Survivalist Forum banner
36K views 57 replies 38 participants last post by  jrswanson1 
#1 ·
Thinkin about getting me an SKS. But you see, I,m the kinda guy that puts relibility above all else(hence not a big AR fan.) So, can any of you SKS ownwers out there clue me in? I realize it's a weapon built for uneducated peasents to point and click with and whatnot, but you know, I'd still like to hear it said. tango mike.
 
#7 ·
The SKS is on of the most reliable weapons ever made. They are ugly, unergonomic, and unglamorous, BUT, they go bang over and over. Bury it, drag it through the sand, crawl through the mud, don't clean it and it still goes bang. Get some stripper clips and practice speed loading. You won't be disappointed. :thumb:

No the mosin nagant is you cant stop it short of an arch welder and a hack saw
 
#12 ·
I have one and I don't trust it. I must be one of the few though.

I have broken in half 3 firing pins and 2 bolts. I really should get rid of it. I bought it off a neighbor who was moving back to Puerto Rico and had to get rid of it. He bought it from a gun show.

My first choice would be my Winchester 94. Just can't beat a good ol lever gun.
 
#17 ·
From my own experiences with an SKS, it pretty much...never jams. It's really like a semi-automatic AK. The only issues I've ever had with it was when it consistently started stove-piping, but that was because we hadn't cleaned the extractor for a few years.

It's an overall excellent rifle. If you get yourself some stripper clips, you can reload it fast as you need to. The round has plenty of firepower. I've shot that thing through cinderblock, tree trunks, and one side of a rusted heap of a car and out the other.

There is one important thing to remember about any SKS though, is that your firing pin is free-floating. If you shake your bolt you can feel and see it rattling around in there? In short it's loose. If gunk gets in around that firing pin (Including that grease your rifle comes in) the firing pin can get stuck in forward position and slam-fire. So you'll have a fully automatic SKS for a short period there.

In short, if you do get yourself an SKS and they deliver it all gunked up in preservative grease, make sure you take apart your bolt and clean out that firing pin.
 
#22 ·
Without being an expert, and wanting to buy one soon, any quick recommendations on where/how to buy a good sks and be confident in the choice?

Also, could an AK (with same question above) be suitable as a hunting rifle and self defense zombie handler simultaneously, or should I get separate weapons for each task? Thanks for your help!
 
#27 ·
My SKS has proven entirely reliable. Accurate out to a hundred, never jammed, misfired or slamfired. I use milsurp ammo, so it's a pig to clean, but still shoots fine at the end of the day as it does at the beginning. Also, that milsurp 7.62 has a lot of penetration.
Best rifle for the price that isn't a bolt action.
In regards the slam fire concerns, just strip down your bolt when you first buy the SKS and boil all the cosmo out, then shake your bolt after each cleaning and before going to the range to make sure the pin rattles nicely. I've never had a problem with slamfires.
 
#30 ·
Bought mine in may of this year so far after at least 200+ rounds and alot of cleaning all over.. it hasnt done one thing bad. only things i have a problem with is the detachable mags they arent like AK's where u just tilt and push in you have to really get used to loading these things because they are weird.. and once i had loaded it the and charged the bolt ready to fire.. it didnt go all the way forward to push the bullet in the chamber so i had to push it manually.

When i first got it it didnt kick and was not that loud.. my brothers SW .40 pistol was Hecka louder! then after i cleaned it wuite a bit all over it shot louder kicked harder and becasme more manly.. and i dont know why..

i picked up that soviet stuff and just keep it for emergencies.. other wise i shoot wolf and tiger brands.. so far no problems with them!

and the penetration is amazing.. at the least i have to actually shoot it into a hill of dirt because it might go off into the woods and kill somone a mile away for all we know lol.

havent fired it dirty...since its my favorite and new and i wouldnt do that to it..

but once i get another one im going to beat the crap out of it and make sure its a REAL mans weapon lol

(although try to get one with a bayonet attacked already i have had no luck with anyone that sells bayonets.. they never have em or dont want to sell wme for some reason.. and i heard that my chinese after ban can have a bayonet on it for some reason and its illegal? some guy was telling me about it.. says not alot of people know about it.. and im sad i dont have one arrgh!!
tell me what kind ur gonna get ... i have seen the prices and they are going down good luck and have fun!
 
  • Like
Reactions: junglecrawler
#33 ·
I had a yugo.
It was pretty beefy and hearty. Decent rifle.
The bummers: Beware when buying parts. Not all fit. The sights suck. There are aftermarket sights but they have they're own drawbacks. I put peep sights on mine, it helped with accuracy.
Dont trust Russian wolf ammo or yugo corrosive. If you do buy it you will have misfires. I had some cook off after it didnt fire right away. Very scary if you not careful.

SKS owners are finicky. I think Norinco's are crap. Other folks think they are great.
Forget SKS and buy a good Bulgarian AK!!
 
#34 ·
...Dont trust Russian wolf ammo or yugo corrosive. If you do buy it you will have misfires...
I have never had any problems with 7.62x39mm Wolf. When they first came on the scene, there were some disgruntled users, but I've always had good experiences when using Wolf in my ComBloc weapons.

SKS owners are finicky. I think Norinco's are crap. Other folks think they are great.
I have a Norinco. I like it very much. No problems whatsoever.

Norinco makes excellent weapons. If I had the money, I'd have a Norinco AK to go along with my Norinco SKS. :D:

Forget SKS and buy a good Bulgarian AK!!
If money is an issue, one cannot find a better weapon than an SKS.
 
#36 ·
I have 2 now (1950 Tula Soviet and a Yugo M59/66 ) and both are great weapons.

I've owned several Norinco models from back in the 1990's when you could get them for $75 out the door at gun shows. I took a Norinco model and flipped it end over end into the muddy shallow end of a pond with a loaded (but not chambered ) magazine, shook the mud out of the muzzle, chambered a round, and emptied the magazine with no issues. I put around 250-300 rounds through that Norinco the same day under all conditions and never had an issue with it. Like others have said; install a firing round pin and you should resolve the slam-fire issue for good. My Tula has a firing pin spring from the factory, so I'm good with it.
 
#39 ·
You need to kind of think of the SKS as the Russian version to our M-1 Garand. It's sort of like the foreign little brother. Both rifles use clips. The M-1 has the enbloc assembly and the SKS has the vertical type. Both rifles load from the top with their bolts locked back and open. Both rifles are gas operated and extremely reliable. The M-1 holds 8 rounds and the SKS holds 10 rounds. Both can be scoped to enhance over all accuracy of fire. Both rifles will drop a deer or bad guy without hesitation. Both have decent penetration.

If you get an SKS and practice with it, you'll have a good, reliable firearm that will last you for many, many years. I would suggest that you consider a paratrooper model and mount a decent compact scope on top of it. You won't be turning your SKS into a sniper rifle but you will increase its over all accuracy by using a 4X or 4 power scope.
 
#40 ·
I've had 4 sks's, 1 Chinese, 1 Chinese Para, and 2 Yugo 59/66's. One yugo I bend a firing pin, and had to replace the gas valve (CNC Warrior makes great replacements), the other Yugo needed the gas valve replaces and a new gas tube( the paper clip trick didn't work). I ended up selling both Yugo's, and still have the Chinese ones. I would stay away from the 59/66 Yugo variants with the grenade launcher, that way you don't have to mess with the gas valve. Besides those problems, all of them have run great.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top