SKS?

[carguychris]

Now you C&R people got me confused. If I mod a C&R weapon, it is not longer C&R compliant, that part is clear. But, does that have any practical consequences other than I need to transfer it via FFL if I want to sell it?

Let me try and clear up all of the issues regarding C&R status and the SKS in one fell swoop.

1) There are three basic ways a firearm becomes C&R-eligible: (a) the type can be listed in the ATF-published C&R book, (b) the individual firearm can be over 50 years old, or (c) the individual firearm can be certified by a museum curator or other expert as having some sort of special historical value. (The third one can be ignored for the purposes of this discussion.)

The ATF-published C&R book lists the following SKS variants as C&R-eligible:

• Albanian, 1964-1978
• Romanian Model 56, 1956-1962
• All Russian-built rifles from the Soviet regime
• Yugo M59 and M59/66, 1947-1992

Since all SKS rifles made in Soviet Russia are listed in the book, their age is irrelevant; they are all C&R.

Also, note the absence of Chinese Norinco rifles from this list. These are the most commonly encountered non-C&R SKS's.

2) C&R license holders are legally FFLs and enjoy some, albeit not all, privileges enjoyed by dealers. The main privileges are the ability to buy and sell C&R firearms directly by mail order, the ability to buy and sell C&R rifles and shotguns out of state without doing transfers, and the ability to bypass the NICS check when buying a C&R firearm from a dealer. Note, however, that these privileges only affect transactions involving C&R-eligible firearms.

3) C&R status is essentially meaningless to non-licensees (i.e. non-FFLs) in all ways except one- if you modify the gun in some irreversible way, you may ruin a gun's C&R status and lose the ability to legally sell it to an out-of-state C&R holder without a dealer transfer. For a relatively cheap and readily available firearm such as an SKS, this will effectively eliminate most C&R holders from the list of potential buyers, because they won't want to buy a $250 SKS from you and pay $50-$100 for transfers when they can buy an unmodified $250 SKS from someone else and only pay $10-$25 for shipping. This can eliminate a lot of potential buyers for your gun since C&R licenses are relatively easy to get.

[carguychris]

Also, regarding the original question, if the OP is more concerned with having a functional, accurate rifle than having an authentic-looking military piece, I would choose what's behind Door #3.

A new Saiga.

Compared to the WASR, you get the same action, but without the quality control and accuracy issues that plague many WASR rifles. You lose the pistol grip and the ability to use cheap surplus mags, but both of these problems can be easily and cheaply corrected via the aftermarket.

Compared to the SKS, you will be getting a brand-new rifle with the capability to accept detachable mags and a decent scope rail without requiring serious modifications. (The cheap and common receiver-cover-mounted SKS scope rails won't hold zero.) LNIB Russian, Yugo, and Norinco SKSs can be found, but their price will usually exceed a new Saiga.

[General Disarray]

*Since all SKS rifles made in Soviet Russia are listed in the book, their age is irrelevant; they are all C&R.

Ah, I did not know this; thank you. I wasn't aware they were on the list. Thanks, I learned something new today.

Thank you also for clearing up the issues of modding C&R's. That was really the point as it's irrelevant whether it is one or not, you devalue them and make them non-compliant if you alter them like switching out stocks, etc.

Ditto on the Saiga suggestion.

[Technosavant]

Now you C&R people got me confused. If I mod a C&R weapon, it is not longer C&R compliant, that part is clear. But, does that have any practical consequences other than I need to transfer it via FFL if I want to sell it?

Depends on the gun.

For most, that is pretty much the difference.

For the Yugo 59/66, it makes the gun illegal to possess, since it, in its original configuration, is an imported nonsporting rifle as referred to in section 922r. You would have to remove the nonsporting features (bayonet, night sights) and then change out a certain number of parts (four or five, IIRC) in order to bring the number of imported parts down to ten or less.

That is one reason why I caution against trying to turn the SKS into a poor man's AK. Depending on which SKS you are using, if you aren't careful you could end up with a rifle that could get you jail time if the ATF ever decided they wanted your hide on the barn door for anything.

[Ignition Override]

At "SKSboards", you can find dedicated forums to the Russian, Chinese, Albanian etc, among many other categories.

Have you compared the feel between the two types?