Quick question on checking SKS barrels with a cartridge

[hannibal.black98]

Hey CGN,

Quick question...what is the best way to check a SKS barrel/muzzle to see how "shot out" it is?

I have read on here a long time ago about putting in a 7.62x39 cartridge (or possibly a .308/7.62x51?) into the muzzle end and the more of the projectile that sticks out the better?

Is this correct? I have around 20 SKS' I can examine and pick the best of...it will be a "shooter" and I plan to bed a spare laminated stock and not shoot bottom tier ammo so I am looking for the best shooter I can get.

To add...are all Russian SKS' barrels chrome lined or is there a starting or cut off year for that?

Thanks!

- HB

 

[Bratwurst]

Honestly short of corrosion from salts it's pretty blooming hard to shoot out a 7.62x39 barrel.

It you can see good rifling, and the bore is shiny you're almost certainly good to go. Plus realistically, it's an SKS, I'm not sure you'll notice a huge change in accuracy between a brand new barrel and a well used one.

 

[hannibal.black98]

Honestly short of corrosion from salts it's pretty blooming hard to shoot out a 7.62x39 barrel.

It you can see good rifling, and the bore is shiny you're almost certainly good to go. Plus realistically, it's an SKS, I'm not sure you'll notice a huge change in accuracy between a brand new barrel and a well used one.

I am more so worried about barrel/crown damage from corrosive ammo, wet conditions and over cleaning with a steel cleaning rod

 

[Potashminer]

Checking a bore - that idea of sticking a bullet into muzzle - tells you something, maybe, about last couple thou of the bore size - i.e. - top of rifling. If any rifling at all, the bullet will not touch the grooves. Might be an indication of lands "washed out" from repeated sloppy use of a cleaning rod through the muzzle - as much as from firing? I would think that ground pins - to perhaps 10-thousandths diameter size, dropped through or pushed through - would be true indicator of the top of rifling to top of rifling diameter throughout the barrel? Not sure about a quick and easy way to scan quickly through a bunch for groove size, though. The few rifles that I ended up with that I consider "shot out" were all noticeable through bore scope at the throat end - leade basically inches away from the chamber - visibly "burned" away - "alligator skin" cracking for 5 inches or more from chamber up the barrel - both were 30 caliber belted magnums - so might be different in a smaller cartridge?? One notable "rusty crusty" 303 British - took hours to clean /scrub out visible rust etc. inside bore - really not looking clean - had it vertical - so nominally supposed to be .303" or so as bore - top of lands to top of lands - a .308" bullet dropped completely through and fell out bottom - I attribute that at least as much to decades of rusting and corrosion, as to being "shot out". That one is awaiting a replacement barrel.

 

[Potashminer]

I am more so worried about barrel/crown damage from corrosive ammo, wet conditions and over cleaning with a steel cleaning rod

I probably have it wrong, but muzzle and crown damage tends to be from being struck - dings and other physical causes. Corrosive ammo (or primer) residue - tends to promote rust and corrosion through the length of the bore, not specifically at the crown or muzzle. Of course, that is made worse with wet conditions. Sloppy use of cleaning rod, or even pull throughs, will for sure wear away and deform muzzles and crowns. I may have misunderstood, but I think even "chrome lined" bores, actually have "bare steel" chamber walls - so that area - within the chamber - should be clean and shiny like a mirror.

 

[svt1940]

Hey CGN,

Quick question...what is the best way to check a SKS barrel/muzzle to see how "shot out" it is?

I have read on here a long time ago about putting in a 7.62x39 cartridge (or possibly a .308/7.62x51?) into the muzzle end and the more of the projectile that sticks out the better?

Is this correct? I have around 20 SKS' I can examine and pick the best of...it will be a "shooter" and I plan to bed a spare laminated stock and not shoot bottom tier ammo so I am looking for the best shooter I can get.

To add...are all Russian SKS' barrels chrome lined or is there a starting or cut off year for that?

Thanks!

- HB

Early russian sks's (1949 to part 1951) didnt have chromed bore. The chrome plating started somewhere in 1951 until end of production. To be noted that an early sks that was refurbished might have a chromed bore if the barrel needed to be replaced during refurbishing.

Chromed bore are very very resistant to wear and corrosion. Given that the sks is a semi auto carbine with a low capacity magazine and that the 7.62x39 isnt a hot caliber, to actually wear out a chromed sks bore,would take a very very huge amount of shooting. Last point, the issued sks cleaning kit is all is needed to keep the rifle ready. The cleaning kit is simple but very effective and have a bore guide to protect the muzzle during cleaning using the steel cleaning rod.

 

[Buck1950]

Taking a bore scope that connects to your phone or laptop is a good idea. It will give you an idea of the bore condition BUT my First SKS looked terrible thru a scope after I had fired 1K or more rounds and cleaned thoroughly (I thought) before I got the scope. I spent a lot of time 're-cleaning' to get out the crap that "Normal" cleaning didn't get. Boretech C4 and Copper solvents to the rescue! And then it still shot around 3-4 MOA with irons - SKS is not a great target rifle but IS a lot of fun ;-)
BTW, I Don't use the OEM cleaning kit, Just a brass cleaning rod and brass brushes. I figure it got enough abuse during service time. Mine are '51s so prob in West USSR or 'stans ?

 

[Kennethdavid]

Taking a bore scope that connects to your phone or laptop is a good idea. It will give you an idea of the bore condition BUT my First SKS looked terrible thru a scope after I had fired 1K or more rounds and cleaned thoroughly (I thought) before I got the scope. I spent a lot of time 're-cleaning' to get out the crap that "Normal" cleaning didn't get. Boretech C4 and Copper solvents to the rescue! And then it still shot around 3-4 MOA with irons - SKS is not a great target rifle but IS a lot of fun ;-)
BTW, I Don't use the OEM cleaning kit, Just a brass cleaning rod and brass brushes. I figure it got enough abuse during service time. Mine are '51s so prob in West USSR or 'stans ?

Hey I have a 51 Tula. I just spent what feels like an hour cleaning the bore and the patches stayed black for that entire hour, just pulling and pulling. I did it because I was shooting around 150 yards and noticed I couldn't get any grouping, felt like i was barely staying on paper for a man sized target. Wasn't as noticeable at my short indoor range. Wondering what your MOA was before the cleaning? What prompted you to clean? Just the scope or were you actually experiencing wide groups.

 

[Potashminer]

To answer the OP's question - putting a bullet into the muzzle will maybe tell you something about the rifling diameter - but it will make no contact with the "bore". The bullet fired should ride up the "bore"; it should probably seal to the bore - with the rifling engraved into that bullet jacket. So, for a "bore" to be "shot out" - many times it is the wear on the rifling that has caused the wonkiness - so a bore slug is needed to "slug the bore" to get an accurate measure of the "bore". I do not know of a "quick" and "easy" way to slug and measure bores, especially to evaluate 20 rifles.

 

[Buck1950]

Kenneth, What solvent are you using ? When I first got a '51, mine was pretty Black too. I used some Rem 40X - it's a liquid which comes with mild abrasive in suspension. It has an agitator pellet and you have to shake it for a minute to
'mix'; then I pour some on the patch while pushing the patch into the bore. You want a good amount of 40X and then run back and forth for like 20-ish strokes. You could do like this with Iosso or JB-paste too. This will take out most of the Copper fouling too. Afterwards, I washed the bore with lots off water to get out the 'grit', followed by Hoppes then 99% Alcohol. Both '51s I had came out clean but scary, since even with good defined rifling the years of corrosive ammo 'in the old country' left it looking like the surface of the Moon. As for 'groups', at 175 yds my group was about 12-14" - I used poster board with drawn targets - I needed to make a dark bullseye for an aiming point at that distance. At your 150 yds that would be what you should expect too. My 'NOS' SKS 1980 French Tickler only does a little better w/o a scope with an Un-fired barrel that is mirror smooth. SKS is generally considered 5-6-MOA esp at distance, unless you're using a scope. And the semi-action recoil can throw bullets around unless you have a Firm Grip to hold it down.

1951 Tula SKS after good cleaning


1980 F-T SKS after 50 rnds and cleaning

 

[struff55]

putting a bullet in the muzzle of a rifle bbl tells you that you no nothing about rifle bbl's
sun bbl's have very shallow rifling others have a tighter bore
cleaning it and inspecting it for visual damage / and other issues is really all you could do
even at that gunsmithing for 40 years i have seen some very ugly rusty looking bb'l still shoot just fine
o also a bore scope will tell you nothing