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Sks Accuracy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

65K views 72 replies 23 participants last post by  Huntdaddy1 
#1 ·
I just got back from the range for a "Long legged" shooting session with my SKS "Coyote Gun". I had previously only shot it from a bench at 100 yds. and consistently gotten three round groups under an inch at that distance. Todays range had 200 yd. capability and I shot several groups at that distance. I was completely blown away !!!!!! Shooting from sandbags, I was getting three shot groups of 2" or less. The smallest was a mere 1 1/4",
FROM 200 YARDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I admit that it's highly customized, but is accuracy from an SKS usually even close to this, or do I have an extra accurate specimen ??? I was even shooting 122gr.HP Brown Bear (Barnaul) ammo. I always thought these rifles were kind of clunky and crude, but this rifle has completely changed my feelings about that !!! I own and have owned bolt guns that wouldn't outshoot it !!! I think I'll hang on to this one, and yes, it's still clunky and crude...but kind of in a beautiful way !!!!!!
HD1
 
#5 ·
Having both the SKS and AK rifles using the 7.62x39 cartridge it's interesting to note accuracy of the SKS compared to its later cousin the AK. The milled receiver on the SKS gives it rigidity while the AK with its stamped receiver putting any sideways or down pressure on the forgrip causes a shift in bullet impact. Noticed it doesn't take much pressure to effect the change. Both however are deer accurate with the SKS having extra 50 yards added due to greater accuracy.
 
#6 ·
I sold lots of the Chinese SKSs. Given that I turned down a couple of shipments that failed initial function checks and that I usually only fired three shot groups, the very best I ever saw grouped right at 1 1/2" at 100 yards. Most ran just over 2". A couple went over 2 feet at 100 yds. I don't have any experience with the current crop of Yogos.

You got an exceptional specimen.
 
#7 ·
Your experience with the SKS is no surprise to me. I have owned at least 4 or 5 SKSs thru the years and every one has been capable of under-2" accuracy with the right ammo when in as-issued form. Customized, they can be set up for even better accuracy. The average SKS will put 'most any AK to shame in the accuracy department.
 
#9 ·
An SKS that shoots under 2 inches at 100 yards is a prize! My experience most are around 4-6 inches or more. Crude trigger never halps and a million things stuck to the barrel as well. Still they shoot better than AKs in general and are fun, ammo is affordable. I have had a few over the years that had a habit of letting 2 or 3 rounds go every pull of the trigger. Sticky firing pins can be a surprise.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Leverite...My SKS is a Norinco. Like I said before, it's been customized !!! I had the barrel shortened to 17 1/2"(just behind the front sight post) and recrowned with a target crown. I got rid of the take-down pin at the rear of the receiver and replaced it with a double ended torx-head bolt, so I can really snug down the receiver. I also epoxied the receiver cover into place, with a release for removal, so there is no slop when a scope is mounted. Everything is now nice and snug, with no movement in my scope set-up. I mounted a 4-12 pwr. B&L scope for "Long-legged" shooting put it in a camo-laminate thumbhole stock that I won eBay. It even looks "Purdy" now....well sort of. One thing that I can tell you is when shooting from sandbags at the bench is to keep a little more "Down-force" on the forearm or gas tube wood of the rifle. Accuracy is much better when you ...hold it down a little. I guess it's because of the size and travel of the large SKS bolt. That's a lot of movement in a rifle action !!!! I also ordered a recoil buffer from Tapco, it seems to soften recoil a bit. It really doesn't kick much anyway, but the rifle moves less in recoil and is quicker to get back on target. HD1
 
#12 · (Edited)
The sks has acquired a bad rep it does not deserve, for a soviet weapon it is very well made and designed, the reason so many people report such poor accuracy is two fold, first the iron sights are horrific, and second the most popular scope mounting locations are horrible choices, the bolt shroud flops around during firing and don't even get me started on hand guard mounted scopes! i have no idea why no company offers a scope mount in place of the rear sight fixture, it seems the ideal locations and would allow for as much as 3 inches of rail without interfering with the use of stripper clips or take down.

Oh about those Yugo pos don't touch them, two in the last week came into the shop because they were short cycling,norincos on the other hand i have never seen an issue in other than sticky firing pins causing slam fires when the causmaline is not removed properly.
 
#13 ·
I used a Norinco to customize, I got it really cheap. I think I'm going to order a new bolt set-up from Murrays Guns to eliminate to possibility of slam-fires. I've never had one, but I prefer to keep it that way. I plan to post a picture of my "coyote rifle" with some targets or coyotes as soon as I figure out how to post them !!!!!!!!! It's not nearly as ugly as it used to be. HD1
 
#14 ·
Here's a photo of my Customized SKS which is a Norinco. I replaced the military issue stock with a wood stock I bought from Mindway USA years ago. I then replaced the 10-shot magazine with a 5-shot fixed magazine, and removed all the "Hardware" from the rifle, and replaced the rear sight with a Williams Peep Sight. It shoots MUCH more accurately:

 
#16 ·
Thanks, leverite. Now if I could only improve the trigger or replace it, things would be even better, accuracy wise.:) At the present the trigger is okay, but it could be a lot better. I am receiving about 1.50" to 2.00" @ 100 yards using the peep sight and hand loaded ammo.
 
#17 ·
20 years ago I customized a Norinco. Cut the barrel to 18.5"(just in front of the front sight), recrowned it, cut/ground off the bayonet and cleaning-rod hardware. I put a plastic folding stock on it (Choate? Can't remember for sure.). I bedded the barreled action in the loose-fitting stock by strategically placing nylon flathead screws front and rear to take up the slack (great adjustable shims). Another nylon screw served to take all the play out of the stock when it was extended.

At that time, a friend was SKS crazy and had a vast store of parts. He did a "trigger job" on it by trying diffferent sears until he got one that gave a safe but light/crisp pull. Topped off with a Williams rear replacement peep sight, it would shoot sub-MOA with Chinese surplus ball ammo and almost as well with Wolf softpoint ammo. This was my truck gun for several years and accounted for several deer and countless feral dogs and cats around the farm.

My current SKS is a Norinco Paratrooper. Not quite as accurate as that custom job, but if I can talk my friend in to working his trigger magic again (he still has a few sears), I believe it will be.
 
#19 ·
I machined out a piece that fit into the bayonet lug that holds a flashlight, functions fine and does not adversly affect the balance of the riffle, it does look gangly, being so far forward of the stock and hanging low under the barrel, ill take some pics and post them along with specs for those interested in making their own. I am also working on a scope mount that attaches in place of the rear sight, seems to be the best place for a scope mount if i can over come the design requirements, I am close enough to start prototyping it now.
 
#20 ·
Tjrahl: You know I once had the idea of having an SKS rebarreled to 45 Win Mag., but couldn't find anyone to do it. It would work !!! It would make a great short-range THUMPER !!!!!! The pressures are good, the length works, and they would function through a factory mag with minimal work. I just couldn't find anyone who would even try it if it wasn't an AR-15 style rifle. That's great, but I don't want to spend $1,500 bucks on one !!! I'll find that willing gunsmith one day !!! HD1
 
#21 ·
Tjrahl: You know I once had the idea of having an SKS rebarreled to 45 Win Mag., but couldn't find anyone to do it. It would work !!! It would make a great short-range THUMPER !!!!!! The pressures are good, the length works, and they would function through a factory mag with minimal work. I just couldn't find anyone who would even try it if it wasn't an AR-15 style rifle. That's great, but I don't want to spend $1,500 bucks on one !!! I'll find that willing gunsmith one day !!! HD1
Great minds think alike! Or, alternatively, people with too much time on their hands think up weird projects!:D I've had much the same thought, only in the opposite direction. Take the 7.62x39, neck it down to 6.5 mm, and stuff it in a rebarreled, tuned SKS. I'd think a 120 or even a 140 gr. bullet could be made to very closely crowd the standard 6.5 Swede loads, and in a light, quick-handling, soft-shooting, accurate semi-auto that would not be a bad thing to have in the woods and fields for use on a wide range of critters, from coyotes up to at least mulies and normal-sized black bears.
 
#24 ·
Davers: Where did you get that 5rd fixed mag. ??? I have both a 3rd and 5rd detachable but both have the occasional feeding issue. I think I might like one like yours !!!

Pisgah: Actually there is already a 6.5 cartridge of which you speak called the 6.5 Grendel. It looks great on paper and I think the military is playing with it. My gunsmith is in the process of rebarrelling a Mini Mark X as we speak.

Thanks guys......HD1
 
#27 · (Edited)
Davers: Where did you get that 5rd fixed mag. ??? I have both a 3rd and 5rd detachable but both have the occasional feeding issue. I think I might like one like yours !!!
I can't remember if I bought the 5-shot magazine from Midway or another business that sold parts for SKS's & AK's. I had to rework the 5-shot Mag. somewhat before I could get it to fit & feed smoothly & properly. The lips on the magazine were too long so I took a "Rat-tail" file and removed some of the length & honed it down to where it would feed round from the magazine. On getting it to fit in your SKS you might try turning the stock bolt slightly until the magazine goes in and locks into place.
 
#25 ·
Tjrahl: I knew there was hope yet to find an SKS gunsmith like yourself. I think the conversion would make a great little power house of a rifle and relatively inexpensive too. I don't think the feeding problem would be too difficult to overcome due to how the follower is hinged onto the magazine spring-rod thing (????) and not just connected to a typical magazine spring like a Mauser style. You could probably just add and subtract epoxy on the front (unused) part of the follower until you get the right height, shape etc.... and then machine one from stock or weld one up to work. I'm actually a welder by trade and it's my answer for most everything. HD1
 
#26 ·
the biggest problem is not the follower in this case it is the magazine, the feed lips might not extend far enough forward to properly hold the round, and the round would have a tendency to drift forward and back in the magazine, best solution would probably be to weld the lips up a bit then file them to fit, then make a block in the back of the magazine that prevents the rounds from drifting back, in this case the follower/spring arrangement in the sks mag is a liability. alternatively you could put the block in the front and try to avoid the welding on the feed lips, but this would allow the round to release from the mag to early and more than likely cause huge issues if the gun was not held perfectly during firing. I have not had the stock magazine on my sks is a long time so I may not be recalling this correctly (love the tapco 20s!).

any how like i said ill bring my sks home from the shop tomorrow and get a better feel for this.
 
#29 ·
I think the best option would be to modify a 5 shot magazine to accept a 45 win mag magazine, make it in such a way that you remove the pistol magazine and put in another at your leisure, not exactly a simple solution but definitely a workable one the only real issue here is maintaining the bolt lock open feature,but even that would not be incredibly difficult., having taken my measurements i see no reason this conversion could not be done.
 
#30 ·
I knew it would work !!! Now get started on the prototype and when it's done I'll be the first guy to send you one for conversion !!!!!!!!! Ha Ha. I'm assuming we'd have to use a yugo, since Norincos use a press-in barrel instead of a threaded one. I think that's right anyway. HD1
 
#31 ·
Well i cannot say at this point with absolute certainty that it will work, it is definitely something that interests me in a shear "waste a weekend sort of way" i would DEFINANTLY prototype this on one of mine before i offer to do it for a customer, i do believe we would run afoul of 922r if using a Yugo, but should be fine in norincos, and i am pretty sure my norinco barrel is threaded.
 
#33 ·
Tjrahl: I've been looking through my gun books again and.....check out the dimensions of the 401 Win cartridge. I know finding loaded ammo would be a problem, but it looks like you could form 401 brass from 7.62x39 brass and roll your own. The 401 is probably long enough to function through the mag. without changing anything. This conversion would work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HD1
 
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