Dealer with the nicest SKS?

Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett

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Fraser Valley
I'm in the market for my first SKS. This will be something that gets shot occasionally, not just a collector piece, but I still would like to buy a nice one - it won't be a truck gun.

I don't want to have to take SKS 101 to avoid overpaying on the EE and I'm thinking I'd like a non-refurb or at least one with matching serials but I'm not fussy on the year/arsenal/country/etc. So which dealers know their SKS's, have the nicest inventory and will guarantee me a nice rifle?

Anything else I should look for or avoid, knowing I'm buying from a (hopefully) reputable dealer?
 
if you shoot it brotha, doesnt matter, matching or not, you'll pay more for the matching, go to CT and get a banger,clean it up good, mine doesnt match, shoots great. I was a noob like that before buying my first one. Buy it for the cheapest and get all you cleaning stuff and ammo
 
fenceline said:
They all come from the same place...
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Not true.

There are several import sources. WestRifle is one of the bigger importers, and hand selects what they sell on their own site, and distribute to other retailers.

Noirth Sylva is another major importer - they're the source for most retailers (including Canadian Tire).

Marstar used to handle their own imports when they were getting the Chinese ones in, don't know whether they handle their own imports of Soviet built ones.

Corwin-Arms handles their own imports - Martin hand selects at point of origin from various arsenal surplus sales in a couple different countries. Mostly Poland, but some other places as well.

If you don't want to go through the hassle of picking through piles of them at Canadian Tire, or Wholesale Sports, etc., my choices would be (in order)

Corwin-Arms
Weimajack (here on the equipment exchange) - he hand selects the best he can and resells for a small profit.
Westrifle
 
I too strongly suggest Westrifle or Corwin Arms. A few dollars more, but the quality is better as they hand select them at the Point of Origin. Weimajack on the EE does a find job of finding nice pieces too.

Nice thing about Westrifle is they have several detailed pics of each SKS they offer, so you can pick through the photos and see which specific rifle you want.

Nicer quality SKS are getting harder to find, so don't delay!
 
grelmar said:
Not true.

There are several import sources. WestRifle is one of the bigger importers, and hand selects what they sell on their own site, and distribute to other retailers.

Noirth Sylva is another major importer - they're the source for most retailers (including Canadian Tire).

Marstar used to handle their own imports when they were getting the Chinese ones in, don't know whether they handle their own imports of Soviet built ones.

Corwin-Arms handles their own imports - Martin hand selects at point of origin from various arsenal surplus sales in a couple different countries. Mostly Poland, but some other places as well.

If you don't want to go through the hassle of picking through piles of them at Canadian Tire, or Wholesale Sports, etc., my choices would be (in order)

Corwin-Arms
Weimajack (here on the equipment exchange) - he hand selects the best he can and resells for a small profit.
Westrifle
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Russia is one place. And the other places were all Russia too when they were built.

The importers all get them from the same region of the world. They are all bidding against the same sellers.
 
True and not exactly true. Ones that came from Ukraine were just pinned so you can expect either nonrefurbished or refurbished condition, ones that came from Russia were on top of this painted with bbq paint and marked with their export marks as "hunting carbines". Also most of them have mags swapped during piining. So generally speaking ones that came fofrom Ukraine were in more original condition. Thouh all of them were made at the same factories in Soviet Union.
 
All I know is the ones Westrifle and Corwin Arms have are in WAAAAAY better shape than the ones I see at Canadian Tire, WSS, or Lever Arms... Won't matter if you just want a beater to shoot, but if you are looking for even minor "collectability" condition is key.
 
fenceline said:
I'm pretty sure Russia is one place. And the other places were all Russia too when they were built.

The importers all get them from the same region of the world. They are all bidding against the same sellers.
Click to expand...

Well...SKS rifles came from several sources. Despite that, they are all pretty much the same inside.

OP...if you find an SKS that looks good on the outside [wood not cracked or dented, bluing not scratched or worn, action doesn't rattle in the stock, gas tube doesn't rattle] and good on the inside [maybe full of oil or cosmoline, but no rust or corrosion] you'll almost certainly be looking at a decent SKS. Matching numbers almost certainly means you have a _good_ refurb in your hands.

Don't over think it, and don't get weird if a nice looking gun costs $20 more than average. The SKS is a great rifle and a tremendous value at current prices. Buy a case or two of ammo while you're at it. Good luck...
 
They're all pretty much 'bottom of the barrel'... with some exceptions. Best advice at this stage is to HANDLE the one that you want... CT, Lever, weimajack, whomever is closest. Unless you're looking for a collectible specimen, they're all shooters and work as designed.
 
Thanks for the info guys, it's about what I expected.

I get that they all more or less come from the same place but for what an SKS costs I would much rather pay a small premium for a nice hand selected model over a BBQ painted Canadian Tire special. Maybe it doesn't make sense for something I'm going to shoot anyways but for the difference of $100, what the hell.
 
Davy Crockett said:
Thanks for the info guys, it's about what I expected.

I get that they all more or less come from the same place but for what an SKS costs I would much rather pay a small premium for a nice hand selected model over a BBQ painted Canadian Tire special. Maybe it doesn't make sense for something I'm going to shoot anyways but for the difference of $100, what the hell.
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The difference won't be $100... You'll pay $20-$50 more to get it from a reputable dealer that has forgotten more about how to pick out a quality red rifle than 99% of the people on this board will ever know.

Small price to pay, if you ask me.
 
Davy Crockett said:
I'm in the market for my first SKS. This will be something that gets shot occasionally, not just a collector piece, but I still would like to buy a nice one - it won't be a truck gun.

I don't want to have to take SKS 101 to avoid overpaying on the EE and I'm thinking I'd like a non-refurb or at least one with matching serials but I'm not fussy on the year/arsenal/country/etc. So which dealers know their SKS's, have the nicest inventory and will guarantee me a nice rifle?

Anything else I should look for or avoid, knowing I'm buying from a (hopefully) reputable dealer?
Click to expand...


I liked the ones i got from wholesale sports in Prince George, It looks like your pretty close if you ever pass through go take a look at them. I got a 54 and 53. The "super grade" seem to be refinished nicely with a deep red shellac. There are some there that look like #### so its iffy.
 
Phat Eagle and Horlika know what they are talking about.

1. Chinese - most are un-issued or arsenal refinished (blued) so no big difference - when you can find one for $250 or less buy one.

2. Soviet - Two types on the market:
a) Molot - Refurb'd in the Russia- 98% are non-matching, BBQ paint etc and come in carboard boxes.. However 2% are un-issued, all matching in original blue - but due to internally pinning the mags they never bothered to match the mags back to the rifle - so the result at best is an un-issued rifle with a MM mag. Presently these Molot rifles are the most commonly found SKS at most dealers.
b) Ukraine/Other Easter Block Rifles - Generally refurb'd forced matched, but are blued with nicer finish than Molot rifles and you are more likely to find an un-messed rifle that is possibly un-issued - every crate is random. West Rifle and Corwin hand picked their rifles - so great sources. Lever is good as well. I know Milarm in Edmonton will also have some nice Ukraine rifles - receiving 200+ SKS's shortly.
 
Phat Eagle said:
All I know is the ones Westrifle and Corwin Arms have are in WAAAAAY better shape than the ones I see at Canadian Tire, WSS, or Lever Arms... Won't matter if you just want a beater to shoot, but if you are looking for even minor "collectability" condition is key.
Click to expand...

Lever Arms usually has a few unrefurbished rifles and a few diamonds in the rough in their showcase, it's a mixed bag.
 
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