SKS accuracy...?
- Thread starter oneone
- Start date
My sample size has been limited to 1 (a Chinese model), but my experience shooting Norinco FMJ ammo had been 5 MOA using iron sights.
A couple years back, I had the trigger group pinned to the reciever (a rather nifty accurizing trick of which I hadn't been aware). The result is a rifle that consistently shoots about 3 MOA out to 300 meters with iron sights using that same Norinco ammo. I suspect I just got lucky with mine, but it certainly turned out to be more gun than I was expecting when I bought it.
A couple years back, I had the trigger group pinned to the reciever (a rather nifty accurizing trick of which I hadn't been aware). The result is a rifle that consistently shoots about 3 MOA out to 300 meters with iron sights using that same Norinco ammo. I suspect I just got lucky with mine, but it certainly turned out to be more gun than I was expecting when I bought it.
I have owned a few SKS' and all were good enough for what they were intended to be. I used mine yesterday and was able to consistently hit the gong ( about 18" ) at 200m using cheap surplus stuff. I haven't seen an SKS as accurate as an 858 but they are a fun rifle that is cheap to buy and ( for the moment ) cheap to feed.
I talked to one guy at the range, he had polished up the trigger, glass bedded the stock, and he claimed to be getting 1.5 moa at 100m... dunno if I believe him, but consider that he might be the ONLY guy to ever glass bed an SKS!
I also hear that changing the rear iron sight to an aperture, like the Williams or Mojo, can have a significant effect on iron sight accuracy.
As for myself, my buddy and I can only manage hitting the gong at 200m about 20% of the time...but that's with a rough trigger, and no modifications (well a poly stock but it's not bedded or anything). I bet with some hardware changes that could be drastically improved.
Btw, putting a scope on the SKS, if accuracy is your goal, you need to avoid the "dust-cover mount" options. They are not secure and will have a wandering zero, especially since you will need to clean it due to corrosive ammo. So...look in the "SKS sight" thread stickied, for any of the scope mounts that go onto the side of the receiver...that should get solid improvements for you.
I also hear that changing the rear iron sight to an aperture, like the Williams or Mojo, can have a significant effect on iron sight accuracy.
As for myself, my buddy and I can only manage hitting the gong at 200m about 20% of the time...but that's with a rough trigger, and no modifications (well a poly stock but it's not bedded or anything). I bet with some hardware changes that could be drastically improved.
Btw, putting a scope on the SKS, if accuracy is your goal, you need to avoid the "dust-cover mount" options. They are not secure and will have a wandering zero, especially since you will need to clean it due to corrosive ammo. So...look in the "SKS sight" thread stickied, for any of the scope mounts that go onto the side of the receiver...that should get solid improvements for you.
- Location
- Fort St John BC
with iron sights at 100 yards i have gotten 3" quite consistently keep in mind i am not a very good shot i just bought a cheap ncstar sight for it and hope to try it sighted soon. I use army surplus ammo off a bipod also hit 12" gong at 200 pretty much everytime with iron sights. i have heard claims of close to 1 moa sighted at 100 yards so we'll see.
TERMINATOR101CA
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- TORONTO, CANADA
How the heck did he glass-bed an SKS stock, he doesn't take the damn thing apart to clean it anymore I guess....
- Location
- London, Ontario
And the other half is split between the Stevens 200, Norc 1911s and bear defence threads
Just smile and wave when you hear crap like that. Just smile and wave....
No kidding! I would love it if mine would group like that but even with the tech sights peep rear sight mine shoots minute of milk jug at 100. On paper it seems about 3-4 inches is about right.
I don't know what everyone is talking about. My SKS is very very accurate and I had absolutely no trouble hitting an old washing machine, placed at about 20 yards in front of me, 100% of the time at the farm a few months ago.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
All joking aside, if you guys want to talk about SKS accuracy you need to cut the crappy suprlus ammo out of the equation. I know "SKS" and "surplus ammo" go together like peanut butter and jam, but the ammo is much more at fault than the SKS for bad accuracy.
I have two SKS's, one scoped and one with a mojo peep sight, both had light trigger work done by me. Both of them can consistently group around 1.5" with commercial ammo. At 50 yards, I've shot several 5/8" groups with them as well. If I shoot surplus, well, the group sizes pretty much double at any range.
It's not fair, or useful, to shoot the SKS with the cheapest crap ammo you can possibly find, and then blame the rifle, when you would never, ever do that with your bolt action hunting rifle, or God forbid, your long range precision rig.
I have two SKS's, one scoped and one with a mojo peep sight, both had light trigger work done by me. Both of them can consistently group around 1.5" with commercial ammo. At 50 yards, I've shot several 5/8" groups with them as well. If I shoot surplus, well, the group sizes pretty much double at any range.
It's not fair, or useful, to shoot the SKS with the cheapest crap ammo you can possibly find, and then blame the rifle, when you would never, ever do that with your bolt action hunting rifle, or God forbid, your long range precision rig.
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have been working with my Russian for a few years now and I agree with Northman's statement, my Russian SKS likes Privi Partisan much better than CZ surplus. I did notice however that my CZ 858 has a liking for the CZ surplus ammo, over Privi Partisan.
Mine pounds a 6" gong all day that sits out at about 75m. I've never used it on paper or at longer distances. From the surface all the way deep down I just don't friggin care... so long as it goes bang everytime like it's supposed to. Lots of guns in the cabinet for itty bitty things far far away.
My 2 SKS' can put commercial hunting ammo (Prvi Partizan) into 2" at 100 yards off the bench whenever I do my part. This is with no trigger work (unless you count shooting lots of surplus ammo through 'em ) and no fancy aperture sights or scopes.
I suppose I could tighten those groups a bit if I reloaded my own ammo, but why do that when 2 MOA accuracy is plenty for deer up to about 150 yards?
) and no fancy aperture sights or scopes.I suppose I could tighten those groups a bit if I reloaded my own ammo, but why do that when 2 MOA accuracy is plenty for deer up to about 150 yards?
How the heck did he glass-bed an SKS stock, he doesn't take the damn thing apart to clean it anymore I guess....
I do not know...this is just something a guy told me! No idea if he was yanking chain or not. But you CAN take a glass bed action out of the stock...it's just not recomended if you want to retain the full benefit of the glassbed. But I don't even know if you CAN glass bed an SKS in a practical matter...maybe you can't even do that!
That said...my buddy doesn't take the rifle out of the stock to clean it from corrosion either, he just takes the dust cover off, the piston and piston tube, and then flushes the whole thing. Generally the corrosive primers don't infect the entire rifle, just the barrel interior and gas system.
I have a feeling that a lot of the people shooting 4"+ groups with the SKS (including myself) can blame their failure to consistently make identical shots, largely in part due to the mediocre open sights (and likely in a lot of cases, not shooting from a bench). It's easy to say the SKS is just inaccurate, but that's not the whole truth
It's also worth considering the original AK-47: the 'common knowledge' in the 1980's was that AK's would never produce groups smaller than 6moa, and were typically 8-10moa. But...this was using the only crappy ammo that had been humped about backwater battlefields for a decade or so, and tested in sub-optimal conditions. Fast forward a decade, and when guys first tested the AK-100 series, they were shocked to see 5.56mm AK-100 would in fact do 1.5moa at 100, if fed Fabrique National SS-109 NATO-spec ammo!
Similarly, the Dragunov was always considered to do no better than 3moa...but Western soldiers testing them were using de-linked machinegun ammo...not the tailor made loads actually issued to Soviet snipers, that featured a higher weight bullet, different trajectory, and FAR greater consistency. With proper marksman ammo, a Dragunov with good barrel life left in it, would group roughly around 1moa or even slightly better (cold bore only though...looks pencil thin to me!).
If it groups well enough for you, or you don't want to spend any more dollars, just check Youtube for how to clean up the trigger, and enjoy. If you want more accuracy than any reasonable man expects out of an SKS, I believe it can be done. But if you do reloads or normal hunting ammo, you might want to get one of the spring loaded firing pins from this guy:
http://ww w.murraysguns.com/sksown.htm
So you can use normal primers without fear of slamfires...
Similarly, the Dragunov was always considered to do no better than 3moa...but Western soldiers testing them were using de-linked machinegun ammo...not the tailor made loads actually issued to Soviet snipers, that featured a higher weight bullet, different trajectory, and FAR greater consistency. With proper marksman ammo, a Dragunov with good barrel life left in it, would group roughly around 1moa or even slightly better (cold bore only though...looks pencil thin to me!).
If it groups well enough for you, or you don't want to spend any more dollars, just check Youtube for how to clean up the trigger, and enjoy. If you want more accuracy than any reasonable man expects out of an SKS, I believe it can be done. But if you do reloads or normal hunting ammo, you might want to get one of the spring loaded firing pins from this guy:
http://ww w.murraysguns.com/sksown.htm
So you can use normal primers without fear of slamfires...
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easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Equipment: Tula '56 refurb, CZ surplus ammo, stock iron sights, benched and bagged, ageing, nearsighted and astigmatic eyes (btw, this group was shot with uncorrected vision as my glasses prevented seeing front sight in focus).
This is a two hundred meter target, 8.5 inch x 11 inch bond paper, shot in late August 2009 at the POCO range. That is easily a 5" x 8" group.
Well within the publicized Russian military requirement for accuracy which is supposed to be 4 to 6 minutes of angle.
This is a two hundred meter target, 8.5 inch x 11 inch bond paper, shot in late August 2009 at the POCO range. That is easily a 5" x 8" group.
Well within the publicized Russian military requirement for accuracy which is supposed to be 4 to 6 minutes of angle.
