"The Survivalist Pledge:

To help all that can be helped,
To defend all that can be defended,
To save all that can be saved,
To free all that seek freedom,
To stay alive as long as I can and stay free as long as I live.

Yes, there is such a thing--in fact I saw one at a gun show for that price in early 1990. It was new in the box, and came with 40 rounds of ammunition, an ammo pouch, sling, cleaning kit, ten-round fixed magazine, and folding spike bayonet.

Now wait a minute! Everyone know that .30-30's don't come with bayonets. Well, OK.

The cartridge is not really a .30-30, but it does handle bullets in the .308- to .311-inch diameter, and from 122 to 150 grains with velocities in the 2300 to 2500 fps range. CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD and Sturm, Ruger literature show a 122-grain bullet in this cartridge traveling at 2329 fps (an actual test firing produced a 2370 fps reading); the .30-30 hits 2400 to 2600 fps with the same bullet weight. So, for all practical purposes, these cartridges are identical.

So what is this gun? It's the SKS as imported from China and sold by the various sellers in the SHOTGUN NEWS. The SKS went way up in price after the "wonder wimp" Bush ban, but the prices have been steadily falling ever since. Before the ban, the SKS was going for about $130 and the only difference was what the gun was being offered with such things as cleaning kit (which should come with the gun--if not, they're ripping you off), sling, chest pouch, or ammo. Then the price steadied at about $130 again for several months, with the amount of extras going up. Now the price has dropped with the extras being included as well.

How much should you pay for an SKS? Well, the prices in the SHOTGUN NEWS are now in the $120 to $125 on the low end to $165 or so at the high end. Here price is no reflector of quality, nor does it matter what accessories you are getting either. The guns are in new condition, all have chrome-lined bores so the inside of the barrels are all perfect, the stocks may or may not be oil stained or have nicks and bumps from being packed in ten-gun cases for shipping, but this doesn't matter, as it doesn't effect the gun at all. What is being sold now is the spike bayonet, with the blade bayonet, when/if you find them, generally running about $15-$20 more. (I'd go with the cheapest price that included as many accessories as I could get.) As with any popular gun, there are accessories coming out of the woodwork for the SKS right now. Some are worthless, and some are pretty good.

First the useful ones. The colored front sights are nice to have, as you can custom fit a color to the type of hunting you do or pick out a color that works better overall for your eyes. If you're changing colors of the front sight, be sure the gun is sighted in again, as the sight will stand out better and most will shoot high after that. (There is also a windage and elevation adjustment rear sight that replaces the elevation-only rear sight on the SKS.) To install the front sight blades (posts), you will need a "sight installer" that is rather expensive to buy. An excellent one can be made out of steel, brass, or aluminum rod with a file in a few minutes, so don't buy one of these. The front sight is also windage "adjustable" as well--what you need is a hammer, and a brass punch or sight "pusher." The sight pusher, with sight installer, is about $20, which is expensive, but it too can be made at home (though it might be easier just to buy this tool).

There are a number of scope mounts for the SKS. Some drill and tap on the side of the receiver and have detachable scope mounts, some fit in the rear sight mount and use pistol scopes, while others replace the receiver cover with a new cover. All claim to be the best, all will work, and none are cheap. There is a five-round fixed magazine that fits flush with the bottom of the rifle, the standard ten-round fixed magazine, and a twenty-round fixed magazine available for the SKS. There is also a detachable box magazine version of the SKS with an after market detachable clip conversion kit that comes with a five-round clip. (The after market detachable clip conversion can't use the AK magazines, thought, so this may not be of much use.) In some areas, you will need a five-shot magazine, but the standard ten-round can be blocked off to five easily. The twenty round magazine puts a pretty big belly on the gun, so you may not like it. But it is no worse than most detachable magazine-fed guns--so it isn't that bad.

If the butt is too short for you (and it might be as the gun only has a 12-1/2-inch length of pull), there is a one-inch long recoil pad available to lengthen it. You don't need the recoil pad as a recoil pad, however; the SKS has very little recoil. (It is NOISY! and noise is 90 percent of felt recoil.) The two items I do not care for on the SKS are the folding stocks (I don't like folding stocks on ANY of my guns, so I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the folding stock that is available for the SKS), and the pistol grip stock that is available as well. The folding stock that is available for the SKS (there is only one that I know of) is made of black plastic and replaces the stock and hand guard. If you like folding stocks on your guns, I'm sure this would be an excellent item to have, it's just that folding stocks don't feel right to me and upset the balance of the gun.

Another item that I can live without is the pistol grip available for the SKS. The reason I don't care for this is because it upsets the balance of the gun; to me, at least, the pistol grip has an unnatural feel. But if you like such grips, then this is a good-quality item. If you're looking for a good bargain in the way of semi-auto rifles that can handle any job the .30-30 can do, try the SKS.

 

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