Chinese Surplus SKS Quality
- Thread starter Dave.S
- Start date
Negative. It's been reported time and time again that chrome lined bores = less accurate. Plus fit & finish is sh*t on the Chinesium ones, with rough corners and crappy wood. They're functional rough copies, that's all they are.
Having had both, it's Russian all the way. The Chinese ones are what guys used to buy before the Russian ones were available in Canada. Now that both are available for the same price, it's a no brainer.
Last edited:
The Chinese guns-- especially the early guns 1956 through the mid to late 60's are every bit the same fit, finish and quality of their Soviet counterparts. With the exception of the wood use for the stocks, the Chinese Type56 is an exact copy of the SKS 45 made on Soviet equipment and, until 1959-60, produced under the direct supervision of Soviet technical experts.
Late Chinese guns from the late 60's onward are-- for the most part --- equally as good. However from around 1970 to 1977-- while China's main SKS factory (arsenal 26) shifted production to the Type63[edited] assault rifle-- the bulk of Type56 production in China was spread out among many smaller factories. Many of these factories were largely consumer oriented production facilities-- not originally focused on sks production. With so many smaller factories producing the Type56 in smaller quantities, it is not uncommon to see a large variation in finishing quality and overall quality of workmanship between the rifles from this period.
If you can, stick with an all matching early gun with a screw-in barrel (short lug or long lug).
I'm not familiar with the "chrome is less acurrate" argument. But the SKS was never intended as a DMR. At best it will give you consistent 3-5inch groups at 100. Over time, the chrome lined barrels will wear better and give you better lifetime accuracy than steel barrels which simply wear out faster. Regardless of how clean you keep it.
What the sks was designed for is minute-of-man accuracy out to 250-300 meters. And it does so phenomenally Ive owned up to 22 sks variants at one time (down to 13 now). Currently I've got 2 Romanian, 5 Soviet, and 6 early Sinos. I've shot them all. And there is no discernible difference between the overall function of any them. The most accurate SKS I've ever had is a mismatched, 1970 dated, short lug carbine from a low production arsenal /6166\. It's the only non-matching sks that I still own-- and the only reason I kept it is precisely because it shoots tighter groups than any of them--go figure. One day soon I want to mount a rail of a PU or PE type mount and scope on it.
For a dependable shooter, with all things being equal-- between a Chinese and a Soviet variant -- its a draw.
Late Chinese guns from the late 60's onward are-- for the most part --- equally as good. However from around 1970 to 1977-- while China's main SKS factory (arsenal 26) shifted production to the Type63[edited] assault rifle-- the bulk of Type56 production in China was spread out among many smaller factories. Many of these factories were largely consumer oriented production facilities-- not originally focused on sks production. With so many smaller factories producing the Type56 in smaller quantities, it is not uncommon to see a large variation in finishing quality and overall quality of workmanship between the rifles from this period.
If you can, stick with an all matching early gun with a screw-in barrel (short lug or long lug).
I'm not familiar with the "chrome is less acurrate" argument. But the SKS was never intended as a DMR. At best it will give you consistent 3-5inch groups at 100. Over time, the chrome lined barrels will wear better and give you better lifetime accuracy than steel barrels which simply wear out faster. Regardless of how clean you keep it.
What the sks was designed for is minute-of-man accuracy out to 250-300 meters. And it does so phenomenally Ive owned up to 22 sks variants at one time (down to 13 now). Currently I've got 2 Romanian, 5 Soviet, and 6 early Sinos. I've shot them all. And there is no discernible difference between the overall function of any them. The most accurate SKS I've ever had is a mismatched, 1970 dated, short lug carbine from a low production arsenal /6166\. It's the only non-matching sks that I still own-- and the only reason I kept it is precisely because it shoots tighter groups than any of them--go figure. One day soon I want to mount a rail of a PU or PE type mount and scope on it.
For a dependable shooter, with all things being equal-- between a Chinese and a Soviet variant -- its a draw.
Last edited:
I just picked up one of the recent Chinese SKS. It's clearly been used/refurbished and I'd recommend inspecting them in person but it shoots just as well as any of my Russian ones. I'd say the quality is about the same as the recent Russians.
- Location
- Manitoba, Canada
Clearly you have not seen my thread
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...P-scope-*-Pictures-*-range-update-on-page-two
Oh my.... Can this earn the most uninformed ignorant post of the year award?
I don't even know where to begin! Boris covered it nicely, but I would add they transitioned to the T63, then T81.
Mumbles Marble Mouth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Lower Mainland
I've owned four Russians, two type 56, and one commercial Chinese SKS. Other than a wide range of manufacturing specs for the Chinese, they're equal in terms of fun & reliability. Actually! The only SKS I've ever owned that had problems was a 1950 Russian SKS. It would, on a regular basis, stovepipe a live round.
FreedomIsn'tFree
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Buffalo.
It seems to me that it is dependent on the rifle you get. I've had Chinese, Russians and Yugo's and like them all. I have had some very nice quality Type 56 that shoot great and have a nice fit and finish.
The chinese refined the platform, and the wood isn't better on a Russian... Its just pretty.. Lol
Comments like this are just stupid.
Huh....??? I have owned about 5 Russians now and a couple Chinese. The Chinese ones have always been better with the exception of the wood. Better trigger pulls, more accurate etc. Up your sample size and try again.
Wikipedia is your friend, huh? You forgot to read up about the QBZ95. T81 is not where the PLA ended their service rifle upgrades.
As for the quality, I tell em like I saw em. Since the Russian guns hit our market, I would not spend $100 on a Chi-com SKS. To each their own.
Great, but I saw enough Chinese SKS to make up my mind... some indeed better than others, but fit & finish not consistent. Not interested in playing the Chinese SKS quality roulette, but thanks anyway.
Do you have any idea where they are being imported from? Are they a mix of mil-spec and commercial variants?
If they come direct from China there will likely be some in new or like new condition. If they come as mil-surp from a country supplied by China, like the Albanian caches, well...they'll be mil-surp guns. I had 15 of the Sino-Albanians at one point. All of them shot great. Most of them were caked in cosmoline and needed some deep cleaning before firing.
If you can inspect them before purchase, and if you know what to look of and what to avoid, you'll be in good shape. Besides, you're in Canada. How much do the Chinese guns sell for? Like $5.00 US...right?
It's Canada for god's sake. "To buy or not to buy?" that is NOT the question.
A more appropriate question would be "How many should I buy?"
Last edited:
