It's my SHTF rifle because IMO, its the best tool for that purpose in the Canadian context. Just another man's take on the subject.
1. When I bought mine, you could buy four SKS for the price of one AR. And 7.62x39 ammo was about half the price of 5.56. It's like reloading 5.56 without the effort.
2. Its a military style rifle/carbine that works for a smaller guy like me. With its 20 inch barrel and 12 inch LOP stock, it's short and handy. Relatively light at 8 lbs, considering its built from steel and birch, with integrated bayonet and cleaning rod and kit.
3. Semi auto with fixed 5/10 round box mag, meaning nothing to lose or misplace. Super quick to reload with stripper clips. 30-round AR box magazines have no advantage over a stripper clip.
4. In stock configuration and with surplus ammo, it is accurate enough to 200 meters (10 inch groups) and mechanically very reliable. Have had a couple of stoppages due to what I think is defective ammo, but it was simple to clear. Totally practical Russian design thinking.
5. Corollary to #2 above, I'll still have a weapon even if I run out of ammo. Think integrated bayonet and steel butt plate.
6. 7.62 caliber is better for all-around SHTF defensive and hunting purposes than 5.56, IMO.
7. No disrespect to AR lovers. But I do not like the platform. Had two real M16s in an earlier life, an A1 and a CAR. Didn't really like them either. Full auto was fun but only the first round hit the target anyways. I'm more of the steel and walnut (arctic birch is good enough) type. I may be wrong, but seeing John Wayne smash Sgt Peterson's M16 in Green Berets (just a movie I know), well that told me aluminum and plastic do not belong in a combat rifle.
8. The big scare around corrosive ammo being the venereal disease of the SKS, has been busted. I shot 40 rounds surplus corrosive through my Laminate stocked 1955 SKS, then sprayed WD 40 all over the outside and insides, including the bore, into the firing pin hole, nooks and crannies inside the receiver and trigger group. I did my best to try and let some of the WD40 trickle into the barrel's piston port by plugging the muzzle and filling the bore with WD40.
I was going to strip the SKS after 6 months and see if there was any corrosion. Didn't happen. 5 years later, early summer this year, a buddy borrowed it for a military 7.62 rifle match. Course of fire included a 100 meter target, or was it 200 meters? He practiced with it, shot the match and actually won vs M1/M14 types (hahaha). Its the shooter, not the rifle that wins matches.
Anyways, he cleans the rifle after the match and called me to offer to buy it, saying matter of factly it was pristine on the inside, just like the outside. I never told him about the corrosive ammo experiment. I was even surprised that it did not malfunction during my bud's practice sessions.
I said no, specially not after its won a match. Being already proven for reliability and accuracy it was not going anywhere but back home to daddy. This is now my designated SHTF SKS.
BTW, this SKS was handpicked on the first day LEVER arms offered the Russian SKS in 2009 or 2008.
