School me on the SKS

[chadio]

Bought a shorty SKS approx. 10 years ago, $349. Norinco...

It had a duckbill detachable mag, immediately took that off and went back to the trap door. Had a bipod mounted on the bayo lug, took that off and put the bayo back on. Had a cheese grater upper handguard, put a wood one back on. Added an extension to the butt, to add l.o.p.

Did not buy as an investment, just to shoot. Family and friends really enjoy my SKS, as do I. Personally, I think they are among the coolest looking of rifles.... Also, the SKS / AK history is interesting to me. Took me a loooong time and many rounds to really feel the trigger: very long, soft stage, then there is a very subtle shelf...

Since I got the AK a couple years ago, figured might as well buy a case of Tula before it dries up. Think I paid $399 for 1K

Next time I have the safe open, I'll grab a photo...

 

[JohnKSa]

It was cheap to make and not designed for accuracy, but to be able to unleash 30 caliber rounds downrange.

As far as accuracy goes, the general consensus is that a good SKS will outshoot a good AK. They really aren't that bad as far as accuracy goes.

 

[HiBC]

I'll agree my SKS shot pretty decent for military ammo.

Seems like the Simonov design (I might be wrong) but wasn't it first applied to an "Anti-Tank" rifle along the lines of the 55 Boys? Maybe a 12.7?

An SKS version of a Barrett light 50? I think that gun may have predated the SKS rifle. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Wag]

As far as accuracy goes, the general consensus is that a good SKS will outshoot a good AK. They really aren't that bad as far as accuracy goes.

This has been my experience as well.

--Wag--

 

[Ignition Override]

The standard-length SKS has a longer “sight distance” than the AK.

Sidenote: About seven years ago a tough-looking female militia soldier was guarding some Ukrainian prisoners with her SKS. In the Donetsk region iirc.

And her bayonet was extended, just in case..

 

[Doc TH]

SKS

The SKS does what it was intended to do pretty well. It achieves acceptable 1940-1950's era military accuracy with relatively inexpensive and adequately powerful ammunition. The internal magazine limits reloads, but also eliminates problems with lost, damaged, unreliable or costly external magazines. The weight makes recoil negligible. The forged receiver (all Russian models) is virtually indestructible, and the rifle as a whole is very robust and simple to disassemble and clean. And most have chromed chambers and barrels - years before we distributed the first M16's in RVN - without that feature.

 

[44 AMP]

I find it somewhat amusing when people say Soviet military designs are cheap, or cheaply made, implying low quality overall.

People who say such things don't have a good understanding of the Soviet system or their design and manufacturing philosophies.

Cheap to make? sure, you betcha! Communists don't pay cash to make things in their system.

Generally speaking Soviet equipment is decently or even well finished, where they feel it needs to be, and less so, or not at all, where they don't think it matters.

Guns, and other things designed and made to be operated by conscript armies, with less education and technical experience than many other nations, and particularly in the WWII era.

For some things the Soviets strive for superior, but for most things, they go with adequate over excellent. The SKS is quite good at what it was meant for. Reliable (in original configuration), Accurate enough to meet their standards, durable and rugged enough to survive and remain functional in very adverse conditions.

A lot of the stories of inaccuracy are not the rifles as much as poor quality combloc surplus ammo.

In the SKS you have a somewhat light, somewhat short 10 shot .30 cal semi auto with almost the power of a .30-30 Winchester and general accuracy good enough to hit men at up to 3-400 meters if conditions allow.

Not a bad rifle for tank riding infantry shock troops, in the late 40s.

 

[JohnKSa]

There's a saying attributed to Voltaire: "The best is the enemy of good." Often translated: "The best is the enemy of good enough."

Supposedly this saying really struck a chord with some higher-ups in the Russian military.

 

[44 AMP]

A quote attributed to Patton goes something like this "almost any plan, executed today, beats the best plan, executed tomorrow."

Many, many others (mostly but not exclusively military leaders) have expressed the same idea in differing ways over many centuries.

Soviet military equipment, from boots to jet planes, subs and tanks, focus on what they consider the military essentials, and everything else takes a back seat, if it gets a seat, at all.

Sometimes they go so far it actually degrades the efficiency of operation. Not so much with small arms, which are pretty simple systems, but it does sometimes happen.