Rate your SKS'

[SKSer45]

No rules and can give as much or little explanation as too why Updated as of 2/24/2012

1. Russian- Because they created it, produced it, and comrade Stalin would shoot me if I didn't put it as number 1. RIP Comrade Simonov and thank you!

2. East German Karabiner SKS- Because having a stock/sling that looks like an 98k Mauser is just too cool.

3. Chinese- Because the Chinese listened to their Neighbor, produced millions of them all the way into the 90's. Chrome lined barrel, cheap fake wood, shortcuts and spike bayonets never looked and felt so good. Not to mention it can shoot accurately and run with the big boys.

4. Romanian- Typical eastern block garbage however shooting my Mutt Romy I have new respect for this little guy. Ugly, tough, and heavy on the eyes but its so ugly its pretty and it can shoot with the top three. Moved up 5 places.

4. North Korean- So rare to find yet such garbage when it comes to material and how it was produced. Not a shooter but certainly a collectors golden egg. Saw one go for 7,000$!!!! That's some money for an SKS.

5. Vietnamese- similar to above but the jungle stock gives it a nice touch. Nam bring backs with papers make this one worth wild. PM SVT for porn on this.

6. Polish/Egyptian- Refurbed Russians/Chinese that have been re stamped with the Countries marks. Nothing special about the rifle but a nice collectors item if you can find one.

7. Albanian- Similar to Chinese but gas system/hand guard is longer, magazine is different shape and poorly made. Serious amounts of trouble due to its poor manufacturing. However being nick named "july 10th' Rifle adds some cool points Also AK style Charging handle.

8. Yugo SKS (59/66) worst of the worst. In fact some people fight over the fact that it shouldn't even be called an SKS. Made out of stamped steel junk and or milled, gas valve that is un-reliable, and no chromed barrel. Yugo gives the SKS family a black eye and that's with the grenade launcher. Not to mention you have to alter the g/l here in Cali so you don't go to the gray bar hotel. Side note; Who cares if it has papers! still a POS rifle

[Ergo the Qualmed]

I own a Yugo, and i'm fairly certain it is not stamped...seems entirely milled to me

[SKSer45]

I own a Yugo, and i'm fairly certain it is not stamped...seems entirely milled to me

ahhh you got the 10% that were actually milled. Id hang on to yours....

[Full Clip]

ahhh you got the 10% that were actually milled. Id hang on to yours....

Wow, my Yugos must be worth a fortune, because they are all milled!!!!!
Actually, the OP has his facts wrong. The Chinese made the only stamped SKS, and very few of them, and they are rare. The Yugo models are all milled.

[SKSer45]

Wow, my Yugos must be worth a fortune, because they are all milled!!!!!
Actually, the OP has his facts wrong. The Chinese made the only stamped SKS, and very few of them, and they are rare. The Yugo models are all milled.

Actually no Chinese made tons of Stamped SKS' especially the 80's and 90's SKS aka, "french tickler" versions. My 67' /26\ Milled carrier group but Stamped Bolt and receiver all matching numbers . My /6666\ matching numbers is also stamped. Only one I have milled is my Chinese Paratrooper but that is a part SKS that has been refurbed.

[mls343]

I own 3, and here is how I rate them -

# 1 - Chinese manufactured bring back from Vietnam/Cambodia in 1970 before they were popular. My Father found it in a cache site in Cambodia. My first and favorite SKS bar none. It is no safe queen as she gets used plenty. Yes, I still have all the capture documents as well as a few of the original rounds my Dad brought home for me.

# 2 - Russian, Tula, rework. Bought in 1990, and gets to go backpacking with me a couple of times a year. Kind of my go anywhere do anything weapon. Great shooter.

# 3. Chinese Norinco purchased new in the late '80's. Doesn't get used as much as the above two, but it works just fine. I have no reason why I don't use it more with the exception of using the others first.

BTW - on all of my SKS's, I have never had even one misfire, failure to feed, or any glitch at all. A very reliable platform that is a true work horse. No, I have never had a Yugo nor have I shot one...

[Full Clip]

Actually no Chinese made tons of Stamped SKS' especially the 80's and 90's SKS aka, "french tickler" versions. My 67' /26\ Milled carrier group but Stamped Bolt and receiver all matching numbers . My /6666\ matching numbers is also stamped. Only one I have milled is my Chinese Paratrooper but that is a part SKS that has been refurbed.

According to "The SKS Carbine" by Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer, the stamped receiver SKS are very rare and were only made by the Chinese as an experiment. Of course, if you know better than the guys who "wrote the book on SKSs"...

If the ChiComs did make "tons" of them, perhaps others can chime on on how many they have seen or own.

[oftenindeed]

I have always heard that Romanians were built to be quite good copies of the Russians although I never confirmed it anywhere. I've shot one pretty extensively. Other than a gritty trigger, which can be worked out, I was pretty pleased. It seemed like a fine rifle. I've not handled some of the other ones you've mentioned. What specifically makes the Romanian rifles so bad in your eyes?

[bohoki]

the russian ones are best obviously but the chinese ones work just as well they made a spike bayonet cause the russian blades snap and the chinese blades bend if you can bend the spike the barrel bent first

[C&Rtrader]

you might be better creating 2 rating sets... one for conductibility.. one for "shootability."

for the price a romanian sks (with a kivaari trigger) is one hell of a gun. Bash yugos all you want but when cabelas had them on sale for $199 a few months back.. that is one heck of a shooter..

just a thought. you are kinda comparing apples and oranges otherwise

[laika]

The Romanians seem at a par with the Russians.

My Yugo is one of my favorite firearms of all time. Accurate, reliable, I can shoot it for half a day at the range and it keeps going strong. I don't get the Yugo hate personally. I have a Russian also but I love me some Yugo SKS.

It doesn't have a chrome lined barrel. I don't hear people complaining about that with their uber expensive M1A's, which I hear also don't (I wouldn't know).

That's why I keep mine clean.

I would love to see an Albanian, they are so unique.

A shameless plug for the SKS in my avatar! Don't discount the Yugos as junk.

[Vlad 11]

8.Romanian- Typical eastern block garbage.

Whatever, my Romanian shoots circles around my Russian

[JAGGUY]

The Romy's are very close to the Russian but most are very well worn.
The M59 Yugos are good too except for the lack of chrome bore.
The earlier Chinese with the screwed in barrel are close to the Russian in quality but the later pressed barrel Chinese use cast sight blocks and other cast parts instead of milled and just aren't the same quality. However they seem to shoot just as good as any so.....

The Albanian are more rare but the machining is pretty crude compared to the rest and some collectors won't shoot them due to poor construction....

[Ergo the Qualmed]

I heard the Yugos were built somewhat more solidly to deal with the added recoil from firing a rifle grenade, though that could be FUD. I know mine is a tank, and i've used it in a CMP match with great success.

As far as the gas tube issue, i haven't had any issues, though I can imagine the selector is a point of failure.

[SKSer45]

The Romanians seem at a par with the Russians.

My Yugo is one of my favorite firearms of all time. Accurate, reliable, I can shoot it for half a day at the range and it keeps going strong. I don't get the Yugo hate personally. I have a Russian also but I love me some Yugo SKS.

It doesn't have a chrome lined barrel. I don't hear people complaining about that with their uber expensive M1A's, which I hear also don't (I wouldn't know).

That's why I keep mine clean.

I would love to see an Albanian, they are so unique.

A shameless plug for the SKS in my avatar! Don't discount the Yugos as junk.

Yes I have to agree as far as shooters go they are great, in fact all SKS' are great shooters. However that is to be expected as well as reliability.

Yes I know I am trolling on Yugos and I will till the day I die. Reason being is because the valve system it drives me nuts. They took something that was excellent to begin with and decided to change it. That change right there destroys the Yugos par with other Sks'. To fix one and deal with that valve problem is such a pain in the ***.

Now don't get me wrong I love Yugo (ie Zastava Arms) weapons especially my m24/47 and m47 Mauser Rifles. Not historically significant and not German 98k type but damn fun to shoot, reliable and my shoulder hates it lol. Which is why makes me so mad that they did this to SKS'