Cabela's SKS refurb, worth the $199 (sale price)?
- Thread starter Z06corvette
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The search function can be finicky sometimes.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/search.php?searchid=20415550
Cabellas is fine if you just want to pick up a shooter. I agree with EL43/6L6 that all the SKS's at Cabellas are likely reburbed, and I would take his advice and follow his search recommendation on how to remove the cosmo. It is pretty easy to do it and there are lots of great walkthroughs on it.
There are lots of good retailers here to buy one from, and one or two were suggested. You can still get a beautiful non-refurb, 'as-issued' Russian Tula SKS for a very reasonable price. There are some available from both the retailers here and the EE right now.
Let us know what you end up getting!
There are lots of good retailers here to buy one from, and one or two were suggested. You can still get a beautiful non-refurb, 'as-issued' Russian Tula SKS for a very reasonable price. There are some available from both the retailers here and the EE right now.
Let us know what you end up getting!
In my assessment i figure that a non-refurb in the cosmoline would be the ideal first-pick for an SKS. Beyond the matching serial umbers, how does one know if it is an, as-new SKS...? Or, is there such a thing out there...?
I agree, a non-refurb, "un"-issued SKS is ideal. Weimajack sells them and the one I got is great, unmarred bolt face and most surfaces like new.
Most SKS are sold "as" issued except for a few places that add upgrades. What we all want is a rifle that has not been issued so that we get
one that has not been abused by some soldier. A re-furb that has not been re-issued is also good and I believe that most refurbs come to us
in that condition but it takes more knowledge and experience to know the difference. I don't quite have that knowledge yet myself.
Lots to read up on for identifying if its "authentically" non-refurbed. Finding something completely unissued is extremely difficult these days, and if you do, look to pay a premium.
From basics like looking for a refurb stamp, to technical knowledge on what years have what specific parts (for example, laminates on anything pre-1955 is a dead giveaway of a refurb, as they came with hardwood stocks instead).
Lots of knowledge in the milsurps forum on CGN here.
It annoys me when the guys who buy 1 sks then proceed to dump on whoever sold it to them/where they got it and proclaim to be experts.
Either you luck out, get an unissued unrefurb, or you get something refurb, or you get something garbage. Its like buying a scratch ticket. IF you want something museum quality then you are gonna have to spend the money, the days are very few and far between now being able to randomly stumble across one in perfect condition.
Having bought one a few weeks ago from cabelas i can say where i am that yes it is absolutely a good deal, providing you look at it of course, i bought it to shoot not to collect dust, there's lots of preemo museum quality specimens out there if you really want to find out. For the 180$ i paid for it, and another 250$ for a crate, i can honestly say that's a good deal and i will get more fun out of that then lots of crap i've spent money on over the years. Don't listen to the negativity
Almost everything you need to know about an SKS!
http://www.yooperj.com/SKS.htm
Either you luck out, get an unissued unrefurb, or you get something refurb, or you get something garbage. Its like buying a scratch ticket. IF you want something museum quality then you are gonna have to spend the money, the days are very few and far between now being able to randomly stumble across one in perfect condition.
Having bought one a few weeks ago from cabelas i can say where i am that yes it is absolutely a good deal, providing you look at it of course, i bought it to shoot not to collect dust, there's lots of preemo museum quality specimens out there if you really want to find out. For the 180$ i paid for it, and another 250$ for a crate, i can honestly say that's a good deal and i will get more fun out of that then lots of crap i've spent money on over the years. Don't listen to the negativity
Almost everything you need to know about an SKS!
http://www.yooperj.com/SKS.htm
I guess at this point I should go handle a few at the local vendors to see what the quality is like. I have no issue with the refurb if it is a nice one, and for the money I should be buying two as like everything, prices are only rising. And then there is the rising cost of surplus 7.62x39 which appears to be making a jump for the New Year, so I had better plan on at least 2 crates sometime soon as well. I see where this is going (again) but better now than later or not at all. Surplus guns in cosmoline and spam cans of ammo are never a bad thing to have around 
It's great that the SKS is a rifle that still draws in shooters, both new and seasoned.
For the seasoned guys, I gotta ask...why so late to the party? A few years back we were picking pristine, blued, matching number specimens out of showcases and crates. 1949s and Izzy's too!
For the seasoned guys, I gotta ask...why so late to the party? A few years back we were picking pristine, blued, matching number specimens out of showcases and crates. 1949s and Izzy's too!
I guess at this point I should go handle a few at the local vendors to see what the quality is like. I have no issue with the refurb if it is a nice one, and for the money I should be buying two as like everything, prices are only rising. And then there is the rising cost of surplus 7.62x39 which appears to be making a jump for the New Year, so I had better plan on at least 2 crates sometime soon as well. I see where this is going (again) but better now than later or not at all. Surplus guns in cosmoline and spam cans of ammo are never a bad thing to have around
Whenever truly old gunnies see me buying milsurp in a store, they tell me about $100 Garands and cheap 30-06 ammo, suggesting that I buy while I can.
All SKS are basicly the same, it is just a question of appearance. Two months ago I bought a great SKS at WSS for $200, it looks like my un-issued.
$169. At my local CTC, nice refurbs, and a few non refurbed, but issued sks, they also have laminated for $200, the all matching non refurb/ unissued for $269. I even got two izzies out of the $169 bunch one heavy refurb one non refurb but issued and the mag was switched at pinning, awesome looking rifle, slightly used in service somewhere in the world! All SKS are cool in some way but I would not pay more than the $269-ish for the unrefurbed or any other! I figure there is at least one more wave of Russian and Chinese sks to hit our shores before they run out, as soon as the Russians cool the foolishness and Chinese economy slows enough that some of them need a bit of work/money!
You have an awesome Canadian Tire! It must be all about the owner or manager doing something special, nothing like that happens here.
I am both new and seasoned.
If I had known about SKS thirty years ago, it would have been my #1 gun and kept me interested in firearms.When I showed up at a gun store a couple of years ago and saw all the SKS and the stacks of 15 cent per round ammo, I got real interested!
