Thoughts On Buying SKS & It's Usefullness & Rifles in General

N

No1der

New member
I'm new to the forum but not to guns. In any case, I have an oppertunity to buy an Russian made SKS for right around $500. It's being touted as "Like New" but that could mean a lot of things.

I know ammo should not be a problem for it but what about the price being asked for the rifle itself?

I'd like one because it's basically the gun that won the world but I don't have any idea where I could even fire it around here so I guess it would be more of a collector piece that can be fired at any time.

So, any thoughts on this purchase/price? I know that with recent developments everything has some serious price gouging going on with it.

Anything else in that price range that folks like better? New/Used, doesn't really matter to me as long as it's in good condition. I wasn't really in the market for a rifle but since this one sort of fell in my lap (so to speak) I thought I'd bring it up here.
 
D

Dr Big Bird PhD

New member
Did you find this "like new" sks on the internet or in a gun store. If you can physically touch the weapon, confirm its quality, and don't have to pay for shipping/transfer, then thats a really good price. Just looking on gunbroker for 2 seconds popped up mostly chinese sks's for 600+
 
D

doofus47

New member
500 for an SKS is way too much. They are often under 400 on Gunbroker anymore.
500 for a collectible russian is normal, or for an M or D model Norinco makes sense. If you're just looking for a solid, vanilla SKS, 400 is a bit high, but reasonable.
 
T

Technosavant

New member
$500 for a Russian SKS is a touch high, but not all that bad. Way better than $400 for a Yugo, which seems to be the case right now. The Russians are the nicest ones.

The SKS is a very serviceable rifle. Very reliable, very tough to break (you don't hear much about spare parts for the SKS for a good reason). Reasonably accurate... not a benchrest competition gun, but plenty good enough for hunting and defense. It's an easy gun to shoot with mild recoil. Ergonomics can be iffy, it's often compared to a 2x4 in that respect, but as a 2x4 is nothing to be laughed at in construction, the SKS is not a right to laugh at either.

With stripper clips you can learn to keep the thing fed just as fast (if not faster) than many detachable box magazine rifles.
 
N

No1der

New member
Yeah, the SKS is a workhorse. It will function under most any conditions and is very dependable.

I'm getting from you guys that it's not an outrageous price.

As far as all the details about who is actually selling it? Well, that's a bit dicey since it's being sold from a neighboring state, around 70 miles from me, so I did come in contact with the individual via the Internet.

I'm waiting on an email response to some questions I posed to him so hopefully I'll know more shortly. Maybe it'll be my Christmas present to myself. We'll see and I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks for giving me such solid info to go on.
 
S

Shotgun693

New member
I killed several deer with'm. They are very reliable. If you can get the rear peep sight it helps. For 95% of anything you might need a semi-auto rifle it'll do. In a combat situation there are more modern guns that will work better. They are heavy for a carbine. If you think of one as a .30-30 in semi-auto you'll have a good grasp on what they are.
 
N

No1der

New member
I killed several deer with'm. They are very reliable. If you can get the rear peep sight it helps. For 95% of anything you might need a semi-auto rifle it'll do. In a combat situation there are more modern guns that will work better. They are heavy for a carbine. If you think of one as a .30-30 in semi-auto you'll have a good grasp on what they are.
Click to expand...

Good to know and thanks for the info. I think I won't get a reply from this guy till tomorrow but it sounds like it could be a lot of fun. It is a historic weapon in it's own right.
 
N

nate45

New member
I've had a couple of Russian made SKS's for years and years. I just have them sort of set aside and don't shoot them much. However, whenever I have taken them out over the years, they always preformed well and shot accurate enough to do the job with their open sights. The US Government should have bought them back when they were really cheap and issued them to any non-felons that wanted one.
 
H

Hairbag

New member
The Russian sks usually command more $$$ The yugo sks are rock solid guns for a lower price. Is it a all matching numbered sks? Just be careful there are alot of bugger up sks's out there. Never fired does not mean the barrel is not all rusted up. Re-think that ammo comment every internet online dealer I checked today is out of ammo cheaper than dirt had some brown bear left that I grabbed today and I bet it's all gone now. It's getting bad. Fear sells. If you buying a sks start looking for stripper clips you have no idea how valuable they are going to become VERY SOON. Alot of you folks are out of touch with recent sks prices they have been going up up up over the last few months. $500 for a nice Russian sks is the current market value maybe more! I picked up 2 yugo's from Wideners online with all matching numbers for $319 each They sold out in a week. Here is a pic of one.
 
Last edited:
N

No1der

New member
Hairbag, excellent points all of them. I certainly will not be handing over $500 until I see this gun with my own two eyes first.

The idea of this thing, though I'm not sure what they heck I'm going to do with it, is kind of growing on me.

That weapon has a mystique to it. For me it does anyway as it really has been used in every single corner of the world by everyone imaginable. There's a reason for that, it's a heck of a gun.

Nice looking rifle. If this deal doesn't work out for me and you ever feel like parting with that one, please let me know.
 
R

Rifleman1952

New member
I'd be hesitant to pay $500 for an SKS, unless it was something really special. As far as their usefulness...at a more typical price point of between three and four hundred dollars, it's a lot of gun for the money. A well made SKS is built like a tank. Mine is quite accurate out to 200 yds. It was manufactured in 1964. I've owned it for almost 20 years and it still runs like it was brand new. With the right ammo (Hornady, Doubletap, Corbon) the SKS can be an effective hunting rifle for up to medium size game. I put a Bushnell red dot scope on mine and have improved accuracy even more. Many aftermarket accessories available for this gun as well.
 
N

No1der

New member
So it's a decent hunting weapon, built like a tank, and I can likely find it cheaper if I look around a bit more. Is that about the long and short of it?
 
C

chris in va

New member
I had a Yugo with the stupid grenade launcher crap on the barrel. Made for a very awkward gun. I tried in vain to remove it. The Russian version doesn't have all that and is arguably one of the best examples, so $500 wouldn't be unreasonable. I bet if you showed up with $450 in cash they'd take it.
 
N

No1der

New member
Thanks, I'll just take it easy and not give my "hand" away and see how much I can bring him down on price. To my knowledge this one doesn't have the grenade launcher and I don't think I'll be adding one.
 
P

Pilot

New member
I have two Russian Tula Arsenal (most common) SKS's that I bought in the mid 90's for around $100 each. They were an absolute STEAL back then. I prefer them to the AK pattern rifles as I find them a bit more accurate, and easier to shoot for me. With a rubber butt pad extension the LOP is fine for me as I have long arms.

$500 is a bit high, but with the way things are going it may not be that out of line. See if you negotiate down to $400. The Russians are worth a premium.
 
R

Ricklin

New member
SKS ROCKS!!

Great gun. I currently have two, a Chinese, and a really nice Russian I keep in the back of the safe.
I have a folder (922R compliant) with red dot, it does yeoman service on the back deck of my fish boat.

Nothing beats a SKS on a saltwater working boat.

I had a chance in the 90's to buy 10 Russian SKS's @ 89 bucks each, I only bought three, and I still have one. I made gifts of 2 of them. Sure wish I had a few more now.
 
S

stu925

New member
I paid $345 for my Yugo OTD in Feb. Russians definitely are not getting cheaper, actually none of them are. I don't think $500 is completely out of line although I would try to get him to come down as much as possible. Last gun show I went to there was only one dealer with SKSs and AKs, Russian SKSs were priced around $700 although I don't know if he sold the 2 he had, he had Yugos priced at $450 too. You won't regret buying an SKS they're a lot of fun. My Yugo is reasonably accurate (4" at 100yds with factory irons). Try to talk him down but if he won't budge you won't get hurt on it at that price.

Stu
 
S

scottd913

New member
So it's a decent hunting weapon, built like a tank, and I can likely find it cheaper if I look around a bit more. Is that about the long and short of it?
Click to expand...
simple answer ...yes

I'll add my two cents ... i truly love mine, it is a 1954 Russian sks and it is as true as my first wife was lol...its a little off but you can hit with it just fine:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top