SKS - Yes or No
- Thread starter cyclone
- Start date
Phat Eagle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Fraser Valley, BC
Milsurp prices ONLY go one way... sometimes slowly, sometimes fast, but ALWAYS up.
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Yup - thinking of picking up another one off the EE.
That's because they can't get the Chinese variants legally imported into the US, just like M305s.
Yugos are cheaper there than here
I still want to build one chambered for 5.56 Nato. Haven't found a suitable/cheap rifle to qualify as a donor yet.
The SKS rifles I have on hand were all personally hand selected at the import/distribution point. A couple are still new in grease. At the very least, the worst of them is a non matching FTR, specifically picked to use as a shooter.
When the gun shows start up again, I will be on the look out for one to convert. I have a decent donor barrel and a couple of different stocks to put on it.
It would actually be a fun and likely accurate rifle if I can maintain the heavy barrel configuration to settle the whip and vicious harmonics most SKS rifles inevitably have. There are a few jewels out there that shoot quite well.
I put a take of match grade barrel onto an M1 Carbine, non restricted length of course, mounted a scope and it shoots better than any other M1 Carbine I've witnessed. The heavy barrel makes it muzzle heavy and very easy to control
Last edited:
Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
Very true , plus the SKS seems to have avoided Trudeau's OIC ban list which makes them even more popular . The SKS seems very popular among many First Nations Communities , so Trudeau probably figured it was best not to poke a sleeping bear by attempting to grab their SKSs .
I would prefer an SKS under stressful conditions over an AK and Type 81 platform any day of the year.
The SKS is relatively light, maneuverable in tight situations and you don't have to stick you head up to shoot back. There isn't a ridiculously long/heavy mag that changes balance as it empties and snags on just about anything it can, when it's the last thing you need to happen. Same for the Type81.
The SKS is arguably more accurate than either of them but I will admit, does require more maintenance in the field. It's biggest weakness IMHO is a weak stock wrist, unless it comes with a laminated/reinforced stock.
That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the good qualities of other platforms such as the AK and Type 81 or the AR etc.
That 5.56 Nato chambered SKS is looking better to me every day. Bolt face will need an insert silver soldered in place and the extractor/ejector will also need modification. Maybe a controlable gas system can be integrated or just experimenting with gas port dimensions?
Pinned, short AK mags are available, so an SKS-D system would work, by why bother? Easier to modify the magwell for AR type mags, which are very cheap at the moment.
Don’t take my word on it but did the current liberals already try some native exemptions from the current IOC bans for hunting? If that’s true it’s laughable they think the natives would turn in anything.
Bearhunter, the sks is probably my favourite rifle because of it being slim. It was nice on the tractor and easy to “throw” on the seat of the truck when checking the field. The sks D has interested me for a long time. I wanted to buy one at a kamloops gun show years ago but I swear it was a clone.
Here to provide an alternative perspective
- An AK-103 is 6cm shorter and 0.4kg lighter than an SKS, an AK-74 is 6cm shorter and 0.78kg lighter
- 20 round magazines are available to reduce any perceived issues with the 30 or 40 round magazines
- AK-47/AKM rifles of antiquity are likely comparably accurate to an SKS, anything made in the last 50 years from a reputable manufacturer will likely be significantly more accurate than any SKS on the market. AK-100 series and AK-74 rifles achieve circa 2-3.5 MOA which is far better than any SKS
- Almost any AK family rifle can have a quick detach optic put on it, in addition the AK-200 series and AK-12 series rifles have full length rails
- Using stripper clips under genuine stress is bloomin horrific and compared to a 20/30/40 round in/out nice and easy magazine it's just not even a competition
I love my SKS rifles, but I can not perceive a single advantage that one offers over an AK rifle of any form.
To answer the other component of close to $1000 rifles, the Keltec SU-16 is probably the closest to $1000 that I can find, the last I saw it for was $1200 but that price might be well out of date
I dont see them to be superior to any AK. They are the Gen 1 and all the AK's just make that platform better
to go down the cost question everyone gets back to.
Name another mid size caliber (anything non pistol), Non Restricted, Semi Auto that is less than $1k?
The SKS will continue to creep toward the $1k mark unless something else takes it place
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
Likely has more to do with the fact that it is one of the most commonly owned firearm of any type in Canada thanks to how cheap and available it was. Hunters, casual owners, target shooters, collectors, etc. Pretty much all have one.
. I think my Chinese one was $75 with ammo. 
Are they an investment rifle right now? No
Unless you bought a like new condition for $100 back whenever you are not going to see a statospheric rise of an SKS. Most for sale now are finished in rust covered with barbeque paint and a stock so saturated in cosmolene that it looks like it was sitting in a barrel of used motor oil.
Trust me, I respect the SKS but as an investment? No there are much better items to buy for the future.
Unless you bought a like new condition for $100 back whenever you are not going to see a statospheric rise of an SKS. Most for sale now are finished in rust covered with barbeque paint and a stock so saturated in cosmolene that it looks like it was sitting in a barrel of used motor oil.
Trust me, I respect the SKS but as an investment? No there are much better items to buy for the future.
I really depends on what you are looking for… If you are looking to punch tiny groups in paper, then no. However, if you want a robust firearm, capable of hitting torso sized targets out to 200-300 m that uses reasonably affordable ammo and is interesting from a historical perspective, than the answer is obviously yes…. I have several myself and certainly appreciate them for what they are.
Use both of them under stressful conditions and compare then.
The Aks were awkward to say the least and more of a spray and pray type firearm on the field.
This is just IMHO of course. Some people find the pistol grip stock appealing. I've shot a lot of issued AK47s and never found one of them to be acceptably accurate, beyond 25 yards, unless they were custom built one offs, usually on machined receivers.
If an operator learns how to properly use the strippers under stressful field conditions, there is little if any difference. Not only that you need a lot less ammunition to take out a target.
I'm not talking about paper targets on the range.
I had the choice between FNs, AR10s, HK G93, AK47, SKS and numerous other firearms to carry in the field. I chose the SKS because it was the best of the lot for the terrain and purpose at hand. Weight was a big factor but the next factor was being able to use the rudimentary sights from up close and personal to 100 yards and expect to get a first round hit, in a decent location to nullify the threat.
You can go on and on about the advantages of a large capacity magazine, but when projectiles are coming your way, with enough velocity to ruin the rest of your life, you want to be able to keep as low a profile as possible, while returning fire effectively.
I've seen AKs jam when being held by the magazine or tipped on their sides.
I've also seen AKs used by holding the rifle up in the air and pointed in the general direction of the incoming threat. This was just a waste of ammunition, unless the shooter got extremely lucky.
I liked the AR10, but they were few and far between in my circumstances, also liked the HKG93, but the ammunition was HEAVY. I could carry twice as much 7.62x39 and still be able to carry another two liters of water or food, which could easily be the difference between living and dying.
The AK is a decent platform and I'm not going to say it isn't. It's just not as decent as many would hope for when push comes to shove under real world stressful conditions.
