how good is a sks rifle for just all around performance?

Answer 1

The ONLY good thing I can say about the SKS is that the recoil isn't bad...Other than that, this rifle is crap, poorly made, terrible trigger pull, it's not accurate, it is unreliable.

Five of us went to the Tulsa gun show last year, the other 4 guys all bought themselves an SKS. I refused, since I already own 9 "assault" rifles. Not that it matters a whole hill of beans but two of these guys are cops, one is SWAT and the other does drug enforcement(dogs).. All 4 of them, like myself have been around guns all their lives..

Well, to make a short story long, they wanted to shoot their new SKS, I brought along two HK-91's , two Colt AR-15's and Two Ruger Mini 14's.. Some had fired one or two of these rifles but not all three. By the end of the day only one of the four had anything good to say about his SKS, and that was "well it doesn't kick too bad". One of the SKS's was so bad the guy wanted to throw the damn thing in the pond. One of the rifles, wouldn't accept a clip..Etc it wasn't pretty. Everyone brought a rifle or two and at least one handgun so the day wasn't a total loss.

There are way too many better choices out there to throw good money away. The best of the best are the FN-FAL and the HK-91 ,the AR-15 and Mini 14 are a both well made, reliable, fun and the .223(5.56 NATO) rounds are cheap...And there are others, find a good one, don't waste your money.

Answer 2

People do not understand, the SkS was designed for close combat. The most successful combat rifle in history is the AK'47, over 100 million made, yet the SKS is slightly more accurate. Trying to compare an AR15 to an SKS is like comparing a shotgun to a rifle, both perfectly suited for their different purposes. Lets do a comparison. Accuracy, AR 15, lightness, AR 15, Speed loading and capacity, AR15. [after market clips for SKS are not reliable] Adding scopes, lights, lasers, etc, AR15, Ability to function in harsh conditions, SKS, ability to use gun as weapon in hand to hand conflict, SKS, Price, SKS, [1/3 to 1/4 the price] Knock down and penitraction, SKS, price of ammo,SKS, Ability to shoot reliable without cleaning, SKS, There are more advantages that each weapon has over each other, but there is no argueing which is the best, best for what situation, what conditions? If everyone would forget their bias and be honest, there are times and circumstances they would chose the other rifle. There is no perfect everything gun. An AR15 is much more accurate than an AK47 because it is built to closer tolerances. An AK47 will jam less in dirty situations because it is built with looser tolerances and the spent powder is vented away from the receiver, unlike the AR15 which blowback action must be cleaned more often to retain it's dependability. No arguement on these points, you can not deny physics.

Answer 3

The first Chinese SKS rifles imported in - what - the early 1980s - were actual military surplus rifles and they quickly earned a reputation for extreme reliability. They were often in "heavily used but still functional" condition, but because of their chrome lined bores most still shot with fair accuracy.
I owned one of those rifles, and although it had the appearance, balance and aesthetics of a fence post it was a 3-4 minute-of-angle rifle with good ammo and absolutely stone reliable. It would go through 1000 rounds of Chinese surplus ammo in an afternoon without cleaning and without a single malfunction. Many people I knew owned an SKS of that vintage and their experiences were similar to my own.
Within a short time the Chinese apparently realized they had a great source for yankee dollars, and "brand new" SKSs were being manufactured for sale in the U.S. Pressed and pinned barrels (instead of threaded) were one indicator although some threaded barrels were coming in too. I've known several people who bought rifles from that vintage, and the reports were spotty at best. Some apparently matched the old rifles in performance, but many were horribly inaccurate, and unreliable or even dangerous as well.
My belief is that the quality suffered because the Chinese were manufacturing for export instead of for their own use.
I can't comment on the Russian or Yugo variations, but I've heard that their quality is superior to the Chinese and I expect that's true. To the best of my knowledge they were actually manufactured for use by friendly troops, and not to rake in yankee dollars.
My advice? If you want an SKS, stay away from the "as new" Chinese guns. The early, oil-soaked stock and incredibly beat-up looking Chinese rifles are likely to be better than one that looks nice. Your best bet may be to pay the premium for a Russian model.
A _GOOD_ SKS is a very reliable and reasonably accurate rifle. Mine will EASILY best my mini-30 on both counts. You just have to choose carefully - they're not all good.

Answer 4

The sks is all around a fun toy for the value. I paid fifty bucks for my two russian and seventy five for my swiss sniper sks. The two russians have shity range but they are the most accurate guns I have ever shot. If you are a sharp shooter in the making this gun is ideal. I'm a military sharp shooter that has shot hundreds of different guns and by far the sks is the best for my job. Being a shooter that does it all by sight no scope this gun has lead and taught me so much

Answer 5

The SKS is a nice rifle for the bucks, not a tack driver but there lots of fun. The ammo is cheap, the rifle is cheap and they are semi-auto too. I've got a Roosky and a Chink love em' both.

Answer 6

The sks is fun to shoot and cheap to buy and feed. you shouldnt have to pay much more than 100 for the rifle. It is not as nice as a ar 15 or a fal, like stated above, but it only costs 20% as much as fal and 10% as much as an ar15. The only complaint i have with mine is that it stovepipes with wolf ammo, but norico and other surplus feed very well.and as far as not accepting mags....nylon 30rd mags have to be slightly modified or shaved to fit in some sks, but they do work, and some steel mags are like that to because different countries made the guns with diff. tolerances and tooling.

Answer 7

i have had a sks for about 7 years now, and it is the best semi auto rifle i've owned besides ak-47, the sks is a very accurate gun and you can shoot well over 150 yards with it. i havn't ever had a jam in my gun and i shoot alot the only thing is here you have to block the mag to only hold 7 bullets to take it deer hunting, but it is a awsome gun

Answer 8

I love my sks; it’s an all around fun gun. I put an advanced tech stock and a red dot scope on mine. It’s kind of heavy, but my 9 yr old nephew can still handle it. You can normally pick up a nice one for under 200, so if you have the money do yourself a favor and pick one up. You won’t regret it

Answer 9

As long as you are not firing more than 100 meters it is a fairly good rifle. If you can pick one up for around $100 US that is a good deal. I have owned one. They are easy to convert to 30 round mags.

Answer 10

Not great, but for the shooter on a budget certainly worth looking at.