School me on the SKS

[SteyrAUG]

I’m starting to think that I’m kinda insensitive to triggers. Like, I have favorites, but I don’t hate many triggers, including factory Glock and AK, which strike me as quite good for their intended purposes, as does this SKS, so far.

I think people get too spun up on triggers. But this is the same forum that upgrades AR triggers which are probably the best triggers in the last 50 years of small arms.

I grew up shooting AKs, FALs, HKs, SKS, ARs, AUGs and just about everything else. And with the exception of some AK slap in some poor builds, I learned to shoot the stock triggers without expecting them to group like a classic Mauser safari rifle. FALs for example have a very nice trigger, but no matter what they will never be a 1 MOA rifle, they just can't do it. A FAL sniper rifle is kind of an oxy moron.

91's also really weren't intended for that role. That is why the PSG1 has to have side plated welded to the stamped receiver in order to guarantee 1 MOA performance. It's a stamped receiver with a big heavy bolt, there is some flex to that rifle when it's fired in it's G3/91 configuration. It gives a very acceptable level of accuracy and reliability but it's a 2-3 MOA rifle at best. That is what it can do. Even the MSG90, which was an accurized variant of the G3/91 family is not guaranteed to be 1MOA by HK so the people who are trying to get that from their 91s are on a fools errand.

Which brings us to the SKS. It's a great rifle for it's intended role. It is a very reliable design, the only problem was it was eclipsed from the beginning by a rifle with a better magazine setup. It was a stop gap rifle that could be mass produced easier than the Type 3 so lots of them were made. It was a way for commie bloc countries to make sure everyone had a rifle. And honestly it wasn't a terrible rifle, I know people who deer hunt with them. It's not the greatest platform for optics and it has a few other challenges but it's hardly the worst rifle of the post war era.

It's ballistically superior to the M1 carbine in a similar size package and it's probably as accurate as the Mini 14. Wouldn't be my first choice for defending the fort but I feel confident I could shoot people with it if I had to.

[ABNAK]

IMHO if you are gonna go the SKS route I'd suggest a 16" barreled "Paratrooper" model made for a detachable magazine, mounted in one of those commie Bakelite stocks and using 20rd mags (keeps the profile more "slim" if you will). Pop on a Mojo rear peep sight for good measure or even one of those adjustable Tech Sight TS100 ones that mount on the rear of the receiver and gives you a longer sight radius. I used to have one and it took a little Dremel action to get the stock to fit a detachable mag but was kinda cool. Triggers suck so there's that. As is the story of my life I can kick myself for ever getting rid of it.

[GNXII]

IIRC there’s an aftermarket trigger (Murray’s or Murphy’s ) that correct slamfires and I think mitigate some of the pull weight. I’ll ask my friend what he did to his SKS as he “ bought them cheap and deep” when they were all over the place. I still regret not picking both the Chinese and Russian imports when they were available at great prices. Even the funky looking Yugo ones are gtg!

[Screwball]

IIRC there’s an aftermarket trigger (Murray’s or Murphy’s ) that correct slamfires and I think mitigate some of the pull weight. I’ll ask my friend what he did to his SKS as he “ bought them cheap and deep” when they were all over the place. I still regret not picking both the Chinese and Russian imports when they were available at great prices. Even the funky looking Yugo ones are gtg!

https://kivaari.com/

Murray’s does the spring loaded firing pins… as well as cleans up the bolt (have to send it in, obviously).

https://murraysguns.com/sks-firing-pins/

Both are good guys for SKS work.

[SteyrAUG]

https://kivaari.com/

Murray’s does the spring loaded firing pins… as well as cleans up the bolt (have to send it in, obviously).

https://murraysguns.com/sks-firing-pins/

Both are good guys for SKS work.

+1

I'd do spring loaded firing pins before I ever did a trigger job. I watched a .308 Galil kaboom with an OOB slamfire because a sliver of brass wedged the free floating firing pin in place.

[1168]

+1

I'd do spring loaded firing pins before I ever did a trigger job. I watched a .308 Galil kaboom with an OOB slamfire because a sliver of brass wedged the free floating firing pin in place.

I thought springs could only prevent inertia-caused slamfires? Wouldn’t the BCG slamming rearward impart just as much force in that scenario as a spring?

[Screwball]

I thought springs could only prevent inertia-caused slamfires? Wouldn’t the BCG slamming rearward impart just as much force in that scenario as a spring?

Most SKS slam fires are related to dirty bolt/firing pin.

My first SKS (Yugo), I couldn’t even get the firing pin out. Sent it to Murray to have him swap and clean it up.

My second SKS (Chinese), I swapped it out myself. Also had an ultrasonic cleaner at that time.

Sent both trigger groups to Kivaari, and both came out great. I’m far from a trigger snob, but the SKS can be anywhere from ok to piss poor… even sliding into the realm of doubling. Most SKS rifles were coated in Cosmoline, so even just having the trigger group taken apart and cleaned is worth the $65.

[SteyrAUG]

I thought springs could only prevent inertia-caused slamfires? Wouldn’t the BCG slamming rearward impart just as much force in that scenario as a spring?

Honestly I don't know. Maybe rearward inertia plus springs might have prevented it. I sorta have to think that a spring loaded firing pin might have retracted it before a brass sliver would have been able to lock it in the forward position. I honestly don't know why every firing pin in every firearm system does NOT have a spring loaded setup. Add what? 5 cents?

[1168]

So, here’s an interesting thing. I decided against shooting this thing in the rain, for now, so I’ve been doing some dry fire. I may need to consult a gunsmith, or look for a video of how to tell that Bubba did a dangerous trigger job. This trigger is alarmingly good for a milsurp. 1lb 1st stage, 3.75lb break. Its long, but smooth.

Surely the barrel is bent or some shit. If this rifle shoots reasonably straight and doesn’t blow up or double, it will be my favorite (owned) commie gun, except maybe for my 74.

[SteyrAUG]

So, here’s an interesting thing. I decided against shooting this thing in the rain, for now, so I’ve been doing some dry fire. I may need to consult a gunsmith, or look for a video of how to tell that Bubba did a dangerous trigger job. This trigger is alarmingly good for a milsurp. 1lb 1st stage, 3.75lb break. Its long, but smooth.

Surely the barrel is bent or some shit. If this rifle shoots reasonably straight and doesn’t blow up or double, it will be my favorite (owned) commie gun, except maybe for my 74.

Every SKS makes every redneck think he's a gunsmith. I've seen more Bubba's guns than I care to talk about, most with some terribly iffy shit done to them to get them to shoot that mythical 1MOA everyone on the internet claims they will do.