[AztecEmpire]

I love my Russian sks. Bottom line is the sks rifle is an oustanding low cost rifle. Unless you live in California. Like me....

[TheJoker]

I based my rating on comparing the SKS to military surplus rifles and gave it a 6. The SKS is a great value for the price, but I'd hate to be sent into combat with one.

I heard a story once...maybe here...about the sound made when the SKS bayo is being snapped in place being a Marine's worse nightmare because the sound was immediately followed by an ambush.

[Bravo]

I gave it a 9. The 10-round magazine is a flaw today where we teach spray/pray methods rather than shot placement.

If one learns how to place rounds correctly, then the SKS is nearly a perfect battle rifle. Long enough range, heavy slug, godly reliable.

[gandog56]

How the heck would I know? I've never been in combat.

[mosquitofish]

I call it a 9, mine is a tack driver & likes all ammo. even the cheap stuff. even better than my mosin. yes I said it better.

[Capt'n Mil Coll]

War rifles, especially carbines, forever.


I concor with that thought Laufer.

[SwedeSteve]

The SKS is a perfect example of a lightweight, intermediate cartridge, infantry weapon. After the failed SVT40, it brought the Russians into the new era of semiauto fire. A classic weapon that was overshadowed by the arrival of the AK, the SKS remains popular. I give it a 9, keeping in mind the era and the intended use, and the other weapons of the day.

[marion57]

I am also going to give SKS a 9 based on my belief in well placed shots not spray of bullets like AK..In a combat situation it would deped on what your facing a hoard of infanty or a small platoon ..I a hoard of infantry you will meed some heave stuff anyway to put em down .. The SKS is a proven weapon and is still in use today in 3rd world countrys..Overall a 9

[Ermac]

Quote:       Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

The SKS is a perfect example of a lightweight, intermediate cartridge, infantry weapon. After the failed SVT40, it brought the Russians into the new era of semiauto fire. A classic weapon that was overshadowed by the arrival of the AK, the SKS remains popular. I give it a 9, keeping in mind the era and the intended use, and the other weapons of the day.

Svt40 didn't fail really.

[AztecEmpire]

When i had my NhM-90 , i tried firing from a prone position. The magazine got in the way. ImO unless yo have a tripod on an AK firing prone is uncomfortable. I had to prop it on the mag itself. Sks no problem. I've never fired a AR-15 but, i guess that would comfortable to fire prone as well. I think the sks is a capable combat rifle. Like one of the above posts its kind of like an M-1. Of course i would rather have the M-1! Bottom line is the sks rfle is an excellent rifle for the price. Unlees you live in California like me. They go for double their worth. I saw a beautiful yugo sks at my local big 5 for 399$ I was so tempted to purchase it. I decided to leave and not look back.

[ccsniper]

I would say the vietcong new how useful an sks could be. I just got rid of my AK because I am far more sufficient with my sks. yeah its a slow reload, but will make me think where I put those 10 rounds instead of just empyting a 30 round mag around a guy and never hitting him.

[Lobo0311]

I rated it at a 7 due to the fact, while I've never used mine in combat obviously, It's easy to carry in that it's weight is not overbearing, its easy to bring to target, recoil is minimal and while it "only" holds 10 rnds in the fixed mag ( never had much luck with hi cap aftermarket mags) its easy to reload with stripper clips. After looking at what wikipedia states about this rifle it served it intended purpose well, IMO. The fact that it uses a more potent round (vs 5.56 NATO) is also a plus. Ease of maintainance, portability and range fit the bill well for what I use it for. If it'll drop a deer size animal it'll function satisfactorily on a person ( should the need arise).
I would've rated it higher if it had a longer max effective range, but then it wasn't designed to be a sniper type. One more plus is the availabilty of new and milsurp ammo, easier to find than .223 or .308 in these days of panic buying. Another plus is the amount of after market options to customize it to your personal preference ( stocks, mags if you like, rails for lights and/or optics), and it's durable, built to take abuse much like the AK that replaced it.
Sidenote: I gave mine an aftermarket "Monte Carlo" type stock soley due to the fact that the original one had to short a length of pull for me, It obviously wasn't designed with people in excess of 6ft tall in mind.

[Joekgman]

Hello, I just went out and purchased a Noriko Chinese sks with a synthetic tapco t6 stock. So far what I have seen is depending if you use your stationary stock 10round magazine (with zipper clips) the gun tends to be a bit lighter than the Yugo. However, when using a metal 30 round duck bill magazine the gun easily becomes around the same weight range. However the Chinese model is only slightly different but is well worth the money. Even though you don't get the option of a grenade launcher, muzzle break or standard night sights they are the same rifle. Early today I shot the length of half a football field wanting to say around 50 to 100 yards and was able to shoot a burger king cup off the top of a human shaped target. Easy to say that the gun is accurate enough to shoot some one's hat off their head. However, I did get a head shot also... so I wouldn't necessarily try it with any friends. I have also realized that when using hollow points they put a big indention in a .25" steel plate. On the other hand if you use full metal jackets at about 100 yards out they shoot straight through .25" steel plates with no hesitation. (using standard wolf ammo) 7.69 x 39
At the range of around 100 yards you have a pattern of 3 to 5 inches of your intended hit zone. Which when shooting at a target standing 5 to 6 foot there should be no problem. The Chinese , and Yugoslavian sks are a great buy and if you are looking into an inexpensive rifle I would definitely rank it high. I did have one problem with the gun having a few jams for around the first 10 rounds. After that everything went smooth and it hasn't jammed since. Easy to assemble and disassemble. I do have to agree it took me around 2 mins to load a 30 round magazine and that might not be the quickest way to reload but you get 20 more shots than what you would with your stock 10 round mag. I have also heard that the Chinese sks has a tendency to slam fire multiple rounds like a fully automatic but I have seen no proof of that. A bad thing about the 30 round magazine is while loading your rounds sometimes the spring on the inside of the magazine jams and you have to tap the magazine to get the spring to function properly. (Is anyone having this same problem)

I LOVE THE SKS!

[Rifle_Shaman]

While ive never shot the SKS, ive shot AKs. Ive grown to respect the 7.62x39 round. The Japanese have a LMG that shoots a 7.62x51 that's loaded to x39 specs but with a turn of a gas plug can shoot the x51 loads. Bin keeping an eye out for a 7.62x39 upper for my AR.

[billy]

How do you rate the SKS in combat?



ive never been in combat.

[Paper]

Quote:       Originally Posted by billy

How do you rate the SKS in combat? ive never been in combat.

Neither have I, and actually, I'd like to keep it that way.

Although, I have been attacked by vicious lime stone rocks and the SKS did extremely well against these attacks!! The rocks were all blown to pcs. and none made it into my area without extreme damage..

The weren't armed, but I'm pretty sure the were charging and planned on stoning me to death!!

And no, this isn't even remotely a rip on anyone who's served or has been in combat. I was born during a time when there wasn't a crisis, and therefore didn't serve, but those that did have my full respect.

[Whootsinator]

This thread... is six... years... old... WOW.

I voted seven for similar reasons as the ones already listed.

[patrick70]

The SKS is an excellent rifle for the money.I bought 2 Norinco's years ago and they both shoot great with no problems.The best way to go with these rifles is to keep the fixed 10rd mag and use the stripper clips and practice reloading.You'll be surprised how good you can get with practice.

[Jesse]

Thanks for your input guys. It's good to see this thread still going after all these years!

[XIDshooter]

Heck,I'll throw my 2 cents.
I didn't vote 'cause I haven't been in combat,let alone with my SKS.
I've trained with the M-16 a1&a2 while in the Army and I have a WASR-10 and a Yugo SKS.
The SKS is smoother and more accurate than the AK,I also like the stripper clips and lower profile due to the short magazine.
Down side is the weight.The yugo is just heavy compared to the other two and I think any weight savings over detatchable magazines is lost if you have the 59/66.
Would I take it into combat?Yes. But I would take any of the three.