SKS your thoughts

[Rob_J]

Hey Guys,
    I was thinking of buying an SKS as a hunting rifle and also changing some of the parts to make it look more like a assult rifle.
My questions are:

A- How well would it work as a hunting rifle?

B- With limited gun knowledge, how hard would it be to change the stock?

C- Is this legal to do in Michigan or Missiouri?

Hope to hear your responses. 

[TAB]

A assuming its legal to use and the shots are close( say 100 yardish)   just fine  The legal to use for hunting is going  to be the hard part.

b  Pretty easy


C   I'd say yes, but that is a guess

[tombogan03884]

Think of it as a 125 grain bullet in a 30/30 , about the same velocity with a lighter bullet. It will do the job on Deer.
Changing the stock is butt simple, so is changing the Magazine, I saw on some website a replacement magazine that held 5 rounds for hunting. I think it was Classic Arms.
Hunting with it will vary from State to State.

[fightingquaker13]

Plenty enough guns for deer and pig inside 100 yards. Two things to consider are these. Many states don't allow FMJ for hunting and I don't know how it cycles SP or HP. Also, some states limit mag capacity to five rounds. Check your laws, other wise it seems like a fine, inexpensive brush gun.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

7.62 X 39 is available in both HP and SP hunting loads, like the AK the SKS feeds most anything.
As I posted previously 5 round magazines are available, also it is possible to put a block in the mag as with a plug in a shot gun tube Magazine.

[Sponsor]

[Rob_J]

Plenty enough guns for deer and pig inside 100 yards. Two things to consider are these. Many states don't allow FMJ for hunting and I don't know how it cycles SP or HP. Also, some states limit mag capacity to five rounds. Check your laws, other wise it seems like a fine, inexpensive brush gun.


ok couple more questions when you are talking about FMJ SP and HP what do those mean?

[bulldog75]

FMJ full metal jacket good for light skinned vehicles not deer.

SP soft point good for hunting animals

[twyacht]

Plenty enough guns for deer and pig inside 100 yards. Two things to consider are these. Many states don't allow FMJ for hunting and I don't know how it cycles SP or HP. Also, some states limit mag capacity to five rounds. Check your laws, other wise it seems like a fine, inexpensive brush gun.


ok couple more questions when you are talking about FMJ SP and HP what do those mean?

FMJ-Full Metal Jacket, military type round. SP-Soft Point, Bullet had a usually lead tip which will flatten (or expand) as it impacts a target. HP-Hollow point, the entire bullet will "bloom" in expansion during impact.

SKS is not a super accurate platform beyond 75-100 yds. Yes it will work, but shot placement will be pivotal or you will be chasing deer and wounded pigs a long way.

Do some research, get to the range, talk to other hunters, stay safe and keep practicing.

[fightingquaker13]

Plenty enough guns for deer and pig inside 100 yards. Two things to consider are these. Many states don't allow FMJ for hunting and I don't know how it cycles SP or HP. Also, some states limit mag capacity to five rounds. Check your laws, other wise it seems like a fine, inexpensive brush gun.


ok couple more questions when you are talking about FMJ SP and HP what do those mean?

FMJ (aka ball, or hardball)= full metal jacket. A non expanding brass coated round as required for military use. High velocity, good accuracy, low jams, and great penetration. Its what you'll get in cheap mil surp ammo. Down side is a small wound channel. Thus in some states its illegal to hut with as it will wound rather than kill.
SP= soft point. A partially jacketed brass covered lead bullet that will expand more rapidly than FMJ. It feeds fairly reliably, but doesn't leave as deep a wound channel as HP.
HP=Hollow point. A jacketed (usually) round with a hollow tip that is ideally designed to form into a mushroom shape on impact. This maximizes the wound channel while severely limiting penetration. Its what you want for knockdown power. However, some rounds with some guns feed less reliably than FMJ.
hope this helps
FQ13

[warhawke]

MI has a 5 round limit on hunting rifles but you can just block the mag and go with it. I do not believe there is a ban on FMJ but quality HP and SP ammo is available, I suggest you go for the premium stuff though, Wolf HP is not a good choice for hunting IMO and you shouldn't burn up to much hunting ammo over the course of a year and you can do your training and such with Wolf or surplus ammo.

The SKS is an amazingly good rifle and I DON'T recommend changing it too much. The 10rd mag is perfectly acceptable as long as you learn to use it well and keep it's limitations in mind. The hi-cap mags, as a rule, suck, they are unreliable and far more prone to breakage and failure than the original. On changing the stock I am ambivalent, too many aftermarket stocks are 'Fudd' optimized with cheek-rests and such and some are not as sturdy, most of the "Tactical" stocks are just crap, heavy and breakage prone with a bunch of stuff that you don't need. I might see putting a red-dot or long eye-relief scope on it (mounted forward to avoid blocking the stripper-guide) and maybe (MAYBE) putting a light on it if it is your only Civilian Defense Rifle but you can do that with the wood stock.

I really suggest you get the book "SKS Rifle Gunfighting" by Gabe Suarez if you want to use the weapon as a CDR. Gabe dislikes the tacti-cool mall ninja garbage you see out there and I completely agree.

I am not a big fan of non-chromed barrels in an SKS either, too much surplus 7.62x39 ammo is corrosive to some degree and thus you run into problems with cleaning and maintenance that could be drastically reduced with the chrome bore. I also recommend having the barrel re-crowned, I have noted significant improvement in accuracy with SKS's that have had this done. No the SKS is never going to be super-accurate no matter what, but I have seen bench-rest groups drop from 4moa to 2moa with some of the better surplus ammo (Yugo is the best).

Hope this helps