SKS or AK?

As was mentioned , all SKSs were built on military production lines ,
while many AKs are made from parts or built as "sporter" rifles and then
modified.

The cheap SKSs are a distant memory.

I personally would only buy a Russian refurb SKS from the 1950s.
The excellent ones run $400 and UP , but are worth it IMHO.

( I'm looking for my Birth year Gun :) )
 
I've always been interested in the AK's,I remember when Walmart sold the AK47s for a hundred something?
My wifes' uncle bought a SKS at a gun show around 80.00 back in the mid nineties,my Dad and I went out to shoot with him he brought his SKS.

That SKS was down right dangerous,it would sometimes fire 2 or 3 by squeezing the trigger once? :eek: Then after having problems he pulled the bolt back to feed another round,that SKS slam fired about 3 feet in front of us into the ground :eek: lol....He then asked if I wanted to shoot it??? :confused:
I said NO!!! lol That's the extent of my SKS experience,I'll stick with the AR's in 5.56 and 308win...ymmv :)
 
Uh yeah, might wanna try cleaning the cosmoline out of it before firing. If you don't get the cosmoline out of the firing pin channel, you are going to have slam fire problems. Not a fault of the weapon but operator failure instead.
 
They are both similar priced. A cheap never fired SKS is around $300-$400 and a cheap never fired AK is $400-$500. Only way they get cheaper is if you can find a deal. My dad recently bought 2 SKS rifles from an old friend for $400 for both. Also came with 2 extra stocks, 2 slings, and a bunch of ammo. One was completely stock and never fired, dad sold it for $300. The other had a synthetic stock and scope, traded it for a $700 (I believe) crossbow, a lot of bolts, a case that cost $100, and a $100. Needless to say, these old cheap military rifles are worth some money around here.
 
I own both and would go AK if I could only have one, but who only wants one?!?:eek:

My norinco AK was purchases from an old lady whose husband bought it in the 80s and he never shot it. It was in such pristine condition that I couldn't pass it up... It's a great gun that is as reliable as my AKs (all have been 100% so far) and more accurate than all but one of my AKs.

I guess it just depends what you want it for. If you want to shoot plates/targets/animals at 100m or more---SKS. For 100m and in, the AK will do the job just fine and will look cooler doing it! :D
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Uh yeah, might wanna try cleaning the cosmoline out of it before firing. If you don't get the cosmoline out of the firing pin channel, you are going to have slam fire problems. Not a fault of the weapon but operator failure instead.
Wasn't my weapon and I didn't fire it after seeing that Show!! :D LOL
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SKS firing pin mod

http://www.murraysguns.com/sksown.htm

I bought one of his spring loaded pins, installed it, fired some American Eagle through it, that had doubled before hence causing me to put the gun away, and all is well. It's a straight forward install, no special tools required. Well worth the money IMHO. He has 2 different types that cover pretty much all variants.

Hobie
 
Uh yeah, might wanna try cleaning the cosmoline out of it before firing. If you don't get the cosmoline out of the firing pin channel, you are going to have slam fire problems. Not a fault of the weapon but operator failure instead.
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Precisely. People often act as though the SKS is the only rifle out there with a free-floating firing pin, but AK's, AR's, Ruger Mini's, among others, also typically have free-floating firing pins. Difference is, most of these other firearms don't routinely come packed with cosmoline. Cleaning it out is essential, but once you get it clean, and do half decent job of keeping it that way, you're good to go. I've had more weapons with free-floating firing pins than I'd care to count (including 3 SKS's) and have never experienced a slamfire
 
What ammo are you using, raftman? My SKS shoots milsurp ammo without a hiccup. However, with the more sensitive civilian primers it has doubled more than one occasion.

I found Mr. Murray's description and explanation of what's going on sufficient to warrant the up-grade. To each their own. BTW, my SKS's firing pin channel and pin were maintained and kept clean. I don't lube or grease the firing Pin.

Hobie
 
SKS.
I bought that one first from a friend for cheap. Don't feel like I need an AK now. Maybe if I'd bought an AK first, I would feel the same way about SKS rifles, but that's how it worked out.
 
+1 for the SKS
+1 for the Murray's firing pin.

Easy to takedown - no tools. Cleaning kit in buttstock. Comes with bayonet.

I have a Norinco and a Russian. Both are great. I also find upsetting the trend of people turning their SKS into an AK. If you want an AK, buy one.

Plus, when the wannabe shooters ask, "how many does the clip hold?" you can just smile at their puzzled look as you hand them an empty strip and say, "10."

My shooting buddy has an AK style rifle. I enjoy shooting it too, but it is not an SKS.

As is usually the end result of most of these "which should I buy" topics - hold each, shoot each, buy both.:)
 
What ammo are you using, raftman? My SKS shoots milsurp ammo without a hiccup. However, with the more sensitive civilian primers it has doubled more than one occasion.
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Vast majority of the time, I shoot steel-cased ammo of the Wolf, Bear, UCW, TulAmmo, Golder Tiger, Barnaul stuff through my SKS, but there have certainly been exceptions.

I also find upsetting the trend of people turning their SKS into an AK. If you want an AK, buy one.
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I agree. I never quite understood it. It seems trying to make an SKS into an AK has lots of downsides and virtually no upsides.

The SKS is cheaper to buy initially, but throw on an aftermarket stock with pistol grip, aftermarket magazine, etc, make sure it is 922R compliant, and one will likely have paid an amount well within AK territory. At the same time, you never quite get the full AK functionality, may look a little more like an AK, still far from an AK. You are likely to lose reliability and what's more you end up actually losing value by performing modifications. In the local market here, a decent specimen of a Russian SKS is around $350, add $150 in aftermarket parts, and the rifle will now be worth $250 tops.
 
Depends on what your interest is. The AK is a semi version of a current military firearm. The biggest advantage over the SKS is detachable magazines of high capacity.
OTOH, the SK in original design, will not have problems with magazines, you can't lose or damage the internal magazine, the receiver is forged. Most believe the SK is slightly more accurate, and just as robust as the AK.

I disagree with the comment that the 7.62 X 39 cartridge is inadequately powerful. A cartridge about the same power as a 30-30 is well above any pistol cartridge. The Sturmgewehr 44 was an excellent German WWII assault rifle, and they used the Kurz cartridge (7.92 X 33) to good effect. The Russians took notice of that in designing the 7.62 X 39 Russian cartridge. While you wouldn't use it for grizzly, that does not suggest for combat, self-defense, or medium game it is inadequate. However, it is also true that the SKS could have been made a little shorter and lighter for the cartridge.
 
IMHO the SKS is the better of the two. The two reasons the AK replaced the SKS is because 1) cheaper to make and 2) has full auto switch. I have fired both and I own an SKS. The Ak on full auto isn't that great. Shot it when I was in the military. Since most of us can only own semi-auto. I will take the one that feels like a real rifle not a sheet metal toy.
 
AK vs. SKS? I guess it really comes down to what you really want one for. Alot of guys seem to just want an AK for the "cool" factor with it's reputation for reliability and large capacity magazines and folding stocks, etc. As an alternate, some will buy an SKS and then "bubba" it up, with aftermarket parts and duckbill magazines, trying to turn it into an AK. That's a shame AFAIC.

The AK replaced the SKS primarily because the Soviets had to have a selective fire weapon which was really cheap to produce(think sheet-metal). The SKS was way too costly to make with it's all milled construction, so modifying it for slective fire and removable magazines just didn't make sense.

The SKS is just as reliable as an AK, and in general will be a more accurate platform.
 
I have the SKS D and SKS M that were made at the factory to operate with 30 round AK magazines,,,I also have VEPR and Arsenal AK's,,,out of all of them I would take the VEPR AK's,,,however all of them are robust reliable combat rifles that are fun and cheap to own and shoot so I would suggest buying either or both...If I had to be limited to one I would choose the VEPR even though it runs $800 to a grand to buy one on GunBroker.
 
Wow, by the time I got to this it looks like most all of the angles have been covered. I have an AK but wouldnt pass up an SKS for a good price.
 
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