school me a little on the SKS

[Bro. Dave]

My LGS has an SKS that I believe they said is Bulgarian? Anyway, it is in pretty nice shape and has a sling, bayonet, and a muzzle device that one of the employees referred to as a grenade launcher mount.

What I don't know about this weapon would fill many volumes, but it was sure calling to me at a price about $400.

Insight and experience here has proven so deep and thorough that I wanted to ask before getting into serious negotiations on price.

My only other military long arm is a Garand that I treasure.

Thanks, and please don't be afraid to assume ignorance on my part.

 

[dubtap21]

It's more than likely a Yugo variant.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 

[Ashlander]

I bought 3 SKS rifles when they were much less expensive; two Chinese and one Russian. The Yugos came along much later. The Chinese and the Russian models did not have have the grenade launcher attachment. Great rifles. Easy to maintain and they are rugged. Easy to reload with stripper clips.

 

[diggler1833]

If you ever wanted to buy a gun for the purpose of burying it in the back yard...this is the one.

Sandy hook caused the value of these rifles to jump from $200 to nearly $600 for a short time, before the value fell back down to the $300-400 range. If the one you are looking at is indeed in pretty nice shape you aren't getting ripped off by today's prices. The true Russian ones bring an additional 50-100%.

I paid $150 cash for my near mint Norinco about a decade ago. Its a shame what they've jumped up to.

 

[rwsmith]

I was a little too late...

If you ever wanted to buy a gun for the purpose of burying it in the back yard...this is the one.

Sandy hook caused the value of these rifles to jump from $200 to nearly $600 for a short time, before the value fell back down to the $300-400 range. If the one you are looking at is indeed in pretty nice shape you aren't getting ripped off by today's prices. The true Russian ones bring an additional 50-100%.

I paid $150 cash for my near mint Norinco about a decade ago. Its a shame what they've jumped up to.

Though reloading and shooting a long time, I got into surplus historical weapons early in December 2012. I should have jumped on one because 2 weeks later TSHTF.

 

[OKFC05]

An Air Force friend got one when they were like $50 and surplus ammo was more like .22s price. That "piece of junk" endured more use, neglect, and outright abuse while delivering mediocre accuracy and incredible reliability than I thought possible. He never properly cleaned it, just blasted it with cleaner/lube and raked out the chunks...
Battle rifles aren't my thing; more of a silhouette rifle kind of guy.

 

[vonn]

I like them. If you look you can find some really nice Yugos that are like new. The one I have is a good shooter.

 

[Richard Simmons]

My LGS has an SKS that I believe they said is Bulgarian? Anyway, it is in pretty nice shape and has a sling, bayonet, and a muzzle device that one of the employees referred to as a grenade launcher mount.

What I don't know about this weapon would fill many volumes, but it was sure calling to me at a price about $400.

Insight and experience here has proven so deep and thorough that I wanted to ask before getting into serious negotiations on price.

My only other military long arm is a Garand that I treasure.

Thanks, and please don't be afraid to assume ignorance on my part.

As others have noted it sounds like a Yugoslavian 59/66. I find mine to be a bit muzzle heavy and of course a bit longer due to the grenade launcher. The bore is also not chrome lined as it is on other SKS models.

Other wise it's pretty much like any other SKS as far as function, reliability, accuracy, etc.

 

[C J]

Bulgaria made their own variant of the SKS and they are superior to the Yugos mainly due to having a chrome lined barrel. I had a Yugo. You really have to clean it after every time you shoot it or it will rust up. Not true with the Bulgarian models. But true Bulgarian models are fairly rare compared to Yugos and Norinco (Chinese) models. A true milsurp Norinco is a crazy durable and reliable rifle. Accuracy isn't great but it isn't terrible either. It's possible to shoot a 12"-15" group at 300 yards with one. That's from a standing postion. I know because I've done it many times with my Norinco. They did make some models for the US market that are inferior to the true milsurp models. Some were cobbled together from parts that didn't really go together for example. Avoid paratrooper models and anything with the word cowboy associated with it. Bulgarian models usually bring a high price because they are scarce and they are decent quality. They aren't Russian models but they're probably the closest of all the variants. $400 seems like a decent price for one in the current market but personally I'd save a few more bucks and get a good AR. Much more accurate and just as reliable if maintained. The S&W S&P Sport models are excellent and sell for around $500 or sometimes even less.

 

[Bill Raby]

SKS was the 90's version of the Mosin Nagant. Everyone had one just because they were so cheap.I bought one for $59 and got 1200 rounds of ammo for about the same price. Then Bill Clinton saved me by making sure that cheap was no longer available. Bill Clinton saved me even more with his brilliant assault weapon ban. SKS started out as the prefered weapon for broke guys in their early 20's. Like me at the time. Then the super deadly things like pistol grips got banned. SKS did not have a pistol grip or a muzzle thing so they did not get banned. But anyone with a SKS and a Tapco catalog could run around pretending they were a Miami drug dealer. And then for some reason everyone all of a sudden seemed to think that they were actually AK-47s. Especially police. Never could figure out that one. Everyone had to have one and the price went up. Then the supply dried up and prices went up even more.

With a SKS you are not going to get nice wood. The fit and finish will be a bit short of ideal. Accuracy ranges from good to good enough. They are basic military guns designed to be produced in large numbers and cheap. And they work very good. It is as reliable as you can get. They are quite a bit more powerful than a AR-15 and still pretty cheap to shoot. SKS has absolutely no collector value. Its a great gun for deer hunting or blasting away at the range.

 

[Muss Muggins]

The only issue I have with the SKS is that I didn't buy a dozen when the local hardware store had four pallets of them at $69.97. Can't get one around here for less than $400 . . .

 

[watsonrg]

Looks to be a fair price.

Classic Firearms is selling a crate of ten Serbian police trade ins (Yugos) @ $399 each, or singly for $429.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...my like new Chinese SKS was probably the best $85 I ever spent back in the '90s...

 

[C J]

Actually some models are collectible. The Russian models and the Bulgarians and if you actually can find one, the Vietnamese models are all collectible. The Russians because they were made better and the originals and the others because they are scarce.

And for the record I wouldn't trade a SKS for 5 Mosin Nagants. The SKS is a much better rifle because of the reliability factor. They shoot well enough to hit your target inside 100 yards plenty easy enough and they never fail to fire unless you shoot WD-40 down them after every mag for 10,000 rounds. Those won't even let you work the bolt now. You will recognize them by the black gunk inside of everything.

In the 28 years I've owned my Norinco milsurp I would guess it has failed to fire about 25 times and that was always due to things like me changing the firing pin to bad ammo. The rifle has actually never failed to fire without some problem created by ammo or me. Considering that my yard is practically paved with steel 7.62 x 39 cases I'd say that's pretty good. Ammo was really cheap way back when and I've had mine so hot the furniture was smoking and about to go to flames.

BTW don't convert to duckbill mags. 95% of them don't work. Only USA "brand" mags work well and stripper clips are faster and weigh much less than carrying ammo in mags.

 

[stevebarracuda]

$79.95 navy arms SKS here. Thousands of rounds and never jammed or failed to go bang. Would not want to be on the recieving end of one.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I saw fit to buy only one SKS - a really nice original Soviet rifle that I found at a gun show in Ohio back in 1993. This one was made at the Tula Arsenal in 1951 and has a laminated stock - probably the best type as it does not have a tendency to warp. It goes bang every time I pull the trigger; I like that in a military weapon. Unlike SKS rifles made in China, the Soviet and European models are considered curios and relics, and may legally keep the folding bayonet attached.

The SKS is still noticeably used as a ceremonial rifle in Russia and other countries as well. I suppose it's easier to handle for such a purpose than the AK-47 and its variants.

John

 

[TomkinsSP]

Unloaded, I would cock it and drop it on its butt from 3 or 4 feet onto a floor or other hard surface. I have heard of Chineese made rifles firing in such circumstance. (The safety is irrelevant, it merely locks the trigger.) I would not bet my life it's a manufacturing rather than design defect.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Unloaded, I would cock it and drop it on its butt from 3 or 4 feet onto a floor or other hard surface. I have heard of Chineese made rifles firing I'm such circumstance. (The safety is irrelevant, it merely locks the trigger.) I would not bet my life it's a manufacturing rather than design defect.

Early SKS rifles made in Russia had spring-loaded firing pins to help prevent this kind of accident. Later ones and others have free-floating firing pins.

With 7.62x39mm military ammo that has rather hard primers, the free-floaters didn't prove to be much of a problem. Reloads and commercial ammo, on the other hand, can slam-fire.

I have an AK-47 Chinese rifle that was originally equipped with a floating firing pin. Since I was reloading for the gun at the time, as a safety measure, I swapped out the bolt for one that has a spring-loaded firing pin.

John

 

[Gunhacker]

I bought my two Russian SKS's at a gun show in 1994 for just over $200.

I haven't been following pricing and I'm amazed to see what Russian SKS's are going for these days.

Back in the day, when the "Great Western" gun show was at the LA County fairgrounds in Pomona, CA, my buddy and I would make the drive down from the S.F. Bay area and make a weekend out of it. How I miss that show after L.A. banned it.

A 1440 rd case of steel cased, non-corrosive Russian 7.62x39 ammo could be had for $69.00. We talked the vendor into a deal for 10 cases, and I still get a chuckle thinking about the looks we got from people as we drove home on the I-5 interstate, with the ammo cases stacked up in my pickup bed.

Those guns have been rock solid reliable and the only thing I've done to them, for slam fire peace of mind (The SKS has a free floating firing pin), is install the spring loaded firing pin kits from Murray's Gunsmithing: SKS Firing Pins – Murray's Gunsmithing

For those looking at a used Norinco... you need to watch out for the early ones that were being imported in and sold for as little as $49. Pinned, not threaded barrels, soft metal... just plain junk.

Here's an absolutely fantastic website for SKS info: Yooper John's Gun Information

 

[cybermgk]

Check the barrel bore closely. These fired/(often still fire) corrosive primer rounds. If it wasn't maintained, that bore will be pitted.

 

[sheepdawg]

53 and 54 Russian Izhevsks go for over $1000 as long as they aren't heavily rebuilt and painted with the Russian BBQ flat black. 49 Russian Tulas the same. A North Korean, Vietnamese or East German one is priced in the stratosphere as is a legit papered bring back.

 

[C J]

Early SKS rifles made in Russia had spring-loaded firing pins to help prevent this kind of accident. Later ones and others have free-floating firing pins.

There are a couple of fixes that should be done to make the SKS safer. There's also a problem with the triggers going off when bumped which is different than the firing pin issue. The firing pin floats inside the channel and if it sticks then you get slam fires. That's the reason for the spring, to keep the firing pin from being stuck forward causing it to fire any round in the chamber after being fired once.

Someone already mentioned Murray's firing pin fix. A guy named Tom Prince does trigger jobs to fix potential safety issues. His name Kivaari on the net. You can find him at this web site:

SKS triggers, improve the safety of the SKS carbines

You can find the Murray firing pins at:

Murray's Gunsmithing – Offering Quality, Full Service Custom Gunsmithing

I have both of these fixes on my Norinco. I strongly suggest that all SKS rifles have them. They aren't that expensive and they give you a lot of peace of mind.

 

[dubtap21]

The only issue I have with the SKS is that I didn't buy a dozen when the local hardware store had four pallets of them at $69.97. Can't get one around here for less than $400 . . .

Amen to that! I paid $69 for my numbers matching Norinco surplus rifle back in the early, early 90's. I should have bought 10 or 20 of them back then. The dept store where I got it had crates of them stacked ten feet high.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 

[C J]

We thought the cheap SKS would last forever. Wrong. I had a bunch of the USA brand mags, They actually work. But I sold most of them when the ban didn't make they disappear off store shelves. Try finding one for sale now.

 

[sierra11b]

Amen to that! I paid $69 for my numbers matching Norinco surplus rifle back in the early, early 90's. I should have bought 10 or 20 of them back then. The dept store where I got it had crates of them stacked ten feet high.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

To be honest if there was ever a moment we all really could have bet on as a sort of a hunch "insider trading scenario", it would have been this one, but maybe the times in my state were already influencing my wallet...

I can remember when I bought my Russian back in the 90s here in California, I had this very thought, and bought two off the stand for $225 from the local range on special, which I sold (both) for about $300 net profit years later.

Although I'd enjoy having one still, I look back knowing I at least made a profit, which went towards a nice shooter I still own. One of mine had a random double/triple tap problem which was a bit annoying for me personally, but I really should have just sold the one with the problem (which I disclosed) and kept the other. Oh well.

Fun gun but starting at $450+++... in my neck of the woods, I can think of better ways to spend my $$$

 

[Tyree1867]

Love my Yugo, no launcher, SKS. Does not meet the dreaded "assault weapon", criteria even here in CRAZY New York

 

[JayFramer]

Reliable little stoppers. Were put to good effect against our boys in the Nam. Feeds from a 10 shot clip like a Mauser, but is automatic like a Garand. The round is only good for about 200 yards before it drops like a rock and makes hitting anything difficult and is woefully underpowered compared to 3006 and 308 but still effective.

 

[C J]

The Yugo without the launcher was a much better rifle. Not nearly as front heavy. Just gotta run water down the barrel after shooting any of the Russian made ammo with corrosive primers. They will rust if you don't. But it's not that hard to rinse them out.

 

[JayFramer]

The Yugo without the launcher was a much better rifle. Not nearly as front heavy. Just gotta run water down the barrel after shooting any of the Russian made ammo with corrosive primers. They will rust if you don't. But it's not that hard to rinse them out.

The launcher allows 22mm rifle grenades to be fired and lets the gun "hang" on the target and decreases recoil. It is the way to go for these.

 

[C J]

I sure didn't like the launcher on mine. Maybe if I had some grenades to launch but that isn't going to happen. And recoil seems minimal to me without a launcher. My kids did OK firing my Norinco when they were 10. One round at a time at first of course. By the time they were 12 they were building their own swinging targets and turning them into toothpicks with my SKS.

BTW I looke up the Bulgarian SKS models I remembered hearing about. It turns out they were converted Tula rifles. They were made to be urban sniper rifles and stamped with Bulgarian markings. And they are very rare.