Another Rifle Idea: The American SKS

N

Nightcrawler

New member
Here's an idea I cooked up. A low-cost, rugged rifle.


-.308 Winchester chambering
-10 round fixed magazine
-Could be fed from stripper clips
-18" chrome lined barrel
-SKS/AK-style gas operation, for extreme reliability.
-Affordably priced Hardwood or Synthetic stock.

The target retail price would be $300 or less, no more than $400. The rifle, however would NOT:

-Have MOA accuracy
-Have a free floating barrel
-Have a premium grade walnut stock

It'd be a low-cost, general purpose rifle for the shooter on a budget, chambered in a versatile, highly available cartridge, designed for simplicity, reliability, and ruggedness.

So. If I could meet the price requirements, and have the rifle as functional and well-made as a Russian SKS, who'd buy one?
 
its a good idea.

but if it is going to basically be a short range weapon (you said it wont be sub-moa) then why make it in 308 winchester? 7.62x39 or 223 would be good alternatives
 
Subtract 2 rounds, add an equally good gas system, multiply by better quality, cost equal, carry the 3.... Holy Catfish, you got a Garand!:D
 
It would not possible to sell a U.S.-made rifle like you described for $300 unless for a considerable loss. May be, if mass production methods and special transfer lines are used, and volume of production is in hundreds thousands, there is a chance to avoid loss, but no profit is visiable at $300. Just my non-guru
estimate of modern production costs in the U.S.
 
Reasons for certain things:

It wouldn't be sub-MOA because accurization of that sort is unnecessary and, usually, drives up the cost. If you're really going to spend time worrying about how many inches your group size is at 500 yards, then this rifle wouldn't be for you. Me, I've never been into target shooting. It would, however, be minute-of-deer accurate.

It would be chambered in .308, because .308 is a more useful all-around catridge than either the short-ranged 7.62x39mm or the small-bore .223 Rem.

As for the price. Marlin mass-produces and sells 336 lever rifles for $270 (local Wal-Mart). A typical semiauto, especially one using the Kalashnikov action, is mechanically much less complicated than a lever action rifle (as I learned the hard way when I attempted to "field strip" my Winchester 94). I don't see why it'd cost more to produce, if you had a big effecient factory. If they had to be hand built one at a time, then obviously, the cost would be much higher. Plus, I think a rifle of this sort, at $400 or less, would probably be the least expensive .308 semiauto on the market. I see huge sales of such a thing...it'd be marketed as a rifle for The People (tm). The college student, or the blue collar man on a budget. The family man who likes to hunt but doesn't have a thousand dollars for an M1A. You get the idea. It'd be lower-cost competition for the other .308 semiautos, which we'll all admit tend to be in the pricey side. It needn't be limited to .308, though. Just using the same action, you could make it chambered for .243, .260, and 7mm-08, because apparently, they cartridges have the same case size as the .308. (DSA makes FALs in these chamberings that use the same magazines).

.308 is probably the best all-around cartridge on the market, in terms of power, range, utility, cost, and availability. There is very little North American game that can't be dispatched with a .308, and it's available everywhere.

Another idea (taken from shotguns) would be interchangable barrels. You'd have the basic 18" barrel, a 22", a 26", special accurized barrels for people who insist on worrying about how many inches their group size is, barrels with different muzzle brakes, maybe even different rates of twist or whatever.
 
I'll buy one. Heck I'll buy two. And if they are available in .223 I'll also buy two. I always wanted a stripper-clip fed .308 semi just like the 7.62X39mm SKS.
 
I like the idea of a sub $400 semi .308. But personally I prefer detachable magazines. It would be nice if it came with a 10 round mag that could be loaded through stripper clips, but it would also be nice if it could take FAL magazines.
 
Hmm. I don't know how FAL mags work with being clip-fed. Maybe it could take M14 magazines, and come with a ten round one. I dunno. I kinda like fixed magazines. As I see it, the weapon would be sold with:

The Rifle
20 Stripper Clips
Cleaning Kit
Sling
Manual

The manual would explain proper use of the strippers, but the choice of a detachable box magazine would add to its versatility.

Hell, if I really wanted to go out on a limb, I could copy the magazine design of the Enfield and chamber it for rimmed cartridges, like .303, .30-30, and hell, .45-70! Who here would be interested in a .45-70 semiauto? :)
 
Fixed mags(SKS, M1-Garand)are better than loose mags(AR, MINI-14, M1A, AK). With the 10rd stripper clips(S-clips)all you do is load-it and lets go. If anyone out there made a .308 SKS, it should be equipped with a ten round fixed mag. Has anyone tried to load a 20, 30, 40-round fixed or loose magazine with stripper clips? It is time consuming and a pain in the butt; Especially if you ran out loaded magazines. A ten round fixed mag fed via stripper clips is the way to go. Stripper clips are lighter, than carrying all those extra loose magazines in a pouch, plus the person can carry more S-clips and ammo on them.
 
I would also want a 20" thicker barrel on the .308 SKS, since the .308Win is hotter than the 7.62X39mm. A thicker barrel would be better, but a heavy barrel would be excesive(maybe). I also pick a 20"barrel for better accuracy and speed. I can dream, can I. :)
 
For political reasons, they's never be able to sell it as an "SKS". More than likely, it would have to come with a five round hunting magazine with an optional 10 round mag available.
 
Ed, for the accuracy we are talking about here, a "heavy" or "medium" barrel would be a waste. The FAL uses a standard-countour barrel and most have 1-2 MOA accuracy, even when the metal itself it too hot to touch.

-z
 
True .
I am not really looking for accuracy, but it would be nice to have some. :) I really do not like the way the barrel heats up on firearms, but it is only natural after you fire many, many rounds. But you are right.:)
 
Hey folks,

Did you ever think that the SKS is already American. I would not be supprised to find out there are more SKSs in the United States than any other country. I have three of my own.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
 
Except the MAS in .308 doesn't work worth a damn most of the time. You usually end up tearing the rims off of the cases.
 
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