Looking for advice on SKS's

J

jca21

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Hello folks,

Gun noob looking for some advice on purchasing an SKS.

First off my experience with firearms goes only as far as shotguns and bolt action rifles and i've never fired mil-surp before so i figured it'd be best to ask the folks here for advice before i make a purchase.

I've been looking at an SKS as a good long-term survival/bug out/SHTF/zombie invasion, whatever you wanna call it rifle. I'm currently looking at purchasing the chinese made SKS from marstar along with the ATI monte-carlo synthetic stock with handguard.

The reason i chose the SKS is because:
1) its been around for a long time (battle tested)
2) its fairly cheap (i will most likely end up with 2 or 3 modified in the same way down the road)
3) ammo is cheap (czech surplus)


So before i go ahead and make the purchase i had a few questions to ask.

A) what kind of failures is the gun prone to?
B) i'd like to buy replacement parts for the SKS so that i can fix it as i go, which parts should i buy multiples of?
C) how is this gun for long-term storage?
D) is it possible to mount rails on this firearm for the placement of optics? how about a bipod?
E) do you have any recommendations for other guns that i should be looking at given the circumstances listed above.


Thanks in advance everyone :cheers:

JC
 
An answer to your questions.

A-The most common "failure" I have read about is the firing pin. This usually revolves around poor cleaning, causing the pin to seize resulting in dangerous slam fires. This can be resolved by taking he bolt apart regularly and cleaning the pin channel and the pin. It should rattle when shaken.

Another issue with the fireing pin is light strikes, I think worn pins are usually the culprit but Im not sure on that one.

B-Only thing I can really think of is springs and maybe a fireing pin or two, these rifles are pretty much indestructible.

C-clean it right, treat it right, and it will last a while, just like any other firearm. If using surplus corrosive ammo (Czech stuff) flush with hot water to prevent corrosion.

D-Thier are a sh*t tonne of rail options, the most common being a receiver cover replacement, Marstar offers a "scout" mount that replaces the rear sight.. But the most effective would be the Choate (?) mount that requires the rifle to be drilled and tapped.

E- Only one is the CZ-858, $700 brand new with 4 mags and bayonet, good design, and is same caliber as the SKS so ammo is cheap. the Norinco M-305/M-14s is also a decent choice although ammo is not as cheap.
 
LE4mk1

Thanks for the quick reply.

A) So the issue with the firing pin seems to be avoidable with the installation of a new firing pin and regular cleaning/maintenance. What would be a reasonable amount of ammo to put through the SKS before a thorough break down and cleaning would be required?

B) Thanks, thats what i was thinking as well, springs and a few firing pins will be purchased along with the gun.

C) i'm not familiar with corrosive ammunition but will start looking into how to maintain and clean the firearm with the use of corrosive ammunition. is non-corrosive surplus ammo available as well?

D) Thanks, i would like a drilled and tapped sight as opposed the the scout mount. I will look into the Choate solution

E) I will also look into the CZ-858.

Thanks again, your input is much appreciated.

cheers,

JC
 
jca21 said:
What would be a reasonable amount of ammo to put through the SKS before a thorough break down and cleaning would be required?
Click to expand...

Any amount of corrosive. Trust me when you take it to the range, you will shoot 200+ rounds at least. It is just that fun.

jca21 said:
i'm not familiar with corrosive ammunition but will start looking into how to maintain and clean the firearm with the use of corrosive ammunition. is non-corrosive surplus ammo available as well?
Click to expand...

AFAIK there's no surplus non-corrosive, but there is lots of commercial non-corrosive (ie Prvi Partizan).
 
.30/06 FTW said:
Any amount of corrosive. Trust me when you take it to the range, you will shoot 200+ rounds at least. It is just that fun.



AFAIK there's no surplus non-corrosive, but there is lots of commercial non-corrosive (ie Prvi Partizan).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info .30/06

i'll be looking forward to getting my hands on an SKS
 
I bought a regular russian sks from ki11ercane, he advertises them in the EE. No real issues to speak of. Just buy a gun, case of ammo and start blasting off shots. Try not to over think this.
 
Surplus ammo for SKS is cheap right now, but that does not mean this will always be the case. Slam fires are more often than not, caused by poor maintenance and cleaning. I picked up my first SKS over 25 years ago and several since. Keep it clean and you will never have a problem. I wouldn't bother buying spare parts, there are millions of rifles on the market and the supply of parts will continue many years after the surplus ammo is gone, only poor cleaning and service will give you a requirement for new parts. An SKS is not an accurate rifle in comparison to other breeds of military firearms and really doesn't need a scope in my opinion. Open sights should be good for a deer up to 125-150 yards, consequently the bullet is not much use or energy after that, it goes straight downhill.
 
Below a stock Yugo 59-66 and my Chinese Norinco "money pit" SKS, the 59-66 shoots much better because it is mounted in the original stock with the metal cross bolt installed.

The money pit Norinco has "NO" crossbolt in the plastic stock to anchor the receiver and the action is only pinched or anchored at the fore end tip and where it "snaps" together at the rear of the receiver.

IMGP7156.jpg


I also have a Choate Dragunov SKS stock and a folding ATI SKS stock and the Tapco SKS stock pictured above that I will trade or sell you for a good price and you can then use your money pit Norinco for pray and spray bug out shooting, bad short-term survival/SHTF/zombie invasion killing machine. (only in the movies)

IMGP7158.jpg


If and when I bug out I'm taking the stock Yugo 59-66 SKS and let the zombies have the plastic stocked Norinco.

(Question: Do zombies die if you stab them with a SKS bayonet?)

To do list:

1. No.3 bolt heads for my No.4 Enfields.
2. Sell SKS plastic stocks and use money more wisely this year.
3. Stay out of SKS forums
4. Save money and get a used M1A or M14 that will hit the target at 100 yards.
5. Find out if NAFTA allows trading or selling plastic SKS stocks with Canada.
6. Buy more Long Branch Enfields that shoot straight.
7. Find out if Enfield bayonets will kill zombies.
8. Buy more Energiser battery's for red dot sight and practice replacing battery's when its pitch black and the zombies are in the same room.
 
bigedp51 said:
Below a stock Yugo 59-66 and my Chinese Norinco "money pit" SKS, the 59-66 shoots much better because it is mounted in the original stock with the metal cross bolt installed.

The money pit Norinco has "NO" crossbolt in the plastic stock to anchor the receiver and the action is only pinched or anchored at the fore end tip and where it "snaps" together at the rear of the receiver.

IMGP7156.jpg


I also have a Choate Dragunov SKS stock and a folding ATI SKS stock and the Tapco SKS stock pictured above that I will trade or sell you for a good price and you can then use your money pit Norinco for pray and spray bug out shooting, bad short-term survival/SHTF/zombie invasion killing machine. (only in the movies)

IMGP7158.jpg


If and when I bug out I'm taking the stock Yugo 59-66 SKS and let the zombies have the plastic stocked Norinco.

(Question: Do zombies die if you stab them with a SKS bayonet?)

To do list:

1. No.3 bolt heads for my No.4 Enfields.
2. Sell SKS plastic stocks and use money more wisely this year.
3. Stay out of SKS forums
4. Save money and get a used M1A or M14 that will hit the target at 100 yards.
5. Find out if NAFTA allows trading or selling plastic SKS stocks with Canada.
6. Buy more Long Branch Enfields that shoot straight.
7. Find out if Enfield bayonets will kill zombies.
8. Buy more Energiser battery's for red dot sight and practice replacing battery's when its pitch black and the zombies are in the same room.
Click to expand...

that made me laugh pretty hard. lol. thanks for the info. :D

this is why i posted in here, to make sure i got some info before i went and spent money. :redface:

kevguy said:
My advice is not to buy one.
Click to expand...

so the only person here who posted an alternative (CZ 858) was LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1.

if i were looking for something that fired 7.62x39 surplus would the CZ 858 be a much better investment? (around 2-3 times the cost of the SKS)

Cammy7s said:
Yes Zombies will die with a good stab from an SKS bayonet as long as you get him in the head real good. :)
Click to expand...

thats fine and dandy for those slow moving ones but what about those fast crazy suckers that jump off the walls? :eek:;)

i'll look into that CZ 858 more now...

:ninja:
 
The SKS is a great gun, fun, cheap, and did I say fun and cheap? They will go and go and go. The 858 is overall probably a better rifle, but the SKS is still a fun beat up and don't care plinker.

Are they a target rifle? No way, but they are not supposed to be.

Buy one, you will not regret it.
 
playkation said:
*SNIP*...Try not to over think this.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY - It's not worth expending the brain power. It's a .30 cal semi-auto center fire that can be had for under 200 bux. If you buy a Chi-com than it's a BRAND NEW .30 cal semi-auto center fire that can be had for under 200 bux.

You can buy a Russian, a Chinese and a big ###y wooden crate full of steel cased, copper jacketed goodness for LESS than that 858 will cost you.

'Common, the Swiss Army knife and the SVT-40 had puppies... How can you not want at least one?
 
Deltasilver said:
EXACTLY - It's not worth expending the brain power. It's a .30 cal semi-auto center fire that can be had for under 200 bux. If you buy a Chi-com than it's a BRAND NEW .30 cal semi-auto center fire that can be had for under 200 bux.

You can buy a Russian, a Chinese and a big ###y wooden crate full of steel cased, copper jacketed goodness for LESS than that 858 will cost you.

'Common, the Swiss Army knife and the SVT-40 had puppies... How can you not want at least one?
Click to expand...

thats exactly what i was thinking originally.

cheap, cheap ammo, and its only gonna get shot once in a while.

are there any after market stocks available that solve the cross bolt issue mentioned by bigedp51?
 
jca21 said:
thats exactly what i was thinking originally.

cheap, cheap ammo, and its only gonna get shot once in a while.

are there any after market stocks available that solve the cross bolt issue mentioned by bigedp51?
Click to expand...

Every single aftermarket stock is crap. Some more, some less. You're putting a plastic body kit on a mid 50's Chev truck. If you insist on it, buy one second hand (bigedp51 offered) and then you won't feel bad when you pass it on to it's next owner.

Plastic stocks work really well on a lot of different rifles - I have an M38 in a plastic Ramline I really like - but the SKS really isn't one of them IMHO.

It ain't pretty, but the bone stock SKS just WORKS. The Russians don't do fancy, they do EFFECTIVE.
 
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The SKS is not, and no matter what you do to it never will be, a sniper rifle. It was designed for Soviet conscripts to be able to use in a war. Its accuracy is better known as "Minute of Western Imperialist Pig". :D

That said, its accuracy is plenty good enough for deer inside about 150 yards with hunting (Prvi Partizan - not Sellier & Bellot :puke:) ammo. Surplus ammo is, as has been noted, corrosive (actually the primers are what's corrosive) and not that accurate (wide manufacturing tolerances are the culprit here). For the most part, it's also NOT reloadable, but at about $200 per 1120/1200 rounds, it's not worth reloading anyway.

It IS a keep-it-simple-stupid rifle that will go bang when you squeeze the trigger.

There's all kinds of upgrades and stocks you can buy relatively cheaply for the SKS. In fact, that's one of the reasons I bought my first one, so I could experiment with a rifle that, if I really buggered it up, I was only out a couple hundred bucks and had parts for when I tried again.:evil:

You can buy the SKS and a couple of crates of ammo for about $600 plus tax & shipping. That's about 2400 rounds to play with, AND a semi-auto rifle, for less than the cost of a CZ 858.

Go over to the Red Rifles forum. That's where the SKS (and CZ 858) is really discussed on CGN.
 
jca21 said:
Hello folks,

Gun noob looking for some advice on purchasing an SKS.

First off my experience with firearms goes only as far as shotguns and bolt action rifles and i've never fired mil-surp before so i figured it'd be best to ask the folks here for advice before i make a purchase.

I've been looking at an SKS as a good long-term survival/bug out/SHTF/zombie invasion, whatever you wanna call it rifle. I'm currently looking at purchasing the chinese made SKS from marstar along with the ATI monte-carlo synthetic stock with handguard.

The reason i chose the SKS is because:
1) its been around for a long time (battle tested)
2) its fairly cheap (i will most likely end up with 2 or 3 modified in the same way down the road)
3) ammo is cheap (czech surplus)


So before i go ahead and make the purchase i had a few questions to ask.

A) what kind of failures is the gun prone to?
B) i'd like to buy replacement parts for the SKS so that i can fix it as i go, which parts should i buy multiples of?
C) how is this gun for long-term storage?
D) is it possible to mount rails on this firearm for the placement of optics? how about a bipod?
E) do you have any recommendations for other guns that i should be looking at given the circumstances listed above.


Thanks in advance everyone :cheers:

JC
Click to expand...
Buy as much SKS you can and have fun!:D
 
jca21 said:
The reason i chose the SKS is because:
1) its been around for a long time (battle tested)...JC
Click to expand...


Nope. It isn't battle tested. It never saw mass use in a major conflict. The SKS was a convenient stop gap measure that was fast, easy and cheap to produce in quantity while the USSR were playing catch up in the battle rifle race. In fact the soviets rushed to replace the SKS with the AK47 for front line troops as fast as they could. It's not known for great reliability or longevity, and it was not designed with those parameters in mind.
 
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