Traded $170 and three boxes of 5.56 ammo for a 1966’ Norinco SKS!

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve been trying to trade my lee enfield sporter for one and came across a 66’ Norinco SKS on armslist the other day no my area. It was listed for $400. The owner was going to trade guns but said he needed cash more. I told him I’d have to hold out for a while as my gun fund was a little short...$250. He emailed me back the next day and said he’d accept $250 plus some sort of trade for ammo, etc. He wanted 5.56 ammo on trade. I had three boxes of 150 count 5.56 American Eagle I bought from sally word last year for around $36 to $46 a box if I remember? Anyways he said he give me $60 a box trade on them. So for $170 cash and three boxes of j words I’d never use I ended up with a 1966 Norinco SKS. I remember seeing crates of these brand new in the box unissued bs k in 90’ for $89 to $129 with accessories...so I still had a hard time justifying it.lol I did google the value of a dollar back in 1986, the year he said his dad bought this rifle directly off the boat. It said a $100 back in 86’ was equivalent to $229 in 2018. So know wonder I still was a little hesitant...same price...and I’m still cheap.lol. I turned my nose up to them back then along with the MAK 90’s they had piles up for $249...sure wish I had one of them now...I did like the MAK90’s!

The gun has a milled trigger guard, and screwed in barrel. Trigger is nice and light but had some gritty creep. I’ll fix that. The spike bayonet came with it but was missing the spring, screw, and lug handle. I ordered a set from Numerics for $11.25. He also gave me a box of HP ammo and a two spouted chineses Oiler with it. The bluing looks like new and the stock has a few dings but overall looks great!

https://i.imgur.com/Nq7hsjQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LHSpoG6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4pfPZtc.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/unbTzxv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/U3wYkmN.jpg


All the numbers match. I took it apart to inspect and there’s even etched numbers on the gas tube and some other parts. The seller told me his dad shot ONE round through it and it’s been sitting in the safe ever since. He had a M1 30 carbine for $600 but sold it before I could look a5 it as well.

Anyone shoot cast through it? I’m sure the days of $1.99 for 20 rounds of ammo are gone too? Lol

I’ll have to start looking for brass now. I had a pile of Lapua brass but gave it to another member here a while ago.

[Texas by God]

I had one like yours and it shot much better than the pinned barrel Norinco and even the Russian that followed it. I'm off to a good start using cast in my current 7.62x39 but is is an AR15. You've got a good one there. Leave the original magazine on it and you'll probably never have a jam.

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[Der Gebirgsjager]

Nice SKS. I think you did well. Back "in the day" I sold many of these, and still own several. I prefer them to the AK as being more of a rifle, and its accuracy may surprise you. If you avoid corrosive ammo (this should be no problem if you're a handloader) and maintain it properly it should last a lifetime. The Chinese made a awful lot of them, and the ones they made potentially for issue to their own military were much nicer than the ones they made for commercial export. Just from what I can see looking at your photos I'd say you have one of the better ones.

[Thumbcocker]

It is possible to get your thumb caught in the cleaning kit compartment in the stock and have to get a friend with a screwdriver to take the buttplate off to free you. Ask me how I know.

[Adam Helmer]

Nice SKS! In 1994 I bought 5 for $85 each with the chest bandoleer, cleaning kit, sling and oil bottle NEW in the box. My SKSs like the Lyman #311410 130 grain RN cast bollit and IMR 4198.

Adam

[Shawlerbrook]

Nice ! If we only new. SKS’s, Mosin’s, M1 Carbines, etc., in the early 90’s you could get them cheap and now you are happy just to get them at any price.

[RogerDat]

I have had good luck with PC in rifles with gas ports.

[Gtek]

Appears you have done really well! One little thing all SKS owners should understand and check is the hammer/sear engagement angles. Negative - neutral - positive, you or someones life could depend on it. The safety only blocks trigger movement, not the make go boom parts.

[725]

+ 1 for staying with the original mag.

[Jniedbalski]

I bought my first sks in 87. It was a Chinese military made in 55 I thank. I paid 179$ for it . Then in the middle 90’s they where importing them and selling them for79$ . The older Chinese military rifles are so much better quality shoot much better. A few years ago I got one of the cheep import ones for 200$ it’s not to bad but the older one will shoot so much better at 200 yards group wise. The newer one shoots just fine but bigger groups.

[GhostHawk]

I'd say it is worth double what you have into it.

My Yugo likes 20 gr of IMR 4895 under the Lee .312 185 gr bullet cast fairly soft with range scrap and some wheel weights and a gas check.

Love my Yugo with the ladder sights and granade launcher on the end.
I'd of snapped up that one in a heartbeat.

[Tripplebeards]

I plan on leaving the magazine on. I want to keep it all original. I’d like a yugo one as well.

I would assume I’ll need brass casings for reloading?

The trigger has a lot of travel and feels like a three stage trigger. I will end up taking a little off the sear but keep the same angle. The trigger is pretty light right now the way it is but way too much gritty feel along with it stopping twice along the way.

[Texas by God]

The only thing I disliked was the lack of a reciever sight and the itty bitty length of pull. Keep the firing pin clean and dry, too.

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[Tripplebeards]

I basically bought it because I wanted an all original gun with numbers matching for collector value. Going to leave it completely stock. I seems these $89 mass produced rifles have been climbing 400% to 1000% in price the last decade thanks to dirty old Billy Clinton, the Cigar violator. I wonder if if Trump could get it lifted? I really didn't want one when they were $89. Lol. But after restoring my M1917 and having fun with it I wanted a Semiauto military rifle to go with it. I’ll probably look for an AK 47 or mak90 next.

I was hoping to find a NIB unissued, made for US sales but I ran into this one first. Couldn’t pass it up on how cheap it was.


I have really long arms and am tall so I’m sure the length of pull will be too short for me as well. I use to have a rubber slip on limb saver butt pad I gave away years ago that would have added a a good 2.5-3 inches.

I worked with a guy back in 2000’ that needed money. He sold me his SKS that had plastic folding stock and converted to shoot AK magazines. Every third shot that would jam so I sold it for 250 bucks a couple weeks later to buy my first varmint rifle. I think I still have 10 rounds in a white box laying around from it.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

With the current anti-gun, especially anti-semi-auto feelings I doubt if you'll ever see Chinese semi-autos imported again. And, although Clinton was largely responsible for the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban", it was George H.W. Bush that stopped importation of Chinese semi-autos by executive order.

As I indicated earlier, I like these rifles and own several. I can see by your photos that your specimen is better finished than most, with a better polish and blue, and a nicer stock. I own a couple just like yours. They were made for possible military issue, either for the Chinese militias or as foreign military aid, and are noticeably nicer than the NIB $89 rifles that came in the box with blond finish stocks. At one time I had quite a variety of these rifles in my shop for sale, and was able to closely examine the differences, so I assure you that what you've got is better than the more common one. I even had some very, very used specimens that looked like they had all the finish sandblasted away and then soaked in crank case oil. I got tired of looking at one that just sat there and wouldn't find a new owner, so I remodeled it into a sporter. The only good things that it had going for it prior to remodeling was a very nice chrome bore and a screw-in barrel. It is a NORINCO. I'm not a big guy, but you're correct about the length of pull problem for us occidentals. I've seen several solutions including gluing on a piece of wood to lengthen the stock, but it's always noticeable, and you loose the buttstock storage capability. The slip on rubber extension pad is the best and most common solution for those unable to adapt to the short stock.

247515247516
Click to enlarge.

As for acquiring a MAC-90 -- I had one of those also. They weren't on the market as long as the SKS was, cost a bit more to begin with, and you're correct that the prices on them have gone through the roof. But again, opinion only, even at the time they weren't the best AK-type carbine available, and had that weird thumbhole stock made to get around the Assault Weapons Ban prohibition of a pistol grip. I sold mine for twice what I paid for it and was happy to see it go. I replaced it with a Romanian version, a cheapie as AKs go, just for a gunsmithing specimen to have in my shop to refer to if an AK should come in for repair. One never did -- AKs are very stout. The Assault Weapons Ban passed away, as it should have, but quite a home grown AK industry developed to circumvent it and the Bush import ban, and were it me I'd look to something made here in the U.S. as likely being of better initial quality and a warranty easier to collect on. I'll kind of bet, though, that when you eventually acquire an AK of some sort you'll come to agree that the SKS is more of a rifle, great for all the things rifles are great for, and that the AK is great for spraying lots of lead but much less fun for serious target practice or hunting.

DG

[KCSO]

When the first came in I must have sold 50 of them and never thought they would be more than a 75 dollar truck gun. Now most all I sold here were ruined by cheap corrosive ammo and they are a 300 dollar gun...who'd a thunk it! My son killed his first deer with one of these and thought it was the best gun ever made. You got a good buy there and it will like cast bullets.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

[QUOTE=KCSO;4716949]When the first came in I must have sold 50 of them and never thought they would be more than a 75 dollar truck gun. Now most all I sold here were ruined by cheap corrosive ammo and they are a 300 dollar gun...


Man, isn't that the truth! For some reason those spending the $89 price thought they didn't need to clean them! I had one fellow bring in a Ruger Mini-30 that he loaned to a "friend". The friend kept it for two years and two deer seasons and used Chinese corrosive ammo in it. You could not see through the bore. Ruger wouldn't sell me a new barrel for it, but on the plus side they re-barreled it themselves for $85.

Back to the SKS in particular, I recall that the main Chinese variations were NORINCO and POLY TECH, with the NORINCOs thought to be better, and screw-in and pinned barrels, with the preference going to the screwed models. But, several customers got great accuracy with the pinned barrel models also. Most had the chromed bore, but some did not, so that is still something to look for. I imagine that not too many of the non-chromed bores survived the Chinese ammo.

The last trip I took to a formal shooting range was with a friend who had a Russian SKS. He complained about having to spend around $12 for a box of Winchester ammo, which he thought should run about $4.50. We were shooting at 100 yards. I had a tripod mounted spotting scope, admittedly not the most expensive, and he kept asking me where he was hitting. I looked and looked, then let him look, and we couldn't see any holes. When it came time to change the targets we found all 10 of the shots he had fired in a quarter-sized hole dead center in the X. This was open sights--no scope. We had both thought that what we were seeing was the X. He was floating on a cloud and went right down and spent another $12. Said he'd never sell the rifle. One of those days one doesn't forget. His is like mine (I have a Russian in my accumulation), just like new, and exhibiting a lot workmanship. Much nicer than most Russian-made weapons.

DG

[SSGOldfart]

Nice. Have you got brass for it????:?

[Texas by God]

My brother bought a Mak90 and it was recalled by the importer because some part was left out that prevented easy full auto conversion. My friend with an ffl had to round up the ones he sold and everyone got a refund. That Mak90(Janet Reno Special) was junk compared to the Palmetto my nephew owns. Sorry for the detour; DG- I've never said "pretty" and "SKS" in the same sentence until now.

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[Jniedbalski]

My sks would also shoot 200 yards no scope base ball size groups 10 or 20 rounds. For me I thought that was very good

[Bazoo]

Nice find. I really like SKS rifles in original configuration. I'm big but I don't mind the short stock either. I had an older norinco like that and put about 4k rounds through it before trading it. It broke the extractor, and it doubled so I replaced the sear/ mag latch spring and it was fine. Mine was chrome lined if I recall correctly. It would do about 3-4" at 100 yards. Stone reliable, I don't think it ever jammed. Don't have one currently.

[Tripplebeards]

My brother bought a Mak90 and it was recalled by the importer because some part was left out that prevented easy full auto conversion. My friend with an ffl had to round up the ones he sold and everyone got a refund. That Mak90(Janet Reno Special) was junk compared to the Palmetto my nephew owns. Sorry for the detour; DG- I've never said "pretty" and "SKS" in the same sentence until now.

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Thanks for the heads up.. no mak90’s. I also thought the thumbhole gave it a coolness factor. I’ve been reading it’s one of the sold for US retail only rifles...like the newer SKS...turned me off. I’ll have to find an original AK or one of the newer, current production, US made ones. I got my finger caught in the Chinese finger trap...butt stock, but found the cleaning kit hiding in it. It looks like it’s never been used.

[Tripplebeards]

With the current anti-gun, especially anti-semi-auto feelings I doubt if you'll ever see Chinese semi-autos imported again. And, although Clinton was largely responsible for the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban", it was George H.W. Bush that stopped importation of Chinese semi-autos by executive order.

As I indicated earlier, I like these rifles and own several. I can see by your photos that your specimen is better finished than most, with a better polish and blue, and a nicer stock. I own a couple just like yours. They were made for possible military issue, either for the Chinese militias or as foreign military aid, and are noticeably nicer than the NIB $89 rifles that came in the box with blond finish stocks. At one time I had quite a variety of these rifles in my shop for sale, and was able to closely examine the differences, so I assure you that what you've got is better than the more common one. I even had some very, very used specimens that looked like they had all the finish sandblasted away and then soaked in crank case oil. I got tired of looking at one that just sat there and wouldn't find a new owner, so I remodeled it into a sporter. The only good things that it had going for it prior to remodeling was a very nice chrome bore and a screw-in barrel. It is a NORINCO. I'm not a big guy, but you're correct about the length of pull problem for us occidentals. I've seen several solutions including gluing on a piece of wood to lengthen the stock, but it's always noticeable, and you loose the buttstock storage capability. The slip on rubber extension pad is the best and most common solution for those unable to adapt to the short stock.

247515247516
Click to enlarge.

As for acquiring a MAC-90 -- I had one of those also. They weren't on the market as long as the SKS was, cost a bit more to begin with, and you're correct that the prices on them have gone through the roof. But again, opinion only, even at the time they weren't the best AK-type carbine available, and had that weird thumbhole stock made to get around the Assault Weapons Ban prohibition of a pistol grip. I sold mine for twice what I paid for it and was happy to see it go. I replaced it with a Romanian version, a cheapie as AKs go, just for a gunsmithing specimen to have in my shop to refer to if an AK should come in for repair. One never did -- AKs are very stout. The Assault Weapons Ban passed away, as it should have, but quite a home grown AK industry developed to circumvent it and the Bush import ban, and were it me I'd look to something made here in the U.S. as likely being of better initial quality and a warranty easier to collect on. I'll kind of bet, though, that when you eventually acquire an AK of some sort you'll come to agree that the SKS is more of a rifle, great for all the things rifles are great for, and that the AK is great for spraying lots of lead but much less fun for serious target practice or hunting.

DG

Thanks for the evaluation on my rifle. I keep thinking it would be nice to have bought one of the unissued, that literally looking brand new w/o scratches, made for US retail sales but after your advise it sounds like I got very lucky and picked up a better quality rifle than the newer pined versions.

I was thinking about rubbing some Johnson’s paste wax on the stock to preserve it...is this a good idea? ...along with the metal to protect it.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I can't see anything wrong with using wax to preserve a rifle, and have been doing so on many of mine for years, both metal and wood. I have no experience with Johnson's wax, although I see it mentioned repeatedly and favorably many times on this forum. What I use is Trewax, also a paste wax that comes in a can, that is a carnauba wax that was originally made for hardwood floors. It comes two ways, clear and kind of a sand color, so you'd want to get the clear if you can find it. The last time I bought some, about 1992, I had to order through a small hardware store and bought a case of 4 cans, so I'm set for life. You'll find that you use a very small amount. If you just place your warm finger on top of the wax for a few seconds it will melt enough onto your finger so that when you apply it to the surface it will be visible. Apply it in a circular motion so as to fill in any pores (wood) or tiny pits (metal), then after it dries for perhaps half-an-hour buff it with a soft cloth. I don't use it on all my guns, because if it's going to see some outdoor use in damp/wet weather then an oil may be better, and if you put oil on an already waxed surface the oil dissolves the wax and you get sort of a mess that's harder to clean. You'll want to think it through on each firearm you consider preserving with wax. Certainly great for wall hangers and safe queens. Good for rifles/shotguns used at ranges on sunny days. Probably not the best choice for hunting in rainy, snowy conditions -- but nevertheless still a good choice for the wooden stock, but maybe not the metal under those circumstances.

When I was a kid, maybe 15 or 16 (ancient history) my dad took me to the Cow Palace in San Francisco (Brisbane, actually) to the Outdoor and Boats show. All sorts of sporting goods, including a very large display of collector grade Winchesters. There was a fellow manning the display booth, and I asked him who owned all those rifles. "Me and another guy who isn't here right now." Then I asked him how they kept them from rusting. I guess he was a little annoyed at a kid asking questions, so he kind of snapped back, "We clean them!" That kind of P.O.ed my dad, who said to the guy, "He asked you a civil question. Why don't you give him a civil answer." The guy became a little apologetic and said, "We use wax. Whenever we clean them we put on a thin coat of wax and buff it off. That's why they look so nice." Well, that was the first time I ever heard of using wax on the surface of firearms (in about 1957) and have used it on selected firearms ever since with good results.

[Adam Helmer]

When the first came in I must have sold 50 of them and never thought they would be more than a 75 dollar truck gun. Now most all I sold here were ruined by cheap corrosive ammo and they are a 300 dollar gun...who'd a thunk it! My son killed his first deer with one of these and thought it was the best gun ever made. You got a good buy there and it will like cast bullets.

KCSO,

The world is full of duffeses! You advise many folks did not PROPERLY clean an SKS after firing Corrosive ammo. That same "Problem" occurred throughout the 1960s and 1970s when folks shot the Cheap $5.00 per hundred CORROSIVE surplus ammo in nice military surplus arms and had NO Clue how to properly clean a bore! WATER is easily obtainable, but most folks never got a Clue, so their bores "Rotted."

We do have a Second Amendment Right to Arms. I wish there had been a Footnote about Proper Cleaning of said Arms!

Adam

[Tripplebeards]

Found a left over box I had laying around from 2 decades ago in a zip lock bag with 17 rounds left inside. If I remember right you could buy these for $1.99 a box back in 89’.

https://i.imgur.com/3ucAFGu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dbcTDVc.jpg

[Gtek]

Not 100%, but I would treat that as corrosive.

[cwlongshot]

Yup, I remember these well. We sold crates of them for 99 & 129$!!! I shot a few they always worked well. Never owned one. Made for lil
People I always said. Then there was the paratrooper models. Longer lop. I almost bought one of those but didnt.

Your right on woulda shoulda...

That and when the AUG came in the country at 600.... augh dont make Me remember please...

[303Guy]

I'm not allowed to own one of those now in my country thanks to some nutjob.:evil:

The SKS is a rifle I have always liked and wanted.

[EMC45]

That ammo is Norinco

[Tripplebeards]

Yup, I remember these well. We sold crates of them for 99 & 129$!!! I shot a few they always worked well. Never owned one. Made for lil
People I always said. Then there was the paratrooper models. Longer lop. I almost bought one of those but didnt.

Your right on woulda shoulda...

That and when the AUG came in the country at 600.... augh dont make Me remember please...

That’s right, I remember a crate was about he same as the gun.

[Tripplebeards]

I'm not allowed to own one of those now in my country thanks to some nutjob.:evil:

The SKS is a rifle I have always liked and wanted.


Thanks to few here we can’t get the Chinese rilfes and ammo imported now unless they have been sitting in another country for at least 20 years. Classic firearms are selling ones right now for $320 that look like they should have been thrown away.

[EMC45]

Back in the mid 90s in GA I bought a Russian SKS new in cosmo for 79.99. The Chinese ones were 59.99 if memory serves me correct. They were cheaper than a .22. People were buying cases of them and also cases of the 1440 battle box/sardine cans were super cheap too. Folks were rolling out to the parking lot with handtrucks of rifle cases and cases of ammo.

[starnbar]

The little SKS is one of the few really unrated rifles its has decent accuracy darn near indestructible it will feed most any ammunition and out to 300 yards it will drop medium size game pretty easily I have taken a few deer and hogs with mine.

[Bigslug]

My "Chromed barrels are GOOD" experience came when I was walking the rows at the Pomona gun show in the '90's or early 2000's before L.A. County shut us down. Came across a table with a lot of high end stuff on it, with, oddly, an EXTREMELY ratty Norinco SKS positioned in a cradle as if it had some kind of place of honor. Dented, rusted, and maybe even the stock held together with wire. I asked the owner "what gives" and he proceeded to show me the "capture paperwork" of a Vietnam bring-back. Despite the exterior, the bore looked like it had just come off the mill.

Solid guns - I think because even though the Soviets had this new and slick little intermediate cartridge, their engineers brains were still in the mode of making full-power battle rifles. I have trouble imagining what it would take to wear one out.

[Tripplebeards]

I picked up a box of 40 Tula FMJ ammo for Wally World for $10.42 and took it out to try after I cleaned it. I found a zombie target(sorry...I despise the zombie shooting thing,lol) for a $1 at the LGS so I figured I’d try it out. I rested the rifle on a sandbag to test the sights at 25 yards to see if they needed adjusting. I loaded one round up in the gun to make sure it wouldn’t slam fire, aimed between the eyes and shot a hair high and left. I then loaded 2 rounds in it. One I hair high and one in the eye. It functioned fine so loaded up 10 and rapid fired free handed it as fast as I could pull the trigger and accurately aim. All 13 stayed in the head...


https://i.imgur.com/3q5e7vd.jpg

I think I’m ready for an apocalypse.lol

I should have tried the bayonet on the target as well but forgot.

It’s definitely a fun little rifle...I think I’m going to need some more of them.