858 or SKS?

If your getting a sks definately get a Russian. None of the the chinese ones compare. They're chinese....
I thought I was a diehard sks fan. Then I bought a 858... haven't touched one of my three sks's since. Biggest difference for me is that a sks slams the bolt back and forth but the 858 cycles smoothly. I can definately feel the difference.
Would you rather drive a Toyota or a BMW?
 
Now you guys have me second guessing myself. :( This is more difficult than I imagined. I'll have to head down to the local gun shop and maybe get my hands on both of em, see what I prefer.
 
I own both but haven't shot my SKS in a very long time. Once you pick up a CZ and an SKS, you'll see why the 858 is worth the extra dough.

I took a long time trying to decide what I wanted and the only reason the SKS won out was the money. Had I actually fired a CZ and known how much I would love it, I'da just bought it first and used the money I spent on the SKS on tacticool stuff.
 
If you are unsure get the sks, eventually you will want to buy the cz858 which is a better quality gun in all areas and overall. Both guns are best bang for the buck when compared to others in its class so you cant go wrong. And also if you end up getting a cz858 first, you will probably end up buying an sks anyways
 
It's not really fair to compare a $200 gun to a $700 gun.

A more fair question would be; Which is a better value for $700?

A CZ-858, or an SKS with $500 worth of Tapco upgrades?
 
Get a chinese sks and learn to shoot it open sight. Practice with the 1400 rounds. Buy a Tapco or ATI Strikeforce kit and change out the stock. Be sure to add a rubber butt pad to make shouldering better. You should be able to hit a 10" gong at 150 yards more often than not.

Learn how to clean it properly after every shoot.

I just bought an 858 and the furniture needs changing for sure. I have the metal folding stock, FAB grip and and will be getting the vented handguard kit next week. I will still grab my Tapco'd SKS first when I go to the range.
 
As much as I've read the CZ is superior, in your position I'd still get the SKS. Make sure you can commit the time and resources to this hobby before buying a BMW, er... CZ. Having a second rifle is something nobody regrets.

BTW, anyone who's ever had to field strip a BMW vs. a Toyota, would DEFINITELY buy the Toyota. :p
 
You need to be honest with yourself in terms of the expectations you'd like to get out of this hobby. Essentially it really boils down to these factors in how far you'll get:

1. Budget: how deep your pockets are
2. Crossing that line from mall ninja/tacticool gun geek to a bonafide firearms enthusiast that actually has a shot.

The SKS is a great platform to transcend between both factors listed above. You will make mistakes in purchasing add-ons, etc that you will/won't work for you. Just do everything in your own time.

I've found that jumping into firearms is eerily reminiscent of when I first started to ride a motorcycle. I didn't start humping a 600 or litre bike right away. I began with a 250 and mastered the sh!t out of it then picked up something bigger. That's just me.

The SKS gets you started straight away. You won't be disappointed.
 
trebor2880 said:
If it's any consolation, the SKS is a "cooler" rifle.

It has more character and are more solidly built,

at least the Russian ones are.
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I respectfully disagree.
While the SKS has the history behind it, IIRC the CZ was a big f*ck you towards the Russians. They were putting pressure on the czechs to build their own AK.
They said not a chance and designed the 58 in 1956 and it was adopted into service in 1958. While it is not nearly as combat proven, the quality and build are better (IMHO) than any sks I've handled.
 
Noltz said:
As much as I've read the CZ is superior, in your position I'd still get the SKS. Make sure you can commit the time and resources to this hobby before buying a BMW, er... CZ. Having a second rifle is something nobody regrets.

BTW, anyone who's ever had to field strip a BMW vs. a Toyota, would DEFINITELY buy the Toyota. :p
Click to expand...

Feild strip a bmw..... Really? You must be kidding right? The cz take realisticly about 8 second to feild strip it could not be simpler or faster!
 
If you want something purely to abuse and eventually toss away, sks.

If you want something to shoot, put through it's paces, enjoy and treasure, Cz 858.

The SKS has its place in every collection - it's the no worries, no frills truck gun in semi auto. If I had to pick between the two for a one time investment with no future options I would probably buy two sks's (parts gun) and a crate of ammo. That said, I prefer the 858 as I believe it is better made and more versatile.
 
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