Is the SKS a good Self Defense Rifle?

W

WheelGunRealGun

New member
Would a stock, 10 rd mag SKS be good as an all around defensive rifle?

Sure, it only holds ten rounds, but I can't see me needing more than that when I can just pop another stripper clip in.

Is it a good "go to" gun?
 
The SKS's are generally reliable, but in a SD situation, the 7.62x39 seems likely to over penetrate. I like the idea if the bad guy is wearing a vest.
 
Yes.
You may see it dismissed disdainfully by the hi-cap crowd, but it's a perfectly valid and generally reliable semi-auto in an effective caliber.
If you've got clips & can use 'em, no reason not to use it for all-round defensive purposes.

Very few of us outside the military & LE will ever engage in a pitched battle that'd require higher-cap options.
Stay away from magazine modifications, just stay with the rifle as originally designed & issued.

Denis
 
IMO, any limitations would have more to do with the mediocre sights and length/weight of the rifle.

The round is certainly capable of protecting you from all kinds of critters and 10 rounds is nothing to sneeze at. The rifle itself is very reliable and about as accurate as you can expect a 7.62x39 rifle to be, so I'd think it would work just fine for defense. Nothing I'd want to deal with in a confined space, but workable enough.
 
I have very long arms and find it not ideal in regards to ergonomics.. just doesn't fit me quite right and I never became completely comfortable with mine. It was definitely fun to shoot, but I didn't delegate it to HD status because of the ergonomics.

10 rd magazine, reliability, caliber, etc I had no problem with. Well, caliber is probably more than you need, but still wouldn't be excessive.
 
The SKS is a great rifle in general, reliable and powerful if taken care of. I have one myself and I enjoy it a lot. As a self defense weapon though I would have to say its not my "go to" gun. I assume we are talking about home defense so here are the negatives I see with it. The over penetration point that was made earlier is a key point that comes to mind. I hope you don't have nearby neighbors or nobody is standing the next room over. Also the length of the rifle makes it a bit uncomfortable to be maneuvering around corners or down hallways. I would say that a tactical shotgun would be the best for home defense in my opinion. It is compact enough to move with, it has plenty of knockdown power but not necessarily a lot of penetration, and it has a wider spread so in a panic situation it is a bit more forgiving if you miss your target by a couple inches. The first rifle I go for would be the AR15 because of its compact size and light weight. I'm not saying the SKS won't work because believe me, IT WILL, just not what I would choose.
 
It has more than enough power to do what you need it to. Even with "only" 10 rounds, I doubt that you'll find bad guys hanging around long enough to make that an issue when they come under fire.
 
People think a 6 round .357 magnum is a good SD weapon and it only throws a 158 gr bullet at 1250 fps and it is hard to shoot accurately if you aren't an expert handgunner.

10 rounds of 154 gr of bullet moving at 2000+fps could be considered a lethal weapon so what was the question again.

My marine cousin got 2 stars added to his purple heart because of SKS's in the hands of hostile Vietnamese people who wanted to shoot him so they did. He has no love for the gun and will testify that even at 300 meters it hurts like the dickens when you get shot by one.
 
Yes, it's a fantastic SD gun. Also, with modern non-FMJ ammo most rifle rounds are much less likely to overpenetrate than handgun rounds. It seems counterintuitive but it's been proven over and over again...
 
Yes, it's a fantastic SD gun. Also, with modern non-FMJ ammo most rifle rounds are much less likely to overpenetrate than handgun rounds. It seems counterintuitive but it's been proven over and over again...
Click to expand...


yup, I've seen 7.62x39 rounds that penetrate less than some 9mm's. With a good hollow point or ballistic tip like Hornady V-Max, I wouldn't be more worried about over penetration with that round than most pistol rounds.

I'm more asking about the gun itself.
 
I think the SKS is an all around great defensive rifle or offensive rifle for that matter. Very few have been more battle tested that it has.
 
I think it would make a very good SD gun. Good caliber in a reliable gun with a big 'ol safety that would be easy to operate under pressure.
 
It is a battle proven design.

Based on the number of years, number of rifles, and number of wars it was used, the SKS has had decades of development and testing and should be more reliable than commercial "battle rifles" that never got wet.

Mine have their bayonets. When in doubt, deploy the bayonet.
 
I have owned one for approx 25 years and still is reliable, and shoots any brand ammo with no problems.
Hey like the other person said....Millions of folk own the SKS. Gotta be a reason.
 
Modified Mine

I changed out the wood stock for a Tapco collapsible stock and a few Tapco 20 round mags. Just for fun at the range. I didn't actually have to modify anything on the gun. It was a simple drop in change. I would not have done it if it had required a permanent mod to the gun. I still have the wood stock and box mag so I can change it back or sell it all together. I have had a blast with it in both modes. For SD/HD I prefer other options such as handgun / shotgun, but the SKS would be effective if not ideal. Enjoy your SKS.
 
I would say that the caliber of an sks is sufficient enuff however unless your defending yourself against a bear bigfoot or hourdes of angry north koreans you may want to look into going with somthing a little smaller and more compact....i would worry about over penetration with the swift 7.62
 
I'd think it would make an excellent HD weapon. Keep a few stripper clips loaded with expanding bullet ammunition ready to go.
When the ammo runs out, flip out the bayonet and go to town! ;)
A
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top