Breaking in a SKS barrel. Is it Necessary?

I knew it was a newbish question to begin with. It is interesting to read how many people refer to the cost or value when determining how they will treat their rifles. Keep abusing your cheap SKS's as it will drive up the value of mine.

I guess this whole break in deal is for the hardcore match rifles. But for a regular hunting or plinker, nah. no point
 
The SKS was designed for targets between 100 m and 300 m.

Since the ranges i go to and my property doesnt extend more than 100m i can tell you this much All my SKSs (4) can hit a bullseye at 50-100m just about every time. I have never tried longer distances because I don't have access to longer ranges at the present time.

I can say it is an accurate gun good priced ammo while it lasts and reliable it shoots at -30. Something I learnt this winter. Please find me a $200 gun that can do that.

As for breaking the barrel please don't do that it is a foolish thing to do and only clean your gun when needed I have guns that I have shot more than 3 k rounds and I haven't cleaned it once but again that was a Russian gun not those esthetic ally pleasing ### guns that some manufacturers charge an arm and a leg for
 
BeaverMeat said:
I knew it was a newbish question to begin with. It is interesting to read how many people refer to the cost or value when determining how they will treat their rifles. Keep abusing your cheap SKS's as it will drive up the value of mine.

I guess this whole break in deal is for the hardcore match rifles. But for a regular hunting or plinker, nah. no point
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Lol ... ive bought them in bulk for $80 a piece
 
While we are on the subject, if dealers are selling us SKSs at $80 does that mean they are getting them for free at source or around $5-$10 each. because to transport them clear customs wharehouse and so on and still manae to give them away at $80 that means they got them for almost free $5-$10 each otherwise it doesnt make any business sense.
 
BeaverMeat said:
I think he is referring to the Chinese SKS for $80.
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I have an $80 Chinese SKS that I picked up almost 30 years ago from Century or International. I regularly shoot it but I think the barrel is broken in. I've only used corrosive ammunition for the last three decades, I hear thats bad, Should I be worried? I was really hoping to get another 30 or 40 years of shooting out of this rifle.
 
For the price buy a few. They are cheap to shoot and a good rifle to let the kids learn on, as for breaking in the barrel I shoot the heck out of them then clean when I get home. Everyone has their own opinion on how to use their rifle so do what works for you.
 
Just to clarify, my post on barrel break-in was meant as a joke. Here's my procedure:

1) Remove cosmoline

2) Shoot a few hundreds of rounds

3) Clean up corrosive salts

4) Normal cleaning

5) Repeat steps 2-3-4 until the fascist invaders leave your country with their imperialistic tails between their capitalist pig legs :cool:
 
It is a workhorse meant to survive long after the person they handed it to, value today and tomorrow is subjective this is no less a wartime monument then a Garand but 200 vrs 1500 so supply and demand works... but a great history firearm made beyond what we could put it through just enjoy it
 
chadeech said:
It is a workhorse meant to survive long after the person they handed it to
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I think these things are built to go through at least 4 owners and being run over by a tank at least twice.

I love how indestructible these rifles are. Nothing kills them. After world ending nukes it'd be nothing but cockroaches, and sks's left.

And they'd still be sweating cosmoline out of the bloody stocks.
 
I know a couple cops that scouped one from evidence long after it should have bin destroyed. They said there evidence room was almost the worst possible storage conditions there could be for a rifle. They said the gun was rusted so bad they had to put the butt on the ground and stomp on the bolt until it came free ... Said they took it to the range and shot 200 rounds through it with out a malfunction. Couldnt miss an old 20lb propane tank at 200 yards ... Good ta go !
 
No such thing as a newbish ?. The ones in the know answered you above. Just read the replies and you'll soon learn who's who. CGN is the best site out there, and I never brag.
 
Benito said:
In Soviet Russia, you don't break gun barrel. Gun barrel break YOU!!!
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No,No, you got it wrong....in Soviet Russia its not gun barrel that break you, its girl named "Bolesalva" that break you!!!
Bolesalva translates "large glory"
cheers....Na zdravi
 
I am also of the opinion that no break-in is necessary on any rifle. I personally believe the concept was invented by unscrupulous barrel makers who try and use the "improper break-in" excuse to explain why their barrels don't shoot.
 
The barrel is hard-chromed. The first 100 rounds won't do a thing to it, so there is no "break-in" of the barrel. If the gun is a virgin, there will be a gradual break in of the action and trigger, that will smooth out a bit over time.

The SKS has an excellent system to zero the front sight so the rifle will hit where aimed. That is about all there is to getting it started.

I shoot 2 of them. My first was a $100 Norinco commercial that was bought with a $100 case of Norinco yellow box ammo. I have since picked up a Russian refurb that looks to have a pristine barrel. The Norinco seems to shoot a bit more accurately, although that word seem out of place in this paragraph. About 4" at 100 yards.

I once shot both SKS and a CZ858 and a 30-30 to compare. The SKS was not quite as good. The bedding is rather wobbly compared to the unibody 858.

sksvM94groups6.jpg



One thing that became obvious is that the average milsurp ammo is not as good as the rifle. That is, a SKS will shoot much better with better ammo. The commercial ammo I found was WPA FMJ.

WPAAMMOTEST2.jpg


WPAAMMOTEST1.jpg
 
My first gun was a Chinese SKS I purchased a year ago. I went on a pretty big "Just got my PAL, now I must shoooooooooooooooooooot" spending spree and put nearly seven thousand rounds through the thing up till now.

Not only has it not malfunctioned despite me doing my best to make it stop working, accuracy has not changed since I got it. I wasn't much of a great shot when I first got my PAL and I handed the rifle to my buddy who between his Army service and his private gun ownership, is quite the marksman, and I remembered his groups. Now, I'm as good as he is (with an SKS at least) and the groups this rifle is capable of after seven K rounds of pure shooting with no break in or anything have not changed one bit. It still puts them in the same place and the rifling is as strong as ever.

For a $199 rifle that won't jam in -30 winters with ice and mud in the action while still shooting as good as the day I bought it, I am beyond pleased with the SKS series of rifles.

So pleased, I now have six of them.

I wouldn't worry about barrel break in on an SKS, just buy crates of ammo and blast away!
 
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