SKS Surplus Rifle is great for a beginner I take it?

st1264

st1264

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I have been reading about the SKS for a little while now. This is what I've read on this board and elsewhere:

PROS

Inexpensive
Plentiful
Use cheap surplus ammo
Reliable
Fun to shoot

CONS

Covered in cosmoline-have to clean when you get them
Surplus ammo is corrosive (I'm pretty sure I read that)
Not supposed to be as accurate as other rifles

If I'm wrong on any count in this summary, please let me know. Is there more expensive "clean" ammo in 7.62x39 available at a higher cost?

Anyway, I'm just wondering if you guys think this is a good rifle for a beginner to learn how to shoot on. Feel free to express your opinion. Thanks.
 
I think its a good starter rifle, you can bang it up as its cheap and shoot it a #### load for cheap. Lots of after market upgrades as well. And yes there is other ammo for it thats more expensive but not corrosive and does not have a steel core. Your pros and cons are right on as well :p
 
Yeah, man, those rifles are pretty fantastic if you just want to shoot. I'm not sure if accuracy is a problem- I was nailing a 12" target at 100 yards with iron sights.
As long as you KNOW you are shooting corrosive ammo, then you can stay on top of it, and there's no problem. It's cheap as hell so you can REALLY have some fun and let loose if that's what you are after!
 
sks

You only have to clean the cosmoline off it once. Any firearm fired with corrosive ammo should be cleaned asap, and you should even clean the others after shooting. Generally, the accuracy of the SKS is a lot better than the AK-47.

I have fired the SKS at 500 meters on the Silhouette range off the bench, and got a high percentage of hits and knock downs of the Rams, using the open sights.

.
 
I would by it if I were you and I have bought 2 for myself so far..... and they probably won't be my last and I have NO regrets whatsoever. Just plain fun to shoot and I like the historical aspect to them as well.
 
I just bought an SKS. It's my first rifle. I love it!

I was debating between the SKS and a 10/22. I'm sooooooo glad I put the .22 off. I will get one eventually, but I am very pleased with the SKS as a first rifle.
 
Are your cons really cons?
Cosmoline & Corrosive ammo just means more time cleaning and better understanding on how your firearm works.
As for Accurate...
Well letz just say that most people on average with iron sight's can hit a 12"x12" gong at 200 meter's 3 out of 5 times and there were a couple that would hardley miss.
*I get this number from the gong shoot's we had last year.*
In all honesty there is verry little negitive that 1 can say about the SkS platform.
 
Depending on where you get it, there may not be much or any cosmo at all. It may just need a wipedown and casual cleaning like you'd do after you shoot it. One less con in your list...
 
Stupid Question: What makes the surplus 7.62x39 corrosive?

010closeup.jpg


We shot this 7.62x39 in Detroit. Don't remember what the box said but they were $12.99 for 20. I know they have many more types of ammo for this caliber. Definitely clean ammo. I think this range is on the expensive side for ammo. Probably do a lot better in other stores there.

Anyway, I see brass and copper plating. How much are these here (if available).
 
The primers in military surplus ammo have mercury in them as part of the formula. Mercury is extremely corrosive on steel. Non-corrosive ammo have primers without mercury as part of the formula. You can buy ammo for the gun that is non-corrosive, just costs more.

Take Care

Bob
 
Mercury is Poisonous!!!

From Wiki- Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which is the source of the red pigment vermilion, and is mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar. Cinnabar is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust. Mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to soluble forms of mercury (such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury), inhalation of mercury vapor, or eating seafood contaminated with mercury.

Mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, some electrical switches, and other scientific apparatus, though concerns about the element's toxicity have led to mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers being largely phased out in clinical environments in favor of alcohol-filled, digital, or thermistor-based instruments. It remains in use in a number of other ways in scientific and scientific research applications, and in amalgam material for dental restoration. It is used in lighting: electricity passed through mercury vapor in a phosphor tube produces short-wave ultraviolet light which then causes the phosphor to fluoresce, making visible light.

I'm sure the surplus makes more dust than this "clean" ammo. I wonder how many cancer causing agents are in that? Check out the cloud of smoke in this pic. Mercury is highly toxic to humans.

Maybe we should be wearing eye, ear protection and a Mask?


017closeup.jpg
 
st1264 said:
PROS

Inexpensive
Plentiful
Use cheap surplus ammo
Reliable
Fun to shoot

CONS

Covered in cosmoline-have to clean when you get them
Surplus ammo is corrosive (I'm pretty sure I read that)
Not supposed to be as accurate as other rifles
Click to expand...

You pretty much have it right, but the cosmoline is only a one time problem and you will understand how your rifle works and fits back together once done. Don't be scared of corrosive ammo, its cheap and it cleans up easy with little more effort than non-corrosive ammo. There are other good makes of ammo on the market for hunting and such but you pay more. For gravel pit sh*ts n giggles, you definitely want the cheap surplus ammo. Its a fun gun not a sniper rifle. If you're expecting 1 inch groups at a 100 yards, don't buy this gun. If you can be happy with a six inch group, then take a good look at an SKS.
 
Canuck44 said:
The primers in military surplus ammo have mercury in them as part of the formula. Mercury is extremely corrosive on steel. Non-corrosive ammo have primers without mercury as part of the formula. You can buy ammo for the gun that is non-corrosive, just costs more.

Take Care

Bob
Click to expand...

There was a time when many primers were made with fulminate of mercury. It is the potassium chorate in some primers that makes them "corrosive", not trace mercury. Potassium chlorate produces potassium chloride, a salt, which can contribute to corrosion.
Mercuric priming can lead to deterioration of brass cartridge cases.
 
tiriaq said:
There was a time when many primers were made with fulminate of mercury. It is the potassium chorate in some primers that makes them "corrosive", not trace mercury. Potassium chlorate produces potassium chloride, a salt, which can contribute to corrosion.
Mercuric priming can lead to deterioration of brass cartridge cases.
Click to expand...
I stand corrected, thank you. Yes I have some .303 surplus that is corrosive as well. It just means I got to get at my rifle quicker to clean.

Take Care

Bob
 
"The most fun you can have with your clothes on..." Robust and reasonably accurate, you can shoot the damn things all day and not go home with a sore shoulder!:)
 
Anthrax said:
I just bought an SKS. It's my first rifle. I love it!

I was debating between the SKS and a 10/22. I'm sooooooo glad I put the .22 off. I will get one eventually, but I am very pleased with the SKS as a first rifle.
Click to expand...

They both have their place. This weekend I was shooting both, and here's the difference: I set up one of those big Tropicana orange juice jugs, and was happy to hit it with the SKS. When I switched to the scoped .22, my target became the lid which was flipped up. The first round went through the middle of the lid, the second hit right at the hinge and sheared it off. The SKS is fun, but the .22 can be so deadly accurate within it's distance limitations it's scary. It's a different kind of shooting, both types are fun.
 
st1264 said:
From Wiki- Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which is the source of the red pigment vermilion, and is mostly obtained by reduction from cinna

...

are in that? Check out the cloud of smoke in this pic. Mercury is highly toxic to humans.

Maybe we should be wearing eye, ear protection and a Mask?
Click to expand...

That can all be solved with a snug tinfoil hat.
 
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