The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Got some time to talk SKS ? If so I need some advice on purchasing my first one.

Yugo's seem to be most available and have barrel issues some times ........ Thats my starting point

I have a Yugo SKS, bought it five years ago unissued. No problems with it, seems very nicely made. Forum advertiser Copes was offering issued Chinese SKS rifles last week, they may still have some left, these are the cool looking ones currently showing up on the board, there are a few threads about them.

I read the Chinese SKS is not as good a quality as the Yugo but the barrel is chrome lined so it resist's oxidizing better ......... less pitting I guess

Sounds like you think the Chinese ones are a good purchase.

I have a bias in favor of issued rifles, I like my milsurps to look the part of a rifle that has been places and seen things, right now the Chinese SKS fits that bill with a price that's under the $400-$500 of a Soviet SKS. I have a Vietnam war bringhome Chinese SKS that I would not part with for three grand never mind $300. The Chinese rifles are well made, and have no issues that I am aware of, I just tend to have little intrest in the ones that were new made for the US commercial market, but the issued ones definitely have my attention. There are also issued Yugo SKS's around, the barrels are not chrome lined and can have the same wear and rust issues as any Mosin would. I don't know the price range on these but suspect they would run over $300

Any of the common five would be good, Russian, Romanian, Chinese, Albanian or Yugoslavian. The Yugoslavian SKS run in roughly the same price range as the Norinco imports, only difference is appearance due to grenade launching hardware and stock is a different wood. The chrome bore to me is not a deal breaker, just clean it as you should and there will be no issues. The Yugoslavian is not the only SKS without a chrome bore, Russia didn't chrome barrels on the early models until somewhere between 1951 or 52.

If I were going to buy a Yugoslavian, the way I personally would do it would be, 1/buy it after you inspect it, hands on 2/buy one that has a guarantee, returnable, hand pick, ect. I would hesitate to buy one sight unseen, unless the seller was someone I knew or a known collector. Like JYD said the recent imports of Chinese have a history, and for the price, even one missing a few pieces would be worth it. Trust me, you can't just have one

thanks for the advice. Working on a trade for one yugo

Good luck with it.

Gah fell through. Theses things are hard to come by and the prices are on the rise. I think for now gona put it on the back burner.

Did you check out Copes, just click the banner at the top of the page, they put an add in the forum marketplace the other day.

Checked them out no SKS :(

Its gona be a sad soviet X-mas for me LOL

Gun show coming up in Dec. Maybe one will pop up. I think its just a bad time to be wanting any assault rifles .............. sellers market for them.

I will wait until the panic calms down and look around after the holidays.

The SKS is not in the same class as the black rifles, but it is in demand by collectors who have waited a long time for dealers to stock them at under $300 prices again.

If you wait for the panic to die down, you may be awhile. It is my opinion that the panic has not even begun yet.
I have a Russian refurb Tula that I love. It shoots great. But the Yugo I have also shoots great. As for looks, I prefer the model without the grenade launcher, but as far as shooting, accuracy, and the overall feel of the gun when shooting the Yugo feels top notch to me with the grenade launcher. I like them both very well.

aarbeh wrote:I think its just a bad time to be wanting any assault rifles .............. sellers market for them.

A stock SKS is the farthest thing from that. No selective fire features, no pistol type grip and a fixed magazine. California however does deem the SKS M and SKS D as assault weapons, due to the AK style removable magazine.

Be patient and keep an eye out, if you find one don't buy unless it speaks to you. One will pop up when you least expect it. I've let a few go to find out later were problems due to people monkeying with it, especially the trigger assembly. That's not a real good place to mess with unless you know what your doing.

I wouldn't turn my back on a plain jane stock Chinese SKS if the price is right, these are just as quality built as any of the others. The Chinese used all military grade parts, they were just largely built for import through Norinco.

I LOVE my Yugo 59/66A1 SKS. My favorite rifle I own.

Thanks all.

The search continues..........

you will never wear out the barrel of a yugo sks, chromed barrels are not as accurate. so i do not care if my yugo is chrome or not. i got my 59/66A1 in new condition and love it. it is one of my rifles i will for sure never sell. i just picked up one of the Chinese -Albanian beater SKSs and even though the stock is in poor condition it shoots great. i bet it has lots of history. second to my mosins i love SKSs get one.

Big 5 Sports used to sell military rifles. Mosins and SKS. I picked up an SKS they claimed was a Yugo several years ago for about $150. Full dress. Bayonet and elevating rear sight. It's fun to shoot but I'm not sure all the parts were originally together or if it was pieced together. The top piece of wood is darker, for example. Cleaning kit missing. And the bolt carrier was slightly cracked so I ordered a new one. I have no idea how it compares to others here.