Long time folks. Have a question. Saw a Yugo M59 taking a long nap in hardened packing grease on GB & I just had to snag her & wake her up. I believe I have an oddball here or maybe perhaps I’m just tripping from inhaling hot grease & mineral spirits in a poorly ventilated shed. You tell me..
Upon cleaning the bore, I noticed she looks ..chrome lined?
Obviously a refurb, maybe she was upgraded? Number on bottom of receiver matches bottom of barrel though.
I’m no yugo SKS expert though, you tell me.
Pic of the bore doesn’t do it justice; in person I am convinced this thing is chrome lined.
Is this a thing?
Also, check out that luxurious-brown piston (next to an Izhevsk one). Gorgeous right?!
(https://i.ibb.co/PG2GtmVZ/IMG-2864.jpg) (https://ibb.co/60K0NnqR)
(https://i.ibb.co/G4tQzp3x/IMG-2865.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YFyBHQTR)
(https://i.ibb.co/ZRjB2zwd/IMG-2866.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Ngv9T2kx)
(https://i.ibb.co/N6JtZnxC/IMG-2867.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LzcYnhSR)
(https://i.ibb.co/9SQKkJp/IMG-2868.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GNzY4Xd)
(https://i.ibb.co/RnrXqLw/IMG-2869.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tfj09yr)
(https://i.ibb.co/TxXcQBdP/IMG-2870.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nN2rXstQ)
(https://i.ibb.co/TD2cvZdf/IMG-2871.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fVFM1bLg)
(https://i.ibb.co/gCwCqV1/IMG-2872.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yJ5JvST)
(https://i.ibb.co/FFhVRQM/IMG-2840.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YxNZH5M)
(https://i.ibb.co/F4MvgKGt/IMG-2873.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Wvw9g6S1)
Hard to get a great pic of it but here’s another
(https://i.ibb.co/HT9YXgwg/IMG-2877.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d4H67KCK)
Worm, well done! I think two photos are in order to make the determination: a close-up shot of the muzzle and one of the chamber area may reveal whether or not the bore is chrome lined. For reference, take a look at my "Long barrel" Yugoslavian with a chrome-lined bore:
(https://i.ibb.co/dQ0B33m/20190602-151047.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RCp2MMj)
(https://i.ibb.co/sPzYGvb/20190602-151532.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1njW5f7)
(https://i.ibb.co/p458TwV/20190602-150801.jpg) (https://ibb.co/8Ptpwsv)
The original post is here:
https://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=6462.0
As far as I've been able to determine, mine is the only verified chrome-lined M59, so maybe you can make it No. 2!
Wow that thing is sweet jmaurer. Awesome find.
I was struggling to get decent pics with the lighting now but tell me what you think:
(https://i.ibb.co/GQVdg4ND/IMG-2882.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7tGS7dLD)
(https://i.ibb.co/Cpr6P1gc/IMG-2889.jpg) (https://ibb.co/twdzLmgG)
I don't think there's any doubt the lands and grooves are CRISP, which is hard if not unusual to find for an M59. And I concur: getting good shots is very difficult - that's why I don't post often, since for me I have to wait for just the right conditions: a moderately bright day, but with completely overcast skies, and no threat of rain! In other words, diffuse natural lighting. I can't tell you how many times I had to try that second shot that shows the slight chipping of the chrome plating at the edges and ends of the lands, and it wasn't until I finally had good photos that I was satisfied it WAS chrome lined.
The breech end of the barrel looks brighter, similar to mine. I honestly can't tell if the differential coloring is from final machining or from an application of chrome, and the muzzle is the same to my eye. I'm sorry for being so vacillating, but I am just not sure! I trust that senior members will chime in soon...
And whatever the case may be, that is one fine rifle!
Quote from: jmaurer on September 21, 2025, 08:32:40 PM
I don't think there's any doubt the lands and grooves are CRISP, which is hard if not unusual to find for an M59. And I concur: getting good shots is very difficult - that's why I don't post often, since for me I have to wait for just the right conditions: a moderately bright day, but with completely overcast skies, and no threat of rain! In other words, diffuse natural lighting. I can't tell you how many times I had to try that second shot that shows the slight chipping of the chrome plating at the edges and ends of the lands, and it wasn't until I finally had good photos that I was satisfied it WAS chrome lined.
The breech end of the barrel looks brighter, similar to mine. I honestly can't tell if the differential coloring is from final machining or from an application of chrome, and the muzzle is the same to my eye. I'm sorry for being so vacillating, but I am just not sure! I trust that senior members will chime in soon...
And whatever the case may be, that is one fine rifle!
Hey thanks man, & no problem! I appreciate you chiming in. I was just thinking to myself, what are the chances of the one man out there with a chromed bore on an M59 even seeing my post. Pretty wild.
Maybe I’m wrong & this is just a really nice bore considering the common past of these; early production yugo shooting corrosive ammo it’s whole life. Could have just been maintained well..very well could be the case, I’m just surprised to see it look so nice & so similar to my other chrome bored sks’s. I really don’t know. Either way I’m happy with it! At least I’m not sitting here with a sewer pipe wondering if it’ll shoot at all thumb1
Thanks again
For my part, I'd love to see another chrome-bored Yugoslavian M59. Bogdanovic indicated there were approximately 100 "regular" length and 100 "long barrel" M59s in the initial trials, and given what I consider to be appreciable variations in Yugoslavian SKS rifles, a chrome-lined standard-length barrel wouldn't be a surprise. I've always been intrigued that the receiver of 50456 doesn't fit the norm: the serial number should fall in the early D- prefix series of rifles, but there's no D prefix. So is a chrome-lined regular length Yugo SKS a possibility (and given the example I've posted, possible on a later production receiver)? If I were a betting man, I'd say yes.
Do you have that rifle? Not sure, but if so that would be ultra-fantabulous! Here's wishing you gray, cool, English weather for a couple of days...the best for photos! And now that my memory is jogged a bit, I think I had to take a Dewalt 20V flashlight and point it down the bore from the breech end to adequately light up the lands and grooves - you can see the obvious difference in appearance between the first and second pics of the muzzle, which almost look like two different rifles!
And I repeat: yours is a NICE rifle!
Hey Worm, good to see you around.
I have never seen a chrome lined bore on a Yugo, but have heard some of the earlier M59s had them. Nice grab
Thanks guys! Great to see you too GG!
Headed campin for a week. I’ll try to get proper pics when I get back