Anybody familiar with Sks Rifles?

I am contemplating getting a SKS Rifle for target shooting as recomended by people on this board. I have heard that the sks is not areliable target gun. Can anyone say different? I am looking for upto 300yrd range. Also I have heard the sks is a reliable and easy to maintain gun. Does anyone know of some web sites with info on maintanence,aftermarket parts,history etc... Any help is appreciated.

Thx Dm

#I am contemplating getting a SKS Rifle >for target shooting as recomended by #people on this board. I have heard that >the sks is not a reliable target gun.

It's very reliable - just not accurate! Typical SKS accuracy is 6-8' at 100 yds. - so, if you want a 300-yd. rifle, this isn't it. But it would be a great 'truck gun'; <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href='http://www.alamanceind.com/newfol~5/nation.html'> read

# # I am contemplating getting a SKS Rifle for target shooting as # recomended by people on this board. I have heard that the sks is not # areliable target gun. Can anyone say different? I am looking for upto # 300yrd range. Also I have heard the sks is a reliable and easy to # maintain gun. Does anyone know of some web sites with info on # maintanence,aftermarket parts,history etc... Any help is appreciated. # Depending on the individual gun and ammo, hitting man-size at 300yards is okay, but the gun+ammo will never be a tack driver at any range. It is a reliable and strong gun otherwise, great for smaller game at shorter ranges and plinking.

You are talking about 2 different characteristics. 1st - they are very reliable and dependable, arguably the most reliable semi-auto infantry weapon made. That means that it will continue operating after suffering constant abuse from infantry field use. 2nd - they are not designed to be target accuracy weapons, ie, able to shoot 1' groups at 100 meters or whatever you consider to be a standard of accuracy. They were designed to be reliable and able to hit a man size target at about 300 meters.

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#contemplating getting a SKS Rifle for target shooting

Anything shot at is, by definition, a target. The SKS I own will keep most of its bullets in a dinner plate at 100 yards; my .222 with a peep sight (no scope) will group inside two inches. For precision target shooting, an SKS would be a poor choice; at 300 yards, hopeless. They are cheap, and we get what we pay for.

I like SKS rifles. Anyone who said they are not reliable must have had a real lemon. SKS's are like the Volkswagen of the gun work. I have owned several and never had a bit of trouble with any of them. Some people get mad when I tell this story. I wanted to burn out an SKS to justify another purchase to the wife. So I picked the nastiest Com-Chi I had in my collection and a case of ammo and headed to the range. In reality, I also wanted to see how much abuse one of these guys could take before failing. I ran about 1200 rounds through the rifle non-stop. The barrel got so hot that I could hear it creaking I did stop every couple hundred rounds more to give myself a break than the rifle. The SKS did not have one mis-feed or hick-up. I even bore scoped the barrel after and the barrel still looked good after that mess. That was five years ago and that particular rifle is still in the safe.

Now, as far as target shooting with a SKS. It is a fun gun to shoot, hit will generally hit what you point it at within 300 yards. That is about it. The SKS was a rifle designed to hit a man sized target out to 400 yards. Nobody says where it is supposed to hit the man sized target, they say just hit it. The SKS was designed to do 4' at 100 yards. That works out to 8' at 200 and 12' at 300. You will not win any bull's-eye matches with those spec's.

You can squeeze a little better accuracy by buying a Soviet block over a Com-Chi SKS, but not much. You can bed the action, do a trigger job (SKS trigger pulls are the worst), go to better sights and use good factory ammo or reload your own. After all that you will end up, if you are lucky, with a rifle that will do 1.5 to 2' at 100 yards. Unless you can do all the work yourself, you will invest $300 in a $100 rifle.

If you want a rifle to plink, maybe hunt deer (the 7.62X39 is very similar to the 30-30 in it's power and behavior), and have fun with, then get an SKS. I have used a SKS successfully on coyotes within 150 yards, never hunted deer with one, but now a guy that does. If you want a target rifle, then you need to save your pennies and get a target capable rifle. If you want a duel use rifle, target and defense, then look into a Civilian Marksmanship Garand.

Just my thoughts,

Joe Portale Tucson, AZ

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The sks aint a target rifle,I have several,but it is a great all around rifle,one can play around with it a little............good ammo makes a lot of difference,tighten up the screws between stock and action and you got a great little rifle,at small cost.

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SKS is one tough piece of machinery Very reliable, works every time Easy to clean and take care of SKS was designed and built to be a Battle Field Weapon It is not a Sniper Rifle

Think SKS, Think Battle Field Weapon Infantry/Troop issue

I love em