SKS purchase

[jagnum]

I looked on a few threads and couldnt find what i was looking for. i dont have a SKS yet. i do have a cz858 and a few crates of surplus but thought i should maybe get one of these too. I dont want 10 of them and i dont want junk.

question 1. i see that some have detachable magazines and some have the top feed which are pinned at 5. So with the top feed ones, it would be nice to use the stripper clips to feed, as the crates are shipped with, but if its five are they kind of pointless with our laws. Or does one have to use the stripper clip with 5 pulled off in order for them to stay put.
If one is playing around with the 5 rounds in the stripper clips, pulling 5 off, you loose the convienance so one may as well go to a detachable. is this correct.

question 2. is that detachable mag an aftermarket pricey thing or are some equipped with these at the store. if you were to buy extra magazines what make are these, Cz or AK or something else.


question 3 i understand the Chinese are the cheaper ones. but not necessarily worse. THere are Russian, Yugo, and others i know. Some refurb and some new old stock in storage. i would prefer a new old stock i think unless otherwise convinced. Prefer one that would be a more accurate one, not a spray and pray type. this one may come later.


question 4. with the slight variations is there one that is better built, or easier to clean etc.

question 5.stock. are these heavy or do they just look heavy. does the after market stocks work well, or are they tupperware.

question 6. some have the chrome lined rifling, does this do anything for fouling, or corrosion. I would think that it would be like chrome wheels or bumpers, which still corrode, but are maybe a little better than regular steel.

question 7. does this thing require special scope mounts or scope.

THanks

 

[handofzeus]

I'll adress the important stuff. You don't NEED stripper clips. After loading you can toss the clip. The clip doesn't hold the ammo IN the gun. You CAN load one at a time too. Detachable mags are about $35 and you have to remove the hinged steel mag, and in some cases do some minor fitting. If you want a better manufactured SKS go russian (IMHO). Be prepared to spend time cleaning it WHICHEVER one you get, it will need the gas system stripped and cleaned especially after using surplus ammo! YES it needs special mounts! There is a receiver type that actually replaces your receiver, but will usually need to be filed or ground down to fit snugly (i hear these tend to loosen) or there's one that replaces the rear sight ramp which requires a long eye relief scope, due to the added distance, being set so far forward. The chromed barrels are for durability and longevity, treat it as any other. Clean it after use and a light film of oil for longer storage periods. The stock is as heavy as any other piece of wood, actually I think the hardwood ones MAY be a touch lighter than most. Overall the rifle is about 7.5 lbs which is what the svt 40 weighs and it's around 2 miles longer! ENJOY!

 

[svt1940]

I looked on a few threads and couldnt find what i was looking for. i dont have a SKS yet. i do have a cz858 and a few crates of surplus but thought i should maybe get one of these too. I dont want 10 of them and i dont want junk.

question 1. i see that some have detachable magazines and some have the top feed which are pinned at 5. So with the top feed ones, it would be nice to use the stripper clips to feed, as the crates are shipped with, but if its five are they kind of pointless with our laws. Or does one have to use the stripper clip with 5 pulled off in order for them to stay put.
If one is playing around with the 5 rounds in the stripper clips, pulling 5 off, you loose the convienance so one may as well go to a detachable. is this correct.

question 2. is that detachable mag an aftermarket pricey thing or are some equipped with these at the store. if you were to buy extra magazines what make are these, Cz or AK or something else.


question 3 i understand the Chinese are the cheaper ones. but not necessarily worse. THere are Russian, Yugo, and others i know. Some refurb and some new old stock in storage. i would prefer a new old stock i think unless otherwise convinced. Prefer one that would be a more accurate one, not a spray and pray type. this one may come later.


question 4. with the slight variations is there one that is better built, or easier to clean etc.

question 5.stock. are these heavy or do they just look heavy. does the after market stocks work well, or are they tupperware.

question 6. some have the chrome lined rifling, does this do anything for fouling, or corrosion. I would think that it would be like chrome wheels or bumpers, which still corrode, but are maybe a little better than regular steel.

question 7. does this thing require special scope mounts or scope.

THanks

I will try to help

If you want nos sks, buy a chinese, they are as good as the russian but i still prefer russian, the fit and finish is better usually. Unissued russian can be found but if you want a shooter, refurbed russian are perfect, sometimes the only replaced part can be the stock, otherwise some have'n been used much. If you go for a russian, you can have hardwood or laminate stock. Both stock look good,laminate is stronger. Russian made in 1951 and later have chrome lined bore,all chinese have chrome bore too. Its not the chrome you have on your wheels, its vanadium chrome, extremly hard, wear and corrosion resistant. They can corrode over time if never cleaned using corrosives ammo but will take very long time. Anyway proper rifle care is mandatory doesn't matter what ammo you use. Alls my sks's are in military configuration. With practice, you can load only 5 rounds in the mag with the stripper clip but also you can cut the clip and crimp the cut end and you have 5 rounds clip There's a thread about that. I say, enjoy the sks in its original form, take time to familiarize with the rifle before spending money on tupperware stock and other things.... Sks work very well in military shape. After you can decide if you want to add something but remember, less is better Once you will buy 1, you will want another and another and another You are warned Buy and have fun,dont forget to clean your new sks free from grease particulary the bolt and the firing pin, pin must rattle freely.
Jocelyn

 

[Jorkapp]

question 1. i see that some have detachable magazines and some have the top feed which are pinned at 5. So with the top feed ones, it would be nice to use the stripper clips to feed, as the crates are shipped with, but if its five are they kind of pointless with our laws. Or does one have to use the stripper clip with 5 pulled off in order for them to stay put.
If one is playing around with the 5 rounds in the stripper clips, pulling 5 off, you loose the convienance so one may as well go to a detachable. is this correct.

Not entirely. I use the fixed mag on mine and still load with strippers. There's a multitude of things you can do to keep it convenient:

1. Make 5-round stripper clips. Its in a sticky above.
2. Just use 10-round clips and push in 5. It takes a bit of practice not to have the 6th round try to feed it, but it does work, and beats loading by hand.
3. Alternately, you could just group the clip into 5-round groups, and push on 5 rounds at a time.

question 2. is that detachable mag an aftermarket pricey thing or are some equipped with these at the store. if you were to buy extra magazines what make are these, Cz or AK or something else.

Depends. If you can get your hands on an SKS-D or SKS-M, they use standard AK mags. Otherwise, a run-of-the-mill SKS uses a duckbill magazine. They run about $30-40 each depending on where you buy.

question 3 i understand the Chinese are the cheaper ones. but not necessarily worse. THere are Russian, Yugo, and others i know. Some refurb and some new old stock in storage. i would prefer a new old stock i think unless otherwise convinced. Prefer one that would be a more accurate one, not a spray and pray type. this one may come later.

Depends on which chinese you get. The PLA-issue rifles are pretty good, most say comparable to a Russian. The civvy-market Norinco ones are typically crap.

Accuracy is always hit-or-miss with the SKS. Its a battle rifle, not a precision weapon. Its designed for an illiterate conscript to pick it up out of the mud and kill a few capitalists, not shoot dime sized groups at 300m. Some have decent accuracy, some are merely ok. Just avoid the Norinco SKS and you'll be fine.

question 4. with the slight variations is there one that is better built, or easier to clean etc.

They're all roughly built the same. Most will say go with a Russian for the best build quality.

question 5.stock. are these heavy or do they just look heavy. does the after market stocks work well, or are they tupperware.

Not the heaviest firearm I've handled. Weighs about 8.5lb. Aftermarket stocks are a point of contention among SKS collectors. Some like them, some hate them. The issued stock works and is included, why not use it?

question 6. some have the chrome lined rifling, does this do anything for fouling, or corrosion. I would think that it would be like chrome wheels or bumpers, which still corrode, but are maybe a little better than regular steel.

Yes, it does have to do with corrosion. A chrome-lined barrel will resist corrosion better than a non-lined barrel. Keyword is resist - cleaning is still necessary.

question 7. does this thing require special scope mounts or scope.

Check the optics and mounts sticky above. Avoid the receiver-cover mounts like the plague. Get either the drill-and-tap mounts or the rear sight scout mounts.

 

[LarryG]

If you want a shooter, get the military chinese. I've tried three, and all were very accurate. If you want a looker and maybe a shooter, get a Russian. I bought both, then another chinese, cause they're cheap. I am a big fan of the sks, and in some cases recommend them as a first gun over .22's. The fun factor is huge.

With open sights and a rest, you should be able to group 2" or less at 50 yards with a chinese military and surplus ammo.

Loading with 10 shot strippers is easy, just count off the first 5 rounds, put your finger there, and push em in. It's a minor inconvenience but still very useful.

If you mount a receiver scope mount (choate) with any regular scope, the strippers won't fit anymore, then it's one by one top loaded. Of course, with that regular scope, it'll get whacked by empties coming straight up out of the action, so you'll have to solve that issue with either a shell deflector or doing the side port modification on the action, which some have done using a dremel and a steady hand (I used a 1/8" diameter carbide endmill in the dremel).

 

[RMXC51]

With a 10 round stirpper, put it in the guide and feel 4 "clicks" as the rounds go in. This wil load 5 rounds. You don't feel the first one go in the magazine, so 4 clicks loads 5. Easy.

Also, you say you don't want 10 of them. I say "yet".

 

[spacesaver]

Not writing anything that has'nt already been said before here, people seem to agrre that the Chinese military SKS is probably your best all around bet for a shooter as well as for all around fit and finish. I have had a civi Norc and wouldn't go that route again; it might hit the 18" gong @100m, but only if the tide was right! While I have had the Tapco T-6 stock all my Sks's will be stock config. from here on in. As an aside, my never issued military Sks has one of the best triggers on a rifle that I have felt, still lots of take up but a nice light let-off thats relatively smooth too.
Cheers!!