Hunting with an SKS
- Thread starter temporalvision
- Start date
lejarretnoir
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- 162km from Connaught
LOL
Was shooting some Czech ammo yesterday. On steel plates they will come apart sending the steel core in another direction. There was an old rusted fridge next to them that got ripped up by cores.
In frozen ground I recovered many of them fully intact. Unless they hit a rock they will stay together.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
I see. Well I guess it is 25 bucks for a box of hunting ammo then. Darned shame! Odd... my SKS Ammo is Czech 1973 surplus, it's steel core/steel jacket? The jacket is a coppery colour? Why would they make steel core ammo for anti-personelle?
in the czech surplus, steel is used purely for the sake of economy. its cheaper than lead.
it may also have the effect of making the bullets slightly longer for any given weight, which creates a more unstable projectile, and thus the tendency to tumble inside a wound cavity. take that to geneva if you want...
there is a small amount of lead between the jacket and the core to absorb some shock and allow the bullet squeeze through the bore.
if you want to make some cheap hunting ammo, and you know the basics of reloading ammo, you can pull the bullets out of the steel cases, and replace them with soft points. At least one of the sponsoring dealers should have some in stock now.
of course, when you add the time required, and cost of the new bullets (30 cents to 1 dollar each!), you will not save much.
it may also have the effect of making the bullets slightly longer for any given weight, which creates a more unstable projectile, and thus the tendency to tumble inside a wound cavity. take that to geneva if you want...
there is a small amount of lead between the jacket and the core to absorb some shock and allow the bullet squeeze through the bore.
if you want to make some cheap hunting ammo, and you know the basics of reloading ammo, you can pull the bullets out of the steel cases, and replace them with soft points. At least one of the sponsoring dealers should have some in stock now.
of course, when you add the time required, and cost of the new bullets (30 cents to 1 dollar each!), you will not save much.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
If this is so, by gently sanding off a little on the tip of the jacket and exposing that lead, could you improve the expansion of the round sufficiently to cause a lethal wound on an animal?
burnt_servo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- right in the middle of b.c.
aren't most of the military rounds designed to tumble when it hits the target ?
lejarretnoir
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- 162km from Connaught
No, it will break into pieces. There is not enough lead to expand anything. Just barely enough between the core and jacket for rifling purposes and a bit in the nose for flight stability. If the bullet didn't stay in one piece it shattered when it hit hard objects and the core went tumbling elsewhere. I'm not sure bone would shatter that bullet and have not read any test on animals with it.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
I see. Fair enough, and I suppose sighting in with 25.00 Prvi Part. ammo is my only real option.
lejarretnoir
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- 162km from Connaught
Depending where you buy your PRVI it can be had for $17 or so. Other than that, reloading your own hunting bullets. What I do is remove the existing military bullet from the Czech case and replace it with a hunting bullet.
A friend of mine tried hunting deer with military ammo and found out the bullet only wounded the animal and got away. He used hunting bullets and it worked out fine then.
A friend of mine tried hunting deer with military ammo and found out the bullet only wounded the animal and got away. He used hunting bullets and it worked out fine then.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
All right, that sounds fair enough. Where can I get proper grainage hunting bullets?
I was thinking of trying the SKS out on deer this fall but I'm reloading my 7mm for less than $1/shell so buying 7.62 hunting ammo for the same(or more) $$ seems silly now.....
I'll keep doing what I'm doing with the SKS, happily burning 300-500 rounds every time I go to the range
and leave the deer killin to the 7mm.
I'll keep doing what I'm doing with the SKS, happily burning 300-500 rounds every time I go to the range
and leave the deer killin to the 7mm.
The SKS is fine for deer up to 200, but after that the energy drops off very rapidly. I use the PRVI in 123 grain. There is a Heavier soft point available, but it doesn't make sense to re-sight from range bullets to hunting bullets.
We go out early in the season for the big whitetail doeys. There is about 2 weeks to shoot at them before they get spooked back into the woods. Its a total whoot and we always have lots of meat before big bucks come out. The end of the season is buck time with larger guns.
Funny thing, recently in another forum some moron was trying to justify moose hunting with his SKS. I guess he hasn't seen a moose in real life, or one thats pissed off and wants to trample him to death. "Out with the weak" I always say.
We go out early in the season for the big whitetail doeys. There is about 2 weeks to shoot at them before they get spooked back into the woods. Its a total whoot and we always have lots of meat before big bucks come out. The end of the season is buck time with larger guns.
Funny thing, recently in another forum some moron was trying to justify moose hunting with his SKS. I guess he hasn't seen a moose in real life, or one thats pissed off and wants to trample him to death. "Out with the weak" I always say.
getthismanaslap
Regular
- Location
- Hazard County Alberta
i have replaced the check bullet with 308 diameter 165 or 150 grain hornady sst. and the pressure signs on the primers look about the same, i have shot a lot of bullets changing the powder, primer, bullet, and such in the steel case checking the speed with every shot and looking for pressure signs. my findings are that you can get away with a lot. i also tried some 150 grain soft point .310 diameter [303] bullets i also tried clipin the tip off the fmj. the best is the ballistic tip bullets..the sks does not always feed bullets that have soft tips so even if you buy the hunting privi stuff you will get some fail to feeds. the best is to just replace the bullets . that's my 2 cents
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Those look cool...but I wonder if wire brushing them can weaken them?
I don't shoot much on paper at the range, so I can't back up my claim, however my shooting mentor can strike the steel gong 300meters 4/5 shots on my Sks and Cz858 Irons. I do 2/5 sometimes 3/5 if I luck out. He is 30 years ex-military, so we both learned our shooting drills there. The SKS isn't as inaccurate as everyone makes it out to be, but it's no AR
That is of course when I can drag him away from his Martini-Henry rifle.
That is of course when I can drag him away from his Martini-Henry rifle.
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Nice "The SKS isn't as inaccurate as everyone makes it out to be, but it's no AR "
" I don't shoot much on paper at the range, so I can't back up my claim, however my shooting mentor can strike the steel gong 300meters 4/5 shots on my Sks and Cz858 Irons. I do 2/5 sometimes 3/5 if I luck out. He is 30 years ex-military, so we both learned our shooting drills there. The SKS isn't as inaccurate as everyone makes it out to be, but it's no AR
That is of course when I can drag him away from his Martini-Henry rifle.
