Buy an SKS on cabelas?

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vildric

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Hey,

I got my pal recently and I would like to buy a sks online from cabelas.

I wonder if I should go with the chinese tapco for 379$, the soviet tapco for 399$ or if I should by the wood stock one? And chinese or russian?

Amd is the tapco one a ready to shoot gun or you have some work to do on it?

Overall, would you buy a SKS online without seeing it first?

Thanks
 
I'd buy one in the original wood stock, and if buying one at Cabelas I'd go in person and look at them. They have some decent looking ones and a lot of rough ones, so you should check them out and choose a nicer one. Don't get the Tapco stocked ones, eventually you will regret your decision.
 
Agree, avoid Tapco. What’s left for SKS in retail is bottom of the barrel. Best bet is to watch the EE for one at a decent price with good pics. If you really must have a Tapco, again the EE is your best bet.
 
If you are going to spend the money on a tapco stock buy something better than a sks up front.
 
vildric said:
Hey,

I got my pal recently and I would like to buy a sks online from cabelas.

I wonder if I should go with the chinese tapco for 379$, the soviet tapco for 399$ or if I should by the wood stock one? And chinese or russian?

Amd is the tapco one a ready to shoot gun or you have some work to do on it?

Overall, would you buy a SKS online without seeing it first?

Thanks
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Be very careful of these "last remaining" sks rifles that are for sale. they are made of bits & non matching parts. There are some with rusted trigger groups as well.
I would suggest buying an older Used Russian off the EE here..........or buy a chinese sks used or new. there has been some Excellent deals on the EE lately.
As for the Tapco stock.......Go ahead,..theres lots out there,.....some are great,..some are junk. One nice thing about the sks is that its like a big Lego Toy,.....you can mix & match with sooo many aftermarket parts. Have Fun. they are a great highly Underestimated rifle that will always get the job done.
 
Lever Arms in Vancouver looks like they have lots in stock. Problem is they are not keen to go through and pick a nice one for you. They got option to get spring loaded firing pin if u want for 299. Spring loaded are usually early models...1950 or earlier I believe.
 
GaryF said:
Lever Arms in Vancouver looks like they have lots in stock. Problem is they are not keen to go through and pick a nice one for you. They got option to get spring loaded firing pin if u want for 299. Spring loaded are usually early models...1950 or earlier I believe.
Click to expand...

I have a nice 1950 with the Spring loaded firing pin and no chrome lined barrel. Very accurate also at 100 Metres.
 
DT741 said:
If you can, dont buy it online and go see it with someone that knows about SKS.

Skip the crapco stock, waste of money
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+1 - I' ve got a 51 Tula 'light refrb' that I got from CanTire a few years ago - $160 =tx. and wouldn't give it up. also suggest you check gunbroker.com. they turn up every once in a while and you can look where ever you live. Recently there was a Russian in good cond for $250 - a bargain if I had the extra $$, but I recently retired and can't afford another one And ask around local gun clubs, too.
 
The latest imports I've seen are definitely lower in quality than a few years ago. IMHO, you'll get the best sks off the ee. Lots of the nicer ones from back then still come up there for about the same money. I would not recommend "rolling the dice" on a Cabela's sks.
I'd Look for matching serial numbers, nice blueing and perhaps an izhevsh refurb.
 
Just bought two at cabelas Regina...one is an unissued numbers matching 1968 factory 516 like brand new and the other numbers matching 1971 factory 636...I would agree to go look in person if you can rather than buying online as you never know what you will get.
 
I'll go against a lot in this thread. I picked up a Chinese SKS (wood) for $199 a couple of weeks ago at Cabella's. It's in great shape. Parts match except the magazine. Wood was fantastic. It fires well. Can't ask for much more. I would skip the Tapco and get wood. You can always add plastic later if you want to. You may want to keep your original wooden version.
 
I put a coin in the Chinese SKS slot machine when they were on sale back for $169, I got a what I'd call a decent turn in rifle. It has a few dings but otherwise the stock is in pretty good shape. The numbers on the bolt and receiver match but not the trigger guard or magazine. It cleaned up with WD40 and crud cutter only. Didn't need mineral spirits like I do with most Milsurp rifles I have had. Overall it outshoots in my limited range time with it all of my Russian girls. I feel I got a pretty good spin on the reels with this SKS as the ones I looked at in store were know-where near as nice with regard to milling and finish and rust content. The only flaw I found in materials was I worn piece at the front of the wood of the gas system, it must have had some rust in its past but was buffed away by someone making this metal slightly thinner than normal. I can live with that and its 100% functional. I see myself using the Chinese SKS out on my SidexSide as a banger brush rifle where i'd be more prone to leave the Russians in the safe now. Plus the Chinese bayonet is much more tempting to use as a Mono-pod than the blade bayonet. Overall I a quite happy with it even if it was the same price as I paid for some of the Nicer Russian models from previous years.

+1 for the wooden stock. I have fired the tapco versions and I find them snappy and not as fun as the wood versions. Though to each their own.
 
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