Lawrence,
I have no experience with the S&B rounds. I have, however, used the SKS for several different years, depending on where I was hunting. The SKS, as is, is close to a .30-30. It is loaded with 123 gr bullet. YOu mentioned buying hunting rounds for hunting and surplus rounds for "plinking". I combine them. I zero with surplus rounds, then pull the tips from 20 or the surplus rounds and replace them with soft points. I then check the zero (never worth changing) and hunt with the same rounds I basically plink with. Now, if you reload that'll work for you. If you want to reload 150 gr in them you will much more closely approximate the .30-30. I know that some on here don't think they are in the same class, but my father has hunted with a .30-30 all his life and it never seemed to matter to the deer we shot at under 125 yds. They both dropped them within 50 yds. Some right there. Last year at 70 yds, I had a heart shot found the buck 25 yds in the bush. When I opened him up there was no heart, one lung gone and liver useless. No exit wound. Found the bullet when I skinned him out, left the rib cage but didn't exit the skin.
For my money, short range=SKS, 125 gr bullet. My wife likes it too, since it is not heavy and doesn't hit her hard. Plus it is a semi and dang fun to shoot when plinking.