Posted on 01/13/2014 3:44:06 AM PST by JoeProBono
My local gun shop is advertising the RUSSIAN SKS 1951 TULA for "$500.00 Excellent Condition with Bayonet Attached".
I'm sorely tempted to break open my piggy bank. Freeper opinions appreciated.
If it were me, I’d inspect this very closely. There are essentially two price sets. One is for an original, and the other is for imports with US parts substituted. Import marks, signs of re-barreling, different bolts, other parts, different markings on the cover, etc.
That price seems steep to me. I’ve seen prices for very good ones in the $325 range in the past - I don’t know about now.
If $500 is your play money, sure. Otherwise...no.
If Ya got the$$$ go for it
I still have my VC SKS and it works fine despite some rust from its time in the jungle.
Many of the rifles of that era are rebuilds.
A word of warning on .762 mil ammo, lots of it available from Russia but it is all steel; even the “soft points” are steel, just dipped in lead. Indoor ranges won't let you shoot them.
Don’t know the Tula thing. I do know they were giving SKSs away for $90 or so 10 years ago.
Tula is the largest armory/manufacturer in Russia.
The SKS was manufactured until 1956, when it was replaced by the AK-47
The Chinese SKS are going for over $300 now. I would think a real Russian might be worth it. I seen one for $600
lots of aftermarket parts. Some good, some bad.
Cheaper than dirt carries some.
Also you can import ammo for it from the russian army and have it sent to your home U.P.S.
Pretty kool when a wooden box with Russian print all over identifying 1000
rounds weighing 50 pounds shows up
One thing to keep in mind.
The SKS’s (at least the Russian ones) have no spring on the firing pin, the firing pin kind of “free-floats” in the bolt.
So if it gets jammed or bent or fudged up in the forward position... you are in full auto until your clip is out.
That’s the Russian flavor, it has the blade bayonet, not the spike.
Also be aware much of the older Chinese 7.62X39 is the corrosive primer type stuff.
Is this gun unsurpassed by anything made in America or is
it just a collectors item?
I just tried out a couple of Tapco 20 round detachable mags this weekend. They functioned perfectly.
Word of warning though:
While in original configuration, the SKS is considered a curio and relic by the BATFE. If you make any changes to parts on the BATFE list, you must put in enough US-made parts to satisfy 922r requirements for imported rifles. Do a web search for “SKS 922r” and you will find several guides for what you can and can’t do.
It's a mid '60s arsenal 26 milsurp in decent, not great, condition.
$500 buck for any SKS seems extortionate to me but these days, it seems to be what they're going for - and the Russian is a much better deal.
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