Found it at a gun show today. It looks like it has seen better days, thats for sure. I think the damage to the stock is largely water damage. I was going to ask the SKS community what the best way would be to go about restoring this rifle. I really want to get rid of all of the rust on the metal. Bore looks great, and I was informed it was chrome lined. Beautiful sharp lands and grooves. I was thinking about using a chemical stripper on the stock, then doing some light sanding to smooth it before stain.
I wanted to use a red stain, like a Sedona Red #222 you find at Home Depot, then put some boiled linseed oil over that. I am not sure how much it will take to get the rust off of it either, and I think I might consider rebluing the metal parts. What do you guys think? As for price, I paid $150 for it. I always told myself that if I ever got an SKS, it would be a Russian one. Well, here it is. For that price, compared to what they sell for even though they are in quite better shape, I didn't want to pass it up.
The bolt functions, and it will dry fire, so I would only assume that it could start shooting right now if it needed to. All the mag parts appear to be present, and it holds the bolt open on the empty magazine. But it needs some TLC.
So if anyone has any additional information, other than it being a Tula 1954 production Russian SKS, do share. The bayo the guy said he switched and this was the nicer of the 2 he had. Wish it wouldn't have been switched. What say the rest of you? Total strip and reblue, or what? Will that decrease any present value in the rifle, or increase it?
__________________
Mosin Nagant evangelist on a mission to convert YOU!
What I have found to work really well on surface rust is liberal, (oh wait, thats a naughty word here) Ok, LOTS of WD-40 and aggressive work with 0000 steel wool. It clouds the bluing some but after about a week it looks great. I have done some really amazing clean up work with what first appeared to be impossible.
If the metal is pitted then the metal is pitted and no amount will work. It looks like you have some on the bottom metal, rear receiver and butt stock. For than you will need some abrasive type polishing and re-blue.
It looks like any collector value is gone since the deterioration will continue until stopped.
Looks like a fun project rifle! Enjoy.
Last edited by MontyEllis; 12-13-2009 at 05:44 PM.
I kept trying to think if I missed mentioning anything. I think I got all the pics that had serials on them, but so far as I can tell, the numbers are all the same. Most of the insides are pretty rusty, but some TLC will get it all dialed up and I'm sure it will function just fine. But, the gas piston was kinda stuck a little, and after a couple taps, it popped right out. I'm gonna shoot a video and post some of the vids at a later date when all is said and done. Thanks for the replies. Hopefully this will indeed turn out to be a good shooter. I'll try to get some bore shots. That was one of the other reasons I purchased it, the bore looks great. Well, it looks great to my untrained SKS eye, but the rifling looks great.
__________________
Mosin Nagant evangelist on a mission to convert YOU!
You could try soaking the rusty parts in KROIL. It is pretty good at lifting surface rust away from the solid metal. After a good soaking maybe hit it with a brass brush to get any loose stuff. Steel wool will take off a lot more of the bluing.
I have Dura Coated badly rust pitted guns and it fills the pits nicely and gives a protective covering. I did my "boat SKS" with it and unless you chip it, it won't rust
__________________
peace through superior firepower
Steel wool will take off a lot more of the bluing.
Actually, it doesn't. Using fine steel wool was part of the bluing process in days of yore. Particularly in 'rust cabinet' bluing for some of them finer firearms. It's called "carding". Keep in mind that bluing is just a controlled rusting process.
A few years back when my Grandfather died we found some, of many, of his firearms in the basement badly surface rusted. The worse one was a very nice sporterized 30/40 Krag. I "carded" all of them and put them away for a couple of weeks. Other than one that had pitting they all came out looking brand new. Since then I have done others for people that are not so good at keeping things oiled. They're always amazed that I could clean them up and I never tell them how I do it.
If it works...it's worth 150$ even if you have to just duracoat or spray paint it and use it for a shooter! I wouldn't mind one that rough....I just want a truck/fun gun anyway, the price was sure right.
__________________ I'm here for a good time, to h*ll with the red wine, pour me some moonshine!
Hey I think you got a nice project gun for $150. All it needs is a little... errr alot of TLC. When all is said and done you will love the gun that much more. Didn't some Brit say "the love you take is equal to the love you make". Have fun with it IC.
__________________
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.....
Nice character. I'd clean her up a bit without altering too much at first. if that dosen't trip your trigger you could go forth with more radical refinishing proceedures.
Kind of looks like an old war baby. Could have been stuck up in a tree by it's bayonet in viet nam or somethig.
$150 bucks for a Russian SKS shooter-grade that just needs TLC and Dura-Coating to deal with the rust pitting, and a stock that's not beaten to death, with matching numbers?
I hate you.
If blaster's photo of his Dura-Coated SKS is typical, and I believe it is, you have the ability to make yourself a really sweet shooter/truck gun out of that rusty mess. Color me envious. I haven't seen an SKS for under $350 in a year around here. Colonel, you got yourself the steal of the day at that gun show. And it's even a Tula! Fix her up good and she'll do right by you.
I should have specified, that the rust is most likely caused from salt water damage. The guy who sold it said he was living in LA when Katrina struck, and his house flooded. He had an old 1944 Izhevsk M44 sitting right next to it that he had put some BLO on the stock. But now I'm trying to figure out if I want to stain it a darker red, and BLO over that, or else find some shellac. How do I color the shellac to make it a darker red like the stuff thats on it now?
__________________
Mosin Nagant evangelist on a mission to convert YOU!
