This SKS was the next gun that caught my eye. Historically, it was the replacement for the Mosin Nagant, but was barely used because the AK-47 got invented and took over as Russia's main go-to rifle. Many countries still use the SKS in ceremonial duties just like the US still uses the M1 Garand for the same purpose.
The rifle uses the same 7.62x39 cartridge that the AK uses. It's called an intermediate cartridge which, from what I've gathered, means that it's good enough to kill a guy but it's not as heavy and does not have the range of a full-powered cartridge. I personally like the feel of a full-powered one, but yeah in a war-like scenario, the more ammo you can carry, the better off you are.
The SKS has a bunch of aftermarket parts available for it which I, stupidly, got caught up in. In hindsight I should've just stuck with the stock rifle but all of the
options out there got the better of me. Here is a list of parts and why most aren't worth purchasing:
- Tapco T6 Stock - This plastic stock does the job if you have no stock at all, but it just doesn't feel right when you shoot it. It's very plasticy and does not provide a deep, secure *thud* that a wood stock gives. It's a good option if you're dying for a pistol grip, but if you've gone this far why not just buy an AK?
- 20-Round Tapco Magazine - Stock, the SKS has an internal 10-rounder; this works fine and should not be changed around. This 20-rounder has a duckbill front which makes it very awkward to switch out considering how the rifle was designed with the Bolt-Hold-Open (BHO) and the charging handle. I think it's a matter of ergonomics. It was not designed with the intention of a removable magazine and because of this it just feels odd using one. Also, I had to do a bunch of dremeling on the mag because it didn't fit too well in my Russian receiver.
- Buffer Technologies SKS Recoil Buffer - Pretty worthless. It muffles the sound of the bolt slamming against the back of the receiver, but it really doesn't help any. In my lifetime I don't think I could ever wear out the bolt to the point where it breaks the receiver and/or cover.
- Ameriglo SKS Type 56 Front Night Sight - You lose the ability to do small tweaks with the front sight because the Glo side is only on one. Also, since there are no SKS rear sights, having one glowing green dot is not going to help much at all.
- Murray’s SS SKS Firing Pin - This was the only part that was worth the money. You just can't trust that stock, floating firing pin...it's a very unreliable mechanism. Murray's feels solid and it works.
- Choate SKS Recoil Compensator - It did nothing to recoil, but it might be a flash suppressor. I wouldn't know because I don't shoot at night. One good thing is that it does stay on and will not pop off like other cheaper solutions, but again, it really doesn't do much except lengthen your rifle.
- Tech Sights .047 Dia. Front Site Post - I purchased this because I kinda screwed up the stock one trying to make it smaller with a file. Yeah...non-machinists should not be messing with rifle parts... Anyway, although it is much smaller than the original, it's a little bit too small. Functionality is up in the air too because the front sight adjustment mechanism of the SKS/AK is not an exact science. You have to "guess" to see if the damn thing is even moving. Because of this it really is not worth it to get a slimmer sight because it's highly doubtful that a normal person with that generic adjustment tool would be able to zero in on a specific position.
- ATI SKS or AK Sling - Not worth the extra money. The color scheme of black nylon does not go with the whole wood stock ensemble. Just find a real SKS sling for around $25 on the forums.
- Choate SKS Scope Mount - I did purchase but did not go through the installation of this. It would've been the most stable solution for mounting a scope or red dot on the rifle.
So here is the main thing I learned with my SKS. People shouldn't try to make it into a tactical rifle because you'll just end up spending a lot more money than you're supposed to and it'll probably suck when compared to another rifle that was built with those intentions. If you want to put a red dot on a rifle then buy one that comes with the damn rail already in place. No need to stress about leveling out a mount prior to drilling and tapping a few holes...again to the non-machinists out there it's way more work than it's worth.
In the end I went back to a stock rifle because that's the way it looked when it first caught my eye. I get better groupings with the SKS when compared to a Saiga and it was cheaper too. I'm still not sold on the cartridge size though. It's a great one to use when you're in a war but since I'm not...I'm still thinking about a Mosin in carbine form...namely the M38 or M91/59 since I don't want the extra weight of the M44 bayonet.
Another thing I discovered during my research was that all Chinese, Albanian, and most Russian SKSs came with a chrome-lined barrel. Yugoslavians don't come chrome-lined. I say most for the Russians because they started lining them sometime in 1951 which means that it is very likely the my rifle is not which sucks. So for those who are looking for a Russian SKS, get one dated 1952+.
One thing that I didn't like about the rifle was the trigger group. I had to take it apart to put in a USA-made trigger and it was all sorts of weird. Taking it apart was O.K. but putting it back together sucked. The AK-47 trigger group makes a whole lot more logical sense.
The rifle also has more parts than an AK. It has a much nicer feel in terms of shooting and the mechanics of it all, but if I needed something that more-so dependable, I'd still go with an AK for semi-auto.
Pros
Very good looking rifle with bayonet
Solid wood stock
Cheap ammo is not corrosive
Price compared to a quality AK
Cons
7.62x39 is comparably not that fun to shoot vs 7.62x54r
No built-in mount system
Horrible trigger group design
Top-loading + stripper clips = a hassle
Stripper clips might be lighter than mags but they feel flimsy
Too many parts
This film certainly felt like a low-budget one since there was really only one actor involved, but the space scenes could not have been done by a small production company.
