Yugoslavian SKS, Is It Worth the $139.00??

Now that the assault weapon ban is up, I am intersted in purchasing one of these rifles. The M59 or M66A1 are considered Curio and Relic( made in the 50's and 60's), which means a person can buy them with a bayonet and grenade launcher attached.




I have never fired a 7.62 rifle before ( aside from the M-60 in the Army).

Has anyone any experience with this rifle? Recoil? Does it keep a tight pattern? I want to get at least a shooter grade model, which can be had for around $139.00. I intend to use it at the range.

Any opinions?

Originally posted by nathraq
Now that the assault weapon ban is up, I am intersted in purchasing one of these rifles. The M59 or M66A1 are considered Curio and Relic( made in the 50's and 60's), which means a person can buy them with a bayonet and grenade launcher attached.




I have never fired a 7.62 rifle before ( aside from the M-60 in the Army).

Has anyone any experience with this rifle? Recoil? Does it keep a tight pattern? I want to get at least a shooter grade model, which can be had for around $139.00. I intend to use it at the range.

Any opinions?

First, the SKS models use a much lower power 7.62 round thant the M-60 (or M1, etc.). The SKS is IMO a great fun weapon. The ammo is dirt cheap (under $.10 per round), accuracy is decent, and they are of course cheap and reliable.

My opinoin though, is that the Yugo models are certainly bottom of the barrel. Russian SKS's are good, but production was stopped early and prices are quite high due to collectors. Chinese models contain many improvements from the Russian models, are easy to obtain and cheap, and have chrome/nickel plated actions/barrels - which tends to make them more accurate as they age and last much longer. I have shot all 3, and chose to purschase a Chinese model for those reasons. I have shot many thousands of rounds and am to this day quite pleased. Best $150 rifle I have ever bought.

And on a side note, the SKS was NEVER effected by the US assualt weapons ban.....

$140 dollars doesn't sound too bad of a deal. Of course I haven't fired one before so I'm not too sure about performance.

Anyhow sorry if this is off topic but how much would an AK-74 cost?

Originally posted by cyberdude78
$140 dollars doesn't sound too bad of a deal. Of course I haven't fired one before so I'm not too sure about performance.

Anyhow sorry if this is off topic but how much would an AK-74 cost?

AK's are typically about twice the price (they were affected by the US assault weapons ban). Not worth it IMO, same ammunition, similar accuracy, no more reliable - and you can get 30 rd detachable magazines for the SKS.

In some states (i.e. The Socialist Republic of California) the AK is still illegal, only if YOU possesed it IN CALIFORNIA prior to their ban is it legal to posses, and you still have to pay a registration fee.

A great breakdown of state-by-state laws is available at www.nraila.org

I agree with Starwars and would add that I personally like to shoot the sks better than an AK. -It just doesn't look as cool. Accuracy is decent but it's more of a plinker than tackdriver. Bottom line is it's rugged and a lot of fun, you can hardly go wrong for the money.

I got a couple SKSs and like them. I paid 49 dollars apiece for them a long time ago. The best hundred bucks I ever spent. Its a decent gun, not much for long range fire unless re-tooled and you can buy better off the rack but all round I like it.

I purchased a Yugo and I haven�t touched my other SKSs since. It is not a carbine like the other models, and I like the feel of it better. They come with a 1 inch rubber butt plate, and it is much easier to shoot in that configuration for me. Also, it has a lot of added weight up front, which adds to accuracy in follow up shots, helps keep the muzzle down.

You have to watch the ammo you shoot out of because of the lack of chrome lined bores. The Yugos don't have any substantial chromium deposits, which is the reason for the unlined bores. The problems with this are that even though many counties claim to use non-corrosive ammo, this is not always the case. Even Wolf, a popular and cheap ammo, has been known to use semi-corrosive primers. You have to clean it a lot better then a chrome lined bore, you can never just put it away and clean it later. Windex, believe it or not, is the best thing to clean the bore with.

On the flip side, the non-chrome lined bore adds slightly to accuracy.

Also, the receiver and trigger group of the weapon is milled, compared to stamped receivers of other countries, and I like this a lot better.

Compared to some SKSs, the trigger pull is heavy and rough. You can smooth it out by rubbing steel wool on certain parts of the trigger group, but don�t do this until you know what you�re doing; you may end up buying another trigger group. U2U me if want more info on this, I do it a lot for other people (not for money of course, that would be illegal .) You can also reduce the spring rate from the mid to high 30s to around 27lbs., however if you do this you may have problems shooting some cheap surplus ammo due to the harder primers they use. Again, I can help you with this.


Keep in mind that if you add a hi-cap or removable mag. you loose C&R status. The expiration of the AWB didn't really change much; there are other federal laws to contend with. If you want to alter it (even to remove the bayonet or grenade launcher) you need to comply with 922r and have a certain ratio of foreign and U.S. made parts. Don't let any "expert" tell you different if you are concerned with staying within the feds law's.


Don't let the cheap price fool you; it has more to do with over-abundance than quality. In my opinion the Yugo is the best all-around SKS available in the US market, unless you have the money for an SKS-D, the Norincos that take AK mags.

Hope I helped.

Well, look to your left, and see which carbine I'm firing.

Nonetheless, I do have two SKS carbines, both Chinese Model 54s, and they are every bit as accurate as the AK-47 models (which isn't all that accurate) and extremely reliable.

I bought one for wife, who wanted to go deer hunting, but did not want a rifle with perceived recoil. So far, her quest to murder Ms. Bambi has failed, but hope springs eternal....

The cartridge has a trajectory and energy level very similar to the .30-.30 Winchester, but it's an unrimmed case, and, of coruse, since it's not in a tube-fed rifle, you can have a modern boattail bullet.

Despite the aftermarket toys available, I would not make the same mistake again and procure either a replaceable magazine or a scope. Most scopes mount on top of the breech which has to be replaced with one incorporating set-screws to lock it to the receiver body to keep it from shifting.

Unfortunately, you have to remove the breech cover to take out the bolt carrier, which means that every time you clean the rifle you have to sight in your scope again LOL!! (This, by the way, is why I would never again get one of those Dragunov-style stocks, since you have to remove it (and the entire trigger group) to clean the #%^*)* gun. Of course, I found this out after I bought the stupid stock.

And the removable 30-round magazines that fit the SKS are, in my opinion, not that reliable. Bear in mind that your magazine, when fully loaded, has a spring that is very compressed, and could well fail at an embarrasing moment (like when you're shooting).

If you keep eight or ten rounds on a stripper clip, you can load those puppies into the breech within a second or two (usually without breaking your thumb-nail) and there's on less critical part to fail.

Finally, to impress your friends and family, "SKS" stands for "Samozaryadni Karabin Simonova" which translates to "Simonov's Self-Loading Carbine".

Now it can be told.

Originally posted by Off_The_Street

And the removable 30-round magazines that fit the SKS are, in my opinion, not that reliable. Bear in mind that your magazine, when fully loaded, has a spring that is very compressed, and could well fail at an embarrasing moment (like when you're shooting).

I agree. You can load 10 round stripper clips faster than you can shoot them (without overheating the rifle), and they are much easier to prepare than 30rd magazines as well.

But some people just want the big magazine anyway...

Im more of a AK man myself but the SKS is very nice and you cant be the prices to be had on them. If you do want to get a Bayonet for it some are very cool looking on the SKS IMHO. One is sort of like a spike rather then a knife a guy at my range has one.

I dont know why but I really like these they even fold back for easy transport.


If you want a "flare launcher" You might be out of luck as I think the dont use one like the AK or M-16

They attach like this and you need a certain type of bullet to fire them. You might be able to rig up a M203 to work I have seen weirder things but they cost like $800 bucks not worth it on a $140 gun

GAH, now why did I spend 180 euros on an Airgun? well simply because it's all that I can legally own and shoot besides the guns at shooting ranges, I can't own one...

If or When i'm going back to the US, i'd probably get a WASR-10 Hi-Cap or SAR-1, I like AK's and SKS's don't tickle my fancy, they are one of the ugliest guns out there IMHO, the Mosin Nagant is alot more appealing to me...

sorry for the rant

Well, I purchased the Yugo SKS yesterday, and have to wait until today to pick it up (24 hour waiting period). t is covered in cosmoline, which it going to be a pain to get off. It came with an ammo pack, sling, and cleaning kit. I bought a box of 20 rounds for it for $2.75. CHEAP!! I will probably be cleaning cosmoline for the next week or so

BTW, The SKS did fall under the weapons ban (at least in Cook County, Illinois). Beofre I bought this one, I called a few gunshops in Cook county, and they said they were still not permitted to sell them.


I'll post pictures as soon as I pick up the rifle.

Thanks for all the opinions/comments!

Enjoy your SKS

I'll save some money for my AK when I will be able to buy one, AKs look beter on the wall as well...

Hey I hear dropping it in boiling water cleans it fast, and I heard something about useing gasoline which makes it go even quicker. Anyhoo, I like that gun, almost as much as I like the M-14. I wonder if I can find one near where I live.

Hey, dont have time at all for a long post, just wanted to say dont put the stock in boiling water!!!!

You can bake it in your oven at the lowest setting, not more than 175. Take it out every 10 minutes and wipe it down, this will get ALL the cosmo out of the stock. It is important if you dont want to kill yourself or others that you ensure all cosmo is out of the bolt assembaly and gas ports (the bolt assembaly being the most important) the sks doesnt have a spring loaded firing pin, it is free-floating and the cosmo will make it stick forward, causing it to slam fire an dgo on uncontrolable full auto without even holding the trigger, so dont save time on this step, will go into more detail later

GAH.....If I buy a WASR-10, will I have to go through all that too? that was the biggest discouragement for me to not get an SKS or a Mosin Nagant...

Originally posted by nathraq
Well, I purchased the Yugo SKS yesterday, and have to wait until today to pick it up (24 hour waiting period). t is covered in cosmoline, which it going to be a pain to get off. It came with an ammo pack, sling, and cleaning kit. I bought a box of 20 rounds for it for $2.75. CHEAP!! I will probably be cleaning cosmoline for the next week or so

BTW, The SKS did fall under the weapons ban (at least in Cook County, Illinois). Beofre I bought this one, I called a few gunshops in Cook county, and they said they were still not permitted to sell them.


I'll post pictures as soon as I pick up the rifle.

Thanks for all the opinions/comments!

Some municipalities/states do have other rules which banned many other guns. Cook County is one. No other county in Illinois has an assault weapons ban, although Gov. Blagoevich did move to ban a number of weapons state wide soon after he was elected (that quickly died)....

Some municipalities/states do have other rules which banned many other guns. Cook County is one. No other county in Illinois has an assault weapons ban, although Gov. Blagoevich did move to ban a number of weapons state wide soon after he was elected (that quickly died)....

Thank goodness I live in Kane County. Blagoevich has been doing a lot of work to end violence, sadly it's not going to happen in his lifetime. Our govoner (for Illinios) sure does like scapegoating guns and video games.

Originally posted by cyberdude78

Some municipalities/states do have other rules which banned many other guns. Cook County is one. No other county in Illinois has an assault weapons ban, although Gov. Blagoevich did move to ban a number of weapons state wide soon after he was elected (that quickly died)....

Thank goodness I live in Kane County. Blagoevich has been doing a lot of work to end violence, sadly it's not going to happen in his lifetime. Our govoner (for Illinios) sure does like scapegoating guns and video games.

I liked how during his campain he said he wouldn't do anything to infringe on peoples right to have weapons (while a state senator he proposed making the FOID card somewhere around $500 a year), and then as soon as he was elected he proposed a gun ban. Classic..... Unfortunatly his success can be traced directly to good old George Ryan. Hopefully after 4 years of Blagoevich those outside of Cook County will once again realize that a Chicago democrat is not the best thing for Illinois (at least not for anyone outside of Cook County). If only Glen Poshard (Democrat) had beaten Ryan 6 years ago, or Edgar had ran again, our rights would be much more secure.

reply to post by Starwars51


yalls guy ended up being a crook