Thoughts on Norinco SKS?

[BabaBlueJay]

My LGS has a Norinco SKS that I am intrigued by. I did some digging on my own and found that in spite of the name, this particualr SKS never was actually used by the PLA (which honestly is sort of a relief). I guess they shortened it for export purposes, and US gun market imported tons of them. The reviews I have read claim they are rock solid in terms of reliability and accuracy which is encouraging as those two qualities are what I value most in a firearm. I also like that this is the Chinese version as my daughters are half Chinese and it would be cool to see them shoot a Chinese made gun someday when they are older.

The price is 500$ which is apparently very high compared to what they used to go for, but I am told this will only continue to go up. The gun seems in good condition and apparently the barrels are chrome lined which seems good for longevity.

My only hesitation is the Type 56 AK is more what I was looking for in a Chinese rifle and as I pointed out in another thread, the real dream is to own a Springfield M1903, so much so that I passed on a quality Enfield that has since sold. I am thinking that this Norinco could be a good placeholder at minimum and coul be a gun I really grow to love, because the ergonomics work perfectly for me.

Ultimately, I am just curious from your experiences on the good, the bad, and ugly of the Chinese Norinco SKS (regular or paratrooper version)

 

[crc4]

I have one. They are excellent and what I would consider to be a carbine in practicality. I have a spare stock that I used to adapt the steel mags made years ago so I now have 20 rd mags, easy to change, and it runs like a top.

I consider the Paratrooper to be the best SKS made for shooters, not collectors. I sold all my other SKS models (Yugos, Russian, etc) for good money, but I wouldn't sell my Paratrooper. Great truck gun.

 

[BE Mike]

If you are in the market for a crudely made, fairly inaccurate, semi-auto rifle, then go for it. I had an SKS bring back that I passed down to my daughter. The best thing going for it was a chrome lined bore (not chamber). The enemy seemed to prefer the AK 47.

 

[rockquarry]

I don't know what a Norinco SKS Paratrooper model is. If it is basically a Norinco SKS, these are pretty crude guns. I bought two of these new when they were very cheap, about thirty or more years ago.

They actually shoot fairly well considering the trigger and sights. I shot mine extensively, even with cast bullets, but for $550-$600, one could find something more refined than an SKS. I sold mine years ago and don't miss them.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I have one. They are excellent and what I would consider to be a carbine in practicality. I have a spare stock that I used to adapt the steel mags made years ago so I now have 20 rd mags, easy to change, and it runs like a top.

I consider the Paratrooper to be the best SKS made for shooters, not collectors. I sold all my other SKS models (Yugos, Russian, etc) for good money, but I wouldn't sell my Paratrooper. Great truck gun.

This would be a shooter, I do not collect guns at all. To me they are tools to be used for fun or a specific purpose.

 

[TJm15.38]

I have a Norinco SKS standard length rifle. It is fairly accurate, extremely reliable and easy to maintain. I also have a Saiga AK clone, but I shoot the SKS a lot and the Russian AK very little.

 

[rockquarry]

A safety concern SKS owners or potential owners should be aware of...these guns weren't built with user safety as a key factor. They are subject to slam fires and full automatic fire. Most shooter probably will never deal with this, but enough have that the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN published a warning regarding this, about twenty-five or more year ago, after these low-priced guns flooded the market.

If you shoot only the cheap bulk ammo and/or factory ammo that uses a military-type primer, chances of slam fires and full auto fire are probably greatly reduced. If you handload, use a military-type primer.

With my handloaded ammo, using CCI-400 primers, one of my guns slam- fired when the bolt was released. Another time, it emptied a magazine with one pull of the trigger. A Bowie, TX gunsmith developed a firing pin spring kit which can be installed in these guns. The kit works well and will eliminate the safety hazards I've described. These inexpensive kits were and may still be available from Brownells. I had them installed in both my SKSs before selling them.

 

[VictorLouis]

I've got two of them and recommend them to anyone. Handy, with easy recoil, and 10rds on-tap.

The slam-fires most often occur with guns without a properly cleaned bolt and carrier. They all ship/ped with cosmoline, and that's thick and gummy. It can cause a free-floating firing-pin to stick forward, causing the "issues" RQ detailed above. Remember, our own AR-15's have a similar floating firing-pin, and you nearly never hear of similar problems. The fix is offered by:

SKS Firing Pins – Murray's Gunsmithing

Yes, the Para versions have far more of a following than the standard 20" barreled version. They were made for commercial export and civilian sales, as you know.

 

[BE Mike]

The SKS has the worst trigger that I've ever felt on any firearm. They are typical communist made weapons...bare bones.

 

[rockquarry]

I've got two of them and recommend them to anyone. Handy, with easy recoil, and 10rds on-tap.

The slam-fires most often occur with guns without a properly cleaned bolt and carrier. They all ship/ped with cosmoline, and that's thick and gummy. It can cause a free-floating firing-pin to stick forward, causing the "issues" RQ detailed above. Remember, our own AR-15's have a similar floating firing-pin, and you nearly never hear of similar problems. The fix is offered by:

SKS Firing Pins – Murray's Gunsmithing

Yes, the Para versions have far more of a following than the standard 20" barreled version. They were made for commercial export and civilian sales, as you know.

You're right, everthing needs to cleaned of grease. While the AR15 does have a floating firing pin, there is apparently something different in comparison with the SKS setup as slam fires and full-auto fire have been more prevalent with the SKS. I doubt most of these incidents are caused by grease buildup, though that may be a contributing factor. I don't know what the spring kits cost now, but it's money well spent.

 

[LVSteve]

The "Paratrooper SKS" descriptor actually covers a number of different guns. A breakdown can be found here. New Page 1

The Chinese SKS is considered to be the most accurate of the SKS variants in the milsurp community provided you can get the right surplus ammo. Quite a lot of US ammo was made undersized. Caveat Emptor. You must view some of the comments regarding quality and finish with the knowledge that many ComBloc/Cold War guns are made good enough to work and kill stuff, no more.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

If you are in the market for a crudely made, fairly inaccurate, semi-auto rifle, then go for it. I had an SKS bring back that I passed down to my daughter. The best thing going for it was a chrome lined bore (not chamber). The enemy seemed to prefer the AK 47.

I love that!!!!!

I had one, actually 2, many years ago. I never took the cosmolene off and mine had the best machined parts, etc. Back in the day they were $125.00. At 4 times more than that I'd find an AR; there are plenty of inexpensive ARs around that are not crude or junkie.

 

[LVSteve]

The SKS has the worst trigger that I've ever felt on any firearm. They are typical communist made weapons...bare bones.

I'll see your SKS trigger and raise you a 1895 Nagant revolver in DA. That one makes an Enfield No.2 revolver feel like a Python.

 

[Buick]

I've had several sks carbines. Most were well made; a few of the Chinese had very poor stock in inletting. Some had poor triggers. The Soviet Russian ones were excellent.
I have one Chinese paratrooper now.
If you find a Chinese with good inletting and a decent trigger, 475.00 is about all I would pay. 550.00-650.00 should get you a nice Russian with a bit of looking. I don't believe all the Russian ones were chrome lined. The Yugo sks's were definitely not. The Chinese definitely were.
It's a shame these have gotten so expensive...they were a lot more interesting when they were 99.00.

 

[Norton 750]

That is a low price around here. As long as it has not had a detachable mag conversion, it will be a reliable, minute of deer working gun. We had one in the Jeep on the farm for years. They are solid performers, if a bit crude.

 

[Birdhunter6]

The SKS did what I asked of it back in the 90s. Mine had a decent trigger and shot rings around my friends AK and Mini 30. I found an imported factory load that put my rounds in the upper chest of a silhouette target at 300 yards with a 6 o'clock hold on the head and the sight set on 3. Not stellar accuracy but effective.

Having witnessed a "run away" SKS with another shooters "brand new" rifle, I took my concerns to a local gun smith I trusted. He pulled out my bolt, held it vertically and shook it up and down. The firing pin clicked back and forth freely. He said he wouldn't take his "bring back" to the range without checking for that. He told me he believed the slam fires and full auto problems were caused by 2 factors: Rifles shipped with bolts coated in cosmoline and not cleaned before shooting with firing pins "glued" in the forward position, and the same condition caused by corrosion in the bolt of poorly maintained rifles. He told me that most of the steel cased Chinese surplus 7.62 x 39 ammo flooding the market at the time had corrosive primers leading to rusted bolts resulting in rat-tat-tat and cracked stocks.

The minute my budget allowed, I upgraded to the AR platform. The SKS went away. As a utilitarian no frills defensive tool that I could afford, it was perfect for me at that time. When I had it, I wished it was a Para model.

I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[rockquarry]

I've had several sks carbines. Most were well made; a few of the Chinese had very poor stock in inletting. Some had poor triggers. The Soviet Russian ones were excellent.
I have one Chinese paratrooper now.
If you find a Chinese with good inletting and a decent trigger, 475.00 is about all I would pay. 550.00-650.00 should get you a nice Russian with a bit of looking. I don't believe all the Russian ones were chrome lined. The Yugo sks's were definitely not. The Chinese definitely were.
It's a shame these have gotten so expensive...they were a lot more interesting when they were 99.00.

Yes, they were worth the price when they were cheap; about what you would expect to pay for a fairly crude gun. Triggers aren't great but you can get used to them.

Chrome lined barrels offer little in the way of benefit and are likely less accurate than a non-chrome lined bore. However, they would be great if you swim with the gun or fire many, many thousands of rounds.

In defense of these guns, they are surprisingly accurate for what they are. I'd have to look up old notes, but I think the two I had would shoot cast bullets more accurately than the cheap steel core ammo I bought that came in a big sardine can.

I can do better and afford better than an SKS. I couldn't imagine paying several hundred dollars for one of these. No remorse in selling mine.

 

[Ameshawki]

I was working in a gun store during the heyday of the SKS Para. $99 for the rifle, $99 for a spam can of ammo. Sold tons of them.

 

[Ματθιας]

if you REALLY want a pre-ban Norinco/Polytech AK, save your money.

That being said, I have all flavors of SKS; Russian, ChiCom, Romanian, Albanian, Yugo 59 and 59/66. The Chicoms are the most accurate with military spec ammo.

Again, save money, don't settle (just to get something), have patience, get what you really want. When you finally get it, it''l be worth the wait and money, trust me!

 

[BabaBlueJay]

if you REALLY want a pre-ban Norinco/Polytech AK, save your money.

That being said, I have all flavors of SKS; Russian, ChiCom, Romanian, Albanian, Yugo 59 and 59/66. The Chicoms are the most accurate with military spec ammo.

Again, save money, don't settle (just to get something), have patience, get what you really want. When you finally get it, it''l be worth the wait and money, trust me!

I hope they eventually get a Type 56 AK or Springfield M1903