A $169.00 SKS, with $600 dollars worth of aftermarket accessories is still a $169.00 SKS. That's when the term "Tactifool" kicks in. It was designed as a low cost semi auto rifle for peasants with little or no education at short range. The caliber 7.62x59 mm was not designed as marksmanship grade cartridge, but one that you could use to "spray and pray" under 300 yds. If you are set on buying an SKS and want to shoot it fast in 3 gun matches, cut down 20-30 stripper clips to 5 rds each then buy an M1 Garand cartridge belt for them to fit into.
SKS... Tactical or traditional? Pros, cons, and what's your preference?
- Thread starter mikeystew
- Start date
My thoughts exactly!
Prairiestorm
Member
- Location
- East central Alberta
It all really depends on what kind of style of rifle you like... Me myself just have the tradition bone stock sks and I don't know what it is about this rifle but every time I pull the trigger I get a smile on my face ! I like the looks and feel of those old military rifles, I prefer to keep them how they were meant to be. But again it's based on personal preference.
Not a big fan either however I always found the 16" para with Tapco stock kind of appealing.
Yes it is. She was heavy too.
I've found that leaving the stripper clips as they are and only putting 5 rds into them works better than trying to cut them down and then accidentally sticking the cut down ones in upside down etc...
After a day of practice with plastic practice cartridges, I can now put 10 rds into the stripper clip and load 5 at a time just as quickly, which works even better
It is a lot of fun to put a stock with a pistol grip on there for plinking and thanks to the crazy magazine laws here, throwing on an XCR magazine adapter so you can put 10 rds in at a time is also a nice mod.
For the sights, HiCal has a nice replacement front sight and a nice pic rail mount with a rear peep sight built in, those are worth the $ and effort.
A cheap gun like an SKS is actually a great start to making a tactiFUN rifle, where you add things to it to make it more fun (10 rd detachable mag capability, better sights, pistol grip adjustable length stock, foregrip for shooting from the waist **koff*bump*koff** maybe a bipod on the bayonet mount for benchrest kinda shooting
but trying to turn it into a long range super sniper rifle is gonna just make you look dumb and the sks look silly
For the sights, HiCal has a nice replacement front sight and a nice pic rail mount with a rear peep sight built in, those are worth the $ and effort.
A cheap gun like an SKS is actually a great start to making a tactiFUN rifle, where you add things to it to make it more fun (10 rd detachable mag capability, better sights, pistol grip adjustable length stock, foregrip for shooting from the waist **koff*bump*koff** maybe a bipod on the bayonet mount for benchrest kinda shooting
but trying to turn it into a long range super sniper rifle is gonna just make you look dumb and the sks look silly
Purist will be purists.... traditionalists will be traditionalists. Owning both a highly modified SKS, and a stock one. My advice is always to buy a stock SKS and shoot it as is (if you havent extensively shot one before) ..... THEN; if you find there is something you want to improve, improve it.
For instance, on what id consider is a highly modified SKS below:
it started out stock
but after shooting it, i realized there was areas that i wanted to improve to better fit my needs.
I did away with the short uncomfortable wood stock, and added an adjustable length of pull one that had a pistol grip for improved ergonomics.
I did away with the clumsy box mag and stripper clips and switch to tapco detachable mags.
Struggling to use the horrible iron sights, I added a rail and scoped the firearm.
****Of course, this was all based off my personal preference and experience with the gun. Many SKS owners in this forum may have no problems and be perfectly content with the SKS as it already is. ****
After shooting it some more, and learning what worked, and what didnt, what was garbage and what wasnt lol, I made more improvements..
As I learned more, tinkered more, I improved it more.
As it currently stands.
But thats not all! lol with some inspiration and know how that ive gained from other projects, and another CGN'er. I plan to do away with the current Archangel stock (which ive really enjoyed), and carve out a custom SVD stock in wood.
Note: At no given time, did the overall price of this SKS reach 2/3rds the cost of a CSA VZ 58. IN MY OPINION , to me, my SKS stands modified, as a better gun, than the $1100 VZ 58 does stock. And yes I do own a VZ 58, and I did fire it stock.
For instance, on what id consider is a highly modified SKS below:
it started out stock
but after shooting it, i realized there was areas that i wanted to improve to better fit my needs.
I did away with the short uncomfortable wood stock, and added an adjustable length of pull one that had a pistol grip for improved ergonomics.
I did away with the clumsy box mag and stripper clips and switch to tapco detachable mags.
Struggling to use the horrible iron sights, I added a rail and scoped the firearm.
****Of course, this was all based off my personal preference and experience with the gun. Many SKS owners in this forum may have no problems and be perfectly content with the SKS as it already is. ****
After shooting it some more, and learning what worked, and what didnt, what was garbage and what wasnt lol, I made more improvements..
As I learned more, tinkered more, I improved it more.
As it currently stands.
But thats not all! lol with some inspiration and know how that ive gained from other projects, and another CGN'er. I plan to do away with the current Archangel stock (which ive really enjoyed), and carve out a custom SVD stock in wood.
Note: At no given time, did the overall price of this SKS reach 2/3rds the cost of a CSA VZ 58. IN MY OPINION , to me, my SKS stands modified, as a better gun, than the $1100 VZ 58 does stock. And yes I do own a VZ 58, and I did fire it stock.
I got rid of my composite stock, reworked a Russian laminate stock and added an AR15 pistol grip to my trigger group. Also added the 1" butt spacer - this rifle fits, feels and fires fantastic! I usually run the 5/20 metal mags while shooting, not the 5/30s.
I am very happy how it turned out, I do enjoy shooting the top (mostly unmodified) one also.
Been where you are, bud, and most likely many on this board. I've tried many stocks and accessories; Spent thousands. Word of advice and to save you $$$, go stock. Shoot it and upgrade if you need to. Almost every aftermarket accessory makes the SKS overweight, unweidly, unreliable or impractical. Rattly stocks, jamming mags, loose scope mounts, rickety bipods, brittle rails, etc. And you know the funny thing? I was trying to save money, too. You know what I should of bought? A Vz.58 because every mod I added the Vz.58 has it better. Actually, a stock Vz.58 has all the benefits of the SKS and more. Light weight, well balanced, stripper clips, detachable bags, AK operator cool mag changes, solid scope mounts that even allow stripper clips and easy disassembly. Still, I have my battered and bruised test bed SKS. Over 3000 rounds through it and the only mod I've kept is a $15 rubber buttpad to add an inch to the length of pull. I drilled a hole in it so I can access the cleaning kit and took off the bayo so it is more balanced. I know it can hit 8"x8" consistently at 200m after over 500 rounds in 20 minutes of continuous fire with stock sights. No ftf or fte.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
Something like this would be pretty sweet. I don't think I'd bother with a flash hider, but the timber smith stock looks pretty nice with the 5/20 mag.
urgh, took an 800+ dollar yugo and turned it into a sub 400 sks sporter. Go ahead and do this, but use a russian or norinco. least then you don't loose money. The stock is nice (boyds by the look of it.) curious about the rear sight?
Blastattack
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
No, that person took a $400 USD sks and turned it into a $400 USD SKS sporter. For the crap SKS we get in bulk, Americans are paying $600-$800, whereas we pay $200-$300 for an identicla gun. Conversely Yugo SKSs are plentiful, and you can buy them individually or by the crate for $400 a piece, less on the used market. Not picture is from Canada.
As for the topic at hand, I saw a wonderfully setup SKS at Canadian Tire with a hardwood monte carlo sporter stock and it looked WAY better than the Boyds ones. I kinda wanted to buy it, but I don't really want an SKS and it was $345 for the rifle+stock combo.
