SKS with bluing gone...bad?

[Starslinger]

[echo1]

The only SKSs with any concerns about the barrel are Yugos. They weren't chrome lined, thus CAN/MAY have issues. But generally, most any SKS is going to be a shooter, regardless of appearance. The 2 major look out points are sear engagement (positive, negative...drop check) and firing pin channel cleanliness (rattle check). I have a bunch, what's you got for trade? PAX

[Full Clip]

If you're buying a shooter, not a collector piece, then it's fine. Use it to get the price down. Keep it oiled and stored properly and it will not rust.
Just look at the bore and make sure it's not a sewer pipe.
If the serialized parts (bolt, receiver, dust cover, magazine, trigger pack) are not correct, try to get price further down.

[Starslinger]

I have a Browning BPS 12 gauge I’m looking to trade. With both 26” and 18.5” barrels, a +2 mag extension and Picatinny rail clamp. Very nice only 11 months old and $700 invested, but I’ve discovered that shotguns aren’t my thing. I have a bunch of flite control buckshot and frangible slugs too. Any interest in a shotgun, echo?

[mosinnagantm9130]

Keep it oiled and it wont rust. I have a few milsurps that have very little bluing left, and they don’t rust. I keep them well oiled, in a safe with a dehumidifier in it, and I don’t have rust issues.

[93chipper]

You could always re blue it, with a sks you have to remember that it has to have a fixed magazine it cannot have a detachable mag, make sure that cosmoline is cleaned out of the bolt if cosmoline is covered in the firing pin and it makes it stick it will result in a run away until the firing pin becomes free the values on sks are generally the chinese are the cheapest Yugos are in the middle and Russians are on the top of the price range also if you get a Russian there will be a number on the front of the sight it will be 1-3 1 is the highest condition where 3 is like a service grade

[thetruecheese]

its not a remington it'll be fine, they call that a nice patina\

the SKS bolts are 'in the white' on chinese SKS not hard chromed. They almost never rust. The metal is highly rust resistant under normal handling conditions, whatever it is. I've had blued areas rust before the bolt, go figure.

[Harry Ono]

Slam fires are an issue with SKS. Therefore be sure to buy Murry's firing pin.

https://murraysguns.com/sks-firing-pins/

[plumbum]

As long as you keep them free of moisture, you’ll be fine with that ‘lived-in’ look. Hard to go wrong with any SKS, just avoid overpaying too much.

I had a VZ-24 that looked like it was boiled in sewage and dragged behind an interstate AmTrack - bore was fine and shot really well.

[CheapBloke]

You could always re blue it, with a sks you have to remember that it has to have a fixed magazine it cannot have a detachable mag, make sure that cosmoline is cleaned out of the bolt if cosmoline is covered in the firing pin and it makes it stick it will result in a run away until the firing pin becomes free the values on sks are generally the chinese are the cheapest Yugos are in the middle and Russians are on the top of the price range also if you get a Russian there will be a number on the front of the sight it will be 1-3 1 is the highest condition where 3 is like a service grade

I heard yugo sks are worse when compared to chinese

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[kcheung2]

If you see one for sale and the blueing is mostly gone, then just move on to the next one. The supply of decent-condition examples may be finite, but they're not rare.

Classic, Atlantic, etc sold a bunch this past summer & the condition of the metal ranged from fair to very good, with many in the "good" range. Plus since most of them sold in the net $400 range, that pretty much puts a ceiling on Chinese SKS prices for the next few years.

[blackrat]

Slam fires are an issue with SKS. Therefore be sure to buy Murry's firing pin.

https://murraysguns.com/sks-firing-pins/

From what I understand the slam fires were from them being so cheap and readily available that people bought them not even knowing what cosmoline was, let alone how to properly clean it. All the SKS I've picked up have had the bolt caked in cosmoline, a sure bet for a slam fire, but just throwing it in some boiling water for a minute or so cleans it right out. I'd go that extra mile and totally disassemble the bolt with a punch to make sure its totally clean but unless you want totally piece of mind I don't think the spring kits and such are necessary. To each their own though, I know there's been fatal accidents due to slam fires and get that some people don't trust them.

[wpage]

Truth...

Good point...

From what I understand the slam fires were from them being so cheap and readily available that people bought them not even knowing what cosmoline was, let alone how to properly clean it. All the SKS I've picked up have had the bolt caked in cosmoline, a sure bet for a slam fire, but just throwing it in some boiling water for a minute or so cleans it right out. I'd go that extra mile and totally disassemble the bolt with a punch to make sure its totally clean but unless you want totally piece of mind I don't think the spring kits and such are necessary. To each their own though, I know there's been fatal accidents due to slam fires and get that some people don't trust them.

From one extreme of a rust problem to cosmoline (rust preventer) causing another..

[Starslinger]

Thanks for the replies folks. Good info!

[kcheung2]

They're back in stock again:

https://www.classicfirearms.com/chinese-sks-rifle-762x39/

At $340 + all fees, it will be around $430 net & you know you'll be the first one in this country to have fired that gun. Just gotta be prepared to clean cosmoline.