Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

I had heard that these were the ancestor to the AK's, and were actually quite good at the time. Does this seem like a good deal to anyone, or are these the going prices? I am assuming that model 1945 stands for the year it was made or introduced? I will be hopefully able to physically look at it sometime early next week. Any info would be appreciated. Oh, how easy to find is the ammo for this? 7.62X39 Thanks

http://www.dantesports.com/en/specials.pdf

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Is that 260$ CAD? Either way, sounds about right. Course folks will tell ya when they bought em for 69$ USD not that long ago. Ive got one. Started with a yugo, and traded it for a chinese. Plenty of aftermarket options. Got a stock on mine, accepts 30rd mags. 7.62 is the most common cartrige in the world. Still fairly cheep to shoot the steel stuff. I say go for it. Buy two.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Well hell, I just paid 320 dollars for a Russian SKS. That is a good deal. Go for it. Ive had no problem finding ammo for it.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

A Russian MANUFACTURED SKS will bring a premiun... so maybe you didn't get robbed if that is really what you have.
OTOH.... if it's not..:hahaha:

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Thanks guys. So this model would accept a 30rd mag? aftermarket of course?

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

umm, don't you guys (canada) have mag capacity restrictions?

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

It will accept a special 30 round mag with minor modification .Normally comes with a fixed 5 round mag that you can use stripper clips with or handload .I had a chinese para model years ago .Good little gun.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

If I had a Russian SKS I don't think I would do any mods to it.


http://www.riflehq.com/sks.html

Cartridge 7.62 x 39 mm

Action Short stroke gas piston, tilting bolt, self-loading

Rate of fire Semi-automatic

Muzzle velocity 735 m/s (2,410 ft/s)

Effective range 400 m (433 yd)

Feed system 10 round internal box magazine, 10-round stripper clip-fed or individual round loading

Sights Hooded post front sight, tangent notch rear sight to 1,000 meters

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

The standard magazine which comes on the SKS is a 10 round magazine.

ALL, and I emphasize ALL, of the SKS magazines offered as aftermarket replacements are pure junk which are not only a PITA to deal with, those POS will get you hurt, including those 30 round mags made in China.

There is a single exception to this and that is the 20 round fixed steel SKS magazine made by Norinco/the PLA. These are no longer imported, they originally sold for $30, and they sell now on gunbroker.com routinely for $60-70 when they show up there. You can identify this Norinco 20 round SKS magazine by the embossed star on the side and often have 'Made in China' or 'Norinco' stamped on the bottom.

If your life depends upon the reliability of your SKS, then don't be screwing around with crap magazines.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

You're right ,I had forgotten it was a ten round cap .:15_1_70v: I had it back in the 80's . I don't remember having any problems with the 30 round clip I installed on it. I do remember it liked to double fire every now and then .

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Those Chicom 30 round steel mags for the SKS may function 'ok', however many people are under the mistaken impression that those mags are intended to be detachable. They're not, they're intended to be fixed, and a huge 30 round mag hanging of the bottom of a SKS really hampers the handling of the SKS in the field as a MBR.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Heres a vid I found for the op showing the install of 30 rounder :

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Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

For the op ,sorry let me try that again .

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Mine is 1952 Tula made, has a 15 round fixed mag. Looks like the original to me.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

I Just got a Norinco(SKS) from a member on this board. Got back from the range today and am incredibly happy with it. Wolf ammo can still be found cheap if you do some searching and they really can take a good beating.

The biggest reason the AK replaced it was the larger ammo capacity and ease of production. Many people will tell you that they find the SKS far more accurate and comfortable to shoot(I like both platforms myself, very much).

I am very happy I got the SKS and some detatchable mags. TAPCO reportedly makes the best detachable mags and I havnet heard bad press about them.

My suggestion is if you get the rifle, get used it with the factory fixed 10 rounded and grab a Tapco or two and test em. If you find them reliable to stake your life on, great. If not, then you can just have them for fun at the range.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

The SKS is not an ancestor of the AK 47--They are completely different guns that use the same ammo. The SKS was Russia's first assault rifle, and was loosely based on the German model that invented the genre. When the AK came out, the leaders realized a superior assault rifle had been released. However, production on the SKS did not stop, as they were fine weapons for export, and for home guard soldiers.

FWIW, I prefer the SKS.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

FWIW, I prefer the AK

Not dogging the sks at all ......

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Nah, the Simonoff SKS is actually a scaled down later version of a Russian early WWII shoulder fired 3 shot semi-auto anti-tank gun that fired a round about 40% more powerful that a USA 50 caliber. Plenty well built.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

I have never heard of any sks owner refer to it as a Simonoff.Thats a given.Sounds more like a wiki response .

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Here is the thread on my SKS custom build: http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=358108

Here are the mods EVERY SKS owner should do (if you aren't collecting it for historical value, but want it to be practical):

1. Kivaari trigger job
2. Buffer Technologies recoil buffer
3. Murray's spring-loaded firing pin
4. "Drop-free" bolt modification (to change aftermarket magazines with the bolt closed)
5. Tapco 20-round magazines (work flawlessly - about the same size as an AR 30-rounder)
6. Tech-sights narrow front sight post (better MOA sight picture)

Those are the best functional mods you can do. The gun in my thread was intentionally over the top -- trying to recreate the SKS as a modern scout rifle.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Thanks for all the great info. will post if I do buy it.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Thanks for the tip. I found a DIY thread on the SKS board and modified my bolt so I can #4 with my #5.

I put a scoutscope mount on mine with a red dot along with the Techsite rear sight, just in case I need to take the scope off.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

What is/how do you do, the "Drop Free" bolt modification. That was the only real annoyance I had with the detachable mags was not being able to change them with the bolt closed.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Basically it requires the removal of material from the lower rails from the bolt. It took about 15 minutes with a dremel tool. Pretty simple if you are willing to do some grinding.

As detailed here: http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=51024.0

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Thanks! I may pick up an extra bolt and try it on that. My sks has all matching serial numbers so I want to leave most of the original stuff intact and experiemnt with extra parts.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

If you do swap bolts, you might want to double check headspace (or have your gunsmith check it). I had to do some "tweaking" to adjust short headspace on a Chinese SKS I bought umpteen years ago. It had bolt/bolt carrier that didn't match the serial numbers on the rest of the weapon.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Yes, as Im reading that seems to be a real issue with this particular firearm in swapping bolts.

How did you tweaks your to adjust for short headspace. I have a norinco with all matching and REALLY dont want to screw around with the original bolt.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Fedorov Avtomat - the first assault rifle

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Okay guys, I don't mean to get nitpicky here, but the SKS is not the predecessor of the AK. Rather, because the Russians had some initial difficulties and uncertainties with the AK, they put the more conventional SKS* into production in case the AK didn't pan out. As we all know, the AK did pan out --very well-- which is why the Russians only produced the SKS for a few years.

To the OP,

If you want a beater/shooter/hard user SKS, I suggest going with a Yugo or Chinese. Both are very good quality, but have much less collector value than the average Russian SKS. If you want 30 round magazines, go with the AK. Don't try to make the SKS into something it isn't. :)


*Due to lack of full-automatic capability, the SKS is not an "assault rifle."

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

THe only correction Ill make is that people have been using High-Cap mags with the SKS with great success. It just takes a little modification, or buy a new TAPCO bolt.

I think the rifle in its original form is great, but there are some great aftermarket options out there. Of course, by the time you've put all the stuff on that I've seen some people do, you might as well buy a nice AK or AR.

I like my SKS and about the only mod I think Ill make to it is the bolt mod so I can use the 20-30 round mags with the bolt closed, which greatly increases its 'combat' effectivness and user friendliness.

You can Also get SKS-D's and M's that use standard AK mags with no modding needed.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

I agree with you. I just figure that an AK is better for use with 20-30 mags since there are no annoying duckbills or (slightly) awkward mag releases to deal with.

I quite like this concept, but D's and M's are a bit hard to find and cost about as much as a decent AK. It's still quite an attractive rifle, though.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Yes the duckbills suck but I like the SKS over the AK because in a pinch I can "down mod" it by putting the original 10 round fixed mag on and pass the gun ban sniff test.

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

Good point. I think the ultimate solution to SKS vs. AK is both! :D

Re: Newbie Needs some quick advice on SKS 45
 

yes, having both seems to be the ideal. Now, if only I can get my wife to see logic :tongue_ma: