SKS Variants and Value

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MattAllen1

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I know the price of SKS' in general has really shot up and you see them listed all over the place in terms of price. But they are still generally economical to own and shot. I would like to get one I'm not afraid to use and would prefer a Russian model.

Tula models are all over the place, but when trying to determine a fair price how do they compare year to year? I see some Letter Series models out there, are those really different in value, or is it all condition, timing, and buyer?

I'd prefer to find an original non-refurbished. I want to use it (hunt/plink), but it wouldn't see heavy use. Am I better off picking up anything I can find in good conditions that shoots vice the original non-refurbished. They are out there, though I've encountered (not on this site) sellers claiming they are original non-refurb, but when you ask detailed questions the conversation goes sideways.

Curious to hear general thoughts on the SKS, what variant or condition you might recommend, and if you have any info on how variants generally stack up value wise.

thanks
 
I'd like to get one too, but not crazy about the cleaning process. It's quite extensive. I'm leaning more towards modern versions of the SKS (Type 81 rifles). If I was to change my mind, I'd go for the Russian SKS.
 
I know you said Russian, but you should really consider a late 70's (1978 I believe) Chinese SKS with the Bakelite "French tickler" synthetic handguard. They're unfired/unissued. Do a search here on them, and you'll see how much people rave about them. I love mine. Way cheaper than a refurbed Russian too. These are still available at stores, but you have to handpick them in person, as they're mixed in with older manufacture rifles. If you order online, you have no idea what you're getting. Just look for the plastic-y looking upper handguard. I was so impressed with mine, I may even grab a second one.
 
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CanuckShooter said:
I know you said Russian, but you should really consider a late 70's (1978 I believe) Chinese SKS with the Bakelite "French tickler" synthetic handguard. They're unfired/unissued. Do a search here on them, and you'll see how much people rave about them. I love mine. Way cheaper than a refurbed Russian too. These are still available at stores, but you have to handpick them in person, as they're mixed in with older manufacture rifles. If you order online, you have no idea what you're getting. Just look for the plastic-y looking upper handguard. I was so impressed with mine, I may even grab a second one.
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^this. Never thought I'd buy one in this political climate but even I'm looking at one of these Chinese ones.

I'm not an expert on these rifles but have some experience. I didn't find them difficult to clean, nor would I describe it as "extensive". It's more involved if shooting corrosive ammo which to some, is 3/4 of the appeal.
 
I know some people had an easier time with it, but from friends who bought them or watching videos of the cleaning, some are easier than others. I have a friend who cleaned one thoroughly and yet after firing it a few times, he still says grease oozes out in various places. Obviously, over time this will diminish/disappear. I do like the Chinese one, with the tickler, but find the darker wood on the Russian version more appealing. Just a personal preference.

I don't know if anyone has heard, but the SKS may be banned eventually. One NDP MP said she wants it banned as it was used in a recent robbery. Just the tortured logic of the ignorant.
 
CoryChia said:
I know some people had an easier time with it, but from friends who bought them or watching videos of the cleaning, some are easier than others. I have a friend who cleaned one thoroughly and yet after firing it a few times, he still says grease oozes out in various places. Obviously, over time this will diminish/disappear. I do like the Chinese one, with the tickler, but find the darker wood on the Russian version more appealing. Just a personal preference.

I don't know if anyone has heard, but the SKS may be banned eventually. One NDP MP said she wants it banned as it was used in a recent robbery. Just the tortured logic of the ignorant.
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Well, either you want one, or you do not......

As for the libtards possibly banning them....that caveat could be proposed for any firearm in Canada.
So, let them ban them. Then, they can attempt to acquire them from law-abiding sks-owning Canadian citizens. How many sks rifles do you think there may be in Canada? Hundreds of thousands if not more, at a guess.
And how many law-abiding sks-owning Canadian citizens will voluntarily hand them over? Lol.
Dissent shall be a "given".
 
Degreasing an SKS is easy as pie. Don't let that deter you. No need for harsh chemicals. Boiling water and dawn. Then blow the water out, and oil.

Cabela's had their non-corrosive 7.62x39 on sale all the time for $0.50/rd. It's actually on sale right now.
 
To clean an SKS that is coated in Cosmoline:

1) strip the gun - as in take it apart, stock off, receiver apart, trigger group out etc.
2) use near boiling water - this is important, the heat melts the Cosmoline, and it being oil, it floats to the surface, away from the rifle. If you use a degreaser in a spray can, you will need to wipe it away and you will miss some. If it floats away from the rifle, you won't miss any.
3) boil the bolt like a hard boiled egg - once done, spry it with WD40, wipe it down, spray it with G96, dry the outside. Before you put it back hold it in one hand and shake it, if you can't hear the firing pin rattle, boil it again.
4) every part of the gun can be cleaned this way, except the stock. It's best wrapped in paper towel and put into a black garbage bag, outside, on a sunny day. Again, heat is your friend, and it will make the stock 'sweat' the cosmoline out.
 
Letter series are not uncommon and not worth more despite what some may say. Izzys and 1949s are uncommon and worth more. For non refurbs look for all matching numbers as well has stock cartouches around the crossbolt. There are some non-refurb laminate stocked sks but they are very uncommon.
 
enefgee said:
To clean an SKS that is coated in Cosmoline:

1) strip the gun - as in take it apart, stock off, receiver apart, trigger group out etc.
2) use near boiling water - this is important, the heat melts the Cosmoline, and it being oil, it floats to the surface, away from the rifle. If you use a degreaser in a spray can, you will need to wipe it away and you will miss some. If it floats away from the rifle, you won't miss any.
3) boil the bolt like a hard boiled egg - once done, spry it with WD40, wipe it down, spray it with G96, dry the outside. Before you put it back hold it in one hand and shake it, if you can't hear the firing pin rattle, boil it again.
4) every part of the gun can be cleaned this way, except the stock. It's best wrapped in paper towel and put into a black garbage bag, outside, on a sunny day. Again, heat is your friend, and it will make the stock 'sweat' the cosmoline out.
Click to expand...

A good list of how to do the cleaning. I would just add one additional thing with regards to point 3. I had an SKS once where boiling the bolt multiple times did not yield the firing pin rattling outcome. Turns out that bolt's firing bin was so seized that even after I took out the retaining pin, I had to use pliers to pull the bolt out. And this was after multiple boiling attempts. When I pulled out the bolt, the crud that was in the channel was completely solidified and seized the firing pin. Boiling it AFTER the firing pin was removed and then taking a Q-tip to the channel cleaned it out.

Also with that same SKS, I had boiled the trigger group and even threw it in brake-free, after the trigger would not reset after one shot. Turns out I had to take the trigger apart to get the sear out, and upon forcing out the sear (with a flat head screwdriver), the same thing was the issue - caked on crud in the sear channel prevented the sear from moving. Once I forced out the sear, and then boiled it and used some picks and stuff to clean out that sear channel, the sear was moving again and never had a problem since.
 
Tomasaurus said:
Letter series are not uncommon and not worth more despite what some may say. Izzys and 1949s are uncommon and worth more. For non refurbs look for all matching numbers as well has stock cartouches around the crossbolt. There are some non-refurb laminate stocked sks but they are very uncommon.
Click to expand...

This is very true. For the OP, the best thing is to read up on what constitutes a refurb and what does not. For some people, seeing listings for matching numbers get them excited but it's not just the ###Xed out numbers that is a sign of a refurb but also the stock type and colour as well. There are also some Russian models that were supposedly non refurbed but if you look at, say, a 1954 stock and it is not arctic birch, and if it just has the serial number stamped on the side without the Tula star, etc, it's a refurb stock. If one knew what years had what stocks, they will be able to spot refurbs from a mile away. The cartouches around the cross bolt is a good indicator as well.

You also need to look at things that are not so obvious -having a handguard/gas tube for which the lever is VERY VERY STIFF - like you need a tool to activate it, could be a sign that it's not the original handguard, despite the colour match.

But even when external conditions are considered, you need to look at the internals too. I once bought another SKS that was gorgeous outside and everything was not refurbed, BUT when I took the handguard off and looked in the gas tube, the piston rod was completely seized in there. No doubt someone used corrosive ammo at one point and didn't clean it properly. Also sometimes you may not see rust/corrosion on the metal parts until you remove the stock.
 
Just a further note on this topic. I've had several SKSs and luckily bought for WAY under the current pricing. Although they are still the lowest price 30-cal semi available, one can find several bolt action rifles using the same round for similar (or LESS) COST - - and these will come with the bonus of Accuracy. I bought a Ruger Ranch in x39 that shoots MOA or better out to 200yds with a 9X scope. . . and I still shoot the SKS.
 
Buck1950 said:
one can find several bolt action rifles using the same round for similar (or LESS) COST- - and these will come with the bonus of Accuracy. I bought a Ruger Ranch in x39 that shoots MOA or better out to 200yds with a 9X scope. . . and I still shoot the SKS.
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Well, the Ruger Ranch has always been more expensive than an SKS. I bought my brand-new Ruger Ranch in 2019 for $672 and that was relatively cheap. At the same time the average price of an SKS was plus minus $300. Definitely an SKS was much cheaper.
Nowadays, a Ruger Ranch costs above $800 and an SKS roughly $500-700. So, the bolt action rifles in 7.62x39mm have always been more expensive than the SKSs. Having said that, you are absolutely right that the bonus of a x39mm rifle is much better accuracy. I also still shoot my SKS as well as the RAR and Howa Mini Action.
 
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05RAV - guess you're right. I hadn't looked at prices this year. The Rugers are up ca $150 from last year, going around $850 IF they can be found. Dealers are asking 'only' ca $700 or so for SKS IF they can be found. Even private sales are up in the $5-600 range around here.
 
Some of the more expensive, less common or sought after SKS in Canada are
Yugo M59
Yugo M59/66 with grenade launcher
Russian 1949
Chinese SKS-D and SKS-M that take AK mags (several variations including shorter barreled models)
Chinese chromed Honor Guards (2 variations)
Albanian SKS (pretty rare in Canada)
Chinese fiberglass jungle stock with ribbed f/g handguard.
Romanian SKS are few and far between but have graced the EE back in the day
 
CanuckShooter said:
I know you said Russian, but you should really consider a late 70's (1978 I believe) Chinese SKS with the Bakelite "French tickler" synthetic handguard. They're unfired/unissued. Do a search here on them, and you'll see how much people rave about them. I love mine. Way cheaper than a refurbed Russian too. These are still available at stores, but you have to handpick them in person, as they're mixed in with older manufacture rifles. If you order online, you have no idea what you're getting. Just look for the plastic-y looking upper handguard. I was so impressed with mine, I may even grab a second one.
Click to expand...

Hi Matt - I totally agree with CanuckShooter. I owned 2 Tulas (from the cheap days) and enjoyed them both. I bedded one and installed a full-length Magwedge rail to scope it. It shot OK for an SKS. But, they always seemed very well used.

I was very prejudiced against the Chinese Type 56s too. The earlier ones imported to Canada were very beat up.

However, this latest batch seem to be mostly late 70's manufacture, /26\ factory, unissued and unfired. The stocks fit snugly. The actions feel new. After shooting a friend's recent Type 56 at the range and handling a few, I just had to get one. Couldn't be happier with it. Remember, you're starting out with a rifle that was made at least 20 years after the Tulas AND it's probably unissued.

I agree with you, the Chinese stocks aren't the most appealing and dent easily, but you could always fit a Russian beech stock to the Chinese rifle for field use.

As others have mentioned, the cosmoline cleaning process is not difficult, just a bit time consuming the first time you do it. The big plus is that SKSs are extremely easy to strip down.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick one up. And keep it.
 
Divermike said:
Some of the more expensive, less common or sought after SKS in Canada are
Yugo M59
Yugo M59/66 with grenade launcher
Russian 1949
Chinese SKS-D and SKS-M that take AK mags (several variations including shorter barreled models)
Chinese chromed Honor Guards (2 variations)
Albanian SKS (pretty rare in Canada)
Chinese fiberglass jungle stock with ribbed f/g handguard.
Romanian SKS are few and far between but have graced the EE back in the day
Click to expand...

Two more to consider that are present in Canada, but very limited numbers. The East German Karabiner-S, and the North Korean Type 63.
 
Tomasaurus said:
Letter series are not uncommon and not worth more despite what some may say. Izzys and 1949s are uncommon and worth more. For non refurbs look for all matching numbers as well has stock cartouches around the crossbolt. There are some non-refurb laminate stocked sks but they are very uncommon.
Click to expand...

thanks - that's generally inline with what I've been able to read/find, always good to have a sanity check.

what do the markings/cartouches around the cross-bolt indicate - refurb or inspector markings?

Appreciate the info and what to look for, interesting learning more about the history and variations. Though probably even more reluctant to buy online as gauging true condition and knowing what you're getting is a challenge.
 
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thegazelle said:
This is very true. For the OP, the best thing is to read up on what constitutes a refurb and what does not. For some people, seeing listings for matching numbers get them excited but it's not just the ###Xed out numbers that is a sign of a refurb but also the stock type and colour as well. There are also some Russian models that were supposedly non refurbed but if you look at, say, a 1954 stock and it is not arctic birch, and if it just has the serial number stamped on the side without the Tula star, etc, it's a refurb stock. If one knew what years had what stocks, they will be able to spot refurbs from a mile away. The cartouches around the cross bolt is a good indicator as well.

You also need to look at things that are not so obvious -having a handguard/gas tube for which the lever is VERY VERY STIFF - like you need a tool to activate it, could be a sign that it's not the original handguard, despite the colour match.

But even when external conditions are considered, you need to look at the internals too. I once bought another SKS that was gorgeous outside and everything was not refurbed, BUT when I took the handguard off and looked in the gas tube, the piston rod was completely seized in there. No doubt someone used corrosive ammo at one point and didn't clean it properly. Also sometimes you may not see rust/corrosion on the metal parts until you remove the stock.
Click to expand...

the markings around the cross-bolt are re-furb or inspector markings? thanks very much for the info
 
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