It does. I use them all the time both in my SKS and my 799. However, I need to find out if the cartridge can match .30-30 performance with a similar bullet since I am tired of all the nay-saying. Maybe the best thing to do is to bump up some 170's to .311" and use them, then we would be comparing apples to apples. I do not doubt that with the same bullet loaded in it, the x39mm round will not perform as well as the .30-30, but I can guarantee that with that bullet, it will still be capable of taking deer in ranges out to 100yds. And most deer in brush are shot at less than 100yds. That being said, I have carried my SKS on many a bush hunt and the damn thing is HEAVY. Luckily, I carried the GPMG for awhile so I actually know what a heavy gun feels like. However, my wife, on the other hand, dang near died after a 2 hour walk through the bush and wasn't even carrying it when we finished, she was sort of dragging it behind her back on the sling. Not on the ground, but almost. LOL
Opinion required on SKS for hunting
- Thread starter rosh7674
- Start date
It does. I use them all the time both in my SKS and my 799. However, I need to find out if the cartridge can match .30-30 performance with a similar bullet since I am tired of all the nay-saying. Maybe the best thing to do is to bump up some 170's to .311" and use them, then we would be comparing apples to apples. I do not doubt that with the same bullet loaded in it, the x39mm round will not perform as well as the .30-30, but I can guarantee that with that bullet, it will still be capable of taking deer in ranges out to 100yds. And most deer in brush are shot at less than 100yds. That being said, I have carried my SKS on many a bush hunt and the damn thing is HEAVY. Luckily, I carried the GPMG for awhile so I actually know what a heavy gun feels like. However, my wife, on the other hand, dang near died after a 2 hour walk through the bush and wasn't even carrying it when we finished, she was sort of dragging it behind her back on the sling. Not on the ground, but almost. LOL
If I was going ot use an SKS for hunting (and I probably would not) I would load the 123gr TSX bullet @ 2400-2500 fps which would still be over 1800fps at 200 yards and drop about 6-6.5" at 200 yards with a 100 yard zero.
I doubt you would see much difference between this load and a 30-30 .
I chronoed some facotry 30-30 170gr bullets a few years ago that didn't' even break 1900fps. I am sure they had been used just fine by deer and bear hunters for years.
I doubt you would see much difference between this load and a 30-30 .
I chronoed some facotry 30-30 170gr bullets a few years ago that didn't' even break 1900fps. I am sure they had been used just fine by deer and bear hunters for years.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
While I agree there are better choices, does the dead animal know, or care, what it was shot with? You can open a can of soup with a hammer, but a can opener works better.
If you really want your SKS to be a better hunting rifle, sell it and buy a Stevens.
Scoped SKS with a clamp on scope mount. Handloaded ammo. Chinese SKS
Frankly, I think most guys dismiss the SKS because they have never actually given it a chance to perform. They shoot it with cheap crappy ammo, using issued sights which are hard to use.
it's like a lever action with poor iron sights and using cheap 30-30 ammo- they dont' group great most of the time. But people still hunt with them.
Stick some aperture sights or a scope on it, and make some good ammo, and all of a sudden you have a shooter.
You're serious, right?
mike shickele
Regular
I suspect that the 123gr TSX would be a good bullet, the only concern I would have is if the animal was hit close to the bullets velocity performance envelope, causing the bullet to not expand, and pencil through. This really shouldn't happen though, as the bullet was designed for the 7.62X39.
For clarification to others; no one should despute that there are better cartridges and guns for hunting deer than the 7.62X39, and SKS, but utilized properly, this combination will work. I think that North Americans have a bias aganst this particular rifle and cartridge, persuming both to be absolutely useless. I don't think this to be the case at all. I wouldn't want to have to take a 300 yard shot at the buck of my lifetime with this combo, but I wouldn't want an open-sighted WIN94 in 30-30 in my hands either. It will do the job, irregardless of the fact that you dislike the platform, or wouldn't want to be caught in the bush with it.
Mike
Shouldn't be an issue to 200 yards.
No idea. It was pretty cheap. Marstar sells similar ones, I think.
SKS 100 yard target
SKS 200 yard target
While the accuracy is not anything spectacular, all those shots fired woudl have killed a deer.
Nice...
Ive done 1 3/4 groups with surplus... cant wait to get some handloads on the go...
