Buying a SKS tomorrow, any advice?

2709 Views 20 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Mark Harlin Chaney, Dec 19, 2008

miles045

Discussion Starter · Dec 18, 2008

A long long time ago my first military style rifle was a SKS, it was fun to shoot, in a monte carlo stock...it was cheapo and I got rid of it long ago, Ive become a very serious WWII german rifle collector so Im asking for some advice for tomorrow Im going to buy a Norinco sks off of a guy I bought a german pistol from two years ago (for $200)

Only thing I can remember about this particular rifle is that it is a Norinco for sure, he took the bayonet off of it, and it was in unbelievable condition, Ive glanced over many many sks rifles in the past several years and comparatively this one is superb, the wood is light and crisp, with sharp edges....hell I almost bought it then just on condition alone! it seemed brand new

now what advice to look for important points of manufacture, variations? serial numbers, etc, but most importantly, can I find and reinstall the bayonet somewhere, is it legal to do so? are there any current laws or regulations that govern these at all, or did it all go away with the ban expiring...i live in PA...what if any parts should be numbered to match??

I know its vague but thought someone could give me a few pointers before tomorrow....then I can post pics of it in detail, Im getting it regardless, because it is cheap, and as I recall fun to shoot, and perhaps a little of the so called "panic" thats going on rubbing off on me LOL! Every single gun store around me is sold out of military rifles! it is unbelievable!

thanks

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mriddick

· #11 · Dec 18, 2008

Fatherandersonthepaladin said:
Couple things to help you out:
If you have a Norinco, it's a preban, no matter what.
If you want to buy a bayonet, check the serial number, if it's above 9,000,000 it's a spike, if it's below 9,000,000 it's bladed.
If you can find it, grab an SKS cleaning kit. They're very useful in cleaning out the bore and the gas tube especially, if it's included, there's a storage compartment for it in the buttstock.
Definitely get it inspected by a gunsmith just in case. It's unlikely to have problems, but it's always good to have it checked out.
Never shoot American made 7.62 ammo, the cases can rupture or slamfire.
If you can find a paratrooper variant, those are always fun, but don't stress yourself looking for one, because they're not too common, and they don't shoot any better than the standard model.
Keep some Hoppes No. 9 handy, alot of milsurp ammo is corrosive and can reek havoc on your bore.
And finally the most important one of all: resist the urge to fire as fast as you can! It will overheat your barrel, and you do NOT want to touch an overheated barrel. I speak from experience on that one.

Not all Norinco's are preban.

IMO buy the best condition you can, buy matching numbers, don't buy stories (bring back, Stalins personal weapon, etc...), don't buy aftermarket parts and keep it original

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