Accurate 7.62x39 rifle on a budget

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<Why there aren't any school shootings in Israel! Teacher with long gun slung over her shoulder!!!

A Sig 556R will shoot to 1MOA with GOOD 7.62X39 ammo. I have one but haven't made it to the range yet. Just picked up a KSG today so I NEED to get to the range and wring them out!

Deen
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"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have it, you'll probably never need one again!"

 

[I-Shoot]

Just to be clear, what follows is all my opinion, even if I've stated it like its fact...

+1 for an SKS with a cut and crowned barrel -- but according to <broken link removed> , keep it 17.5" or longer or you can run into cycling problems. After you cut the barrel, its actually easier and less expensive to use an aftermarket replacement front sight than try to reuse the original one, I'd go with the <broken link removed> . Then get a trigger job from Kivaari, you just mail him the trigger group and he'll mail it back as good as an SKS trigger will ever be.

At that point your gun will be accurate enough that you'll probably want a good scope mount... stay away from all of the receiver cover and gas tube mounts, they won't hold zero. You'll want to go with something like a drilled and tapped Choate mount or possibly the Canadian <broken link removed> , if your budget allows... well, it goes on indefinitely from there, but that's the starting point.

And all of that is moot if you shoot crappy Russian ammo. Hornady makes some decent ammo, but it generally goes for about $.75/round. Have fun with the cheap stuff, but when you're hunting or testing the rifle's potential, good ammo is necessary.

There is a ton of 922r info, but that would be a whole thread by itself. Actually, if you go to the SKS Boards, you'll find more info than you know what to do with.

Examples of what an SKS can be....

 

[tdbru]

i know this is an OLD thread, but you might consider the new howa mini 1500 bolt gun. i just picked one up and it is ok. 2 moa out of the box with no tweaks. with steel case ammo. now i will begin the tweaking and handloading and see how well i can do. if you don't mind a 5 shot bolt gun, it isn't bad. with scope and rings it comes in under 7 lbs. just a thought. ymmv.
-tdbru

 

[aksu747]

CZ 527 or Ruger American Rifle Ranch.
I'd lean towards the Ruger though, because it uses mini-30 magazines.

 

[tdbru]

i'm not too fond of the way the ruger american ranch rifle is designed. the recoil lug is imbedded in the stock and fits into slots cut in the receiver. what happens if you want to change stocks? you'll have to go to the work to install new recoil lugs in the new stock. if you don't ever intend to change stocks, probably a don't care. and with the ruger ARR you get a very short barrel. if that's what you like, great. but i like longer tubes for 2 reasons, a) more MV for any given load than a short tube and b) less muzzle blast & noise for any given load vs a short tube. both of those are personal preferences so i'm just as happy for you with your choice. the cz has a funky bolt design at the rear. i didn't care for how it was designed. and again you must deal with a short tube. the mini howa i picked up has a 22" tube. the bolt is very conventional. some may like it, some don't. i do. the stock for the mini howa was built to a price point. cheap injection moulded plastic. so very flexible and not very rigid. that may be contributing some to the 2 MOA due to action bedding, i don't know yet. the barrel on the howa mini is free floated. i like the wood stock on the cz better. but the howa is built to a price point and if you don't mind the tupperware stock, it is absolutely weatherproof and decently durable. and ugly, but that's again personal preference. on the mini howa, the recoil lug is forged as part of the action and the front action screw goes into the lug ala. Mauser 98 which is a feature i like. if i decide to change stocks to wood or kevlar the recoil lug goes with the barreled action like a conventional rifle. if i go with a laminated wood stock it might group better, i'd likely like the stock a lot better, but it'd likely be a heavier rifle. as it is the light weight is a good feature in my mind.

having mini-30 magazines workable seems neat, i will give ruger that. the 5 round plastic magazine that came with the mini howa works fine. and is pretty weatherproof, but like all detachable magazines, on all 3 of these, they are subject to getting lost. steel ones subject to rust, plastic one probably more fracture prone if dropped onto a hard surface.

the trigger on the howa is a 2 stage trigger. average trigger pull is 3 lbs 5 oz. there's an adjustment screw that does absolutely nothing, even when removed. purely cosmetic

so i prefered the howa mini for mostly longer barrel and more conventional action design. but those are personal preferences.
tdbru