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Buying a SKS tomorrow, any advice?

3K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  Mark Harlin Chaney 
#1 ·
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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#4 ·
Thanks, I believe it has the original fixed mag on it, i dont plan on modifying it at all

what if any legal requirements govern ownership of these now???

I know I would like to have it in standard original configuration, which includes installing a bayonet back on it, it would drive me crazy not to have one on there, the collector coming out in me I guess
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#10 ·
Wolf is my personal choice, but there are some other fine ammo's out there that are worth noting. Bear, Tiger, R&P, and Norinco are all very good. Norinco is considered the best out there by some, it's usually very expensive and hard to find as it's now import banned. Wolf is something like $5.00 for 20 rds, I haven't priced the others recently, but Norinco I saw for $11 and change per 20 rd box on the boards here. Just be careful to check if your gun range allows FMJ or only HP ammo. Most ranges don't allow any FMJ rounds anymore because they chew through the backing and occasionally go right through the dirt behind the targets. You might want to buy a truckload of ammo, because it tends to go fast. You can easily burn through 400 rounds in one sitting if you're like me. I went through 80 of them in an hour and a half. You might also want to buy a wedding ring, because once you shoot your SKS, you will likely want to marry it. Make sure you offer a bit lower than his asking price just to see if you can get a sweeter deal. Incidentally, don't even consider the barrel close to losing it's accuracy until you hit over 10k rounds through it. I've heard rumors of people shooting well over 30k before the barrel finally gave out, but I can neither confirm nor refute those rumors. And remember not to repeat my mistake. No matter how light the kick feels, keep both hands on the rifle at all times. It just doesn't work otherwise lol.
 
#12 ·
My first SKS was a Chi-com pinned barrel rifle imported by Keng's in Atlanta GA with the spike bayonet.

I'm down to just two SKS rifles these days. Both are factory /26\ Jiansheng arsenal rifles: 1) 1967 and 2) 1980. They are awesome. Both were inscribed with Norinco on the side, one from Pomona CA, and the other from Ont. Canada. They are post-ban rifles, neither one has the bayonet. So there are definitely post-ban Norincos. Believe it. Some FFL dealers got letters from ATF about the bayonet ban provision, and removed them from rifles as a result. Only Chinese rifles had the bayonets removed; Soviet and Yugoslav and Romanian (and Albanian for that matter) are all C&R eligible for the bayonet to be retained. A curious double-standard, but there it is.
 
#13 ·
Very interesting dave, thanks for the info. I always thought the "ban" that was referred to was the import ban. Honestly, no one really checks to make sure that the rifle that has the bayonet is a banned model or not, but if you want to be a good law abiding citizen, then make sure you find out the date on the gun.
 
#14 ·
Got it

on left receiver, Triangle with large 26? chinese characters (three of them), serial 8159252

then "sks 7.62X39 Norinco China CSI Ont CA."


serial numbers (last five of serial) matching on the buttstock side, trigger guard, mag floorplate, bolt carrier bolt or finring pin housing

electro pencil matching on piston, buttplate and a few other small parts

wood is a darker brown and really clean, has a few small inspection proofs here and there, bore mint

no bayonet : Can I put one on it?? if so what kind

has cleaning rod and cleaning kit

thanks for the info, I can post pics later on, Im at work now

looks like all parts are milled, and it is in superb condition bluing and wood
 
#17 ·
Sounds like a pretty early gun....probably has full length barrel lug, and "pot-bellied" stock...if so, it would have come with a blade bayonet, not a spike. There are a myriad of variations...I happen to like the side mounted sling swivels, myself. As for legality of the bayonet, this is dependent upon when the gun was imported, not the date of manufacture. There were 2 different bans. First came the federal AWB in 1993. Many Chinese guns were modified, or purpose built to evade the AWB...most notable are the detachable mag "M" series Sks...which take AK mags, and have no bayonet lugs. I believe that most Chinese Sks imports during this period arrived without bayonets. Then came the Clinton Executive Order, specifically banning Chinese Sks, and other various guns by name....I could be wrong, but I believe that the Chinese guns imported during the window of overlap between these bans are the only ones that legally should not have bayonets, unless prohibited by state or local laws. I am also pretty sure that the "Norinco China Sports of Ontario Ca." imported guns pre-date both bans, and should have arrived stateside with bayonets attached.
 
#18 ·
Makes me wonder if our Chicom SKSs will ever become C&R?

Mine came with the spike bayo intact so it is staying that way.

Unfortunately there are a lot of folks that take their C&R SKSs and put them in tapco stocks and cheezy bannana mags without removing the bayo which makes them basically illegal since they are now out of original military configuration.

You can find SKSs in this configuration in every pawn shop in America now it seems but nobody has a clue about it except the ATF and us SKS overs.
 
#19 ·
Fortunately the ATF seems blissfully unaware of those examples, so we can still rescue them and put them back in their original military configuration without those pesky agents interfering with our history preserving work. We should form some kind of version of the ASPCA, call it the ASPCG, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Guns, and smack people over the head with their own guns for doing that to such beautiful pieces of history. Or if we wanted to do it the legal way... we could buy those guns back from them when they get sick of them, restore them to original military config, and donate them to museums for a tax break. The illegal way sounds more fun though.
 
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