Progress report on first SKS

[Vet47]

A  week ago I posted about my first SKS.  Since then I have installed a new extractor spring in an attempt to correct weak ejection, and also put in one of Mr. Murray's firing pins just as a safety precaution.  In addition, after viewing several videos regarding popped primers, I checked my bolt face for the volcano appearance.  Maybe this gun has not been shot very much, since the face seemed flat but I countersunk the edge of the firing pin hole anyway.   Today I took the gun to the range to test function and sight it in.   I had previous experience with the front sight on an AK, so I knew to try the adjusting tool first to see if it would move the drum.  Of course, it wouldn't.  That thing probably hasn't moved in 45 years.  With time, penetrating oil and a hammer, I persuaded it to free up before I went shooting. 
     Function was fine.  The new extractor spring seems to have worked.  Empties were rocketing away.  The RSO came over to kid me about so many empty shells stuck up in the roof overhang.  I guess he was right, when I policed my brass (steel) I could only find about half of what I shot.   Sighting in was another story.  I eventually got pretty close but my front sight was way over to the left. 



     While I was there, another guy came over when he saw my rifle.  He said he gotten one when he was in Vietnam.  I asked if he had all the paperwork.  He said he did, and had recently sold the gun for $2,000.00! 
     I nearly forgot.  For Justin Hell and any others who cared, I fixed the upside down bayonet.




    That's where I am so far.  Everything works OK, so I don't need to do anything else to the gun.  However, if anyone has further suggestions, I will be glad to consider them.   Thanks.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Sounds like your good to go!

We gonna see some 100 round drum mag dumps? 

JK!

[Justin Hell]

Glad that the extractor spring replacement did the trick.  I shoot in the outdoors, I generally consider finding my ejected steel litter recovery a success at 60%. 

Now you have reached the scary part.  You need to find another one to rescue. Poor lil buggers are out there just needing a loving home 'n all.  Starting an orphanage is a noble cause.

[carls sks]

good read, thanks for sharing Vet. 

[likemeasks]

Yes indeed it sounds like you are a victim of the SKS plague. Get one that shoots well and you'll be desiring everyone you see. I have 2 and had 1 before that couldn't hit the side of a barn, literally. Sold it off and it was about 5 years before these two came along back to back. Both were deals I just couldn't walk away from. Don't let that front sight bug you. The two I have had to be adjusted about to the same position as yours and now shoot better than I can see. Over the years I have helped novices at the range sight in their SKS's. I've yet to see one that zeroed with the front sight indexed in the middle. Most have been in the area of where yours is set. I can only remember two that went to the other side of middle. My advice ---- Shoot the damn thing like you stole it and just keep it clean afterwards! Don't know if you're married but if so when the Little Lady says "why do you want another gun"? your reply should be "WHY DO YOU WANT ANOTHER DIAMOND"? Hell most SKS's are cheaper than diamonds anyway.

Charlie

[Vet47]

Thanks for all the replies.    I first shot an SKS when a friend of mine showed up at the range with a 1953 Tula.  That is a sweet gun.  Since I took the easy way first of getting a Chinese rifle to sort of get used to them, I may now be ready to search out a Russkie. 
     Likemeasks, thanks for the comments about the front sight,it makes me feel a little better.  I can no longer see well enough to be very good with iron sights anyhow, so I am not sure why I am worried about it. 
     Justin Hell, I think I would enjoy finding one that needed a little help, but I am concerned about getting in over my head if the mechanical parts are too far gone.  I don't mind refinishing the stock.  Maybe I'll check a few pawn shops in the area.  I got a little lucky with my current gun since I fixed it with a $7 spring.   I can't expect that in the future.  I'll need to read up on things to look for when buying an SKS.  On the one I have, I mostly had no idea what I was doing when I bought it.  It worked out OK, I love the gun, but I shouldn't make a habit of taking chances like that.
   

[Power Surge]

I have had 18 SKSs and EVERY one winds up being sighted over to the left like yours when I sight them in. No worries 

[likemeasks]

You're welcome Vet47. As for hunting up another SKS, just be mindful of the price being asked. Don't get suckered by the sales pitch that it is worth more be cause it has an after market stock. Or it has a custom muzzle brake or flash hider. Study the SKS guide pages on this site. All SKS's operate the same way and with the exception of the Yugos and Albanians the part are interchangeable. From what I've seen the place people get in real trouble is trying to customize the Trigger Group. They pull all the links and levers apart and then can't remember how everything goes back together. The bolt and gas system is one of the most simple designs I've seen and there is not a whole lot that can be done with them anyway. The firing pin mod is good if you don't clean you rifle properly and regularly. The mod to the bolt face at the firing pin hole is only a problem when people get carried away and remove too much metal.
When looking at a potential buy check the bore for pits and rust. Look at the rifling at the end of the muzzle . If it is worn out or some of the lands are worn more than the others, walk away from that rifle. That will be a poor shooter and there is no fix other than back boring or cutting the end of the barrel till into good rifling. Both will ruin the value of the rifle.

Charlie

[Greasemonkey]

I havent seen too many SKSs, or other rifles with chrome bores with the rifling messed up or a some of the lands worn more than others.. I have never seen a "back bored"...which I guess is a counter bored SKS. Even Yugoslavians and very early Russians, I have seen worn bores, usually more the Yugoslavians, but even they still shot half way decent, they were very easily minute of man at a 100 yards with a little work.. As for crappy bores that are pitted with little rifling, I have quite a few old bolt guns, one of them, the bore was virtually a rusted shut sewer pipe, and it shoots almost as good as a rifle with a nice shiny bore.

I have seen more damage from over zealous cleaning or someone messing up a barrel crown. Ever seen someone with a really nice rifle, shove a "cheapie" brass or aluminum screw together segmented cleaning rod in a barrel from the muzzle with a stainless bore brush stuck to the end, and pump on that sucker like they are churning butter.. I have....and almost popped a coronary. Another biggie is blasting away with corrosive ammo and/or forgetting about it, then blame the gun, oil or whatever because they have a lump of rust.

In my opinion... Usually the biggest problems with an SKS, is not the rifle itself...but what people do, add on and alter..usually if left in their as designed stock form, 98.5% of any problems are very easily resolved.  This was the whole reason they were chosen for military use, simplicity and durability....

[Vet47]

Power Surge,
       Thanks for the reassurance about the off-center front sight.  That is certainly odd that all of them ended up off to the left!
Likemeasks,
       I appreciate the advice on future buys.  I did not want one that had a tactical stock or other modifications,  I was afraid of buying someone else's errors.  I wanted to stick to as original a gun as possible.  The one I have seems pretty good, but one or two parts don't quite match the rest.  The gas piston on mine has some corrosion on the shaft, which seems out of place, being noticeably worse than the rest of the gun.   It doesn't seem to affect function, so I cleaned it up a bit and left it.  The cleaning rod and bayonet seem a bit too nice to match as original, but that's not a problem, just maybe not the parts it came from the factory with.   I did see that the cleaning kit was an SKS type, not an AK type like I have seen on some others.   Overall, I am happy.  It works fine.  I have learned a lot from reading all the topics here.  Plenty of good advice so maybe I won't make a mistake on the next one. 
Greasemonkey,
      I agree about the over-cleaning.  It can be worse than infrequent cleaning.  I am a little guilty here, I like to clean a gun after shooting, but it doesn't really need it every 50 or 100 rounds, unless you shoot corrosive ammo, or plan to store it for a long time.  I have resisted the urge to clean mine yet, but it hasn't been easy.   I hope to shoot again this weekend, and I will certainly have to clean it then.

[likemeasks]

I agree 100% with GM on the things people do to ruin a good firearm. You mentioned the cleaning kit: I assume you are aware that the top of the kit is a bore protector for when you're using the cleaning rod with the brush and jag. In my opinion (which is not very valuable) one of the best maintenance tools for any firearm is a Bore Snake. After a shooting session put 2 or 3 drops of your favorite gun oil on the tail and pull it through bore from chamber to muzzle a few times and you're good to go. Now if you are using corrosive ammo you have no choice but to do a thorough cleaning. Oh, and don't use the Bore Snake after corrosive ammo as you'll contaminate it. The bore Snake can be washed either buy hand or in the washer but be sure not to combine any other clothes in with it. I usually load my own ammo and have a round that is very consistent and maintains 1.5 groups @ 100 yds if I do my part. Both of my SKS's work very well with it. If I lock them down on a shooting sled they will go sub MOA @100 all day long. I am the weak link not the rifles. About the best commercial ammo I have found around here is the Hornady Black  and their Custom Steel Case. The Black is in a brass case and both use the 123 gr SST bullet. The Custom looks as if it were a Tula case mated to the SST bullet, but it is non corrosive.   

Charlie

[Greasemonkey]

I've never bothered to use the actual cleaning kit shoved in the stock.. a Dewey rod from the breech has always worked fine for me, especially on my rimfire rifles. Bore snakes, I've only used them on my shotguns. Corrosive ammo, I clean the same as I clean my black powder arms, hot soapy water, dry with compressed air and then oil. And I guess I'm a cheap tightwad. I don't buy and shoot high dollar ammo in a rifle worth a nickel....I will go out of my way to get my paws on commie corrosive ammo, regardless of caliber...usually it's cheaper and everyone else seems to shy away from it, now Golden Tiger or Yugo M67, ammo like that for sale, and I'm all over it. I save the expensive flavored glitzy, purdy boxed ammo for my other fun guns...  Only ones I reload for is .38/357, 45-70, 44mag, this year I might attempt 10mm now that that beautiful cartridge has walked back into my life.

[Vet47]

likemeasks,
     I just used a Bore Snake on my gun.  I avoid the standard cleaning rod for fear of goofing up the crown and rifling at the barrel end.  I have never had any corrosive ammo.  I would certainly not mind trying it but I have not seen it for sale recently.  I am familiar with the AK cleaning kit so I figured that the cap on the SKS one would probably be the same, a guide for the cleaning rod.  Thanks for confirming that.  I have never reloaded, but I keep meaning to try it.  One of these days...
     Greasemonkey,
     One of the reasons I like the SKS is the relatively cheap ammo.  I knew M67 was corrosive but I did not know Golden Tiger was.  For a moment I had it mixed up in my head with Golden Bear, which I think is listed as non-corrosive.  Right now I have Wolf, which is also supposed to be non-corrosive.   

 

[Greasemonkey]

I don't think Golden Tiger is corrosive....but..after all... it is commie ammo built by a former commie nation who gets its components from the cheapest vendor.  I love cheap commie ammo but, just don't trust it, so I treat it and clean it all of the same. Wolf, WPA, Red Army Standard, any of the Bear ammos, etc, all get cleaned like corrosive, I may be paranoid, oh well, it's my junk. One other reason I clean commie ammo more, it's usually dirtier, and allot of carbon and heavy powder residue.

Now if I were killing paper or my empty beer cans with some 20 dollar a box Hornady or some soft primered pretty brass American ammo.... I wouldn't worry about the corrosive effects near as much and get tweaked about cleaning, cause I will get to it. 

[likemeasks]

I don't have a problem using the corrosive commie ammo in my SKS's. However down here it is not readily available. The usual Tula is around at about $12 for 40 but that's about it. Being I have a CZ 527M, I reload my 7.62x39 for it as well as my SKS's. I had enough problems with the CZ being picky about ammo. After I figured the real reason for that problem I won't create another with corrosive fodder. When I take the Mosins out I bring a bottle of Windex with a little added ammonia to do a field flushing before going home. On the Mosins I can use the standard brass or aluminum  cleaning rods with the muzzle protector cap and not have to worry about wear. Haven't tried to run those rods through the SKS cap yet . But if it fits there is nothing wrong with cleaning from chamber to muzzle with that combination.
I shoot all my weapons for accuracy and find that the cheap ammo just doesn't make me smile. I can buy my supplies cheap enough that loads are only a $1.00 or less per 20 more than the commie stuff. On an average day at the range I'll likely run through 500 to 700 rounds of combined rifle and pistol ammo. Then it is back home for cleaning and reloading. All in all my home time is spent in the "Tower of Doom" where I can have piece and quiet. And in the end I'm smiling and confident that I can provide food and protection to my family come hell or high water. YMMV.

Charlie

[likemeasks]

So Vet, have you been out making bang bang again? At what range do you shoot? My norm with the SKS is 50 yrds. Beyond that my eyes give me a lot of trouble maintaining a sight picture. For the most part I shoot off of bags from a sitting position. I usually get those same comments about my spent rounds hitting the other guys but they're just jerking my chain.  When I shoot my reloads I have a "back stop" net to catch my brass. That way I don't have to walk the firing line for an hour to recover my brass. So do you have a certain SKS you're looking for next? As for myself, I just cruise the LGS and Pawn shops waiting for something to pop up and say "you need to save me"!

Charlie

[Vet47]

     I wanted to go out shooting this weekend but it was cold and rainy.  Last time I tried sighting in at 40 yards since I read that 40 yard zero was equal to a 100 meter zero.  I had intended to sight in and then try to hit the steel targets at 200, but the brackets that hold the steel were so shot up that they were being replaced, and were not available that day.  Just as well, I have a hard time seeing the sights and the target at that distance.  I try to get the shooting position farthest to the right so my empty cases don't hit anyone.  They just bounce back and hit me!
     I had thoughts of hitting the pawn shops to see what's out there.  I have been reading a lot, hoping to learn enough that I can tell a decent gun from a dog.   A nice Russian one would be nice, but they seem a little pricey.