preBan Chinese SKS even trade for AK?

[hansg/Ups]

I have a preBan Chinese SKS w.folding bayonet,20 round fixed magazine and fixed Choate stock;it has been minimally fired and has been in the safe for the last 15 years.
Any guess whether it's worth an AK clone[7,62x39] and spare high capacity[30 round] magazines?
I don't have a photo of it.
I may take it to this weekend's Rochester,New York gun show.
Thanks for the help.
PS I forgot to mention that I bought it new,had it cleared of the cosmoline,I still have the original stock.

[jlwilliams]

  My guess is you may have to kick in a little more to get a trade.  On the other hand, there is sort of an AK glut on the market right now so it's hard to say.
 
  I'd check out Survivor's SKS forum.  Prowl around there and you'll get a feel for how desirable your particular SKS is. 

[Airsporter]

I have a Chinese SKS in "unissued" condition - purchased in the early 90's.  I valued it at about $375.  I have another Chinese SKS in excellent condition that I modified with a choate folding stock and an 'extra' hi-cap mag.  I would probably value it at $275. 

[MSP Ret]

I agree with the above. I have an SKS I aquired with a Choate folding stock and an aftermarket removable high capacity magazine. Those changes really lowered the value of the SKS. I was finally able to restore it to is proper condition with original parts. To often guys try to "improve" thier older guns and end up ruining them, or at least  (hopefully temporarily) reducing thier worth and value. Good luck on the swap. I would be very happy if I could find someone to swap or trade mine with for a shooter quality AK....<><....

[mcwoodduck]

Why not change the SKS into a SKS-AK.
There are trigger group kits that allow you to use AK mags in the SKS.  I think the $100+- and an hour in the garage swaping out some parts.  A few minutes on the internet looking for parts, or the classifides here may get you the end goal you want. A Semi auto detachable magizine 7.62X39 rifle.
A pistol grip stock and you are 95% there.  Other then the ability to use a stripper clip on the SKS and the location of the safety the two both fire the same round, cyclic rate is about the same in semi auto, both are piston gas systems both have similar sights.
The SKS gives you a larger bolt handle to grab onto.  The blade or spike bayonete can stay or can be removed and the mounting point can be used for a bipod or with some creative metal or plastic work, a flashlight mount.  There may be one out there already.

[jlwilliams]

  If you are going to make an SKS jam, detachable magazines are the way to do it.  Converting to AK magazines is doable, but not as easy as it may seem.  IMO, an bone stock SKS is a way easier sell that will get you closer to buying an AK then you will ever get my modifying an SKS.  The more mods you do, the more money you spend on an SKS, the less reliable it becomes and the less money you can get for it.
 
  Having a lightly used, mostly closeted SKS; I'd try to find the original fixed magazine and put it back on.  Sell the aftermarket mag on gunbroker to get a couple bucks.  The gun with an aftermarket mag is worth less than the gun with the original, and you get a few bucks more for the other mag selling it separately.
 
  So many SKS rifles have been hacked and Bubbad that stock ones are getting hard to find.  Guys aparently want to be the first to mess their gun up, so they pay extra for an original then spend hundreds at Tapco making their rifles unsellable and undesirable to anybody but themselves.  That's fine if it's what they want.  If what you want is an AK, the stock SKS brings you closer to buying what you want than you will get by spending more money on what you already have.
 
  If you want an SKS that takes AK magazines, the Chinese made two models that do that.  They are the SKS-M and the SKS-D.  They cost about what an AK does.  If you want the longer barrel and the bigger cocking knob, that's a way to go.  They have many model specific parts.

[Savage]

  If you are going to make an SKS jam, detachable magazines are the way to do it.  Converting to AK magazines is doable, but not as easy as it may seem.  IMO, an bone stock SKS is a way easier sell that will get you closer to buying an AK then you will ever get my modifying an SKS.  The more mods you do, the more money you spend on an SKS, the less reliable it becomes and the less money you can get for it.
 
  Having a lightly used, mostly closeted SKS; I'd try to find the original fixed magazine and put it back on.  Sell the aftermarket mag on gunbroker to get a couple bucks.  The gun with an aftermarket mag is worth less than the gun with the original, and you get a few bucks more for the other mag selling it separately.
 
  So many SKS rifles have been hacked and Bubbad that stock ones are getting hard to find.  Guys aparently want to be the first to mess their gun up, so they pay extra for an original then spend hundreds at Tapco making their rifles unsellable and undesirable to anybody but themselves.  That's fine if it's what they want.  If what you want is an AK, the stock SKS brings you closer to buying what you want than you will get by spending more money on what you already have.
 
  If you want an SKS that takes AK magazines, the Chinese made two models that do that.  They are the SKS-M and the SKS-D.  They cost about what an AK does.  If you want the longer barrel and the bigger cocking knob, that's a way to go.  They have many model specific parts.

Sage Advice!!
The SKS is a decent little carbine on it's own. Keep it stock, it'll run forever. If you want an AK, there are lots of clones out there that can be had in the 300-350 range.
Savage

[hansg/Ups]

couple of quick questions re the above observations:
-where is the "SKS Survivors"forum?
-any recommended[re reliability&price]AKs?
If I'm going to lug 9.5 lbs with a 20 round magazine,I'll go with a FN FAL[metric],not a SKS.I'm looking for a high capacity detachable magazine firearm in: 7,62x39.Perhaps this irrational,but it's my perspective at this point in time.The only long term modification of an AK that I might consider=Smith Enterprises Vortex flash suppressor-but then I use flash suppressors even on sporting rifles.
 
 

[jlwilliams]

Survivor's SKS board is .......   http://www.sksboards.com/
 
  "Survivor" is the screen name of the board's owner.  It's a good forum for people into the SKS rifle.  I was really into those rifles for a while and posted there regularly.   I had a bunch of them over the years but have thinned down my guns quite a bit.  Only kept one SKS. 
 
  There are so many AK rifles out there right now that it's hard to keep up.  I know Arsenal makes a line of good US made guns that are said to be the cream of the crop and are priced accordingly.  Saiga offers real Russian made guns but they are imported in a 'sporter' configuration.  If you switch it over to the conventional pistol grip configuration you have to add a bunch of US made parts and that drives the cost of conversion up a bit.  Still, they are high quality Russian guns available in 7.62, 5.45 or 5.56 caliber.
 
  Most people I know who have bought AK rifles recently have bought whatever they found in the local gun shops that were set up with their choise of stock/ accessories, etc.  They aren't all the same, but they are pretty close.  The key with AK rifles (and SKS rifles for that matter) is condition.  Some countries of origin are said to be better or worse, but the only factor that really seems to matter is condition.  A real Russian that's rode hard and put up wet won't be one bit better than a Romanian with low round count that's been kept clean dry and lightly oiled.
 
  The Chinese and Egyptian AKs are said to be very desirable.  There are bunches of Romanians on the market for way less money and I hear of only happy shooters who bought them.
 
  Again, if what you want is a shooter, shop for condition.  Country of origin only seems to matter when you go to re-sell.  Re sale is always a consideration, but it may or may not be your first consideration.  Only you know how important that is to you.
 
  That SKS board has an active AK section.  Theres quite a bit of Zombie apocolipse/shtf/eotwawki BS talk there, but you can sift through and find lots of good shooters information.
 
  Hope that helps.