SKS questions

Gymbo

Gymbo

Regular
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
SW Ontario
Unissued/unrefurbished Russian 55/56 Tula SKS, still in cosmoline

So I'm not sure I've posted this in the right forum , but what I am sure of I know nothing of SKS rifles. I'm thinking of buying one and would like some help from CGN's .

So based on the first line as an example I can figure out it was never issued and the year. "Tula" I get based on recent posts in other forums but what do they mean when they say " refurbished" and still in "cosmoline" ?

If I bought a SKS that says the above in bold italics what do I need to do to prep it for shooting. Why is there Corrosive and non corrosive ammo and what is the difference?
 
Refurbished is a rebuild. It was stripped down and totally rebuilt as needed.
Cosmoline is a greasy, waxy preservative. The SKS needs to be totaly stripped and cleaned. I use varsol on all the metal. Everything. You can use varol, thinners or even hot water and soap on the furniture (wood). Lots of other methods.
 
Corrosive ammo is cheap military surplus ammo that have primers that introduce salt to the action and barrel. You need to meticulously clean your rifle every time you shoot with it, otherwise it will rust up very quickly. Non-corrosive is your standard factory ammo, and meticulous cleaning isn't required.

To get that rifle ready to shoot, you'd have to tear the rifle down and strip it of all cosmoline (YouTube has good walkthroughs and I think there's a good reference in the Red Rifle forum stickies). It's a little time consuming but not overly difficult.
 
For me, mineral spirits worked best to eliminate cosmoline, remember to take the entire rifle apart to clean. Hot water or a mix of ballistol and water is what I use to clean away corrosive salts. I've got 3 sks's, all are great, Russian, Chinese, and Yugo.
 
Longshot84 said:
Corrosive ammo is cheap military surplus ammo that have primers that introduce salt to the action and barrel. You need to meticulously clean your rifle every time you shoot with it, otherwise it will rust up very quickly. Non-corrosive is your standard factory ammo, and meticulous cleaning isn't required.
Click to expand...

So if Corrosive ammo is a pain to work with when cleaning the firearm why is it used when you have non corrosive ammo? Thanks
 
Gymbo said:
So if Corrosive ammo is a pain to work with when cleaning the firearm why is it used when you have non corrosive ammo? Thanks
Click to expand...

Corrosive ammo isn't a pain to clean, unless you call plugging in a kettle and pouring water down the bore and gas system a pain. You gotta field strip it to clean it anyway, so the extra 10-15 min is nothing really. The big plus is you can shoot 2-300 rds or more in a trip out and not think about cost, well worth the little bit of time spent cleaning it after but that's just my 2 cents.
 
Butcherbill said:
Corrosive ammo isn't a pain to clean, unless you call plugging in a kettle and pouring water down the bore and gas system a pain. You gotta field strip it to clean it anyway, so the extra 10-15 min is nothing really. The big plus is you can shoot 2-300 rds or more in a trip out and not think about cost, well worth the little bit of time spent cleaning it after but that's just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

x2.

When I said meticulous I probably should have said thorough. I scrub every nook and cranny just to make sure I don't miss anything, but I'm a lot fussier than most I think. It takes seconds for me to field strip any of my x39 rifles now and seconds more to boil up some water and find the dish gloves. I spend a solid half hour to an hour slowly scrubbing everything down then oiling it back up again while I watch Enemy at the Gate, FMJ etc. and drinking. Lol.
 
@Longshot84, me too. When I clean any of my guns they get a thorough cleaning, especially the ones that shoot corrosive ammo. I enjoy the process to be honest, although it's nice to come home and put it away and not have to clean anything. Which is what I enjoy about the guns I hunt with or my pistols (TT-33 excluded lol).

I took friends to the range last spring for a try before they bought session and I brought three reds plus a .22, a pistol and a couple lengths of shotguns. Glad I didn't have to clean all of them when we got home from the range lol, as my wife doesn't want to help with it hahaha.
 
Gymbo said:
Thanks guys . My assumption was with the word Corrosive and its negative connotation. You know what happens when you assume things!
Click to expand...

shooting corrosive is the same as shooting a muzzleloader. Both require more cleaning but are fun to shoot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom