SKS: What to look for?

Shandley

Shandley

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Greetings,

I have my sights on an SKS in the future. I am wondering what it is I should be looking for. I have a few shops with milsurp SKS' and I want to know what I should be avoiding and what is preferred.

Any input would be great! Thanks!! :)
 
Mr_jonny said:
Good
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Debatable. I personally believe they're more fragile, hence the Russians changing them. Nothing wrong with a free-floating firing pin unless you're neglectful - I own six SKS rifles and have put well over 10k rounds out of all of them, and I've never had a slam fire.

Of course, I clean my guns.
 
The sks sticky in the red rifles forum will give you all the info you'll ever need to make your choice. For me it came down to chrome lined barrel vs. spring loaded firing pin, I went with a chromed barreled 53 Tula. As long as its in good refurbed condition it shouldn't matter what year you buy, especially if its a shooter and not a collector. Being able to hand pick one is more important in my book, the stock on mine is in beautiful shape. I was looking a 49 at Cambodian tire and the stock looked like it had been dragged behind a truck. Next one I buy will be from the same place I got my first one.
 
I took the one with the best rifling in a chrome lined barrel. I want a shooter, could care less about the looks - its just an SKS
 
You have a point.... I may want to strip it down and add customs. Then again, if it's the same price for a nice looking one (stock and all), I might as well get a good one.

How about this: What would you NOT buy in terms of looks/functionality/accessories?
 
Lever arms is where I picked mine up, $375 for a crate of romainian ammo and an sks. $420 after tax, pretty much a no brainer. I physically looked at a couple different years and they all were in great shape. Contrary to what you might hear about staff being rude at Lever, I have yet to deal with any attitude from the staff and I've been back for a bandolier and more stripper clips and a few other small items.

Get the best condition one you can find, rifling as well as cosmetics. If you mod it and then decide to put it back to stock at least you'll have a nice sks and not some beat up looking pos.
 
I picked up the $375 for the SKS and a crate from Leaver as well. The staff was EXTREMELY helpful! Grabbed a 54 arctic birch-wood one. Cooked the hell out of it to drain the cosmoline. It still smells (the grease) up my gun safe but you cannot feel it :)
Great gun. Shoots straight. Great kick. Romanian ammo kinda stinks when fired but still worth it. Clean clean clean. Play play play.
 
Shandley said:
You have a point.... I may want to strip it down and add customs. Then again, if it's the same price for a nice looking one (stock and all), I might as well get a good one.

How about this: What would you NOT buy in terms of looks/functionality/accessories?
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I wouldn't buy anything but crates of ammo to feed it, and I'm not kidding. Far too many (kids), try to make an M4 out of an SKS and wonder why nothing works and when it does, they can't hit the broad side...(The answer is to take that sh1t will never hold zero optic off, put the rifle back into it's wood stock from that plastic monstrosity you spent too much on, and shoot with the irons) These rifles are capable of consistent 200 meter center of mass hits and in my hands 7 out of 10 hits at 300 meters NP.
Leave it bone stock imo...it will serve you better.
 
The things I stay away from when buying an sks are : Non chromed lined barrels, bbq paint, black bayonets, any rust at all anywhere, laminated stocks(yes I know they are stronger, but I personally like the hardwood stocks better. just my opinion though) Chinese of any kind. I hear they shoot well but the stocks are inferior and you might as well just buy an original Russian over a copy, bores that are dark, frosted, and have poor rifling, damage or missing components of any kind. My ideal sks would be a unissued late Russian model with hardwood stock.
 
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