Help getting first SKS

[BrokerB]

Sure..if you want to double the cost of the rifle- saiga. A SKS is mych better looking too. Wood and bayonet are sexy. Black plastic saiga looks like a bad chinese counterfeit ak

Triggers are horrible and rifle too heavy? People need to do some pushups or something. These rifles were used in war with great success. By 110lb Asians.

[Lucky Scott]

Wow, mad because of a $50 dollar repair. I will now bad mouth all SKS rifles for decades, of course, after I throw in the "Back in the day they were only........" reference. Wish all my gunsmith repairs cost $50 bucks.

Hey, not everybody loves the old SKS. They are not for everybody. Some of us guys like the old crudely made military stuff.

[2761377]

Yup that's how I bought it - I believe it is albanian

Albanian stocks extend all the way to the gas port. and, all are inletted for spike bayonet.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

All this SKS love. I bought a Russian SKS back in the 90's at a gun show. The darn thing would slam fire. I was mad that I had to pay a smith $50 to fix a $129 gun. It was as new as could be in a nice cardboard box at the time, but it was still a crudely built weapon.

1) If your SKS was slamfiring, there was an obstruction in the firing pin channel. Either cosmoline, fouling, or excessive lubricant working its way in there. Blame poor maintenance, not the firearm. Many people "clean" and field strip their SKS rifles but skip disassembling the bolt because it is somewhat of a PITA and there are some small parts that can get lost. But it is mandatory to do from time to time.

2) The premise that the Russian SKS was a crudely built weapon is complete nonsense. Virtually every part is heavy machined steel, overbuilt, and expected to perform with little maintenance. Part of the reason the SKS got shelved so quickly as a first line infantry rifle is that it was expensive to build compared to the AK. A garden variety stamped AK is far more crude than any SKS, more difficult to shoot accurately, and in some cases less reliable. I have owned AK's that would not feed HP ammo. All of my SKS rifles have fed every type of ammo effortlessly.

[rkt88edmo]

Well, if you are going to say you bought an SKS in the 90s for around a hundred bucks, you also have to mention that you could get 1,000 rds of wolf for another hundred but it would probably have been that wonderful lacquered green wolf :O

[Danodog]

Wow, mad because of a $50 dollar repair. I will now bad mouth all SKS rifles for decades, of course, after I throw in the "Back in the day they were only........" reference. Wish all my gunsmith repairs cost $50 bucks.

Hey, not everybody loves the old SKS. They are not for everybody. Some of us guys like the old crudely made military stuff.

Back in those days, I wasn't making a great deal of money. That was half the cost of a Swedish Mauser to put it in perspective. That $50 represented about 40% of the guns value at the time. I can laugh at it now as my ammo orders have been $400 lately. Different point in my life where disposable income is more readily available.

[Danodog]

1) If your SKS was slamfiring, there was an obstruction in the firing pin channel. Either cosmoline, fouling, or excessive lubricant working its way in there. Blame poor maintenance, not the firearm. Many people "clean" and field strip their SKS rifles but skip disassembling the bolt because it is somewhat of a PITA and there are some small parts that can get lost. But it is mandatory to do from time to time.

2) The premise that the Russian SKS was a crudely built weapon is complete nonsense. Virtually every part is heavy machined steel, overbuilt, and expected to perform with little maintenance. Part of the reason the SKS got shelved so quickly as a first line infantry rifle is that it was expensive to build compared to the AK. A garden variety stamped AK is far more crude than any SKS, more difficult to shoot accurately, and in some cases less reliable. I have owned AK's that would not feed HP ammo. All of my SKS rifles have fed every type of ammo effortlessly.

1. I had a defective gun. The gunsmith who worked on the rifle had to order a part. I don't remember what the replaced part was, but it was an hours worth of labor and the mystery part. I wish I could remember. All I know is the thing scared the hell out of me when I pulled the bolt back and it slam fired without pulling the trigger. It happened every time I tried to chamber a round. The new part took care of the issue. That is all I remember.

2. It might have been overbuilt, but the fit and finish was awful.

I don't have a problem with anyone defending an SKS. It just wasn't the rifle for me.

[mosinnagantm9130]

1. I had a defective gun. The gunsmith who worked on the rifle had to order a part. I don't remember what the replaced part was, but it was an hours worth of labor and the mystery part. I wish I could remember. All I know is the thing scared the hell out of me when I pulled the bolt back and it slam fired without pulling the trigger. It happened every time I tried to chamber a round. The new part took care of the issue. That is all I remember.

2. It might have been overbuilt, but the fit and finish was awful.

I don't have a problem with anyone defending an SKS. It just wasn't the rifle for me.

Most gunsmiths, especially that long ago, find anything other then good old 'merican guns to be a complete mystery.

Slamfiring on an SKS is a common enough problem, and 99% of the time it's due to improper maintenance.

[Danodog]

Most gunsmiths, especially that long ago, find anything other then good old 'merican guns to be a complete mystery.

Slamfiring on an SKS is a common enough problem, and 99% of the time it's due to improper maintenance.

Considering that I take apart all my weapons to learn about them and my anal track record of keeping them pristine, I doubt it was a maintenance issue.

[major burnout]

And why is a Saiga not good? Is a Wasr better?

If you can identify what makes c&r firearms good you will beable to identify what makes saigas not good.

[I Swan]

If you can identify what makes c&r firearms good you will beable to identify what makes saigas not good.

So an AK47 type rifle made in the Russian factory is an inferior gun? I guess all the people that buy and build off Saigas have some really crappy guns. Yes I realize a Russian SKS is probably better made. But that is like saying a Garand is better than an AR. Not the best comparisons.

[major burnout]

So an AK47 type rifle made in the Russian factory is an inferior gun? I guess all the people that buy and build off Saigas have some really crappy guns. Yes I realize a Russian SKS is probably better made. But that is like saying a Garand is better than an AR. Not the best comparisons.

All kinds of good stufff comes from russian factories. Like.....

[BrokerB]

Inexpensive ammo

[I Swan]

All kinds of good stufff comes from russian factories. Like.....

Like ... Russian AK's and SKS's.

[BrokerB]

IL2- LA7 ..two sweet rides