SKS

Boco's post about Russian made SKS' in the Canada thread got me thinking........

When I was in junior high, you could by SKS by the dozen for around $100 dollars each. I was always told they were Chinese SKS, but they looked the same. I killed a lot of critters with that SKS and sure got to like the 7.62x39 round, but the sights on the rifle really sucked. They were still OK for close range though.

My question is what's the difference between the two and are SKS' still available to buy in the USA? Thanks, Chancey

Just about every eastern block country had a version of the SKS. It was, to my knowledge, the prelude to the AK. You can still get SKS's in the states. You're looking between $300-$500 these days.

Thanks Finster!

Bought one in the early 90' s.
Clumbsy thing but has never failed.
Have let people use it for deer / bear and has always done the job.

I think mines from China?

They were never made to be tac drivers,they are for killing.These semis are used a lot in Siberia you can throw them in the bottom of a sleigh at 50 below and they never fail to shoot.I killed lots of beavers and a few bears with the sks.Fun to shoot and hunt with.More than a few moose have bit the dust to an sks.
I like the calibre so I bought a bolt cz 7.62x39,plus I have a lot of ammo and its a dime a dozen.I shoot the Barnaul steel case ammo.This is my current nuisance beaver gun.

I shined up the stock on this laminated refurb(120 bucks here packed in cosmoline).

The main difference between the Russian SKS and the Chinese is that the Russian is milled and the Chinese is stamped.
Some of the early Chinese were milled and these are also sought out by collectors.
The reason the price is so high in the States is because no more can be imported so any matching number un refurbed sell for 800-1200(a finite number in circulation) depending on year and arsenal.Ishevsk arsenal made a lot less guns than the Tula arsenal thus the price difference.Ishevsk are also more finely finished than the Tula.
When I started collecting sks's a few years ago,I got a lot of my information from the guys on Gunboards.com .The sks can be completely stripped down with a bullet.The early ones(49,50,and some 51's) did not have the chrome lined bore and chamber.(49,and early 50's also had a spring loaded firing pin,after that the firing pin is free float)

I bought a machined Chinese on for $80. My brother in-law who didn't know to much about guns wanted a cheap gun for his ranch truck so I bought it for him. He lost it somewhere and doesnt know where. I kind of liked the gun and wish I'd kept it and bought something else for him.

I have a Russian SKS made in 1954 machined and well made never fired it yet I have had is for 30 years, I bought a Chinese one that I put a lot of ammo through and it functioned well.

I believe you are talking about the AK here not the SKS?

My Chinese SKS has a pinned barrel. I had never seen, nor heard of a pinned barrel until I bought it. I got it in the late 90's.

I bought a machined SKS way back when they were cheap - under $100. GREAT gun at that price. But, when I found I could sell my SKS for $400 I unloaded it and used the money to buy an AR15. The AR-15 is a much better gun for about the same money. More accurate, cheaper to shoot, softer shooting rifle. I'm glad I made the trade.

I am not aware of a stamped SKS all examples I have ever seen , Russian, Yugo ,China were all milled.

differences the most easy to see is the blade bayonet Russians vs Spike bayonet China.

the Yugo and some other com-block SKS had muzzle devices and wire wrapped wrist on the stock for use with the rifle grenade launching.

there re some less noticeable differences like laminated stocks on Russians and com blocks while most Chinese were not a laminated stock.

there are also small differences in the hand guard.

most china had pressed & pinned in barrels while some Russians had threaded barrels particularly earlier ones.


in the 90s I was a college student , there was a sporting good store that broke down spam cans of 7.62x39 into brown paper lunch sacks and folded them over and stapled them shut. I want to say we were paying 5 dollars a sack for 50 rounds , and buying and shooting all we could afford at the time which wasn't all that much.
was always going to buy a spam can but then they jumped in price and dried up.

I've got one purchased around 90s too, cheap deer rifle for sure and it is fun to shoot. Has never jammed on me once. Cycles the full basket clip like no other rifle I've owned.
Ive toyed with putting a cool looking synthetic stock on it...but there is something about the crappy yellow hued heavy wood stock it came with too.
Mine had the original cleaning kit in butt of stock when I got it, and a bayonet.
If the Chinese had ever invented a rail system.for scopes to fit it I cant imagine what it would be capable of.
Anyway, my sks is heavy, has odd peep sights to get used to, but it owes me nothing for the less than $100 I paid for it and it is one fun gun to shoot. 7.62 ammo is cheap to feed it, too.
I do like my sks.
Jim

I am a FFL dealer and 20 years ago when I started if you bought 5 sks guns at one time they would throw one in for free.
Dealer cost was $59

I did the same as Kart29. Bought for $99 sold for $400 and turned it into an AR. The SKS was cool, but it was too big and heavy for the roles it filled for me. $400 gets you into a lot of firearms that are more versatile and handy. Used lever actions in 357, 44, 30-30. AR's, Keltec Sub-2000 etc.

When we were selling lots of them back around the early 90's you could buy a brand new one for $64 plus tax.

I have been thinking the same thing , I see the Paratrooper model I have going for 499.00 online I figured if I could get good money for mine in poly folding stock, with the bayonet, extra 30 round mag and about 300 rounds of ammo , I would do that and use it for another 308 or shotgun.

Wow! Nice rifle!

For a total piece of rattling crap, they sure are fun to shoot. Can't hit a base fiddle inside a barn slam full of base fiddles, aiming at the wide open doors, but still fun to shoot.
They are minute-of-broadside-of-barn accurate though.
I'd pay a hundred bucks for one.

That's just the right size of target you need to use when shooting an SKS

Wow! Those are some nice rifles Boco!

My buddy and mine both got an SKS in 1993 for I think $99 bucks. As said earlier, they can take a beating and never fail to shoot.

I don't find them inaccurate at all for killing.
7.62x39 has a good trajectory at mid range.And awesome killing power. I have no problem hitting a 4 inch circle at 100 yards with any of them.

Killed lots of beaver and a few bears at good distances with the sks before I bought the CZ.