AK / SKS
My son tells me that he wants to buy his first rifle. He must have some friends that have mentioned SKS. I'm no expert, which is why I'm here. I have an AK and think even though it is twice the cost - that is the way to go. What are the pros and cons? What argument do I put up? I also have a Bushmaster and a Colt, but they are out of his price range. Thanks in advance.Jeff
cbxjeffIt's too late for me, save yourself.
cbxjeffIt's too late for me, save yourself.
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I personally like the SKS better. They seem more accurate and they are cheaper than the AK. The SKS has alot of add ons that you can buy later on. The AK also has a lot of add ons but for a young guy, start him out on the SKS and should he want to get an AK there is plety of time for that. 0 -
Thanks for the reply royc. In looking for my AK, I found a bunch of models. I chose a Romaian. Is this the same for an SKS? What country of mfg do I look?Thanks,Jeff
cbxjeffIt's too late for me, save yourself.0 -
There have been a lot of comments as to the rear sight falling off the Romaian SKS's, but other than that they seem to be ok ... a bunch of Yogo's have just been let in but not enough out there yet to see how "good" they are.If you can find one in your price range, I reccomend the Russian 1'st, threaded barrel Chineese 2'nd (for now anyway), then the pinned barrel Chineese ... The Romaian is way down the list just because of the sight problems.The Yugo may move up to 2nd ... but we'll have to wait & see how they hold up .
GUN CONTROL: If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com0 -
If you go through the search, there have been many disscussions on Russian vs Chinees vs Romainian and now a batch of Yugo's are in the country. I own a Romainian which shoots great except my rear sight feel off as the Romainians are known for. Many feel the Russians are the best. Check out Simonov.net, a lot of good info. Personnely, I enjoy shooting my SKS more than my AK. Stay away from the removable clips. 0 -
Not to critique your parenting strategy or anything, but....How old is your son? Does he have experience firing any medium to large caliber rifles or shotguns?I'm 18, and I've had a 12-gauge Remington 870 for many years now, and so the recoil from the 7.62x39 Russian round fired by the SKS doesnt bother me at all.However, I can imagine that it might rattle a young shooter a bit; it is a quite robust round.If he really doesnt like the recoil or report, he might develop a flinch like I did, and that will become a bad shooting habit and throw off his aim for a long time until he breaks it.I own both a Norinco SKS and a Romanian SAR-1 AK-47. Both fire the same 7.62x39 Russian cartridge. Let me break down the differences:
The AK-47 is less accurate than the SKS, mostly because the SKS has a longer barrel and is more of an "infantry rifle" designed for longer range battlefield shooting. It has almost always been in semi-auto, even when the Russian military and the VietCong used it. The AK-47 has a shorter barrel and is more designed for "spray and pray", being that it is and always will be mostly used in full-auto mode while on the battlefield.The AK-47 is banned in many more places than the SKS, due to the fact that it is unquestionably an assault rifle with a "conspicuous pistol grip" and the disabled capacity for full-auto fire. The SKS can pass for a hunting/target rifle if it doesnt have a bayonet or a huge aftermarket magazine.The PC aspect: The AK-47 is designed to accept hi-capacity magazines, which besides being repulsive to many (stupid) people, are illegal in 5 states. Thats not to say you wouldnt be able to find 5 or 10 round mags, but the 30 and 40 round "banana clip" mags are much more prevalent.Being that I own one and I am still in high-school, the stigma of owning an gun is even worse if you own a "horrible death machine" like an AK-47 or an AR-15 (see my eyes roll).The gun scares the cops, scares the other people at the range, and scares the neighbors, all of which is made worse by being a kid. Thats not to say it's not worth it, but it IS something to think about.
Now that that's all covered, if you were to get an SKS, I'd recommend a post-ban Norinco. They are, from my experience, well made and undeserving of the scorn with which some regard them. Romanians are also great if you arrange to have the rear sight fixed. Like the others said, they can work loose and fall off.Original Russians are the best quality of all, but they are all preban and carry a bayonet and a fixed magazine unless they've been removed. Being that they are the oldest and first model SKS, it is VERY rare to find one in legitimately good condition; most are battle scarred and bore ravaged. Regardless of their condition, they are very expensive. Dont expect to find one (even in poor to fair condition) for less than $300.Bulgarians are all in preban with a huge grenade launching attachment on the front, which is unnecessary, ugly, and illegal in some states. Mostly only for collectors.Avoid Egyptians like the plague. They are poorly made and most have been poorly cared for. These have serious problems with slamfires. Luckily, they are rather rare.For any preban (meaning they were made and imported before the 1994 assault weapons ban) SKS, expect a lower quality bore and expect to pay more than $250. They almost always include a bayonet for collectable purposes. They are mostly designed for collectors who dont care about the bore quality.0 -
First, bullzeye, coming from a family of cops and soon to be one myself, believe me when I say there is not a gun out there that any cop should fear. Guns don't kill people, remember? People kill people. Anyway, SKS vs. AK-47? Klashnikov was a freaking genius, so of course a Russian made AK is going to be of highest quality. I have heard, as others have, that the Romanians are a distant 2nd. I have both a Russian and an Egyptian AK, and I like both. I also have 6 SKS's and I have to say the Chinese is the best. (My opinion) By the way, both AK-47s and SKS's are assault rifles. Niether of these rifles were originally designed with long-range accuracy in mind. However, bullzeye was right when he said that any semi-auto, high caliber rifle does not make a good first rifle. In fact, it is a really bad first rifle. How about a .22? 0 -
10-4 silent. Didnt mean to dis LEOs.You've got to give credit to Sergei Simonov. He developed and released the SKS in 45, before Kalashnikov's AK-47. Simonov had almost nothing to work from. He built the SKS from scratch. It resembled nothing the Russians had ever seen.Kalashnikov at least had that to work from. And apparently he did. If you were to put a pistol grip stock and a 30-round mag on an SKS, it looks a helluva lot like an AK. More similarities than I can count. 0 -
Good to see somebody besides me likes the chinese sks's the best. I knew there were more of us out there LOL! Hopp off the banwagon and go with your heart 0 -
Thanks for all the responce guys. My son, 31, has shot my 10/22 but he wants something of his own. I had never read much about the SKS until now. I'm starting to think of getting one for myself. That simonov site is pretty interesting.Jeff
cbxjeffIt's too late for me, save yourself.0
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