I just cant stop...

Magyar_civic said:
hey guys, new(ish) here, looking at picking up an SKS, one question i cant seem to find an answer for, what does "refurbished" actually mean? what has been done?
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Most of the time a refurb is a rifle that has been re-inspected before being placed back into lond term storage... if there is something on the rifle that is not up to spec it is replaced.... most of the time it is just the stock gets sanded down... maybe some re-blueing... then they stamp the heck out of it with refurb marks..... the more marks you put on it.. the more work there was to do.
 
midnightpossum said:
Most of the time a refurb is a rifle that has been re-inspected before being placed back into lond term storage... if there is something on the rifle that is not up to spec it is replaced.... most of the time it is just the stock gets sanded down... maybe some re-blueing... then they stamp the heck out of it with refurb marks..... the more marks you put on it.. the more work there was to do.
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I am no expert, but it seems to me there are different stages, or levels of refurbishment. Of what I have gathered it looks as if some rifles went through a full out refurbishment after use. Mainly the X'd out stocks and forced matched serials. It could be that a batch of rifles, lets say 10,000 were used in training or service and continually rotated and refurbished. That would explain the double X's stocks. While some were simply improved upon. As in, never used but taken out of storage to be modified for better performance. It seem probable. I am basing this on a comparison of my unissued and light refurb rifles. I noticed that my two unissued rifles have a weaker recoil spring in comparison to my lightly refurbed '53 Izzies. The top cover of my '53 literally flies off when I pull out the retaining pin. It also feels harder to pull back the bolt, and snaps forward with more force. My two unissued also have wear on the sides of the piston extension housing from the bolt carrier. As my refurbs do not rub because they have been lightly ground. I could be wrong. But remember, our knowledge of Russian SKS45 are not set in stone.
 
Most of the SKS refurbs I have seen are all matching except stock seems to be ###X out... But I live In Cranbrook and they don't let you look at the inventory here... you get the rifle they hand to you.... I am assuming they would not change something that isn't broken... if a spring is is not like new.. but still works... no need to change /replace...
 
The refrubs that I own have no X's on the stock. Just a serial and "diver down". There has been a few of these on Westrifles website. But I guess there was no consistency.
 
I am under the impression that there are at least 2 importers of SKS... Westrifle and Bell... if there are others I am not aware of..could be.... I will also assume that they are refurbished in a different manner... Westrifle seems to be pinned at the follower... Bell is riveted in the mag... some refurbishers are better then others.... Or go about what they do differently then the competition...

At this point with all un-issued SKS... I wouldn't look at a refurb as they are only a few $$ cheaper then un issued

Although I love to tinker and a refurb would make a good refurb project.

P.S. I like your CGN name...reminds me of a girl I used to know
 
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well thanks guys, that clears up alot for me, when i think of refurbished i think of items that broke and they were returned for warrantee, and manufacterer resells them after repaired as"refurbished". ...... someday soon i will pick me up an sks, but it wont be no locker queen, ill be putting lead downrange. :)

great site guys, i like it alot, looking forward to learning more as i go.
 
I'm doing ok in the Izhevsk department:
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But I could use a non refurb '52 Tula and a non refurb "I" letter series to finish my Tula set. Got nice light refurbs of each, but non refurbs would be better.
 
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