ak's vs sks , what to buy ?

[SilentRage]

Looking for my next purchase , wanna know the pro's and con's of each ,
which brand of either is the better .
I don't have any experience in either one , that's why I'm asking , a person
can find a wealth of information about either one on-line in many different
explanations .
I'm looking for experience in both !!!!
C'mon boy's and Girl's , help me out here !!! LOL

[Captain Tuttle]

If you had to buy just one, I would get the AK.

The 30 round detachable mag is the clincher for me.

Other reasons too, but I'd get the AK first.

You can always pick-up the SKS later for much less than an AK.

At least for a little while longer...

[SigMan1980]

Great question, you're going to get a ton of answers! I am by no means an expert on either, but I have had, or currently have both. I think they are equal reliablility wise and they both use the 7.632x39 round, which is nice and cheap to shoot and a perfect blend of power and size. Some say accuracy will be better on the SKS, and it will be a little, but neither gun is known as a tack driver. Your main diffrences are capacity and cost. If you go with the base model, a Yugo SKS and a WASR-10, you can get 2 if not 3 SKS's for the price of one AK (SKS=$150+/- AK=$400+/-). AK's have 20 and thirty round mags while the SKS is fed with a ten round stripper clip. I also think that AK's are quite a bit easier to field strip and clean. IMHO, if cost is not a factor, go AK. If for no other reason, you never know ho much longer they will be available! If the SKS is more in your price range, don't worry, they are AWESOME rifles that will serve you well. Good Luck!
EDIT: One more piece of advice; Some have had great luck with them, but the 20 and 30 round detachable mags they make for the SKS have been very unreliable for me and others. Seems like an easy solution, cheap SKS with Hi-Cap Mag, but I don't think its worth it.

[PAallterrain]

I don't know about anyone else, but the selling point on the sks for me is the stripper clips.

Yes, it may not be as blind and hands free as slapping a clip in, but you can reload very fast, and "stripper clips" are dirt cheap. You load up a few hundred rounds on stripper clips and go. No need to carry heavy mags around.

That being said i don't have a sks, but i want one. My buddy has one, and i really really like the stripper clip design (if you can't tell). Beats having to buy a few hundred dollars in magazines.

[93-2.3]

i have shot both i settled on an ak cause its just bad a** lare round capacity and a smaller sized rifle with pistol grop to boot the sks is a nice cheaper gun if your looking for cheap fun the 10 rounds is a draw back it goes way too quick. and they are long rifles. you can get a chineese 20 round fixed mag for the sks they are verry reliable but extremely hard if not impossible to find anymore and i would imagine a pricey mag if you can find one. id say buy an ak

[jmiro]

Id go with the AK they tend to frighten the neighbors more.........

[ar15jules]

I enjoy both of these rifles. I would pony up now for the AK...they are going like hot cakes, and will only go higher in the future.
Jules

[Autonomous]

Yea it is a gamble at this point...
I am also a fan of both...
If you get a sks you can fined a Yugo for cheap still...Yugo's are milled sturdy rifles...If you find one with the wood furniture on it all the better...They are said to be more accurate than an entry level AK...The stripper clips for them are dirt cheap and one could get wicked fast with a little practice...
On the other hand the regular capasity magazines (30 rounds) for the AK are great...It is a great thing to be able to load that many rounds into your semi auto rifle...A WASR 10 is the most common entry level AK and is not a bad rifle...they are kinda rough around the edges...but they work for the most part...do a serch on the forum for whatever AK you decide on and or fined...good info on all types of AK's....
I say if you have the cash go for an AK...think about a follow up plan to save for a sks...Having both is a great option cause they eat the same food...be careful of the hype right now...I wonder how many people are preying off of the fear people have in order to inflate thier prices...
-A

[SilentRage]

Thanks to all for the great info , I just left Dunhams in Altoona about an
hour ago , they had three WASR's and seemed nobody there wanted to
wait on me but this is what I could read from the other side of the counter ,
Priced at between $ 349 - $ 379
#1 - wasr 2 - dragunov stock
#2 - wasr with dragunov stock all Century Arms
#3 - wasr single stack

I've also been to Allegheny Trade in Duncansville , Great place , this is where I buy my 7.62 x 54r ammo , they have two yugo sks's $239 and
$279 , they both look in pretty good shape and have the bayo's on .

The ak's they have though must be the damn good one's , $600 - $700 ,
can't read what they are though and every time I'm there they're busy
as hell so I don't have a chance to FONDLE one ! lol

Well , off to do some more research , but I think I'm kinda leaning towards
the yugo , considering the price and the ammo I can buy to make up the
difference in the ak , ahhh damn , then again the ak's are sweet and nasty
looking ! But , there's just something about holding an old military rifle in
your hands ,,, yugo ......

Thanks again everyone and if anymore info please chime in .....

[Zef_66]

Personally, I would buy the ak. If a ban comes in, the ak is going to be banned before the low capacity SKS. So get the ak. If you don't like it, I am sure you can sell it for a profit. AKs are more desirable than SKSs.