SKS at 100 yards.

SoBored

SoBored

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A few people have been posting recently about accurizing the SKS or the SKS' accuracy, (or lack thereof), so I thought I'd do some documented playing around. I think the people that complain about the lack of accuracy also never do stuff for their SKS that they would do with accurate guns. Things such as handloading, mounting a quality optic or doing trigger work. This was most of the problem I thought. So I set about doing so myself.

I bought my black bolt refurb for $159 about 2 years ago and a crate of Czech surplus.

SKS1.jpg


SKS2.jpg


Let's just say my eyes are crappy at best so I ordered a 4x POSP, (you wished you looked this cool :cool:), and side rail from Interammo and got it mounted. Then I back-burnered the project until about a week ago.

sksposp.jpg
pospx4100.jpg



I had only 3 types of ammo, standard Czech surplus, (for a standard and for sighting in the scope), 10 rounds of Czech I pulled the bullets on and standardized the powder charge on, (23.5 grains of the gray stuff), and 10 rounds of Hornady 123 grain VMAX over 28 grains of 4895.

123VMAX.jpg


The standard surplus was dealing me out about 4-6 inches @ 100 yards and the uniformed powder loads produced loads just a little worse than the standard surplus, (this was likely the operator because otherwise it makes no sense :confused:).

Surplus18Nov12-2.jpg


The VMAX rounds gave me 2" and 3" groups. I think the weak link in this project is the low powered scope and the operator. It takes a lot of patience to work that stock trigger well, and my point of aim was probably accounting for at least 1 MOA. Either way, I think if I can regularly get 2-3 MOA out of a $160 auto loader I really don't have much to complain about.

VMAX762x3918Nov12_1-fin.jpg
VMAX762x3918Nov12_2-fin.jpg


What's next? Probably a lot more handloading and shooting, I might try to bed the action and do a SKS triggerjob on it which I would hope would let the SKS do about 1.5 MOA. I'll work away on it over the winter. The SKS was already more accurate than I thought it would be and much more accurate than many on here would have you believe.
 
Those groupings are consistent with what an SKS will do at that range. If you want, you could put a cheek riser on the stock so as to attain a good, solid weld. A proper weld is crucial to target shooting. Get the one made by TAC PRO.
 
300Spartans said:
Those groupings are consistent with what an SKS will do at that range. If you want, you could put a cheek riser on the stock so as to attain a good, solid weld. A proper weld is crucial to target shooting. Get the one made by TAC PRO.
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Funny thing is, my right eye has a bad astigmatism so I kinda do a chin weld and roll my head a little to the right and use my left eye, it's much clearer. If it wasn't for that, I think I'd be a little unhappy with the POSP, it is very high and offset to the left. However, it has never been hit with brass. :)


Muskyhunter1 said:
Awesome post thanks. Tell me more about your mount.

Have you tried .312 dia bullets? You have to work your load up but i have heard good things.

Keep us posted.
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The mount and scope I bought from Interammo but I'm not sure if he has them in stock anymore, at least they're not on the website. His GunNutz handle is TeaPot2.

You can browse around Kalinkaoptics DOT com to see what all is available in Russian style scopes, but I have heard bad things about them and can not recommend them to you.

Other than that, I'm not sure were to source the POSP style scopes in Canada if Interammo doesn't carry them anymore.

Re the 312s, I will try them, but I really should slug my bore and see what the hell is going on in there.

Thanks for the thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope to update it soon with more groups after a trigger job, but I have 3 kids, I'm tanning a deer hide, brewing beer and Winter is coming.
 
I concur with your finding about the Czech surplus ammo. I tried scoping an SKS and couldn't get any better than 5-6" which I could do with the open sights anyway.

Unless a person wants to handload good bullets, improve the trigger (it can be done), etc you just have to accept the SKS for what it is.
 
Try Russian ammo, it might actually be a little better than Czech. Nevertheless, it's an SKS, I wouldn't expect miracles, I certainly don't from the one I own.
 
If you want to get the best from an sks you need to get it tight in the stock This is cheap an easy to do. An easy bedding job with JB weld can really help. the front ferrule needs to be tight and the space at the back of the stock needs to be filled so the action can't hinge in the stock.
 
The surplus ammo is consistent for most SKS rifles, although I'm surprised it didn't group a bit better with the scope. I find the crudeness of the iron sites to be a contributing factor. As far as quality ammo, the PRVI is the best on the market in my opinion. With my CZ bolt action I can fit 5 shots through a dime at 100 yards using PRVI ammunition on a 3 point shooting rest. I doubt I could make a handload any better than that, and why bother? I can't shoot that with any of my SKS, but the CZ is my benchmark test of ammunition quality.

An SKS is what it is. Its fun, reliable, and cheap to shoot. A precision rifle it is not, if you can hit a pie plate a 100 yards, then it does what its supposed to do.
 
SoBored, keep the updates coming! I will too on my SKS project. I'm waiting for my 4x scope and then bedding, crowning, and hand loading. Happy tanning and brewing, I just bottled a dry-hopped IPA last night. Mmmm-mmmm.
 
Depends on the SKS. Some shoot better than others. Proper stock to rifle fit-up between the latch and the lug is critical and not hard to tweak if needs be. Having very little, to no forestock pressure (just contact) on the ferrule and 'floating' forward of the lug is also a big factor, and not very difficult to tweak either.

Not to mention the wide variations in trigger characteristics. Each one requires its own particular tuning.

Bayo fixed - bayo folded - bayo off - It's like Berry Pomegranate Mio
 
myself and 3 friends have sks's, we shoot a 200 yard gong all the time, usually 3-4 hits out of 5 every time with the iron sights, and milsurp ammo, they are a good inexpensive fun shooter
 
Well, I took my SKS to my gunsmith today to see if he could clean up my muzzle crown. I told him I was getting 2-3 inches @ 100 and he said he didn't want to touch it. Impossible to mount in his lathe and he didn't want to risk messing up what seemed to be a good thing with a short pilot and a cutter. He says it there's a weak link it's likely the 4x scope. I kinda agree plus the trigger.

I gave my stock bedding a good assessment and it is SOLID, no wiggle anywhere. Not surprising with the groups I've been able to get. So bedding is not necessary.

So I guess I will order a Wolff spring kit, (if brownells ships them North), and then see what happens. In the meantime I might look for that homemade SKS trigger job that is kicking around the net and see if I can get some improvement. My pull is long, heavy and always seems to be doing something new.

I really wanted to get out shooting this past weekend because it was so mild, but 2 kids Christmas parties kinda ruled the weekend.
 
ok first of..shoot with the bayonett OUT!!!!!!!!!
next a crowning can be done by hand drill wit a large ball grinding bit and some sand paper and patience.
i can keep an 12" circle (gong 8/10... at 300yds ....you guys saying its less than that are buying into the cheap=crappy.
i have honed the inside of my barrel with an old cleaning rod ad some 600 grit paper and a drill (just quick to de-burr)
i have crowned my barrel and de-burred the inside of the chamber.

I have cleaned and de-burred/polished the trigger and gas rod and tube and modified the ejection point for a more reliable toss angle.

ATI stock and a 4-16x scope on the rear cover (*VERY TIGHTLY FIT!!*)

i can keep a loonie at 100yds with a hangover, metal in my eyes, my wife b**ing and a live monkey moving the target...


at 300 yds if you hit a decent gong the bullet doesn't even deform or dent half the time.. usually just a bent tip.

as a person with a mechanical engineering / precision MACRO-machinist & fabricator / race shop engine builder experience.../.
I feel well qualified to handle a file / drill /dremel tool / and all the other minor tools involved...
 
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My SKS is fun to shoot, as long as the target is big, lol. Long time ago I changed it to a composit folding stock for easier back packing, but found the stock so poorly machined, that every time I pulled the trigger while looking through the scope you could see the target moving away from you because the whole action was coming backward with the extreemely hard trigger pull. So, I beded the action, found a much tighter scope mount, sent the trigger group out to be modified ( which was way better ) made sure nothing moved and went back to the range and had a hell of a time hitting anything again unless it was big. Six to eight inches at 100 yards is a joke. It's fun to shoot, but to this day it sits in my safe collecting dust due to frustration.
 
We all know that the SKS isnt the most accurate weapon on the market but is just fine for what it is intended for. I have to wonder if the problems people are having are less with the gun and more with their technique. Just a thought
 
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