I Got My First SKS the Other Day...

[Joshua M. Smith]

I got an SKS the other day...


Here's the SKS.  It looked good on the outside, just a little surface rust.  A couple dry patches revealed a bore that shined better than most I've seen, on any gun.

This is a Chinese made, pre-Norinco, pre-1989 carbine.  The importer, GLNIC, stopped business after the bayonets and such were banned.  I do like the fact that it's not a C&R as it's meant to be a part time defensive carbine as well as a replacement for my old coyote gun, which is an Mosin M44.

I loaded it up with the ammo I found, something called Hotshot that comes in commercial boxes packaged in "SPAM" cans of 700.  It weighs 123 grains and is made in Romania.  The package advertises that it's non-corrosive.

I immediately tested it.  Though it's FMJ, it blew up a water filled gallon jug in an impressive manner from 50 yards.  I'm beginning to think there's something to bullets which tumble...

After I got done shooting it, I brought it inside and cleaned it.  Take down was extremely simple.  I'd never messed with one before and it took me all of five minutes to field strip it.  I'm liking this.

I did get ahold of a number of stripper clips, took half out of their cosmoline, and left the other half in for future use.  I can load one about as fast as I can load a new magazine, and I'm not overly concerned about losing them should I need to reload in a hurry.

A few days later, I sighted in my SKS for Wolf hollowpoint in the black box.  While some say it's not as good as the bullet used in the Military Classic, I am questioning this.  According to the water jugs they perform admirably.

Anyway, this isn't a terminal ballistics test.

I needed to get sighted in at 50 to 100 yards.  Going prone, I found that I needed to move the impact to the right and up some.  That was strange as it shot differently while standing.  I figure prone with the rifle resting on its forearm is the more stable of the two platforms, so that's what I used as my final sight in.

I'm not a fan of how far I had to drift the front sight, but it works.


This is what I came up with at 50 yards.  There are two extra holes on there because I ran out of repair stickers and this was my last target.

Shots were taken by taking a deep breath, then another, then another - then squeezing the round off after I'd exhaled the third breath.

As I said, ammo was Wolf 122gr HP in the black box.  Not the most accurate, but I won't shoot US made ammo until I get a spring loaded firing pin, due to the softer primers.

I'm going to let this group stand as representative of what this carbine can do in my hands, unless I do something really spectacular that warrants posting.

I like that this thing has the power I need in a controllable, accurate package.

I would like the long trigger to return like a revolver's if I let up off of it, but the hammer spring's too strong for that.  As well, I'll probably fit an ambi safety sometime down the road as I'm a lefty, and I've got a peep sight on the way from Tech Sights so that I can center the front sight a bit more.

However, overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it. 

Josh <><

[Oldtimer]

I paid $80 for a Chinese SKS some years ago.  It was still in cosmolene and it took me some time to clean it out.  I did not expect to find much in the way of accuracy and was also pleasantly surprised by the results.  The weapon is tough as nails and about as simple as a claw hammer.  It looks like you got a real shooter. Congratulations!

[TNyoteboy]

I bought one back in the 80's before anybody around here has seem many. It was a Norinco and if I remember correctly it shot pretty good. Times changed and I felt like I needed something else and got rid of it.

[GRIMJIM]

I bought one many years ago for $85.00. Looks a lot like yours but i think mine was yugoslavian. Awesome and fun to shoot as well. You got a real shooter there.

I think most peoples complaints about wolf ammo center around the lacquer that wolf seals its ammo with tearing up the barrel. I haven't had a problem with it but I don't shoot it that often.

Congrats again.

I wonder if your bore is chromed, the one on my chinese ak was.

[Joshua M. Smith]

I bought one many years ago for $85.00. Looks a lot like yours but i think mine was yugoslavian. Awesome and fun to shoot as well. You got a real shooter there.

I think most peoples complaints about wolf ammo center around the lacquer that wolf seals its ammo with tearing up the barrel. I haven't had a problem with it but I don't shoot it that often.

They're using polymer now, on the black boxed ones.  Lacquer is still present on the "Military Classic."

I wonder if your bore is chromed, the one on my chinese ak was.

Yup!