Poll: SKS or FN-49 for deer hunting?

[Modeler]

Either would serve you well. I think that you made the right choice by going with your SKS.

Thanks. Unfortunately I didn't get a shot....

 

[Joe13]

Thanks. Unfortunately I didn't get a shot....

Don't feel bad.

Second year out and I've seen animals but not in a place I could take a shot. Sure glad I put together a $1200 hunting rifle...

 

[DuneHopper]

Don't feel bad.
Second year out and I've seen animals but not in a place I could take a shot. Sure glad I put together a $1200 hunting rifle...

Some day Id like to get a real nice hunting rifle, what do you have Joe13 ?

 

[Joe13]

Some day Id like to get a real nice hunting rifle, what do you have Joe13 ?

Fell in love with the Ruger Gunsight Scout in .308win at a gun store and then found one in unfired "used" condition online.

Came with a bunch of ammo - from a former gun counter guy, only downside was the powder coating instead of stainless that I had hoped for (gunna hunt with it a few more years and put a few more scratches on it and will have it Cerekoted).

I dialed the iron sights in and put a leupold 4x scout scope up front with quick disconnect rings.

She's my little darlin for sure.

My SkS is heavier by a pound or two and would have been ok with that but I wanted a dedicated hunting bolt action that was mag fed and had iron backups.



No luck on my first trip out but I'll be trying again this week before the season ends.

 

[DuneHopper]

Fell in love with the Ruger Gunsight Scout in .308win at a gun store and then found one in unfired "used" condition online.

Came with a bunch of ammo - from a former gun counter guy, only downside was the powder coating instead of stainless that I had hoped for (gunna hunt with it a few more years and put a few more scratches on it and will have it Cerekoted).

I dialed the iron sights in and put a leupold 4x scout scope up front with quick disconnect rings.

She's my little darlin for sure.

My SkS is heavier by a pound or two and would have been ok with that but I wanted a dedicated hunting bolt action that was mag fed and had iron backups.

No luck on my first trip out but I'll be trying again this week before the season ends.

Sounds like a sweet setup for sure.

 

[Joe13]

It's the most accurate gun I own. No matter what I point it at, that's where the hole ends up.

My SkS will do a 2.5" group at 100 yards - my Ruger will key hole my first shot or touch it with every consecutive shot. That's only at 150 yards though, I haven't had anywhere to shoot it out past that.

 

[eldbillbo]

Make sure your advice comes from someone that has hunted for several years not someone who reads the internet and believes everything they read. some guys think you can walk into the woods and the deer will come running to you and you can shoot them with what ever,

Northwest deer are hard to find not like in some states where they are smaller and a nucense where they don't matter if the animal wanders off and becomes coyote food.

Some people read or see photos taken of guys who have killed deer with a .223 or sks without
reading what states or conditions those people were hunting in. Some in states with a abundance of deer that are smaller. or on private land or farms or ranches.

Oregon has a growing population of cougars and now wolves this is going to reduce the game population as well as hunters wanting to relive their days in Vietnam by hunting (even though most of them were not even born at that time) with rifles not suited for NW hunting either the long range larger eastern mule deer to the elusive western black tail deer that is know for hiding in thick brush and cover.

You can pretend to be GI Joe and shoot a deer with a .223 or miss a vital with a rifle that has a 6" grouping at 200 yard or you can use the right tool for the job.

Odds are if you see a black tail come out at 200 yards across a clear cut you can and will hit it with a sks how ever if you don't hit a vital it will run away and become coyote food and unless you are hunting on private party that one buck you shot at will probably be the only one you see.

If you only owned a sks and could not afford a hunting rifle i would say go for it but its just like you can remove a philips screw with a flat head screw driver but you risk striping the head and not getting it out. its about having the right tool for the job . If you lived in a state lik Alabama where deer are the size of a large dog and you can bag 5 deer in a season then go for hunt with that .223 ar15 or sks what ever will punch a hole it . but with the deer population shrinking why chance it use the right rifle for the job.

I have found animals waisted due to a combo of the wrong rifle with out the right shot placement. I will sat a sks is a better choice than a .223 ar15 but when compared to a FN49 that has the power to reach out and kill something and if you can get that bullet any where near that vital its gonna drop it in its tracks the choice is obvious.

a better way to phrase the question might be leave the rifles out and ask how many deer have you shot at with a 7.62x39 cartridge and how many of them dropped and how many ran. vs how many have shot at a deer with a 30.06 cartridge and how many dropped and how many ran.



Just my 2 cents and its worth more than some of the other replies.

 

[DuneHopper]

Make sure your advice comes from someone that has hunted for several years not someone who reads the internet and believes everything they read. some guys think you can walk into the woods and the deer will come running to you and you can shoot them with what ever,

Some people read or see photos taken of guys who have killed deer with a .223 or sks without
reading what states or conditions those people were hunting in. Some in states with a abundance of deer that are smaller. or on private land or farms or ranches.

Oregon has a growing population of cougars and now wolves this is going to reduce the game population as well as hunters wanting to relive their days in Vietnam by hunting (even though most of them were not even born at that time) with rifles not suited for NW hunting either the long range larger eastern mule deer to the elusive western black tail deer that is know for hiding in thick brush and cover.

You can pretend to be GI Joe and shoot a deer with a .223 or miss a vital with a rifle that has a 6" grouping at 200 yard or you can use the right tool for the job.

Odds are if you see a black tail come out at 200 yards across a clear cut you can and will hit it with a sks how ever if you don't hit a vital it will run away and become coyote food and unless you are hunting on private party that one buck you shot at will probably be the only one you see.
Just my 2 cents and its worth more than some of the other replies.

I was curious when looking at the 223 vs the 7.62x39 correct me if I am misunderstanding but are you saying they both would have similar results ? The 223 is generally more accurate but does not have the same stopping power. At least that is my take, being I am not a hunting expert could you elaborate the difference when it comes to deer hunting? Thanks

 

[eldbillbo]

No they would not have similar results at all. I think the 7.62x39 would be a better choice especially if its quality ammo out of a quality rifle at closer ranges if someone is to hunt with one they should research the energy and dropage of their bullet and hunt accordingly . And thats not saying a sks is bad just some are less accurate than others. but the OP asked which is better between the sks and FN49 so unless there is something wrong with the FN49 it would be a far better choice.

if you were going to race a car and you only had a pinto or a mustang which would you drive?

I have been hunting for 30 years give or take a few years that i may have made it out. what I am talking about is not what I have read on the internet but from personal experience and from other seasoned hunters.

 

[DuneHopper]

No they would not have similar results at all. I think the 7.62x39 would be a better choice especially if its quality ammo

Oh ok, sorry I misunderstood I tend to agree as well .

 

[eldbillbo]

and to the op here is what I suggest. look at back of the box of ammo look at the energy at 300 yards and the droppage at 300 yards then see how each are effected by wind at that range.
then ask yourself if you were standing on the edge of a clear cut and saw a glorious buck standing in the tree line on the opposite side of the clear cut at 300 yards which rifle would you prefer to have?

 

[Modeler]

and to the op here is what I suggest. look at back of the box of ammo look at the energy at 300 yards and the droppage at 300 yards then see how each are effected by wind at that range.
then ask yourself if you were standing on the edge of a clear cut and saw a glorious buck standing in the tree line on the opposite side of the clear cut at 300 yards which rifle would you prefer to have?

A rifle with a scope. Taking a 300 yard shot from an old military rifle with iron sights is not a sportsmanlike thing to do.

 

[RVTECH]

I think the 7.62x39 would be a better choice especially if its quality ammo

Is 'quality' ammo available for the 7.62x39? Remember FMJ ammo is NOT legal for deer hunting and even if some sort of SP ammo is available I suspect the velocity would not be there for reliable expansion. Regardless the SKS is simply NOT an adequate or practical rifle for hunting and to even consider using one for hunting is an indication of a serious lack of hunting experience.

You can pretend to be GI Joe and shoot a deer with a .223 or miss a vital with a rifle that has a 6" grouping at 200 yard or you can use the right tool for the job.

Ownership of high cap military pattern rifles and emptying bulk quantities of ammo at the local dirt pile hardly equates to hunting. Hunting is an entirely different undertaking and requires at a minimum a rifle that has considerably more versatility in a variety of conditions than an SKS and with an ammo selection dedicated to hunting as opposed to what little may be available for the SKS and most likely not even designed with hunting as a consideration.

 

[Modeler]

I think that the Federal Fusion ammo I bought for my SKS is 'quality' hunting ammo, unless I'm missing something?

https://www.federalpremium.com/products/brands/fusion.aspx

More important than having a rifle that is good in a variety of conditions is knowing the limitations of the rifle you're using and staying within those limitations. At least that seems like the sportsmanlike thing to me.

 

[DuneHopper]

Is 'quality' ammo available for the 7.62x39? Remember FMJ ammo is NOT legal for deer hunting and even if some sort of SP ammo is available I suspect the velocity would not be there for reliable expansion. Regardless the SKS is simply NOT an adequate or practical rifle for hunting and to even consider using one for hunting is an indication of a serious lack of hunting experience.

Ownership of high cap military pattern rifles and emptying bulk quantities of ammo at the local dirt pile hardly equates to hunting. Hunting is an entirely different undertaking and requires at a minimum a rifle that has considerably more versatility in a variety of conditions than an SKS and with an ammo selection dedicated to hunting as opposed to what little may be available for the SKS and most likely not even designed with hunting as a consideration.

Could you elaborate " Regardless the SKS is simply NOT an adequate or practical rifle for hunting "
I know of several people as I have stated that have used one quite frequent for deer hunting with no real issues. There is also use of the Ak-74 and SKS's being used for hunting using the 7.62x39 .
I also should mention I have HP and SP 7.62x39 allot of them no problem finding it when I bought them.
I was just up at Cabelas a week or so ago and the had more 7.62x39 SP then anything else.
Just curious why you have what seems a very strong opposition to the use when seems its used allot for that purpose ?
Thanks

 

[Modeler]

Or to put it another way:

If the choice is either go hunting with a rifle with limited range (and stay within that limited range) or not go hunting at all because a "proper" hunting rifle is not owned (and will not be purchased this year) which is the better choice?

For me, the answer is go hunting with what I have.

 

[DuneHopper]

It should be noted as well that hunters that are not avid hunters, buy rifles they can't use effectively at the distance the firearm is capable of. I know someone that just bought a rifle I cant afford, yet I know they do not have the breathing or understanding to use it for the max's it can do. I think many think they will pick a General off at 2500 yards with it . Of course then there are the few that have a firearm that is not accurate enough for their skill.

 

[RVTECH]

Could you elaborate

Ok - In the big 'scheme' of things the SKS is a relatively crude rifle, with typically large and impractical sights and poor ergonomics. Disagree if you want but this is my observation from shooting many of them. I guess if you believe you have mastered your SKS to the point of acceptable hunting accuracy and are using quality ammo then knock yourselves out. Reality being what it is will show the experienced, SERIOUS hunter will choose a traditionally patterned rifle in a caliber suited to the environment and potential distance that might be encountered as opposed to the obvious ballistic shortcomings of the 7.62 X 39 round. But Hail, I am a guessin' them thar 'Fudd' gunz within' there bolt akshuns jest don' shoot as fast ta satisfy som peepul...

 

[RVTECH]

I think many think they will pick a General off at 2500 yards with it

And herein is a BIG part of the problem - a lack of respect and experience with the proper 'tool' for the job and trying to substitute what is 'fashionable' instead. Remember, someone previously motioned this is not a 'battlefield' - it's hunting - but I don't think some understand that.....

 

[eldbillbo]

I totally agree with that . A scoped rifle is the way to go. they do make scope mounts for each of them. although a good one for a FN49 may cost quite a bit but i think a cleaver gun smith could fit a weaver rail to one.