This one might get filed under "early Xmas miracle", but I just came back from the range with my new SKS. I got it a little over a month ago, but haven't been able to shoot it much due to the FMJ ban at the local range. Now that the rainy season is back, the ban has been lifted and I went it today to try it out off the bench.
Just to give you the full backstory, I picked this SKS up used for the very attractive price of $50. The last owner fired corrosive ammo and put the gun away without cleaning it. When he looked at it again months later, it was covered in rust. So, I was able to pick it up cheap. After a couple hours of cleaning, I got the bore looking like new, and only a few stains on the bolt that wouldn't come off. No pits or other marks of any kind. It is a Russian, with a laminated stock.
I fired it a little offhand in the bush, with non surplus ammo, and it seemed to shoot pretty good. So today I was curious to see how it was off the bench. I have owned an SKS before, a Chinese one, and it was a pretty bad shooter. I would maybe get 4-5" groups at 50 yards, so my expectations were pretty low.
So, with milsurp FMJ ammo, I shot my first 5 round group off the bench and, excluding one flyer, my group was 2.25" at a hundred yards. I just about
my pants. I even tried hitting some clays out at 200 yards, and while I was missing most of them, near the end of the day I started getting used to shooting with that butter knife front site blade, and I was able to pick off the last 2 clays off with one shot each.
I was thinking about putting some different sites on this, but after today I won't be changing a thing. I think I am going to go out and pick up another case of the same ammo too. All in all I can't believe what a great score I got.
Just to give you the full backstory, I picked this SKS up used for the very attractive price of $50. The last owner fired corrosive ammo and put the gun away without cleaning it. When he looked at it again months later, it was covered in rust. So, I was able to pick it up cheap. After a couple hours of cleaning, I got the bore looking like new, and only a few stains on the bolt that wouldn't come off. No pits or other marks of any kind. It is a Russian, with a laminated stock.
I fired it a little offhand in the bush, with non surplus ammo, and it seemed to shoot pretty good. So today I was curious to see how it was off the bench. I have owned an SKS before, a Chinese one, and it was a pretty bad shooter. I would maybe get 4-5" groups at 50 yards, so my expectations were pretty low.
So, with milsurp FMJ ammo, I shot my first 5 round group off the bench and, excluding one flyer, my group was 2.25" at a hundred yards. I just about
my pants. I even tried hitting some clays out at 200 yards, and while I was missing most of them, near the end of the day I started getting used to shooting with that butter knife front site blade, and I was able to pick off the last 2 clays off with one shot each. I was thinking about putting some different sites on this, but after today I won't be changing a thing. I think I am going to go out and pick up another case of the same ammo too. All in all I can't believe what a great score I got.
