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SKS Questions?

9K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  roosterrod 
#1 ·
Does anyone have questions about the SKS would be glad to help if I can.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
You are correct but o not forget they don't have screen doors on subs either.

I've had three of them. Currently don't own one. Try as I might, can't seem to warm up to them. Each one I owned was reliable and ran any ammo I fed it. But when I saw something new I wanted the SKS was the first weapon I traded.
Yes that is always the case I traded one of my pistols the S&W SD9VE. It wasn't one of my favorites but the price was right at the time and I made back on the trade for the SKS I bought.

I have a question. Who was the first ammo maker of the 762X39 to make ammo available in the U S ? I brought a Chi Com SKS home from Vietnam in the year 1967 and nobody had ever seen one and ammo was not available. Finally around 1972 or close to there, Norma came out with the ammo. Now it's possible the big city gun stores had it earlier, but I lived in a small town in Georgia and we only had one gun store. FYI, in the 60's the Viet Cong had lot's of Chi Com SKS's. You don't see any of these anymore. Collectors are hoarding them and the price is sky high
If you brought one home and still have it you are correct you do not see many of them. Once in awhile on Gun Broker you see one but they are beat to crap and people want outrageous prices. If yours is in decent shape post it an see what offers you get for it.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a question. Who was the first ammo maker of the 762X39 to make ammo available in the U S ? I brought a Chi Com SKS home from Vietnam in the year 1967 and nobody had ever seen one and ammo was not available. Finally around 1972 or close to there, Norma came out with the ammo. Now it's possible the big city gun stores had it earlier, but I lived in a small town in Georgia and we only had one gun store. FYI, in the 60's the Viet Cong had lot's of Chi Com SKS's. You don't see any of these anymore. Collectors are hoarding them and the price is sky high
I cannot say for sure the first U.S. maker of the 7.62/39 round could have been Winchester can't say for sure. From what I have read on different sites the SKS with the free floating firing pin system it is recommended not to use brass ammo because of the primers used in U.S. made ammo. There is a company called Murray's that make a spring loaded pin system that will work with our ammo. Originally the Russians had a spring loaded firing pin but I guess as the war progressed it was cheaper to use the free floating system plus Mr. Stalin wanted to keep the 7.62/54 rounds used in the Mosin and that too helped stop production on the SKS.
 
#9 ·
If you brought one home and still have it you are correct you do not see many of them. Once in awhile on Gun Broker you see one but they are beat to crap and people want outrageous prices. If yours is in decent shape post it an see what offers you get for it.
Ziggy, when you quote, or reply to a post, you can just drop down a line, and post your response, as I have done. No need to quote the post, and then make a separate post. It makes following your post easier. And I'm another SKS fan. I'm one of the guys that have actually taken deer with this rifle, and presently own two, that won't get traded!
Gun Firearm Rifle Air gun Trigger
 
#11 ·
IMHO, the best ones are the ones made with milled vs stamped, receivers. Chinese, or Russian works for me. I own one of each. The one in the photo above is a Russian paratrooper model.
 
#14 ·
You got it right!
 
#16 ·
I had an SKS. Chinese, after market folding stock, paratrooper length barrel. I am a handloader. Sierra .308 HPFP 125 gr bullets designed for 30-30 were accurate and really thumped deer.

Sadly, one day, probably due to my use of soft Winchester primers, the gun went rock and roll. Having teenage boys in the house that were hunters, and liked to run off after school to hunt, I sent the gun down the road.

A replacement is on my wish list, but not close to the top.
 
#19 ·
I had an SKS. Chinese, after market folding stock, paratrooper length barrel. I am a handloader. Sierra .308 HPFP 125 gr bullets designed for 30-30 were accurate and really thumped deer.

Sadly, one day, probably due to my use of soft Winchester primers, the gun went rock and roll. Having teenage boys in the house that were hunters, and liked to run off after school to hunt, I sent the gun down the road.

A replacement is on my wish list, but not close to the top.
They now have firing pins with springs as a replacement for the free floating pins. They don't cost an arm, and a leg, either. http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/bolt-parts/firing-pins/sks-enhanced-firing-pin-prod24637.aspx
 
#22 ·
Back when I was much younger I found an SKS in a pawn shop for fifty bucks. This was before any of these rifles was imported. The only marks I recall was a star with a digit enclosed. The bayonet was missing and the recess for the safety and finger groves were painted black. The rifle appeared to have been in an arms cache and had spots of fairly heavy rust. Yes, the only rounds at that time were Norma and were a novelty. A local gun buffon assured me it was made at Tula arsonal. Turns out the black paint also showed up in the Arms of the World example. Later, it was identified as being of North Vietnam manufacture in the American Rifleman. We didn't know much and the only SKS's around were bring backs. Traded it off later on. That was then this is now. Sorry about the memory lapse.
 
#23 ·
Ziggy, when you quote, or reply to a post, you can just drop down a line, and post your response, as I have done. No need to quote the post, and then make a separate post. It makes following your post easier. And I'm another SKS fan. I'm one of the guys that have actually taken deer with this rifle, and presently own two, that won't get traded! View attachment 104471
IMHO.. when the ak47 came out.. the milled receiver of the SKS made them superior. I know AK tech has come along way now however.
 
#24 ·
I have a question about the sinobanian sks.I've got one with the Albanian stock... why did they have a second cleaning kit hole?
 
#27 ·
Look up the data in your manual - but I found a great bullet combination for the SKS to be with Hornady 124 FMJs, .310 diameter ahead of BLC (2) powder, loaded to about 2400 FPS. Accurate with open sights (2" at 100 yards), clean burning and non-corrosive.

Have to agree on the wood. My 1954 Russian and 2 Chinese clones (Norinco) have awful wood. The Ruskie wood is a **little** better (harder), and the Chicom wood is really soft. I'll keep the crappy Ruskie stock to keep it original, but I'd sure like to find a reasonably priced laminated military stock for the Chicoms.
 
#28 ·
I have a russian SKS I have sporterized....Love it to death. It is underrated, but what most people don't realize is the AK didnt come from the SKS, they actually started development at roughly the same time, to my understanding of the history the designors were having issues with the design of the AK, so they released the SKS to help fill in the gap for the much needed new service rifle until the AK was finalized and produced in high enough amounts to replace it. It was never intended to be a "long term" gun.

It is a very, versatile weapon though, offering the same, if not slightly better accuracy then the AK, while only being a bit heavier, and with all the mods on the market, can make a very capable rifle for just about any use you have for it, from hunting to competition shooting to a solid battle rifle.

here is a picture of mine. Genuine Russian SKS made in 1955. I do have the original stock and bayonet for it, the wood stock is in good condition and seems well made, as well as 10 and 20 round magazines. the only thing I am missing is the factory internal magazine.
 

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#32 ·
yeah, finding a stock like that that allows you to keep the bayonet is rare. There are some, but most of them are more of the traditional rifle style stocks, and I really wanted the pistol grip, so I just removed the bayonet, and keep it with my stock. I read on some of the reviews for that stock that some people removed that bottom rail and took a dremel and cut a custom slot for the bayonet, and I thought about doing that myself, but I kinda like my front bipod/grip combo there.
 
#36 ·
aaah ok you were talking about the stock one....it should, the banana mags are designed to clip in the same spot the factory one. Yes, I can get the factory mag in, though, like yours it wont just clip in. The factory mag was never designed to be replaced. You have to remove the trigger group to get the factory mag back in place. And unfortunatly, im sure yours is to because mine is, to get the banana mags to fit in place you have to cut out some of the wood on the front side of the magazine to get the aftermarket mags to fit.
 
#40 ·
Well they may not have, I just know that my sks had about a quarter inch cut out of the wood on the front of the mag when I got it (the previous owner is the one who converted it) and I don't know if it was because he had to for the mag or if he was an idiot.

I do know I had to Dremel out the same portion of my ati stock pictured above to get the mags to fit. Not a lot, but I did have to a little bit.
 
#42 ·
I will take that back, my wood stock has not been modified, for some reason I thought it had. Just my ATI one. From the reviews, ive been modifying it is something thats limited to those with the polymer mags, but i dont know that for a fact I havent tried a metal one since before I upgraded.

Here are pics of the mag and the mag well on my stock you can see how I had to lengthen it.
 

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