AK or SKS - Page 3

GunXpatriot · October 19, 2013, 07:10 PM

Um... Depends. If you want a cheaper, half-"butted" AK such as a poorly milled WASR-10, you'd be better off with the SKS, as you'd experience a lot of issues with reliability.

If you are talking a higher quality AK, then it will be considerably superior to the SKS. But as you probably know, you'll pay far more for the AK. If you are in a state that restricts more than 10 rounds (I live in NY, so SKS it was for me because of the SAFE Act), but where an AK is still legal (No "AWB"), you could go either way as an SKS can also be modified to take detachable mags. Then, it would come down to, maybe, whatever you think is cooler.

But overall, if you are in an unrestricted state where you can buy an AK with full capacity magazines, go for it. Just know that for a quality AK, you'll have to pay. An SKS is a good alternative if you are lower on cash, and can be turned into an AK-esque rifle with detachable mags, upgrades to the stock, etc, but again, you'll rise to the cost of a decent out of the box AK. It would just be easier to invest in over time.

I'd say those are the main factors, as weight, pistol grip, etc, probably aren't as important to the average person.

Go for what you can afford and what you like. Heck, eventually buy both, they are interchangeable for ammo.

Just my .02, but I tried to sum up advantages and disadvantages for both.

Opinated · October 19, 2013, 09:00 PM

Now have found a fellow who has an AK for sale. The photos look good and the list of extras is impressive. Price is high but doable- cash flow has been good lately. But his schedule and mine do not coincide at all. So a deal may not happen. We'll see.

Opinated · October 22, 2013, 11:41 AM

Stopped in the nearest Gander Mountain today. The 7.62 x 39 ammo selection was just a very few boxes, perhaps 5 boxes total, two varieties of Winchester. One was 29.95 for 20 and the other was over 30.00. $1.50 + per round. Steep!

DubC-Hicks · October 22, 2013, 12:02 PM

Walmart has the best prices on ammo around here. $5.17 for Tula, $18.97 for Winchester. Cabelas, Gander, and Bass pro have crazy high prices.

tahunua001 · October 22, 2013, 06:01 PM

concur, sportsmans warehouse has pretty decent prices too if you have one of those handy.

triggerhappy2006 · October 22, 2013, 07:28 PM

Quote:

If you want a cheaper, half-"butted" AK such as a poorly milled WASR-10, you'd be better off with the SKS, as you'd experience a lot of issues with reliability.

What reliability issues have you experienced with the WASR-10's?

Yung.gunr · October 22, 2013, 11:48 PM

All I know is there is a decent amount of misinformation on here so far regarding AKs.
There are so many manufacturers of AKs (they are not really AKs and we are shooting ourselves in the foot by continuing to call them as such) that it is nearly impossible to make such general statements as have been made regarding quality and accuracy.

The best thing for you to do is to hold each and decide which type you like better. The Kalashnikov style rifle is so easily modified with such a huge aftermarket you really can change almost anything you don't like about your particular rifle. I don't know if the same can be said regarding the SKS.

End of my opinion regarding the matter, let there be more misinformation passed on as fact.

SR420 · October 23, 2013, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Yung.gunr

All I know is there is a decent amount of misinformation on here so far regarding AKs.

There are so many manufacturers of AKs

(they are not really AKs and we are shooting ourselves in the foot by continuing to call them as such)

seanc · October 24, 2013, 02:28 PM

What most people commonly refer to as an AK, is actually an AKM.

I agree with Yung.gunr. I like both rifle types and have owned both (and plenty of each kind) but now just have AKMs. This thread wasn't worth Fisking given how the OP began with the following:

Quote:

This topic may be worn out for many of you-- but it is new for me.

. That never gets old...

SR420 · October 24, 2013, 03:40 PM

The AKM is a gas operated, selective fire weapon, chambered for the Soviet 7.62 x 39 mm intermediate cartridge. It is 0.7 kg lighter than the original AK-47. Firing accuracy was slightly improved over it's predecessor, due to a hammer release delay device.

SOURCE

Mine is a type 56S, I call it the T56SHTF

Opinated · October 29, 2013, 10:33 AM

As already clearly revealed earlier in this thread, I am rookie with regard to the SKS (and AK47).
I saw a magazine for the SKS different from any others I have seen. This one is steel, not sure of the capacity, but 20 or more no doubt. Marked "DC Engineering Inc, Detroit MI". "SKS Clip, Pat Pending." the word "Clip" is their's,
not mine.
What about this magazine? Good? Bad?

Cheapshooter · October 29, 2013, 11:11 AM

Quote:

If you want a cheaper, half-"butted" AK such as a poorly milled WASR-10, you'd be better off with the SKS, as you'd experience a lot of issues with reliability.

What reliability issues have you experienced with the WASR-10's?

Not sure where he is getting this. I have a WASR-10 double stack, and It has been very reliable. Any problems I have had are magazine related, and not caused by the gun. I just had to sort out the good mags from the bad ones.

Garycw · October 29, 2013, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Opinated

As already clearly revealed earlier in this thread, I am rookie with regard to the SKS (and AK47).
I saw a magazine for the SKS different from any others I have seen. This one is steel, not sure of the capacity, but 20 or more no doubt. Marked "DC Engineering Inc, Detroit MI". "SKS Clip, Pat Pending." the word "Clip" is their's,
not mine.
What about this magazine? Good? Bad?

I'm not familiar with that mag. May or may not be good. I do know the tapco works well in 20 & 30. SKSBoards.com is a good resource for SKS info too

Opinated · October 29, 2013, 08:27 PM

The D C Engineering mag was in my hot little hands for a while. I could duplicate over 50% of it in my home shop at this time. Years ago, I had access to steel rule die making equipment and could have duplicated all of it other than the spring. But it would be very labor intensive.
I even had opportunity to load the magazine. Capacity appears to be 30 rounds, but it is not marked as to capacity. Tedious to load by hand detached from the rifle-- tedious is too mild a word for the effort involved.
Still have never fired an SKS or AK47.

Doc TH · October 29, 2013, 09:57 PM

Do you believe you must have a magazine capacity greater than 10? If so, get an AK - don't mess with aftermarket magazines for SKS; most are not reliable. If you can live w. 10 rd magazine w. stripper clips, get an SKS. Acceptably accurate, highly reliable, no magazines to mess with, stripper clip reloading can be very fast. See Hickok45 you tube 2 part series on the SKS. You may be surprised.

kerreckt · October 30, 2013, 12:15 PM

My experience is that the SKS is considerably more accurate that an AK. This is based on my experience with five of each. The SKS are all Chinese. The AK's are 3 Serb and 2 Hungarian....I hope the AMD65 counts. They are the most accurate of the AK's. Best wishes

Cy4ka · October 31, 2013, 12:02 AM

Get an AK first. SKS last.

Opinated · November 4, 2013, 01:50 PM

Now have SKS. Bought from online auction. The FFL opened and discarded the packaging before I got to his premises. The stock was more beat-up than in the auction photos.
The only magazine with the rifle is a 30 round steel. It works poorly. With bolt locked open, insert filled magazine and release the bolt. That cartridge jammed with bullet point just to the left and below the chamber. Moved the tip with blade of pocket knife and the bolt closed. Fired that plus two more then it "failed to feed"-- cartridge again below and to the left of the chamber. The bolt had traveled partly over that cartridge. I removed the magazine, retracted the bolt fully and the cartridge dropped out. End of that session. The ammo was Tulammo with steel casing, recent manufacture.
The original non-removable mags are difficult to find and pricey when available. I suppose that extras or spares of those were never made.

ttarp · November 4, 2013, 05:52 PM

Sounds like the magazine I had, I could load 5 rounds at a time and it would work ok, more than that it would have issues. Everyone keeps saying the new tapco duckbills work good, so while your searching for an original you could use one of them.

Garycw · November 4, 2013, 06:14 PM

I have a metal mag that does the same thing. Appears to be bent feed lips. Have a few other metal ones that work fine though. All of the plastics tapco I have do also work fine. You can check on ebay or sksboards.com for originals. The stocks in rough shape give them alot of character , but they can be refinished and still retain most of that. There's also lots of stock options with Tapco , ATI and others. Just be sure to keep all original parts incase you want to change back. The adjustable folding stocks with the rails are cool looking, but I prefer the Monte Carlo as a replacement if changing it out. You can find original stocks too for cheap in nice cond.
Have Fun!

TennJed · November 4, 2013, 07:07 PM

Metal mags wouldn't work with either of my SKS. The Tapco duckbill run perfect

leadcounsel · November 6, 2013, 01:26 AM

Ford vs. Chevy.

The SKS will be more affordable, but you'll likely need to be okay with fixed mags. That's not terrible, because they work and you save money on mags.

Both are great platforms.

Buy one, buy both, have fun.

bruno diaz · November 6, 2013, 05:18 PM

I did a lot of research on whether to buy an AK or an AR. I eventually went with the AR. Then, I came across a Type 56 1959 Sino-Banian SKS. Based on the history, and the low price tag, I bought it. Since buying it, I haven't touched my AR. I've never shot an AK, but I don't have enough good things to say about the SKS. After disassembling it twice, I feel like I could do it blindfolded. I still feel like I need to take a class to disassemble the AR (I know this is an AK vs. SKS discussion). The wood on my SKS was pretty soft and was cracking after getting the cosmoline out. I replace it with a Tapco T6 stock and use Tapco 20 mags. Never an issue. Easily my favorite rifle, now, though it's a little heavy.

Tejicano · November 6, 2013, 09:30 PM

I have several flavors of AK and two SKS’s. AK’s are : Polish underfolder, Bulgarian AK74 sidefolder, Chinese NHM91 (20 inch bbl w/bipod), & Galil. One SKS is an all machined Norinco in original condition and the other is a pinned barrel basket case I picked up for $100 (missing magazine and gas system).

Folding stock AK’s are very handy and not bad for home defense if one does not intend to put the money into a better made and more accurate rifle like an AR.

The SKS is a good truck gun. In issued configuration it is like the Garand’s adopted little brother. Not exactly the same family but a similar concept. I plan to “Bubba” the basket case I found – pistol grip and folding stock. I would really love to put a fixed, 20 round, “star” magazine in it but those seem to be rare as hen’s teeth these days.

The above is all my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it.

Justice06RR · November 6, 2013, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Now have SKS. Bought from online auction. The FFL opened and discarded the packaging before I got to his premises. The stock was more beat-up than in the auction photos.
The only magazine with the rifle is a 30 round steel. It works poorly. With bolt locked open, insert filled magazine and release the bolt. That cartridge jammed with bullet point just to the left and below the chamber. Moved the tip with blade of pocket knife and the bolt closed. Fired that plus two more then it "failed to feed"-- cartridge again below and to the left of the chamber. The bolt had traveled partly over that cartridge. I removed the magazine, retracted the bolt fully and the cartridge dropped out. End of that session. The ammo was Tulammo with steel casing, recent manufacture.
The original non-removable mags are difficult to find and pricey when available. I suppose that extras or spares of those were never made.

Congrats on getting the SKS. Post some pics and info on your SKS and we can help you further.

SKS aftermarket mags are hit-or-miss. I have 2 SKS's, a Chinese Norinco and a Yugo 59/66. I've use the Promag magazines without any issues. never tried the steel ones but I hear it will just depend if you get lucky with a good magazine or SKS that will be reliable with it or not.

Also there are plenty of websites for SKS parts. Just google them. I actually have a factory 10rd SKS mag I can give you if you're looking for one.

October 22, 2013, 12:02 PM	#54
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,031	Walmart has the best prices on ammo around here. $5.17 for Tula, $18.97 for Winchester. Cabelas, Gander, and Bass pro have crazy high prices. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

October 22, 2013, 06:01 PM	#55
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	concur, sportsmans warehouse has pretty decent prices too if you have one of those handy. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 24, 2013, 03:40 PM	#60
SR420 Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2005 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 3,336	The AKM is a gas operated, selective fire weapon, chambered for the Soviet 7.62 x 39 mm intermediate cartridge. It is 0.7 kg lighter than the original AK-47. Firing accuracy was slightly improved over it's predecessor, due to a hammer release delay device. SOURCE Mine is a type 56S, I call it the T56SHTF __________________ The History and Development of the M14 EBR

October 30, 2013, 12:15 PM	#66
kerreckt Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2011 Location: SE VA. Posts: 216	My experience is that the SKS is considerably more accurate that an AK. This is based on my experience with five of each. The SKS are all Chinese. The AK's are 3 Serb and 2 Hungarian....I hope the AMD65 counts. They are the most accurate of the AK's. Best wishes Last edited by kerreckt; October 30, 2013 at 12:57 PM.

November 4, 2013, 06:14 PM	#70
Garycw Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2011 Location: Ohio-Kentucky - florida Posts: 1,221	AK or SKS I have a metal mag that does the same thing. Appears to be bent feed lips. Have a few other metal ones that work fine though. All of the plastics tapco I have do also work fine. You can check on ebay or sksboards.com for originals. The stocks in rough shape give them alot of character , but they can be refinished and still retain most of that. There's also lots of stock options with Tapco , ATI and others. Just be sure to keep all original parts incase you want to change back. The adjustable folding stocks with the rails are cool looking, but I prefer the Monte Carlo as a replacement if changing it out. You can find original stocks too for cheap in nice cond. Have Fun! Last edited by Garycw; November 4, 2013 at 07:38 PM.

October 19, 2013, 07:10 PM	#51
GunXpatriot Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2011 Location: New York Posts: 393	Um... Depends. If you want a cheaper, half-"butted" AK such as a poorly milled WASR-10, you'd be better off with the SKS, as you'd experience a lot of issues with reliability. If you are talking a higher quality AK, then it will be considerably superior to the SKS. But as you probably know, you'll pay far more for the AK. If you are in a state that restricts more than 10 rounds (I live in NY, so SKS it was for me because of the SAFE Act), but where an AK is still legal (No "AWB"), you could go either way as an SKS can also be modified to take detachable mags. Then, it would come down to, maybe, whatever you think is cooler. But overall, if you are in an unrestricted state where you can buy an AK with full capacity magazines, go for it. Just know that for a quality AK, you'll have to pay. An SKS is a good alternative if you are lower on cash, and can be turned into an AK-esque rifle with detachable mags, upgrades to the stock, etc, but again, you'll rise to the cost of a decent out of the box AK. It would just be easier to invest in over time. I'd say those are the main factors, as weight, pistol grip, etc, probably aren't as important to the average person. Go for what you can afford and what you like. Heck, eventually buy both, they are interchangeable for ammo. Just my .02, but I tried to sum up advantages and disadvantages for both.

October 19, 2013, 09:00 PM	#52
Opinated Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2006 Posts: 354	Now have found a fellow who has an AK for sale. The photos look good and the list of extras is impressive. Price is high but doable- cash flow has been good lately. But his schedule and mine do not coincide at all. So a deal may not happen. We'll see.

October 22, 2013, 11:41 AM	#53
Opinated Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2006 Posts: 354	Stopped in the nearest Gander Mountain today. The 7.62 x 39 ammo selection was just a very few boxes, perhaps 5 boxes total, two varieties of Winchester. One was 29.95 for 20 and the other was over 30.00. $1.50 + per round. Steep!

October 22, 2013, 11:48 PM	#57
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	All I know is there is a decent amount of misinformation on here so far regarding AKs. There are so many manufacturers of AKs (they are not really AKs and we are shooting ourselves in the foot by continuing to call them as such) that it is nearly impossible to make such general statements as have been made regarding quality and accuracy. The best thing for you to do is to hold each and decide which type you like better. The Kalashnikov style rifle is so easily modified with such a huge aftermarket you really can change almost anything you don't like about your particular rifle. I don't know if the same can be said regarding the SKS. End of my opinion regarding the matter, let there be more misinformation passed on as fact.

October 29, 2013, 10:33 AM	#61
Opinated Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2006 Posts: 354	As already clearly revealed earlier in this thread, I am rookie with regard to the SKS (and AK47). I saw a magazine for the SKS different from any others I have seen. This one is steel, not sure of the capacity, but 20 or more no doubt. Marked "DC Engineering Inc, Detroit MI". "SKS Clip, Pat Pending." the word "Clip" is their's, not mine. What about this magazine? Good? Bad?

October 29, 2013, 08:27 PM	#64
Opinated Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2006 Posts: 354	The D C Engineering mag was in my hot little hands for a while. I could duplicate over 50% of it in my home shop at this time. Years ago, I had access to steel rule die making equipment and could have duplicated all of it other than the spring. But it would be very labor intensive. I even had opportunity to load the magazine. Capacity appears to be 30 rounds, but it is not marked as to capacity. Tedious to load by hand detached from the rifle-- tedious is too mild a word for the effort involved. Still have never fired an SKS or AK47.

October 29, 2013, 09:57 PM	#65
Doc TH Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Posts: 633	Do you believe you must have a magazine capacity greater than 10? If so, get an AK - don't mess with aftermarket magazines for SKS; most are not reliable. If you can live w. 10 rd magazine w. stripper clips, get an SKS. Acceptably accurate, highly reliable, no magazines to mess with, stripper clip reloading can be very fast. See Hickok45 you tube 2 part series on the SKS. You may be surprised.

October 31, 2013, 12:02 AM	#67
Cy4ka Member Join Date: December 19, 2012 Posts: 39	Get an AK first. SKS last.

November 4, 2013, 01:50 PM	#68
Opinated Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2006 Posts: 354	Now have SKS. Bought from online auction. The FFL opened and discarded the packaging before I got to his premises. The stock was more beat-up than in the auction photos. The only magazine with the rifle is a 30 round steel. It works poorly. With bolt locked open, insert filled magazine and release the bolt. That cartridge jammed with bullet point just to the left and below the chamber. Moved the tip with blade of pocket knife and the bolt closed. Fired that plus two more then it "failed to feed"-- cartridge again below and to the left of the chamber. The bolt had traveled partly over that cartridge. I removed the magazine, retracted the bolt fully and the cartridge dropped out. End of that session. The ammo was Tulammo with steel casing, recent manufacture. The original non-removable mags are difficult to find and pricey when available. I suppose that extras or spares of those were never made.

November 4, 2013, 05:52 PM	#69
ttarp Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2013 Posts: 888	Sounds like the magazine I had, I could load 5 rounds at a time and it would work ok, more than that it would have issues. Everyone keeps saying the new tapco duckbills work good, so while your searching for an original you could use one of them.

November 4, 2013, 07:07 PM	#71
TennJed Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2010 Posts: 1,536	AK or SKS Metal mags wouldn't work with either of my SKS. The Tapco duckbill run perfect

November 6, 2013, 01:26 AM	#72
leadcounsel Junior member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 2,119	Ford vs. Chevy. The SKS will be more affordable, but you'll likely need to be okay with fixed mags. That's not terrible, because they work and you save money on mags. Both are great platforms. Buy one, buy both, have fun.

November 6, 2013, 05:18 PM	#73
bruno diaz Member Join Date: July 25, 2011 Posts: 38	I did a lot of research on whether to buy an AK or an AR. I eventually went with the AR. Then, I came across a Type 56 1959 Sino-Banian SKS. Based on the history, and the low price tag, I bought it. Since buying it, I haven't touched my AR. I've never shot an AK, but I don't have enough good things to say about the SKS. After disassembling it twice, I feel like I could do it blindfolded. I still feel like I need to take a class to disassemble the AR (I know this is an AK vs. SKS discussion). The wood on my SKS was pretty soft and was cracking after getting the cosmoline out. I replace it with a Tapco T6 stock and use Tapco 20 mags. Never an issue. Easily my favorite rifle, now, though it's a little heavy.

November 6, 2013, 09:30 PM	#74
Tejicano Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2013 Posts: 168	I have several flavors of AK and two SKS’s. AK’s are : Polish underfolder, Bulgarian AK74 sidefolder, Chinese NHM91 (20 inch bbl w/bipod), & Galil. One SKS is an all machined Norinco in original condition and the other is a pinned barrel basket case I picked up for $100 (missing magazine and gas system). Folding stock AK’s are very handy and not bad for home defense if one does not intend to put the money into a better made and more accurate rifle like an AR. The SKS is a good truck gun. In issued configuration it is like the Garand’s adopted little brother. Not exactly the same family but a similar concept. I plan to “Bubba” the basket case I found – pistol grip and folding stock. I would really love to put a fixed, 20 round, “star” magazine in it but those seem to be rare as hen’s teeth these days. The above is all my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it.