To clean or not?

greg11

greg11

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I just took delivery of a beautiful never fired Chinese SKS. All matching. The blueing is gorgeous. I've owned a lot of Chinese guns over the years. Maybe I've been lucky but I haven't had a single problem with one of them. I hold Norinco in pretty high esteem, personally - so long as you can deal with some known issues with various designs. I've had more trouble with Remington and Marlin products than any Nornico I've every owned. /rant

Anyway, this gun is gorgeous. I really want to clean it, but I bought it as a collector item. Now, I can deal with not shooting it. That's fine. But I want to be able to handle it and not get my hands all dirty. When you work the action it literally sounds like a oil can in there (splosh sploooosh).

Would you clean it or not?
 
jaroslav said:
How can you enjoy a gun full of cosmoline and other crap? You should clean it, keep it clean and once a while oil it.
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This exactly. If you keep it in the grease, you'll just be preserving it for someone else to enjoy some day. Clean it up so you can enjoy it now.
 
I also say, "Clean it and shoot it!" I have had very good fortune with Chinese SKS's. Don't own one at the moment, but would probably buy another if I ever see a decent one.
 
If you dont want to shoot it you could clean the outside surfaces only, so you dont get all greasy handling the rifle, and it wont smell as strong in the safe.
 
I guess I am in the minority here as I suggest you leave it as is
You said you bought it as a collectible so it would be worth more if left in the original grease
I know it's just an sks but to have an unfired still in the grease one will eventually be worth considerably more then all the other beat up shooter grade ones. They are only new once
 
What you aren't telling us is whether the rifle is commercial or military surplus.

If it's the commercial, clean it, shoot it in that order. If it's military surplus, do the same thing I have done with my out of the crate Yugos, wrap it in cellophane so you can handle it and so the grease doesn't harden from evaporation. This also protects the other SKSs in the safe from getting tainted with grease. Handling firearms causes wear. When you see museum curators handling firearms, they do it with soft, cloth gloves. This is to stop the natural oils on their hands from getting to the finish and of course to protect their hands.

One thing I learned during my time cleaning firearms in the basement of Alan Levers store, Cosmolene or whatever some nations use as protection isn't good for your body. Usually it's some sort of petroleum product that will seep into your pores or the fumes will cause other issues which will eventually catch up with you. That is one reason why a lot of people like to get rid of that stuff, and the main reason I wrap my keepers in cellophane.
 
Deathrawt said:
I guess I am in the minority here as I suggest you leave it as is
You said you bought it as a collectible so it would be worth more if left in the original grease
I know it's just an sks but to have an unfired still in the grease one will eventually be worth considerably more then all the other beat up shooter grade ones. They are only new once
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How would you know it's not rusty under all that filthy crap?
 
IMHO its the owner's choice. Personally, I don't buy anything just to look at. I buy them to shoot them. I reload for all my guns except RF and find it very challenging to see just how well I can get them to shoot with tailor made fodder. Given the condition that you are reporting I would expect it to be a fine shooter.
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
Don’t understand people who treat common SKS as a do not fire collectable. A Yugo M59/66 is way more collectable and I’d still shoot it.
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Look at what guys are paying for unfired Lee Enfields nowadays when you can find them. I remember them selling for $16.99 at Canadian Tire, Eatons and Sears back in the early 70,s I remember a LE sniper in the green crate with a $75.00 tag on it, guys are asking around $12000.00 for them nowadays. Who ever would have thought they would skyrocket like this.
 
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