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Old December 17, 2012, 08:11 PM   #1
moisanfan11
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sks vs. ak47

Just curious on operation differences, accuracy, and reliability. Also. some history on both.
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Old December 17, 2012, 08:51 PM   #2
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They shoot the same ammo. SKS has a fixed 10 round mag, some extended mags can be adapted kinda. AK uses removable mags up to and including drums. AK was originally a select fire gun, the SKS semi-auto. SKS came out during WWII, AK 47 in 1947. The SKS was used, generally up until and during the Viet Nam War. The AK is still in use world wide. In my experience the SKS is a much better shooter but slower to reload.
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Old December 17, 2012, 09:00 PM   #3
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With stripper clips the SKS reloads pretty quick. ;-)
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Old December 17, 2012, 09:08 PM   #4
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See thread for reference:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/show....php?p=2106960
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Old December 17, 2012, 09:56 PM   #5
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I have both and give the SKS an edge for shootability and accuracy. The longer sight radius helps on longer shots and I find the SKS is better balanced. The big advantage to the AK is detachable magazines, but that's not an issue for a utility/plinking rifle.
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Old December 18, 2012, 12:19 AM   #6
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I also have both and not sure which I prefer. It's like which one of your children do you like the most?
Having said that, it does depend on which manufacturer of each gun you are referring to. I had a Yugo SKS with a very nice trigger, but all the grenade stuff on the end of the barrel was kind of too much. The gas valve was something that required a lot more care and feeding than I cared to give.
(put it away dirty and you'll spend quite a while just taking it apart in order to clean it, next time you shoot)
I have a Chinese now I like better in most respects, but the trigger needs to be tricked out to match the one I had in the Yugo. The Chinese is shorter and has a chrome lined barrel the Yugo's don't have.
My AK is a WASR. the overall shorter length and reduced weight adds to the versatility of it compared to most SKS's, plus it also has the chrome lined barrel. The WASR's come U.S. compliant with the Tapco trigger which puts every SKS trigger I've ever used to shame.
The stock SKS lacks a lot of the cool factor of the AK, including the pistol grip.
These are just my opinions, of course, your mileage may vary.
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Old December 18, 2012, 12:57 AM   #7
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My Yugo wouldn't feed Wolf hollowpoints, jammed on the chamber face. Something chrome colored flaked off inside the firing pin channel and jammed the sucker solid. I sold it and got a Saiga...which I sold and got my AR.
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Old December 18, 2012, 01:41 AM   #8
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I owned an SKS 20 years ago, wish I wouldn't have sold it now. It had the folding stock, spear bayonet, 30 round mag. It was accurate, fed anything and was fun to shoot. Only issue was realoading, didn't know what stripper clips were back then. Now I have an AK47 varient. Only been to the range once so far. I'm not used to the close sight radius but I plan on a red dot soon. The AK looks cool, easy mag changes and you can customize it more.

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Old December 18, 2012, 06:34 AM   #9
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To reiterate a point I've made here before using this borrowed picture, the AK sight radius is just as long as this Colt AR's.

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Old December 18, 2012, 08:42 AM   #10
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I prefer the ergos and shooting my Russian SKS (with rubber butt pad extension) over my AK's. They just feel better in my hands, and I believe a bit more accurate, although it is close with my AK-74's.
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Old December 18, 2012, 12:42 PM   #11
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I haven't shot an SKS, just handled a few of them. In my experience though, the Ak is a fun range toy. It can be a blast. I've shot 2 AKs so far, own 1. The rifle is a bit awkward without a longer stock but I'm bigger than most. So, I bought a pistol. Mine is a Century Draco, not one problem so far. Plan to get a single point sling and a red dot to make shooting much more accurate. I think the SKS would be great to own too. When I bought my AK, an SKS was $350 and a Mosin was $100. Almost bought those 2 instead of the AK, but I'm glad I didn't.
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Old December 18, 2012, 02:18 PM   #12
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I can personally shoot a sks more accurately and they are cheaper than aks as well. I kept my sks, sold my ak and plan on getting an AR
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Old December 18, 2012, 02:32 PM   #13
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I'll take my SKS

Quote:
In my experience the SKS is a much better shooter but slower to reload.
You folks are kind of talking around some good points about the SKS. If I shoot an AK-47 type with 30+ round mags next to an SKS with stripper clips, I can out-shoot the AK. I can keep on shooting the SKS and not worry about having to stop and load mags. God forbid that I would ever have to do so but In an emergency, I'd prefer the SKS. .....

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Old December 18, 2012, 07:04 PM   #14
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If you could find one and afford it the SKS Paratrooper Model takes AK mags.
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Old December 18, 2012, 07:20 PM   #15
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SKS -v- AK

If there is a significant advantage to the AK it gets lost in the civilian market because the full auto capability is gone.
I prefer the SKS for two reasons, first is the SKS is easier to shoot from the prone position and second as stated above no happy switch, for me at least.
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Old December 19, 2012, 05:04 PM   #16
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So when you do your comparison of how long to fire 50 rounds downrange, keep in mind the time lost for the AK driver to carefully aim, squeeze, and hear a click. Then start reloading.

This is because he can't possibly know he has already fired all the rounds in the weapon.

The SKS shooter, on the other hand, knows when the bolt locks back on an empty weapon. Not a bad thing for a soldier to know, either.

I still can't see why the British Commonwealth (their version of the FAL), the West Germans (The H&K G3) and the Soviets (AK-47) thought it not worthwhile to have a bolt lock back on empty. And then the Finns, Israelis, and South Africans bought that concept with their versions of the AK.

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Old December 19, 2012, 06:03 PM   #17
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Buy both I did! Picked up 2 yugo sks all matching numbers and cleaned her up. I'm going to the range fri with my son and nephew we can't wait! I bought mine from Wideners all matching numbers for $319 before the unfortunate recent events. Keeping my Arsenal AK47 and 74 stored for "safekeeping" and the Sks's for plinking. (if we can still get ammo!) BTW good luck in finding any assult rifle EVERYONE is selling out fast!
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Old December 20, 2012, 05:50 AM   #18
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SKS is more accurate. It is descended from a different lineage of weapons technology than the AK47. It is also highly reliable if it is a Chinese or Russian version.
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Old December 21, 2012, 12:20 PM   #19
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I prefer the SKS for anything I will do with it. 10 rounds is plenty for shooting coyotes, or plinking, which is what I use mine for. The Kalashnikov is a neat historical firearm, it is very reliable. They are both fun to shoot.

I just like a more traditional hold on a rifle, rather than pistol grips. The AK is a $50 rifle that sells for a thousand, the SKS is a $600 rifle that sells for $400.

I like them both.
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Old December 21, 2012, 02:00 PM   #20
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Quote:
I still can't see why the British Commonwealth (their version of the FAL), the West Germans (The H&K G3) and the Soviets (AK-47) thought it not worthwhile to have a bolt lock back on empty.
When I carried a G3 I just loaded a tracer as the next to the last round to chamber. It worked fine for me. I would have preferred that it lock open when empty.
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Old December 21, 2012, 08:30 PM   #21
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i have a norinco sks that takes AK mags....dead on accurate with the iron sights. love it!!
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Old December 21, 2012, 10:04 PM   #22
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I own a SAR-1 AK and a Romanian SKS. I much prefer shooting the SKS. It's much more accurate and has less muzzle climb.
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Old December 22, 2012, 01:55 AM   #23
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If you are going to hunt or shoot with any degree of accuracy then get an SKS. If you just want a more expensive way to burn through ammo then get an AK.
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Old December 22, 2012, 02:50 AM   #24
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The only "military" or "assualt" type rifle I own is a SKS. It is a chinese with the Tapco stock and detachable mags. Very dangerous looking. It came with the wood stock and fixed mags. I swapped out the black plastic for the wood and metal and it doesn't look nearly as evil. I wonder if it shoots faster the meaner it looks.

Anyway, since everything seems to be gone and I already had quite a few detachable mags I ordered another SKS from Buds last night for $329.00. figured it was still a relatively good price for a good gun and know I have one I can keep evil looking and one I can keep not as dangerous with the wood stocks

And if you have or want an SKS with detachable mags. Go for the Tapco 20 rounders. I have a few and have never had an failure with it. This week I ordered a ProMag 30 and 40 rounder during the "panic". The Promags do not have as good of a rep as the Tapco, but most people seem to like them. Almost everyone has sucess with the Tapco. They are foolproof.

The detachable mags do not take any real modification. Just remove the fixed and the "duckbill" mags fit right in. Sometimes they are "tight" and hard to get in the first few times, but that will work itself out. The only down side I see to the SKS detachable mags vs an AK is you have to have the bolt open to insert or remove the mag. (there is a fix for that that involves a little modification, I have not done it)
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Old December 22, 2012, 07:49 AM   #25
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Quote:
If you are going to hunt or shoot with any degree of accuracy then get an SKS. If you just want a more expensive way to burn through ammo then get an AK.
I'm not sure how your rifles shoot, but this is how my AK shoots with Tula steel-cased ammo and stock iron sights...

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