Where to find an SKS?

[Guyon]

Are there any companies left that sell decent SKS rifles at a fair price? Don't care for the Chinese. While I wouldn't mind a Russian, I'd just as soon pick up a Romanian for less $$$. I'm still kicking myself for not getting one of the "Excellent Condition" SKS rifles at AIM Surplus a couple of years back. They were only around $150 then. Seemingly impossible to find them in that condition at that price now.

The only places I've seen them advertised are in Shotgun News. In "Good-Very Good" condition, SOG lists them for $295. Centerfire has some for $149, but you don't get the original wooden stocks. Finally, G-U Wholesale has some listed for $129.

I'm a little suspicious of the last two places. There, I suspect you get what you pay for (eg. no bluing, cracked stocks, pits). Still, I'm curious if anyone has bought an SKS from one of these outfits.

Where else might I try? I really don't want to spend too much over $200 for a decent Romanian. I would like to do a little refurbishing (bluing if needed, refinishing stocks, etc.) and would simply have fun with it at the range.

[FireForged]

www.gunsamerica.com
www.forthehunt.com

Most of the curio/relic dealers will have some SKS's on those sites.

[Nightcrawler]

Just a few months ago Federal Arms had Romanian ones for $134. I emailed Century and asked about it, and they said that the Chinese ones had been banned from import.

[8200 rpm]

Guyon,

Please think long and hard before you purchase your Romanian SKS.

I bought one of these a few months ago from a local gunshop for $190. It has all matching serial numbers, decent wood stock, bluing is 85-90%, shiny chrome bore, bayonet, and cleaning rod. From the looks, it would seem to be a great rifle to own and shoot.

But a couple trips to the range and 400 rounds later would prove otherwise:

-Trigger is gritty and inconsistent. Worse trigger I have ever used. Seems like it breaks between. 7-90#!

-Sights are virtually useless. Worse is that it can't be replaced with a decent peep sight.

-Accuracy is nonexistent. I wouldn't dare try 100-yard shots for fear of deystroying the PVC target stands rented out at the range. 200-yard shots at metal plates are a joke. I can hit these plates 90% with my AR.

For me, fun at the range comes from being able to hit my targets at will. This rifle prevents me from doing so. I leave frustrated and dissatisfied. In retrospect, I should have saved another $200 and bought a Marlin 1894P lever gun in .44mag or spent the same and bought a Ruger 10/22 and 15 bricks of ammo!!!

[The Gooch]

Sir

I just bought an sks also and I agree with the above when he said that he can not hit squat with it from 200 or 100 yards. I bought mine for 160 in excellent condition with folding stock ect... After 2 trips to the range, I found you can have fun with this rifle at 50 to 75 yards. Great for shooting beer cans and those "bad guy" targets you can get at some gun stores. Also we all know the ammo is dirt cheap. I wanted this rifle just to have a "taboo" rifle. Don't spend more than 175 on it weather it be chineese, soviet or romanian. Save another 3 hundered and get a FN FAL.

The Gooch

[chrismc1]

I don't know about the Russian or Romainian versions, but I can hit 100 and 200 yds with my Norinco SKS, trigger is ok, breaks cleanly to me. I've owned an AR-15, and an AK. Neither one was as accurate as that SKS which I still have



Words of wisdom

"If you can care for it, find ammo for it cheap, find parts with reasonable effort, and you can hit what you aim at with it,, who cares who made it, where it came from, or if it

[IZZY]

It all depends on the make and model...many of the cheapo SKS's arn't very good, some are.

I have a Russian SKS, works great decently accurate for 235 if you want (shipping extra)..100% blue excellent condition W/ folding blade bayonet. Don't need anymore as I have a Romanian SAR-1. E-mail if intrested...

[DougB]

I bought a Romanian SKS from G-U Wholesale about a month ago. It is in very nice condition. They were good to deal with. A friend got one at the same time and his is also nice. I did ask them to pick out nice ones for us and they did so (no extra charge). I haven't shot it for accuracy, but I have done some enjoyable plinking with it. I have two other SKSs (Norinco paratrooper and Russian), and I like them all.

Doug

[ronin308]

This is a question that I thought I'd never see...

[blackdog00]

I'd go to gunshows, it would be hard to believe a gunshow without at least 1 person walking around with a SKS on their shoulder. Going rate for a Chinese is about 125 around here