Hey , I just picket up a Norinco Sks and in my opinion theres nothing wrong with it at all, I really don't know the difference between a pinned barrel or whatever the other one is I have read people talk about but since I have had my NSks I have probably shot about 3000 rounds out of it and have had no problems , they are still kinda hard to find though it took me a while .
I think SIR Mail Order might still have some though.
Oh yea , and if you can find ammo for it , buy as much as you can cause it seems like its getting harder to get !!
Funnest gun i have ever shot too!
You must be joking. 7.62 X39mm ammo is almost as easy to find as .22LR!
Any SKS you buy will have the mag pinned already, obviously they need to, to make them legal. You can find SKS's anywhere, if you can't it's cuz you aren't looking. Most gun stores don't advertise them on their websites though, simply because;
A: they are usually less than $200, and
B: They are so easy to find.
Russian SKS rifles are harder to find though, and more expensive. I suggest getting a Norinco, they are reliable, accurate(ish) and cheap. If you like it, then worry about finding a Russian model.
Only one other thing, make sure you clean it every time you shoot, ESPECIALLY if you are firing surplus ammo. Surplus 7.62 is everywhere, but some of it has corrosive pyro in the primers, or in the powder itself, and that crap can turn a tack driver into a POS over night! I shoot surplus ammo with corrosive primers all the time, and have no problems, but I clean my guns religiously.
So be careful, but more importantly,have fun!
Cheers!
Tim