SKS - What to look out for?

J

Just4Fun

New member
I am looking in to buying an SKS. Most of the ones I see are Romanian.

Most look pretty beat up at least the stocks. I am not too concerned about the stock.. I can steam out dents and refinish it. I am more concerned about the internal action. Are there any wear spots that I should be concerned about? Parts that come loose that shouldn't be? Anything that will help me determine if it has been fired excessively?

Please inform. Thanks.
 
Buy a Russian one if you can. They are made much better than either the Chinese or the Romanian.

Jim
 
The Russian rifles are the best but they are demanding a premium now. If I remember correctly you wanted a plinker/light hunting rifle. For that, the Romanian rifle will fill the bill.

I recently bought a Romanian SKS at a gunshow for $130.The dealer had a pile of them and I was able to sort through them and pick the one I wanted. This is definitely the best way to do it. Condition varied widely on all of the rifles. The metal on mine is about 98% and appeared unfired. The wood looks like it went through a war or 2. No big deal. The rifle my buddy bought has some finish wear and appears to have been fired but is fully functional and is a great shooter.

When choosing yours I would look it over, check for finish wear (rust, etc). Wear in the areas of the mating surfaces can indicate how used the rifle is. Make sure everything works. Work the action and the safety, snap the trigger. Remove the gas piston and check for corrosion. Does the barrel show any corrosion? The SKS is a very robust rifle and not much goes wrong with them.

If you can't handpick the rifle personally I might consider paying the extra handpick fee charged by the distributors. If I remember correctly AIM Surplus was supposed to have some nice Romanians.

I saw one Romanian SKS at a local shop that almost looked hand made. The receiver looked like a typical Romanian SKS but the bolt carrier looked odd. It appeared to be new and almost unfinished. None of the edged were beveled and it was full of sharp corners. I don't know how to describe it. It just didn't match. It looked like someone whipped it out on a machine and slapped it in place. It seemed to work fine but I didn't want it.

Be choosy when selecting a Romanian SKS. Like I said,, except for the stock mine appeared to be new and unfired. If you have the $ and don't mind spending it then you will definitely be very happy with a Russian SKS. For me, my Romanian is perfect.
 
Just got back from the local gun shop. They had 4 Romanian SKS's and a Russian with a Synthetic stock.

One of the Romainans stood out as being cleaner than the others. All serial numbers matched and the wear was not bad. Bore looked clean. Price... $249.00 (I live in Kali.) The only peices that were missing were the cleaning rod and the cleaning kit that belongs in the butt.

The Russian w/synthitic stock was really nice. The new stock was much more comfortable. Although there was no vissible pitting the metal looked refinished black. All numbers matched and the Original stock is included. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a better firearm. Racking the slide it felt like a brand new firearm. No slop. Not too mention it looked tits. With the syn stock I could see this a being a decent hunting rifle. Price..... $450

There are a few other shops I need to visit but I have found that my local shop has reasonable prices.

Any thoughts? Recommendations..?
 
In addition to what Jaeger said, you want to try to find one that has matching serial numbers on the trigger group, bolt, barrel, receiver and magazine. Also, SKS's came with either a pinned barrel or a threaded barrel. Definitely opt for the threaded barrel. And like Jaeger said too, the SKS is a robust piece and not much can go wrong with them, but just make sure everything functions properly before you buy.


Now, I have a Chinese SKS, and I know people despise this version, but let me tell you, it has been one great, trouble-free firearm. :p I have put a couple thousand rounds through it with nary a glitch.


Good luck!

kgs.
 
Check the firing pin block!

The preceeding posts covered everything pretty well. Before you take it down to your favorite range, however, make sure you take the firing pin block apart and clean it thouroughly!

A lot of guys keep their SKS in top condition but rarely, if ever, take the pin apart. This is critical if you want to keep your SKS from slam-firing. Garbage gets in there and keeps the pin from moving properly.

It is a bit of a pain but not too bad. Just be certain to pay strict attention to the position of the pin when you remove it. It can be installed backward which would also be bad. When you've finished cleaning the block, you'll be able to hear the pin rattle with just a little shaking. Other than that enjoy shooting it. It doesn't have the "soul" of an M1 but it does what it does very well. And it's cheap to keep, too.

I bought my Chinese version because all the numbers matched and it looked real clean. I spent a little time to trim it up and it has always worked perfectly. BTW, don't waste your time on a scope mount. They are all junk IMHO and in the storage box now. Just shoot it as it is. The only mod I made was to replace the rear site with a peep site. That really improved my accuracy. I also replaced the stock butt plate with a 1" rubber one. The extra length works great and fits my arm much better.

Have a great time!
Rome


View
 
Good point, Rome.

I had forgotten about the firing pin. :eek: It should slide freely back and forth in the block without any binding. I always make sure mine is kept free of crud and is well lubed.


Regards, :)


kgs.
 
While the Russian SKS's are better made, the Chinese and Romanians, for all practical purposes, are just as reliable. Pinned or threaded barrels, same story. The average shooter is not going to notice the difference. The prices you are being quoted seem high. Check http://www.gunsamerica.com for some better prices and selection. As others have said, the SKS (any version) is a robust, reliable firearm and ammo is cheap.
 
I had only one bit of trouble with my SKS so just an extra word of caution. If you are going to change magazines, it is interesting to know that the magazine catch spring is also the sear spring. If you change mags, you may want to load only 3 in it when you fire it for the first time. If it goes full auto on you (mine did), go to your local gunsmith and pick up a little longer spring (you may have to cut it down yourself). I'm no gunsmith, so my description of the problem may be inaccurate, but the fix worked.
 
The Russians do get the nod for quality; my Russian SKS is one of those laminated stock-types, and is my truck-gun. Bought it 5 or so years ago for $150 or so.

Bought a Chinese one way back when, with spike bayonet, before they were determined to be the manifestation of evil incarnate. Never disappointed with it, seems like a good gun.

Helped a friend a few years ago purchase a really cheap Chinese, sans bayonet, for a paltry $69 dollars! Dealer was an aquaintance of mine, but I think he was more interested in arming the State of Arizona then making a profit!

Took it to a very public range to sight-in after the purchase, and it double-fired! :eek: It quickly went away after some breaking in, though. Two lessons here:

Be careful of the Chinese versions.

Test fire politically incorrect rifles in private.
 
mags

One of the reasons I bought my Chinese SKS was because it came with a box of "stuff". Some of the items were mags of all sizes and shapes. They made the SKS look like something Rambo would have loved. Anyway, those 30 or 50 round mags are really impractical at a firing range. ( I even saw one that held 100 rounds! Looked like a machine gun!) The guys and range officer all look at you funny, anyway. So, I bought some of the "aftermarket" 10 round removable mags and ended up having to modify them so they would leave the bolt open after the last round was fired. Again, like the scope mounts, totally junk. I learned how to load stripper clips and haven't had any problem after that. The 10 round integral clip works just fine once you get used to it. I've even shot match with this rifle and held my own under pressure.

Rome
 
Yeah don't get caught up in the whole Scope mount thing and mag thing. The Scope mounts are garbage and the 10rd fixed mag with stripper clips is where your reliability is. I had 2 russian SKS rifles and sold one a few years ago and kept the other one. I use my Iron Sights and kept the Fixed mag. Its a fine semi auto.
 
Actually, I've found a very nice scope mount for the SKS

sks_redot.jpg


The above mount is made by Millet and it mounts to the rear sight base. I bought one and have put it on SKS with a Nikon 2X pistol scope.

It is extremely solid and I have experienced no loss of zero. You can mount a reddot on it or a long eye relief scope like I did.

I bought it for $34.95 from http://www.gunaccessories.com/Millet/MilitaryRifle/index.asp

----------------------------------------------------

I agree with the guys that answered first that you should look for someone with several Romanians to choose from and pick the one that appears the most pristine. Check the bore and gas system. Make sure the numbers match.

-----------------------------------------------------

Go to :

http://pub7.ezboard.com/bsurvivorssksboards

http://www.simonov.net

For more info than you ever wanted to know about the SKS.
 
Thanks for the input guys!!

Went out last night and think I got a pretty good deal. At least in Southern Kalifornia. The guy had 2 on display that were not too great. Asked if he had any in the back and after saying no once I asked him again if he was sure he did not have any in the back.. Sure enough he came out with one and I snatched it.

Romanian
Threaded barell
Blueing is all nice and not worn. (no rust or pitting)
Stock (looks like it was draged by a horse)
Internal wear seemed low.
Bayonett, cleaning rod, NO cleaning kit.
Bore looked clean.
Bolt was very tight (no excessive slop)
Price: $179

Picked up a Monte Carlo synthic stock for 40 bucks to use while I refinish the wood stock.
 
Sounds like a good enough deal.

I paid $100.00 for my Chinese version back in 1991, so yours is not a bad deal at all.
BTW, do the numbers match?


Regards,

kgs.
 
Just4Fun..........

Cool! :cool:

Now get yourself a boatload of ammo and go have some fun! I think you'll find your weapon to be a fun, reliable, easy to maintain unit.

BTW, I bought 1000 rounds of Wolf 122 grn. FMJ HP ammo and it works beautifully in my Chinese SKS. (I think I paid right around $100 for the ammo.)

Let's get this straight. I paid $100 for the rifle and $100 for the ammo. Hmmmmm......$200 total investment.:eek: Not too shabby for a reliable, fun shooting rifle, plus a case of ammo. I don't think you can find anything more cost effective! :)


kgs.
 
Sounds good! Have fun with it.
FYI Natchez Shooters Supply has Ramline synthetic stocks for the SKS for $30. I put one on my Romanian and it handles much better now. I did have to remove the bayonet but what the heck. Definitely worth $30.
 
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