[DontBurnMyFlag]

So ive been shooting my SKS yugoslav alot lately and the more and more I put it together and take it apart again, the more I notice parts are becoming looser and looser. I have 3 different reciever covers, 1 with a scope, 1 standard and one with a sight rail for different types of scops. Each one fits a little bit differently. I did some filing on the covers to make sure they fit. One is really tight, and the one that came standard with the gun is pretty loose. The gas tube is the same way. They were all tight when I bought the gun.

Now, is this to be expected? Is this just regular wear and tear that wont hurt the gun? I mean, it is a battle rifle, meant to stab, hit, and be dropped in all conditions. A little wobble hear and there wont hurt, right? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[TULAver]

THe stock cover can wobble and wiggle all it likes as long as it stays locked with the pin. The scope mount receiver covers you want to be rock solid. If one has developed wiggle, it's likely, in my opinion, that the metal it's cast/machined from is softer than the other that doesn't wiggle, and so removal for field stripping, and/or replacment with one of your other covers has worn down the little teeth(they look like fangs, and bite pretty well too) a bit at the front. Those are usually the things that you work on to get a proper fit, but if you overfile, you end up with a wobbly scope mount, so better too little than too much when you're filing to fit there.

My scope mount had an irregular problem: the hole where the receiver cover locking pin goes through, was skewed about 1 degree or so, so the hole wouldn't line up correctly with the hole in the receiver on the left side of the gun. I had to do some gentle filing of the receiver cover pin hole to get it to fit. Didn't have to file the little teeth in the front at all, so I ended up with a pretty solid connection.

Like I said, with the standard receiver cover on, htere's no sight attached, so as long as the pin stays in place, any wobble there is a non-issue. Wobble in the receiver cover when a scope is attached = loss of zero though, and if severe enough it'll break the reticle in a cheap scope from excess vibration. The mounts that have the set screws that clamp onto the receiver are supposed to be pretty solid.

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

thanks alot. yea the mount i have with the scope now wobbles a tiny bit, hardly enough to notice. The other scope mount I have, has nothing on it yet. But its the type of reciever cover with the mounts for screws that are part of the cover. It looks and feels alot sturdier. Ill give it a few more trips to the gun range, and a few more cleanings before I make any descions. Thanks for the info.

 

[ruger22com]

Ya might want to try a buffer

 

[jerry]

the gun is built with loose tolerances. leave it a bit dirty and things will tighten up.

I'm a firm believer in good gun maint. however, if not shooting corrosive ammo, you really don't need to nitpick the sks so hard. By design, it will work fine. As a base line, I'd strip it down good every 1000 rounds. Other wise, run a patch down the bore, toothbrush the chamber down, wipe off, oil, and rock and roll.

This being said, you can eat off any of my other guns. just depends on the gun.

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

its true that i have been obsessing over rifle maintainence on my SKS. Its a battle rifle not a match rifle, I need to realize that. every time i shoot it, even if its only 40 rds, i take it all apart, clean everything, remove any traces of carbon, and then I do the basics like clean the barrel, and oil the parts. But ive been babying the thing recently. I take car of it, but its not made of glass. I need to realize that.

 

[TULAver]

Think of it like a Volkswagen: Volkswagen's oil may get dirty pretty quickly, but, dirty or not, you don't have to change it for a LOT of miles.

That said, your behaviour is perfectly normal. I think everyone has a period when they get their new toys, when they strip them down, build them back up, repeat, etc. It gives you a good notion of the workings of the gun and ensures that you won't forget how to break her down when the need does arise.

So, remember these things are built much sturdier than today's battle rifles, meaning: 1)letting her get dirty isn't going to hurt her, but then 2)busting her down repeatedly isn't either, at least not for many many years.

 

[Gyrene]

More rifles have been ruined by cleaning them improperly, than by leaving them dirty! It depends upon the methods used. Keep in mind that everything that goes through the bore one time, reduces the barrel life by at least one shot!

The SKS in Viet Nam, was left submerged in rice paddies, for months at times, taken out for a brief firefight and then left submerged again for long periods of time. The only maintenance they received was checking to make sure the bore was clear before firing. They were still just as deadly in the unmaintained state as they were if cleaned, and maintained. The SKS's having chromed bores, (I know not all SKS's have chromed bores, but most do), the barrel doesn't need to be cleaned very often, and once a year may be too often.

Many highpower competitors will not tell you how often they clean or do not clean their competition rifles. At least one of my friends, who competes at Camp Perry, has told me that, except for brushing out what he can reach from the outside (without disassembling anything) he cleans his rifles at the end of the season. That is once each year, and then has to shoot up to 150 rounds, without cleaning them, to get them ready for the next season. I know he does shoot AR-15's, M1A's, and .308 and .223 match rifles, whenever he competes.

What I'm trying to say, is that with non-corrosive ammo, it is unnecessary to clean the rifle regularly. I check mine after firing them, for condition, and make sure they are oiled and greased. If I do not fire them for long periods of time, I check them about once a month for condition, and oil or grease them as needed. I clean them when they have a problem (never had this happen, yet, HA HA), or maybe once a year to year and a half.

If you have a penchant for cleaning rifles, then far-be-it-from-me to tell you how to maintain them.

`

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

thanks for all the advice guys. I have a yugo m59/66, im not sure if the barrel is chromed or not. But I shoot good quality non corrosive ammo and maybe 100 rds when i go to the range. But yea, my sks needs some love, but its not a puppy. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[jerry]

non chrome barrel

 

[Rave]

Like Jerry said,no chrome,one of the few unchromed,so,although it is just as rugged as any other SKS,you should treat the barrel and chamber the same as any other weapon with an unchromed bore. :cheer:

 

[TULAver]

So that would mean then, that cleaning unnecessary, but the barrel needs some sort of rust preventative, no?

If you want to clean and prevent rust without passing anything down the barrel, I'd suggest Ballistol. I haven't had any in a while, but it's a great product, won't damage anything you put it on, and you can literally submerse things- guns, your tools, etc in a bath of it for WEEKS without worrying about it rusting them. It's slightly basic, and completely non toxic, even if ingested. Leaves a nice rust preventing surface once dry.

I know lots of folks swear by Hoppes, or their other favourite products developed specifically FOR guns, but this stuff is better in nearly every way. Just hard to come by.

also, as always, great post gyrene.

::edit::Also again, I'd assume that the above applies primarily to the barrel, bolt and trigger group, and so you'll still need to occasionally scrub the carbon out of the gas cylinder.

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

i shot 120 rds today. got home, i took the bolt, carrier, spring and cover, cleaned and brushed and wiped them. I oiled the chamber , and ran a few patches down the bore. I didnt bother with the gas port, piston or anything like that. Sound like a good procedure? My gun will be sitting for a few weeks , so should I give it the complete cleaning?

 

[TULAver]

Unless that ammo was uncommonly filthy, I think you're good to go, no need to scrub the gas tube or port for a good many rounds yet. Just give her a nice oiling on the outside to protect that finish.