dilemma : sks or .223
- Thread starter mskip
- Start date
SKS is cheap to buy and to feed but you have to spend a bit of time with corrosive cleanup. With the lubrication, it adds about 20min to your cleanup routine each time you fire a corrosive round. If you're buying non-corrosive, you might as well go with .223 for the accuracy, especially if you're attending organized shoots at the range.
If you just wanna go out and have a blast shooting a couple hundreds downrange without sticker shock, SKS is a great rifle and will serve you for a long time.
If you just wanna go out and have a blast shooting a couple hundreds downrange without sticker shock, SKS is a great rifle and will serve you for a long time.
- Location
- Chilliwack BC
I am also looking at an SKS as my first rifle purchase, but I am going to pair that with a Mosin-Nagant for the 100-300 yard play! You can get both for less than $400!
My very first purchase was an sks. My 2nd purchase was an svt-40. If i we're to do it all again, i might skip the sks. Now that i have it i'm not getting rid of, but i do not use it all that much. The svt gives me more fun in my opinion, highly accurate while being cheap to shoot. The svt is a ##### to go thru corrosive cleanup compared to sks, about twice as long.
There are lots of fans for both platforms. With the sks, a DIY trigger job will be needed to shoot it, since most of them have pretty creepy triggers. You'll also have to invest in a scope if you want to shoot anywhere near the ranges the 223 can go with a scope.
So, they are very different animals.
Personally, I'd rather get a 243 than a 223 if I was just buying one bolt action, since it can be used for deer and more. But the ammo is more $$.
My order of purchase would be
.22 LR (for cheap plinking)
sks (with scope) for blasting stuff and hunting
243 (for hunting and varmints)
So, they are very different animals.
Personally, I'd rather get a 243 than a 223 if I was just buying one bolt action, since it can be used for deer and more. But the ammo is more $$.
My order of purchase would be
.22 LR (for cheap plinking)
sks (with scope) for blasting stuff and hunting
243 (for hunting and varmints)
The two are not the same at all. SKS is cheap to shoot but don't be having any fantasies about accuracy and save your cash instead of buying a scope, get more surplus ammo. 223 has got good accuracy but much more exensive to purchase the rifle and ammunition.
A scope on an SKS won't make it any more accurate, though it can be a help with aiming for older eyes. Also, my SKS scope lets me see more of the destruction. Looking down iron sights with older eyes isn't nearly as fun, IMO. But my advice is, if you do scope it, do it right with tap & drill, and try to do it on the cheap.
