School me on the SKS

[titsonritz]

As much as people like to clown on the SKS, I do wish I had grabbed a Russian laminate when original (unrestored) ones were coming in cheap. It's an interesting part of small arms history. Also almost grabbed a Chinese SKS that took AK mags (what some call D models) but there were too many other great buys at the time so it never happened.

Same here, and for that reason I can't pay what they go for these days.

[henri]

An sks is a cool rifle to hang on the den wall next to a British enfield, mosin nagant, and draganov. A bit of 'functional' history on the wall makes for good conversation.

[Straight Shooter]

Ive never been an AK fan. However, in the eighties and some of the nineties we shot the everlovin hell out of SKS rifles & carbines. Untold amounts of that yellow boxed commie ammo. I knew some boys that deer hunted with them & did fine. I had a aftermarket "paratrooper" model for 25 years..had an OD Green fiberglass stock & 16 " barrel I flat wore out. The rifle versions were ALWAYS 100% reliable with the 10 round mags. I cant ever recall any of us having an issue with an unmolested gun. I had a few of those commie 20 round fixed mags with the star, and a couple 30 round mags I never could make work in any rifle. I find the SKS much more shootable than an AK. We bought them in 1989 for $59 straight out of busted up crates and soaked in cosmoline. Fun times.

[AndyLate]

I gave my Yugo to me son but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I dunno about shooting steel at 500 yds with one, to me they are more of a 300 and in rifle. Kind of a heavy semi auto Winchester 94.

Andy

[33XRAY]

I always herd the SKS was a very accurate rifle, and that's why it holds its own. But the reports vary. I've herd 1.5 moa plenty of times. Which is sexy

[SteyrAUG]

I always herd the SKS was a very accurate rifle, and that's why it holds its own. But the reports vary. I've herd 1.5 moa plenty of times. Which is sexy

On the internet, every commie bloc weapon is capable of 1.5 MOA.

[HKGuns]

In 1993, SKS were $99 each and they were everywhere.

Which is “exactly” what I paid for mine around that time. Mail ordered it, not sure if it was the shotgun magazine or not at this point.

It goes bang every time I pull the trigger and is accurate enough to be formidable.

[SteyrAUG]

In 2001 they could still be had for $99 depending on the country of origin. Russian laminates were something like $179, but being as how you could buy an Egyptian or Romanian AKM for $199 I was doing that instead.

[Todd.K]

It goes bang every time I pull the trigger ...

Mine started going bang without pulling the trigger. I’ve seen two more double occasionally. No it’s not the firing pin.

It’s a terrible design because the safety only blocks the trigger, not the sear or hammer. The sear has to be ground to fit so it isn’t hardened. The Chinese seem to have used very low quality steel. I consider them all to be an accident waiting to happen.

[yoni]

I don't like AKs nor SKS, but I like the round.

Having said that one of my snipers immigrated from the USSR. He was a career Spetsnatz, and he fought the whole time the USSR was in A-stan. His weapon of choice for a backup to his sniper rifle was the SKS. He said he found them to be more accurate than AKs and easier to carry due to the lack from big mag hanging off of it.