SKS questions(help me choose my first rifle)

[Hodgie]

Collecting SKS’s here for well over a decade and have owned over two dozen so take my advise for what it’s worth.

If your looking for an SKS that’s going to run as well as an AK with AK style mags then save yourself the headache and money and buy an AK. Yes there are SKS’s that take standard AK mags like the model M and D but they are expensive and they tend to always be problematic, ask me how I know this. There is NO simple conversion for that style that does not involve modding the bolt, stock, and possibly the receiver if I remember correctly.

There in one way that I know to reliably convert your SKS to take modified detachable SKS mags without the duckbill’s or to take standard 7.62x39 AR mags.

I know the maker of these from another forum for over a decade and his modifications and parts work 100%.

http://www.thesksmagadapter.com/

It’s going to cost some money for the parts but it works. Like everything in the gun world there’s no free lunch.

My advise is buy a cheap AK.

You can get a PSA AK GF3 blemish for about $550-$600.00 when they are in stock. Or a used WASR for around the same once and in awhile in the classifieds.

PCC’s are great but they aren’t rifles and comparing them to a surplus rifle is an apples to orange thing. Either you want a surplus battle rifle or you want a PCC and each will have its intended use, pros and cons.

[bluetrane2028]

Paul Harrell's latest is about the SKS vs the AK.

I'd take the AK based upon that, honestly.

[Berncly]

I saw "arsenal." I didn't see "assault rifle" or anything particularly worthy of consternation...

I don't honestly care if the MSM gets their panties in a bunch about an "arsenal." The word applies to many situations.

For example, I had been a league bowler until COVID. I've got several bowling balls. When I discuss my equipment, sometimes I'll refer to the collection of balls as "my arsenal." Is that going to get people upset about bowling?

How about adding a new parenting skill to your "arsenal" of techniques to help the children in your life?

A collection of firearms for various lawful purposes certainly lives up to the "array of resources available for a certain purpose" definition.

Bowling balls...?
Who the f*ck is talking about bowling balls?
Are you really going to make me go through and dissect his posts?
I was trying to spare him that.

[bluetrane2028]

Bowling balls...?
Who the f*ck is talking about bowling balls?
Are you really going to make me go through and dissect his posts?
I was trying to spare him that.

How about, don't be a dick to the new guy? He will learn. Simple as that.

[Berncly]

How about, don't be a dick to the new guy? He will learn. Simple as that.

I wasn't being a dick to the new guy.
I was giving him some real input to spare him future others being a dick to the new guy.

I'm also not going to ignore Liberal anti 2A new speak in the open forum.
Neither should you.

[Emptymag]

At first, I thought that the OP must be in his late 50s or 60s because all of the "points" in his OP remind me of the way people used to talk about these specific rifles "way back when".
As I read the posts though, I don't think so - I think maybe he's regurgitating things he's read on the internet. Or not.

Anyway, here's my personal experience, having been there, done that.

Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I got it in my head that I needed a surplus rifle. I couldn't afford much, so instead of the $280 AK47, I settled for the $120 Yugo SKS.
Great rifle - good choice. No arguments from me.
(I was also a "wood and steel" guy back then)

Time went by and I saved up enough to buy an AK47 - because I couldn't afford an AR15.
Great rifle.

THEN I learned that you can BUILD an AR15 for less than buying one. Hmmmm...

And so it began.

Since 2007 or so, I've built "more than 5" AR15s.
I learned that they are not "complicated", or "fragile" or "expensive" as I had thought them to be.
I found that in time, I would reach for the AR15 over the SKS or AK47 when I went shooting.
I LIKED the fact that the AR15 is so much lighter and handy than the "wood and steel" that I loved so much.

When times got tough, I looked at my safe and the SKS was one of the first to be sold to pay bills.
Later, the AK47 got sold off for the same reason. (although I do have one other)

I do regret selling them, but mostly because they have become so expensive (in relation to what I paid for them) to replace.
I've yet to sell off an AR15 - I just love them so much more now.

If you want any suggestions on AR15 builds, I don't claim to be an expert, but I will say that I've done it enough times - and on a budget - that I think I know a little bit about it by now.

OR stick to your original plan, but I would also suggest leaving the SKS as designed - stripper clips are fast and easy to load and you don't have to dick around with modifications.

[imashooter2]

I bought a $99 Norinco back when steel core Chinese ammo was dirt cheap. The whole point was to have a rifle that I didn’t have to reload for. Ammo is still cheap, but nothing like that old steel core.

It’s a good reliable rifle. Reasonably accurate with the cheapest ammunition I can find. Stripper clips load reasonably fast on the couch and they are easy at the range. Since you seem to be a low buck kind of guy, I will point out that having to take the rifle off your shoulder after 10 shots will stretch your range time quite a bit compared to 30 round magazines.

Oh... I hardly ever shoot it since I acquired an AR. It is unrefined by comparison.

[JenniferG]

A comparison by a competent man.

[Hodgie]

The more I think about this coming from an SKS enthusiast view point. The OP would probably find a happy compromise with a SKS in a Ramline or Tapco stock using 20 round removable Tapco mags. They can be changed out quick enough or left in place and top loaded with stripper clips. You will have the duck bills on the mags but there are ways to easily manage carrying them if need be. Finding all this on the used market would fit into his price range as well.

Again this is from a SKS collectors view point.

Op if your interested in this concept let me know. If you want PM me and I can point you in the right direction for locating parts.

[littlefitz]

I wasn't being a dick to the new guy.
I was giving him some real input to spare him future others being a dick to the new guy.

I'm also not going to ignore Liberal anti 2A new speak in the open forum.
Neither should you.

Words matter. This has been posted before, but it's worth re-watching.