Breaking the SKS Myth

[Boboclown]

I'm curious as to how a SKS in 5.56 would be to be honest.

Though with 5.56 AKs there isn't really a need for it to be honest.

 

[CamoDeafie]

@Boboclown theres an ongoing rumor, maybe confirmed maybe not... of a Norinco .223 SKS sporter model having been sold/imported to Canada and very few in the US right before the import ban?

 

[Boboclown]

@Boboclown theres an ongoing rumor, maybe confirmed maybe not... of a Norinco .223 SKS sporter model having been sold/imported to Canada and very few in the US right before the import ban?

There were some converted SKS rifles in .223, and Norinco does make a .223 SKS. However I have no info to confirm that any were imported into the U.S. Maybe but I don't know. A SKS guru might know.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Yea... even on the Survivor SKS boards, it seems to be something of a mythical beast
However that might be the closest to a 5.56 SKS we would ever get.

 

[Boboclown]

I think we're more likely to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop than to find out if any Norinco .223 SKSes were ever imported here.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I think we're more likely to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop than to find out if any Norinco .223 SKSes were ever imported here.

For those who dont wait.. took the guy 270 licks. Of course there will be different estimates due to variables

 

[DuneHopper]

The SKS is like a Glock, you either hate it or like it.

Its important to realize that in all tests the 7.62x39 is in semi or full auto tests.
However tests also show in a bolt action the round is much more stable, and much more accurate.
And the same could be said with most all rounds but normally the 7.62x39 is not used for distance of any kind or accuracy due to the rifle its usually in.
But in a Bolt action it fairs well. I ran a pretty large SKS group on FB and retired from it last year when FB got all commie
on our commie block discussions. But the caliber was put to the test and fared much better in a bolt action.
As too the .223 we heard the same thing, but even talking with importers in Canada we came up with nothing to show it was ever imported or existed. I also have used this round in a SKS, AK and Bolt action same steel ammo for target shooting and the 7.62x39 isn't even the same round in a bolt action, its stable and pretty darn accurate. Point was a .223 probably wouldn't improve much as the problems with AK's and SKS in my opinion is the gas system. But just my opinion.

 

[Boboclown]

The SKS is like a Glock, you either hate it or like it.

Its important to realize that in all tests the 7.62x39 is in semi or full auto tests.
However tests also show in a bolt action the round is much more stable, and much more accurate.
And the same could be said with most all rounds but normally the 7.62x39 is not used for distance of any kind or accuracy due to the rifle its usually in.
But in a Bolt action it fairs well. I ran a pretty large SKS group on FB and retired from it last year when FB got all commie
on our commie block discussions. But the caliber was put to the test and fared much better in a bolt action.
As too the .223 we heard the same thing, but even talking with importers in Canada we came up with nothing to show it was ever imported or existed. I also have used this round in a SKS, AK and Bolt action same steel ammo for target shooting and the 7.62x39 isn't even the same round in a bolt action, its stable and pretty darn accurate. Point was a .223 probably wouldn't improve much as the problems with AK's and SKS in my opinion is the gas system. But just my opinion.

Seems AKs in 5.56 fare better than their 7.62x39 counterpart. At least as far as the Bulgarians go. Then again a lot of variables at play there. My Arsenal does better than my wasr in accuracy, BUT the arsenal is sporting a scope where the 100 yard zero uses crosshairs vs the chevron the wasr has on it. Also Arsenal vs wasr, and federal vs cheap steel case. As examples of variables at play.

 

[osprey]

Many cartridges get bad press because of limitations of the platforms they are launched from and some of the crappy quality control of some of the ammo. Nothing wrong with the 7.62x39. I laugh when people say a certain cartridge is just not accurate.

 

[Flopsweat]

If Trump could undo the import bans on Russian and Chinese guns.... maybe we would see lower prices and increased supply....

I don't know if he'll go that far. He's not really a Republican, and actually spoke negatively about "Assault rifles" publicly several years ago. He also didn't seem to mind the bump stock ban. I like many of the things that he's done for the economy, trade agreements etc. I'm not expecting much out if him on 2nd amendment issues.

More closely to the subject at hand, I would probably own an SKS today if I had bought one when they were $89. They are interesting and I've enjoyed shooting friends' SKSs in the past but they just aren't worth $400 + to me.

 

[Boboclown]

Many cartridges get bad press because of limitations of the platforms they are launched from and some of the crappy quality control of some of the ammo. Nothing wrong with the 7.62x39. I laugh when people say a certain cartridge is just not accurate.

I also laugh when people blame the AK. AKs in 5.56 and 5.45 DO tend to be more accurate than their 7.62x39 counterparts. Can the 7.62 AKs be accurate? Sure, but nornally the 5.45 and 5.56 are more accurate.

This isn't saying 7.62x39 is inaccurate and no one made such claim. This is saying there's variables at play.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I have found through my use of and the experience of being on the receiving end of bullets shot my way by the SKS and AK47 series of rifles , that they are both accurate and rugged enough for their intended uses.

I personally like the Russian variants of the SKS over any of AK47 series...That said I would love to own a East German SKS.
Andy

 

[notazombie]

5.45? 5.56? 7.62? I don't want to get shot with any of them.

 

[Boboclown]

5.45? 5.56? 7.62? I don't want to get shot with any of them.

I would like to get shot by a pez gun.

 

[Mikej]

I would like to get shot by a pez gun.

OR? A "Clown Gun"??

'Clown Guns' Could Protect People from Trigger-Happy Police | Inverse

 

[osprey]

I also laugh when people blame the AK. AKs in 5.56 and 5.45 DO tend to be more accurate than their 7.62x39 counterparts. Can the 7.62 AKs be accurate? Sure, but nornally the 5.45 and 5.56 are more accurate.

This isn't saying 7.62x39 is inaccurate and no one made such claim. This is saying there's variables at play.

I can think of several things that may influence that. There is probably better qc on 5.56 /5.45 ammo overall. Tooling may be better for rifles made in those chamberings, leading to tighter tolerances of the chamber and the rifling. Lower recoil of the 5.56 and 5.45 makes it easier to be shot more accurately. Also maybe more rifles in 7.62 are chrome lined vs more non chrome lined in the other camberiings. I am still of the opinion that that any accuracy difference between 7.62x39 and the 5.56x45 or 5.45x39 has as much to do with the platform that they are launched from as any inherent advantage in cartridge design. Given equal playing fields I think accuracy gains of the smaller cartridges would be minimized.

 

[Boboclown]

I can think of several things that may influence that. There is probably better qc on 5.56 /5.45 ammo overall. Tooling may be better for rifles made in those chamberings, leading to tighter tolerances of the chamber and the rifling. Lower recoil of the 5.56 and 5.45 makes it easier to be shot more accurately. Also maybe more rifles in 7.62 are chrome lined vs more non chrome lined in the other camberiings. I am still of the opinion that that any accuracy difference between 7.62x39 and the 5.56x45 or 5.45x39 has as much to do with the platform that they are launched from as any inherent advantage in cartridge design. Given equal playing fields I think accuracy gains of the smaller cartridges would be minimized.

Aside from Yugos, other 5.56 imported AKs are chrome lined. The 5.56 AKs typically use the 90 degree gas port, which has improved accuracy (hypothetically).

People have gotten 5.56 AKs down to 1.25 MOA, but generally its 1.5-2 MOA. That's with the CHF chrome lined barrels. The .308 AKs tend to be accurate as well.

If someone were to put in a custom barrel who knows where it goes. Just a lot of variables at play.

 

[Boboclown]

OR? A "Clown Gun"??

'Clown Guns' Could Protect People from Trigger-Happy Police | Inverse


View attachment 528430

No. Pez gun. You can eat pez.

 

[xtratoy]

OR? A "Clown Gun"??

'Clown Guns' Could Protect People from Trigger-Happy Police | Inverse


View attachment 528430

It won't make much difference if the cop does a double tap!!

 

[CLT65]

I understand that some people hate SKSs, and I think I understand why.

I have a friend who loves to hunt. Hunting is his thing, has been his whole life. To him a rifle is a tool for hunting, nothing more. I was showing him some of my old surplus rifles one day, and he was unimpressed to say the least. In his words, they were "heavy and clunky" compared to his Remington 700. He had zero appreciation for what they were historically. The only criteria to him was their effectiveness as a hunting arm.

How does a '57 Chevy compare to a modern car? Loud, slow, clunky, inefficient... Unless you appreciate them for what they are, they're pretty much junk.

I've heard it all: people hating on the SKS, M1 Carbine, Mosin Nagant, even the honored Garand and 1911. It's always the same; they're clunky old junk compared to a modern AR, or Glock or whatever.

These people complaining are much like my friend. They're all about practicality. They see a gun and compare it to another gun on practical merits alone. How does a heavy, clunky old SKS stack up against a sleek, modern AR? It doesn't, It can't. They are WWII-era technology.

I like the SKS. I think it was a good design for its time. It was a very successful design that can still hold it's own as a practical rifle, but to compare it on merit alone up against modern designs is unfair.

People buy guns for different reasons. Some buy guns for practical usage, and others buy them for the history or nostalgia. Back when you could buy an SKS for $59, it made perfect sense to buy one for purely practical purposes. At that price it was a very worthwhile semi-auto carbine. At that time you couldn't touch an AR for less than ten times that much. Now that SKSs are in the $400 range, I would never advise anyone to buy one for practical purposes. Leave them for the people who appreciate them for what they are. Go buy an AR instead.