody bayonet--unless you plan on sticking the boss with it, always a tempting thought--and also get rid of that crude stock so it doesn't weigh a ton, then shoot it until you wear out the barrel!

polishshooter · 12-07-2006, 08:27 PM

Actually, during my 4 hours on the road today, I thought it through and found a slight flaw in my logic.....of course just a SLIGHT one...

I figure since they are Model 59s, that means they first adopted the SKS in 1959....that makes sense, BEFORE that they would have used the M48 Mausers, and any other leftover stuff from WWII...

But the grenade launcher version is the 59/66...so we have to assume they were converted in 1966....when they would have been in the process of upgrading to an AK/AKM variant....and what "kits" are on the market right alongside the 59/66s? Yugo AKs...so it makes sense, the "grenadier" of the squad would probably have the 59/99, everyone else AKs or RPKs....

BUT.....

Let's think this through....Tito is a pretty typical paranoid commie dictator, only an INDEPENDENT one...so between trying to look mean OUTWARD both towards the WEST, but also towards Uncle Joe and the "Brotherly Bear..." He also had to have a sizeable internal security force to keep the Serbs, Bosnians, and Croats from slitting each other's throats....

SOooo....in '59 he probably had at LEAST a million boots on the ground....

BUT, let's assume, like any commie dictator, only the TRUSTED internal security forces and the TRUSTED army units would have the good stuff, so we can assume only about 1/2 had the SKSs, the rest "made do" with what they had....

That STILL makes about 500,000 Model 59s....being naturally conservative, lets cut that in half(figure destroyed in service, lost, stolen, manyfacturing capacity given over to Yugo [the car!

] and cheap appliance production, whatever....let's say 250,000

Let's further assume 20% got converted, that's 50,000....and they are all here....let's assume there's about 25,000 standard Model 59s (I see them occasionally, but I think 1/2 the amount of the 66s is high, they aren't THAT common)....but ANYWAY....

So by MY semi-intelligent "guesstimation...."

There should be ABOUT 175,000 Model 59s SOMEWHERE.....

They certainly haven't made it HERE yet....

PROBABLY buried somewhere in Yugoslavia....we may get lucky yet....I'm betting on "Yugo SKS Futures...."

And I kinda like the looks of the launcher and the bayo on it, too....

polishshooter · 12-07-2006, 08:30 PM

Oops, I was so excited I DOUBLED....

southernshooter · 12-07-2006, 10:54 PM

Don't cut it off get one of these
http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/fore/index.asp

cosmo05 · 12-10-2006, 02:16 PM

Here's your answer on the grenade launcher:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting...nade/index.asp
Shoot the gun and enjoy it, buy a half dozen spares while they are still cheap and plentiful.

ShadowHunt · 12-10-2006, 02:21 PM

How much did you pay for the SKS, I found them at $160 (online of course)

polishshooter · 12-10-2006, 10:18 PM

I paid $99 for mine at Dunham's on sale in September via 4479.

They were as low $89 for the "Shooter's Grade" at AIM and SOG, but I got to pick mine as best of several, so it was the equivalent as getting one and paying the $10 hand select fee. I got a decent one, about 95+% metal, nice grained solis wood begging to be refinished...and a really nice shooter after you get used to the raspy trigger.

The better grades wholesale went from $129 to $159, I see them at shows now in different grades from $129 to $199....if yours is a nicer grade, that's not bad.

But then again, they seem to be drying up, so they will only go up....

southernshooter · 12-10-2006, 10:20 PM

Welcome Cosmo

polishshooter · 12-10-2006, 10:45 PM

And oh yeah, welcome cosmo.

And that was a neat link, maybe they WERE standard issue, and to think, still in SERVICE 10 years ago!

Silver72 · 12-13-2006, 10:28 AM

I never thought of the SKS as a C&R peice of metal.

polishshooter · 12-13-2006, 08:21 PM

Yeah, pretty much they all are except the Chinese ones.

At least I THINK the Russian ones are, but they were pretty much all gone before I got my CR...I'll have to check my list...

But the Romanians are because they are kind of rare, it was neat, about three years before they hit the market nobody really KNEW there was such a thing...

And probably the same reasoning went for the Yugos....

southernshooter · 12-13-2006, 10:06 PM

Your right Polish unfortunetly the best of them all a Chinese is not a C&R

polishshooter · 12-14-2006, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver72

I never thought of the SKS as a C&R peice of metal.

And Silver, I'm kinda curious about why????

Pistolenschutze · 12-15-2006, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polishshooter

And Silver, I'm kinda curious about why????

I've always wondered about that myself, Polish. I suspect it may have more to do with politics than logic.

12-07-2006, 09:00 AM	#1
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Yugo SKS speculation.... As I was sitting contemplating refinishing the stock on the 59/66 again, and wishing it DIDN'T have the grenade launcher so I wouldn't have to agonize over "Keep it stock/cut it off" AGAIN.... ...I got to thinking.... Has anyboidy done any research on how these were issued in the Yugoslav army? I mean, TRADITIONALLY, the grenade launcher was a SUPPORT weapon in most armies, with only a FEW issued to each squad or platoon...but if THAT was the case, we should be seeing TONS of standard M59s and the 59/66s should be the ones that are more rare, but that's not the case.... SOOooooo...logically it can mean only one of two things.... (a) The standard ISSUE SKS at the grunt level was the 59/66, so EVERY infantryman had the ability to fire them...so the 59 WAS more rare.... OR...if they used them like just about ANY other army did.... (b) There's still a CRAPLOAD of standard Yugo 59s out there, maybe STILL in service????? I mean in the WESTERN world the army that used to use the rifle grenade the MOST and most recently was the INDIAN army, which accounts for most of those "wire-wrapped" Enfields, BUT proportionately there were STILL a LOT more STANDARD Indian and British Enfields on the market when they dumped them all.... Maybe we need to do a little research to find out if we should be saving our money to be able to buy up a bunch of $79 SKSs soon... And whether I even SHOULD be thinking of cutting off the launcher on my soon -to-be RARER 59/66 ! __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living. -->

12-07-2006, 11:13 AM	#2
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Polish, you bought an inexpensive SKS. It's a shooter, not a lover! Get rid of the bloody bayonet--unless you plan on sticking the boss with it, always a tempting thought--and also get rid of that crude stock so it doesn't weigh a ton, then shoot it until you wear out the barrel! __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter)

12-07-2006, 08:27 PM	#3
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Actually, during my 4 hours on the road today, I thought it through and found a slight flaw in my logic.....of course just a SLIGHT one... I figure since they are Model 59s, that means they first adopted the SKS in 1959....that makes sense, BEFORE that they would have used the M48 Mausers, and any other leftover stuff from WWII... But the grenade launcher version is the 59/66...so we have to assume they were converted in 1966....when they would have been in the process of upgrading to an AK/AKM variant....and what "kits" are on the market right alongside the 59/66s? Yugo AKs...so it makes sense, the "grenadier" of the squad would probably have the 59/99, everyone else AKs or RPKs.... BUT..... Let's think this through....Tito is a pretty typical paranoid commie dictator, only an INDEPENDENT one...so between trying to look mean OUTWARD both towards the WEST, but also towards Uncle Joe and the "Brotherly Bear..." He also had to have a sizeable internal security force to keep the Serbs, Bosnians, and Croats from slitting each other's throats.... SOooo....in '59 he probably had at LEAST a million boots on the ground.... BUT, let's assume, like any commie dictator, only the TRUSTED internal security forces and the TRUSTED army units would have the good stuff, so we can assume only about 1/2 had the SKSs, the rest "made do" with what they had.... That STILL makes about 500,000 Model 59s....being naturally conservative, lets cut that in half(figure destroyed in service, lost, stolen, manyfacturing capacity given over to Yugo [the car! ] and cheap appliance production, whatever....let's say 250,000 Let's further assume 20% got converted, that's 50,000....and they are all here....let's assume there's about 25,000 standard Model 59s (I see them occasionally, but I think 1/2 the amount of the 66s is high, they aren't THAT common)....but ANYWAY.... So by MY semi-intelligent "guesstimation...." There should be ABOUT 175,000 Model 59s SOMEWHERE..... They certainly haven't made it HERE yet.... PROBABLY buried somewhere in Yugoslavia....we may get lucky yet....I'm betting on "Yugo SKS Futures...." And I kinda like the looks of the launcher and the bayo on it, too.... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

12-07-2006, 08:30 PM	#4
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Oops, I was so excited I DOUBLED.... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

12-07-2006, 10:54 PM	#5
southernshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deep South Mississippi Posts: 5,943	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Don't cut it off get one of these http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/fore/index.asp __________________ Only you can see this

12-10-2006, 02:16 PM	#6
cosmo05 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 51	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Here's your answer on the grenade launcher: http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting...nade/index.asp Shoot the gun and enjoy it, buy a half dozen spares while they are still cheap and plentiful.

12-10-2006, 02:21 PM	#7
ShadowHunt V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 136	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... How much did you pay for the SKS, I found them at $160 (online of course) __________________ Only a government who is afraid of its people tries to disarm them.

12-10-2006, 10:18 PM	#8
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... I paid $99 for mine at Dunham's on sale in September via 4479. They were as low $89 for the "Shooter's Grade" at AIM and SOG, but I got to pick mine as best of several, so it was the equivalent as getting one and paying the $10 hand select fee. I got a decent one, about 95+% metal, nice grained solis wood begging to be refinished...and a really nice shooter after you get used to the raspy trigger. The better grades wholesale went from $129 to $159, I see them at shows now in different grades from $129 to $199....if yours is a nicer grade, that's not bad. But then again, they seem to be drying up, so they will only go up.... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

12-10-2006, 10:20 PM	#9
southernshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deep South Mississippi Posts: 5,943	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Welcome Cosmo __________________ Only you can see this

12-10-2006, 10:45 PM	#10
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... And oh yeah, welcome cosmo. And that was a neat link, maybe they WERE standard issue, and to think, still in SERVICE 10 years ago! __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

12-13-2006, 10:28 AM	#11
Silver72 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Central Texas Posts: 542	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... I never thought of the SKS as a C&R peice of metal.

12-13-2006, 08:21 PM	#12
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Yeah, pretty much they all are except the Chinese ones. At least I THINK the Russian ones are, but they were pretty much all gone before I got my CR...I'll have to check my list... But the Romanians are because they are kind of rare, it was neat, about three years before they hit the market nobody really KNEW there was such a thing... And probably the same reasoning went for the Yugos.... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

12-13-2006, 10:06 PM	#13
southernshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deep South Mississippi Posts: 5,943	Re: Yugo SKS speculation.... Your right Polish unfortunetly the best of them all a Chinese is not a C&R __________________ Only you can see this