Yugoslavian SKS as a home defense rifle?

K

Kimio

New member
A friend of mine has been looking at an SKS as of late and asked me how viable would an SKS be as a defensive rifle.

Honestly I have never fired one so I didn't know what to tell him. Anyone here have some advice about this?

The SKS appeals to him due to several factors.

1. The rifle is pretty cheap, around $170-250
2. It fires a pretty potent cartridge, 7.62x39 if I recall
3. Ammunition for the rifle is very cheap and would make range trips much easier, without cringing after each shot.
4. It's fairly compact, and his wife seems to like the feel of the rifle, whom he would also like to teach her how to shoot at well. She doesn't mind the larger caliber guns, in fact, she really likes them (Yep she's a keeper)

Any suggestions would be appreciated
 
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Should work fine.

Depending on the Yugo model, it may be a bit unwieldy; my 59/66 has a grenade launcher that adds about 4-5" to the front end, and the SKS is known for having all the ergonomics of a two by four (but it's a two by four that SHOOTS!).

They're very reliable provided you get them cleaned up properly and you don't have a corroded gas valve (only on Yugos that had been equipped with a grenade launcher; I note the ones on AIM right now have no launcher but do have the valve, so they've been tweaked a bit). Yugoslavian SKS models don't have chromed bores, so while they tend to be pretty accurate (as much as you might expect for a 7.62x39 rifle), you want to be careful shooting corrosive ammo through it.

I'd have no reservations about grabbing my Yugo SKS if worst came to worst. It will shoot well.
 
I use a 12 ga shotgun loaded with 00 buck.

The only problem I would have with a 7.62 x 39 is if the houses are pretty close too each other.
 
I used to have an SKS... Reliable, simple to operate, accurate... A lot of gun for the $. It's recoil kick is less than a 12-guage shotgun. My experience has been that a pretty big percentage of women have trouble with 12-guage recoil and become skittish/fearful around them, which is not a good situation. If your friend likes the SKS, I figure it oughtta work out OK as a starter HD gun. If I was a threat... 4-legged or 2-legged... One well-placed 7.62mm bullet would certainly deter me.
 
I have 2 Yugoslavian SKS rifles. A 59 and a 59/66. Great guns. They're plenty accurate, cheap to shoot and easy to handle. That being said, I prefer my 870 12ga with 4buck for home defence. If a 12ga has too much recoil, a 20ga will get the job done with less recoil.
 
I guess that if the indians were attacking the homestead or I lived in some third world s**thole in the midst of a civil war I’d want a rifle for defense, Anything short of that calls for a pistol or shotgun.
 
I'll echo the over-penetration concern. Depends on your friend's living conditions. Stray bullets from a rifle put other people in the house, and neighbors alike, at risk.
 
For suburban home defense it would be iffy in regards to over penetration but as a relatively inexpensive rural home defense weapon it'd be great.

I like my Yugo but where I live [residential area] my Mossy would be better.
 
Has he also looked at both the Russian and Chinese Norinco SKS?

They are easier to carry around corners, between car trunks/garage doors, trees etc with no grenade launchers. Having the center-of-gravity closer to the shooter makes them more fun.
The typical Yugo feels unwieldy and a bit awkward.

Except for the .22, my Norinco is used more often than any other gun because of low ammo costs, and helps me avoid the time that would be needed for reloading ( the pricier calibers).
 
I'd have to agree with the general consensus here, that a semi high-powered rifle doesn't seem to fit as the right gun for home defense in a suburban setting. An accurate SKS has an effective range of over 300 yards, and would be better suited for protecting a farm or something. It's also quite effective on vehicles.

My own 54 Tula has the bayonet, which could potentially make it better in an urban setting, but the length it adds when extended also hampers maneuverability in tight spots.

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My vote goes for a good handgun or short shotgun like the Mossberg JIC for urban home defense.
 
The SKS for be an excellent choice. If you must use deadly force,. for your personal protection the SKS will work fine.
 
I have a Norinco Para SKS as my go to home defense rifle. Shotgun and pistols are also on hand. I live in a very rural setting.
 
Thanks everyone for the feed back, I'll definitely be informing him about the concern of over penetration. We do live in a suburban area, so it would definitely be something he'd need to consider.

How difficult would it be to find a Russian SKS? I heard from a few people on another forum that they are a little hard to come buy. The Chinese and Yugoslavian variants tend to be a bit more prolific when it comes to shopping around, or so I've been told.
 
How difficult would it be to find a Russian SKS? I heard from a few people on another forum that they are a little hard to come buy. The Chinese and Yugoslavian variants tend to be a bit more prolific when it comes to shopping around, or so I've been told.
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They're around, but not in real quantity. You'd need to find one for sale by an owner.

SKS availability is subject to imports, and those seem to be pretty well at an end. The Chinese models are no longer allowed to be imported, and the last nationality sending them over in any real quantity was the Yugoslavs, and those seem to have dried up (five or six years ago, they were available for about $140 for a pristine example... they seem to now be over double that). If you want one, you can probably find one, but it means scouring sites like Gunbroker. The Chinese variants are likely more plentiful than the Russians, but they're also in much the same situation- only available used with prices climbing.

I wonder how long it will be before pretty much any decent condition SKS costs as much or more than a Romanian AK... they're getting pretty close to that point. A quick peek at Classic Arms' website shows several AK variants at just under $500. The batch of rebarreled Yugo SKSs AIM Surplus just got in are at $379, so that difference is narrowing FAST.
 
I'll definitely be informing him about the concern of over penetration. We do live in a suburban area, so it would definitely be something he'd need to consider.
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The overpenetration concern can be dealt with by proper ammo selection, though you have fewer options in 7.62x39 than you do in 5.56x45 or 7.62x51. For example, this Hornady 123gr Vmax out of 18.5" barrel penetrates 15" of bare gel. For comparison, the Hornady TAP 147gr .357 Sig pistol round penetrates 20.5" of bare gel.
 
Anyone know what would be an acceptable price for each variant of the SKS? The going rate on gun broker seems to be at least 280-300+
 
Thanks everyone for the feed back, I'll definitely be informing him about the concern of over penetration. We do live in a suburban area, so it would definitely be something he'd need to consider.
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Please do!!!

My paratrooper would easily zip through 12 inches of pressure treated telephone pole...
An untreated 2"X4" wouldn't have a chance.
 
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