Posted on 06/29/2011 6:24:06 AM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
Our local Fleet Farm is selling Yugoslavian SKS rifles for $279. They're graded "Very Good" and do seem to be in pretty good shape(sharp edges on the action, rifling seems good). I wouldn't mind using it as a short range deer rifle,and I know the 7.62 x 39 does a nice job on deer within 100 yards.
Any opinions on this particular type of SKS? Thanks.
Stamped is junk.
And make sure it has a screwed-in barrel, not pinned.
Get a Springfield.
The Yugos are excellent and plentiful examples of the SKS. $279 seems the going rate. They are much nicer than the new production SKS rifles that were imported from China in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, on par with the Russian examples imported in the ‘90s.
Heavy, but well ballanced. Built to be abused. It’s a cheap gun, but fairly reliable for the price. It’s not a marksman’s rifle. If you can get one anywhere near the price of the SKS you’re looking at I’d suggest you opt for the “AK.”
I have one. It’s fun to shoot and cheap. It’s not super accurate but still fun. I paid $140 about 4 years ago. They have doubled in price. Mine came with all the accessories, even had the armorers book where they documented it’s whole life.
All SKS rifles are fun and cheap to shoot. It’s a good buy for <$300, but don’t expect it to perform like a $1000 gun, even if you add optics (and why would anyone do that? It’s like lipstick on a pig). The yugos are not any better or worse than other SKSs, but if you use comblock ammo you have to clean them with water because the bores aren’t chrome lined. We all got in the habit of ignorng our Norinco SKSs, and they never sufferred for it, but the yugos will darken up in a jiffy unless cleaned well (rinse the barrel out with hot water, then swab dry and detail clean and oil as usual. Don’t neglect to rinse the gas tube, too.)
There’s really no good reason to use old, corrosive military surplus ammo in your SKS. New production non-corrosive ammo from Sellier& Bellot (Czech) or Wolf, Bear, Tiger (Russia) is plentiful and cheap. It’s steel case with berdan primers, but your SKS chews up brass pretty badly, so that’s not much of a handicap. Same goes for your AK.
SKS are fun and cheap to shoot. If you mainly want it for plinking then its a great little gun. If you want an affordable deer rifle you are better off looking for a used Remington 700 or something.
I know people who have used them for deer, but an SKS is more of a plinker.
I have a couple of them and I think they are a good buy.
We shoot ours in local three gun matches and they have never failed. They handle any of the surplus ammo or the imports like Tula, Brown Bear, Wolf, etc. They are accurate with open sights and adding a scope or rad dot is no big deal. I purchased this mount http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=408096. It worked with only a little adjusting.
My opinion is that it is a good deal.
I do not use it for hunting as I prefer the .308 and a bolt gun. But that is personal choice.
Best gun for the money. Just a few years ago they were going for a buck and a quarter - retail. Easy to take down and easy to handle.
1. Carefully field-strip the rifle and examine for old built-up cosmoline, especially the gas tube and the bolt. The standard SKS doesn't come with a firing pin spring, so it's possible to experience a slam-fire when you release the bolt if the pin is clogged with cosmoline.
2. Speaking of cosmoline, most (if not all) Yugo SKSs have a grenade launcher attachment and sights. Sometimes the gas vent valve will get blocked with cosmoline, which may cause problems with semi-auto operation.
3. Examine the front sight to ensure it aligns with the rear sight along the length of the rifle. Sometimes, the rifles are reassembled with the front sight canted beyond the sights' ability to correct. Speaking of front sights, an SKS/AK front sight pusher tool is a good thing to have.
Like I said, the SKS is a nice rifle for the cost and a good C&R collection item. Be safe and have fun!
Matching serial numbers (not re-stamped on re-manufacture) are nice. Tends to yield a gun that cycles more reliably.
I took extra care cleaning the firing pin. Thanks for the tip. Can't wait to get it to the range!
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