Yugoslavian SKS as a home defense rifle?

I'm not sure what an "acceptable" price would be on a Chinese or Yugo SKS, but to be honest, after owning a Russian, I might not want any other variant.

The Ruskies are definitely getting harder to come by, and the last show I was at had some in worse condition than mine for $500-650.

That being said, $250-500 sounds about right for a good non-Russian variant these days. I'll have to look around some more...
 
Quality soft point 7.62x39 rounds penetrate about the same as most self defense JHPs or 00 buck so the overpenetration issue is the same as most other rounds. Hopefully, your friend will hit the BG and it won't be an issue. SKSs are good home defense weapons, especially if used in a 'safe room' where moving through the house wouldn't be required. In that instance, a handgun or SBR would be optimal IMO.
 
home defense in order of preference and inportance.... And this is from lessons learned from my actual experience with needing to defend my home.

and here they are In order of importance and preference;

1. good dog.
2. 2nd or 3rd good dog of a differing age. (i'll explain If need be)
3. good lighting
4. pistol
5. shotgun
6. rifle


I understand the need to ask about a rifle as some citizens may not have the right or have not been afforded the right to own a pistol, but are not excluded from owning a rifle.

I am most serious about the dogs....if you live in a place in which you cant own a dog, move to a place that you can.
 
I am not a ComBlock nut but, for the money, the SKS is the best gun you can buy...

...and bury.

It is more than OK as a gun for a man and his family to have to defend their hearth and home. But, as others have mentioned, today that means you retreat and hide in your bedroom until the last second before you are all slain and THEN you might be allowed to consider defending yourself.

That is why a shotgun, a 20 ga. in your and your wife's case, is preferred with #4 buckshot.
 
What about loading the 7.62 x 39 down to more reasonable indoor levels, with perhaps a FN (30-30 style) or HP round? Would that be a problem in court or would it be seen as it is—an effort to do only reasonable damage because of less penetration?

I was wondering about Trail Boss pushing 150grs @ 1100fps in that cartridge as a HD application. Then also having some more potent stuff on hand for what that rifle was designed for—land/property protection for when the zombies show up after the apocalypse?
-SS-
 
concerns

My concern would be over penetration, 7.62x39 is a round known to go through thin walls, cars (excluding the engine), ect. Please remind your friend to keep in mind where a a stray or overpenetrating round goes could be somewhere other than the intended target, in which case you are responsible for any collateral damage. I would recommend either a .38 or .40 with glaser safety slugs.
 
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A rifle is really a silly concept as a SD/HD gun. You may be restricted to handgun access due to where you live but you can buy a shotgun and rifle all the same and shotgun is hands down better for HD/SD unless you are being engaged by your enemy from more than 50 yards away...not happening in today's world.

Also, dont buy the JIC or anything with a pistol grip on a shotgun. Unpleasant to shoot. Buy your standard short barreled shotgun with a standard stock and be merry(and safe). Load it with #4 buckshot or bigger, bigger meaning lower numbers. Counter-intuitive I know.
 
I'd also agree that over-penetration would be a real concern. I know it can happen with most any firearm, but it would seem to me that there would be even more of a chance of it with a 7.62x39. Plus, maybe I've been reading too much Ayoob, but I'd also worry about the "assault rifle" stigma. Sure, we all know that the SKS is not an assault rifle, but thanks to our liberal media, plenty of prosecutors and judges out there think otherwise. Personally, I'd opt for a shotgun or a handgun. I know that pretty much any gun can be painted as "evil" by such people, but why make it easier?
 
over-penetration may be a problem as the round goes thru your neighbors house...opps sorry.. You do have a bayonet you can shis-ka-bob with...
 
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I wouldnt hesitate to use it if it was all I had. I think I would opt for a 12ga pump over an SKS though personally.

My preference is the AR15, but that is a whole other ballpark $$-wise...
 
body armor is getting more common everyday and used by criminals more often than ever. So there is a better reason than ever to use a rifle carbine in a bottleneck cartridge.
 
No for home defense yes for range fun. The 762 can go though two or three walls of Sheetrock if it doesn't hit a few studs. Family behind walls or out a window and hit your someone next door. A shot gun or hollow point pistol rounds, you don't want to over penetrate. Shotgun is the best a rifle is to much power for home defense
 
I have a Yugo sks that i bought years ago for a brush gun while deer hunting. The thing is like carrying a fence post around, heavy and long. Not ideal for fighting in close quarters inside.

My advice is a pistol grip 12ga pump loaded with your choice of shot and a good auto pistol with ambi safety and mag release in case you have to go weak hand.
 
Kimio:

Back in March-April of '08, I scoured Gunbroker a few times a week and the price for a typical, nice Norinco was around $270-300. There were more than a few listed at those prices.

Keep in mind how many months that was before the pres. election, and in context about three years later, the prices for these very available Norincos doesn't seem bad, except that you must add about $60-90 for shipping and FFL transfer. You might check "SKSboards.com".

A guy in my state who had an ad on "THR" wanted to get rid of his (he is a "shotgun man"), which was in excellent condition, and we closed the deal behind a McDonalds in April '08. Many of them at our gun shows have been ridden pretty hard. People at gun shows here usually try to sell their worn-out Norinco classics or "Paratroopers" first, and maybe nice Russians.

Can you attend a decent gun show so that you don't have to trust a distant seller's words, and can avoid the extra costs?
 
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Lets simplify, you get 10 rounds of 7.62x39 to shoot the bad guy, you have a stabby thing to poke the bad guy and you have a smashy thing to brain the bad guy all in one weapon. It's a slightly better option than a mosin.
 
if u live in the boonies with lots of poperty (think ranch/farm) and want to defend ur property then yes sks will be good. but in a suburban/urban situation, no way. go for a pistol, or maybe a shotgun.

IMHO a .45 (or other subsonic round) with a mounted light and a supressor if they r leagle in ur neck of the woods. Firing a weapon indoors w/o hearing potection will seriously frag ur hearing. and most people wont be looking for earmuffs when they hear a bump in the night
 
A 10/22 semi auto with high cap mag if legal in your area firing high speed hollow points would be a better choices as a cheap indoor defensive weapon than an SKS. A 22 is relatively weak but deadly when used with skill and effective agains an unarmored BG. Also a 22 is a cheap weapon with which to become proficient. Large pigs and cows are dropped dead every day with a high speed .22 LR cartridge. A stinger round would have the least penetration and most likely only make an entrace wound and not an exit with roughly the power from a rifle as a 380.

A pistol caliber carbine if one wants a long gun would be a bit more effective choice than a 22. A 357 lever loaded with 38 hollow points or a 44 mag carbine loaded with 44 specials would be relatively quiet and about as effective as a .357 from a short barrel. Ruger had a semi auto PC9 and PC4. I recommend them highly if you find them. Marlin had a camp 9 and 45 that are good but not as reliable.


If your friend won't shoot much to become proficient a shotgun is a decisive fight stopper inside a home for self defense. It is however loud, but less so than a rifle round. 410 with buckshot, 20 guage with bird or buck, 12 guage with bird or buck will all work wonders on changing the attitude of an attacker. The larger two guages will probably end a fight with one blast of buckshot.

The most powerful semi auto I would even consider for an idoor defensive weapon is a 30 carbine shooting hollow soft points. The only one currently avaialable is a the KAHR arms reproduction and the only load that is a hollow point is made by Winchester. These also cost $700+ and are not the ideal defensive weapon.


22, 20 guage, and 12 guage ammo is everywhere and weapons are relatively cheap.
9mm, 38, 357 and 45 auto are about as common as dirt.

A home defense gun is idealy a powerful short range weapon and not one of intermediate or long range due to the danger to bystanders.

A 7.62x39 round is just too powerful and will zip through your assailant and the wall behind him and potentially several houses depending on the structures encountered such as particle board and sheet rock rather than 2x4s, water heaters, bricks, cinder blocks etc.

Responsible gun ownership means behaving responsibly with guns. I believe using a 7.62x39 for home defense in an urban setting could be construed as reckless disregard for the life and property of others should you hit an innocent person. You also could be villified in court as having used a particularly deadly "assault rifle" because the media and average person doesn't really know the difference between assualt rifle and an SKS. rc
 
A 7.62x39 round is just too powerful and will zip through your assailant and the wall behind him
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Nonsense. It might do this depending on how your home is constructed and what type of 7.62x39 ammo you use. There are several types of ammo that will penetrate the same as rounds you recommended though. Whether an SKS will overpenetrate is almost entirely a function of proper ammo selection.

and potentially several houses depending on the structures encountered such as particle board and sheet rock rather than 2x4s, water heaters, bricks, cinder blocks etc.
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I'm curious under what circumstances you see any 7.62x39 round penetrating "several houses?" Are we talking Japanese style homes with rice paper walls here?

On a related note, since several people appear to believe that 7.62x39 is too dangerous to use in self-defense due to overpenentration, here is a link to a test of drywall penetration. The shooter set up three interior wall sections using 5/8" drywall with a stud every 16". Walls were spaced 10' apart with the first wall being 5' from the firing line. The only rounds tested that were not capable of penetrating all three walls were: .223 Fiocchi 40gr VMax, .223 Winchster Ranger 55gr softpoint, .223 Hornady 60gr TAP, .223 Winchster Ranger 64gr PowerPoint, and Magtech 90gr .380 FMJ (stopped in the first 5/8" sheet of the third wall).

The following rounds penetrated all three walls: Federal 230gr .45 FMJ, Speer 115gr 9mm Gold Dot JHP (the 9mm actually missed the third wall entirely; but was capable of penetrating), Wolf 7.62x39 FMJ, .223Hornady TAP 55gr, Winchester 12ga 00 buckshot.
 
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