I hear alot of talk about the AK-47. I'd like to hear opinions on the SKS. I'm thinking of buying one and I havn't much about them.

Reliable, cheap, accuracy varies.

The biggest drawback of the SKS's are the tongued mags. You have to load them with a stripper clip.

There are some SKS's like the SKS-D that accept standard AK mags but they arent legit in slave states and last I knew their prices were going up approaching low-end AK cost.

It's a fine gun to have for any reason. Sort of like a commie Mini-30 that actually costs what a "ranch rifle" should cost as opposed to the over-inflated price Ruger charges. God, I hate Ruger.

Originally posted by tellmethen
I hear alot of talk about the AK-47. I'd like to hear opinions on the SKS. I'm thinking of buying one and I havn't much about them.

One of the toughest rifles ever built. Probably as tough as the M1 Garrand. The 7.62 x 39 cartridge is cheap, plentiful and somewhat underpowered -- I'm told it compares favorably to the 30-30.

Bottom line is buy it if you can get it at a reasonable price. Practice firing on the range like your life may depend on it. Stock up on ammo and spare parts. Now, not later.

i have an sks and an ak-47. both are very reliable and shoot 7.62x39 which yes it is very comparable to my 30/30. both are accurate i can hit bullseyes to about 100 yards with open sights. the sks is lighter but the ak i find more comfortable and a bit less recoil because of the weight. my sks doesn't have a detatchable mag so you have to use a stripper clip or hand feed it. usually an sks will be about half the price of an ak. after i have shot at least 10,000 rounds i think they have only ever jammed once in that time. if you get an ak you have to make sure the mags you buy while fit that gun- i.e. i have a chinese one and my bro has a romanian one and we can't use each others mags. only problem i have found is i reload and they wing the shells about 30' all over the place so you spend 1/2 a day looking for them and when you do find them they are dented from the action and hard to reload. but at least the ammo is cheap. don't buy corrosive ammo tho unless you expect to clean your rifle every time you shoot it (which is never a bad idea anyway). they are both very simple to field strip and clean tho. whichever you choose be sure to practice practice practice!!! good luck

the yugo models sometimes have a problem with there gas valves so if you get one make sure to replace the gas vlv with a CNC machined one ( cost around $25) othere then that theyre great guns and will serve you well


some people value the stripper clip method over the use of mags for the simple fact of you dont have to carry the extra mags and with some practice you can load the 10rd strippers pretty darn fast

Thanks alot guys, good info I'll try to return the favor

reliable and cheap! Look @ what it was designed for (ppl killer) if you are put in a situation of getting overwhelmed with ppl (ambushed) it would be hard to beat! (Great for spraying mass quantities of lead down range) But if it is needed for practical purposes such as hunting(yes it will kill a deer) it will not head shoot one @200 meters or would you be able to take small game, sorry I'm getting off topic.......
If it fits your needs, it is a good choice.......

I've owned several SKS,s,they are a very depedable and rugged rifle..Don't expect m.o.a. at 200 yards, more like 2in groups at 100 yards..make sure you get sight alignment tool...Also a company called rifle tech, makes a hi-cap. mag, that doesn't take 3 hands to put in,and in some chinese versions they make a 20 round fixed mag.. .You can get pretty fast with stripper clips

Originally posted by nwomi
the ak is a much larger bullet, but sks i much larger than and 223 and cheaper, but i would have to pick a 223 cuz of extended clips and velocity is much more accurate, then again the ak is much bigger bullet in size and would leave a much bigger exit wound than a 223 or sks, but the sks is overall a lager bullet than the 223. this would be my ranking

AK-47 and SKS both fire 7.62x39mm

It's an ok weapon. It will do the job. Especially if you're lucky enough to have some of that steel core ammo.

A better set-up is an accurate bolt action rifle for popping rotten melons from a long distance. Practice. Practice. Practice.
And a shotgun loaded with buckshot for when you get careless and the fruits sprout in too close.

Good bang for the buck. But... Still, with a bargin basement pricetag, not necissarily the best choice.

The AK's are a bit more (Russian, I hate Chinese), but far more durible and reliable. Both share accuracy issues.

i like the SKS cause you can just grab the gun and a bag of ammo and off to the woods ... makes a great truck gun .if i was on a budget and could only get 1 semi auto id deff go for the SKS and some ammo , total price would be around $300 for the gun and $225 for 1,000 rnds thats $525 total .still cheaper then an AK with no ammo .......as far as the steel core ammo goes ? .............. The steel alloy used by the Russians and other combloc countries as bullet cores is very similar in consistency to the lead it replaces . There will be minimal or no difference in penetration performance against hard targets
, cheap steel was used as a substitute due to lead shortages or something to that effect

The SKS is a nice, INEXPENSIVE weapon.

The general concensous is FORGET ABOUT USING REMOVABLE MAGAZINES. They do not provide reliable ammo feeding and are a ROYAL PAIN to insert (you really do need 3 hands to do it quickly). Stay with the stripper clips.

Get yourself a Chinese chest bandoleer. They will hold 10 stripper clips and are reasonably comfortable to wear and use (cost is about $10 - $15 including shipping).

Overall weight with 10 stripper clips is a little less than 3 30 round magazines.

The OTHER thing everyone fails to mention is "SLAMFIRE".
The firing pin in an SKS is free floating.
If it gets dirty, the tip of the pin will project slightly from the bolt.
When you let the bolt slam home (to chamber the 1st round), the weapon fires the round and then proceeds to fire the remaining rounds in a FULL AUTO MODE.

There are 2 ways to fix this.

1. THOROUGHLY clean the firing pin AND the firing pin chamber (regular and bristle type pipe cleaners work wonderfully for this).

2. Replace the firing pin with a "Murray's" firing pin (about $35). The Murray's has a spring on it that forces the firing pin to retract into the bolt.

I strongly suggest doing #2 and keeping the original firing pin as a backup.