@@gnutzguy uh, back then (early nineties) surplus was all FMJ. If one wished ammunition for *hunting* - then one paid a lot more, or one needed to reload. I did the latter for pretty much everything I had.
I really enjoyed the SKS from Yugoslavia ,very nice and beautiful and when you shoot it gives you the feeling like you are shooting with Sniper just the way how it makes the noise.
You seem to be misunderstanding quality of steel in some of the comments. Rusting can be a sign of better quality steel, this means it has a higher carbon content. This is equally true in knives and swords. Higher carbon means you have greater toughness and hardness in tempering. Greater toughness and hardness means less deformation and wear, It's a tradeoff. If you have ever had a high quality Japanese chef knife they will rust in hours if you don't wipe them off and oil them. There is always a tradeoff, chrome plating barrels significantly reduces corrosion, and considering most if not all period ammunition was corrosive that is important. However if you clean the gun within hours of use it's not really a issue, but it has to remain liberally oiled at all times. Another important distinction about chrome lined barrels versus non chrome lining, as I said, everything is a tradeoff. Non-chrome lined barrels are more accurate weapons; this is a objective fact on all rifles, not really something that is debated. Chrome lining inherently limits your minute of angle accuracy, as the chrome is a softer material that fills in the rifling partially. For most militaries this is a worthwhile tradeoff because it can still be accurate enough to hit a man sized target at 200-400 yards, as it was pretty standard even for early AR to shoot in the 4MOA range. Less accurate may be a totally reasonable compromise for a military to make in favor of greater reliability and less maintenance, however for a Civilian shooter in particular one may favor accuracy and rifling quality over chrome lining. The takeaway here that people need to understand is rusting doesn't mean a rifle is worse, nor does a highly rust resistant stainless steel weapon mean it's better. Most stainless steels are on the very soft side. Nor is a chrome lined barrel "better" *everything is a compromise.*
there are no proof of better steel used but for argument sake let's say they did. high carbon steel will still rust and it will cause pitting. pitting increases friction, friction causes more heat. more friction and more heat causes the bore to wear out faster therefore reducing accuracy. besides why does yugo sks needs to be more accurate than other sks? it is not a sniper rifle. i was in the military too and not all soldier are diligent on properly cleaning their rifles.
@@gnutzguy You would have to be exceptionally negligent to let corrosion reach the point of pitting. Even in the first or second world war (besides some areas of Stalingrad) front line troops were not in contact with the enemy for days on end, usually mere hours. Running a patch down the barrel takes how long? You also speak of your experience in the military. Did you ever stop to think that in a country that had non chrome lined barrels that would have had more strict regulations and training regarding cleaning rifles? Were you a soldier in Yugoslavia? It's not that chrome lining is inherently a bad thing, but it *is* a tradeoff. You say "why does yugo sks needs to be more accurate than other sks? it is not a sniper rifle." Are you seriously trying to make a argument that more accuracy isn't a benefit? Even if we are talking about the difference between 4moa and 2 that's a appreciable difference to any trained soldier shooting out to the effective range of a SKS. Is it going to make the difference hitting a center of mass shot on target at 200 meters? Probably not, but it could make the difference between hitting or missing someone in the head or in partial cover. More accuracy is never a bad thing... You act as if for hundreds of years everyone's firearms must have had deep pits in them in 24 hours because they didn't have chrome technology yet. 🤦
i hope are not saying the accuracy difference between chrome and non-chrome is 2moa? hundreds of years? hello , corrosive ammo hasnt been around hundreds of years. anyhow, if high quality steel has so many benefits then why did Yugo switched to chrome in the 1970s? see link: www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=61pvjofqq1qepe8idgut97cco6&topic=25489.0 "I wrote to Mr.Branko Bogdanovic , asking him what was the reason why Yugo sks were chromeless. For those that don’t know who he is, Branko is THE leading authority on all Yugoslavian weapons, and also Kragujevac factory historian. Of course, Kragujevac is the one and only Yugo factory that produced small arms in Yugo. His response: The technology for producing chrome and nickel existed in Slovenia’s steel mills ( one of the former Yugo republics, now independent state) in 1950. But, technology of actually applying hard chrome in barrels, began after1970 in Kragujevac factory. First chrome barrels were produced in M70 automatic rifles ( Yugo Kalashnikovs), and Yugo automatic pistols Skorpion 7.62 mm M84 ( Czech scorpion M61)"
@@gnutzguy You have a habit of saying some incrediblely odd things. "corrosive ammo hasn't been around hundreds of years." You heard it here first folks, black powder isn't corrosive, don't clean your muzzle loaders... 🤦 Then you make an argument for points I never made... Do quote me where I said Yugoslavia chose to not chrome their barrels for accuracy. I agree that Yugoslavia didn't chrome barrels because they lacked chromium natural resources. I never disputed this or pointed it out in the first place. I simply pointed out, quality high carbon steel rusts more readily than non high carbon steel, chrome lined barrels aren't inherently better, and inherently sacrifice accuracy for reliability and rust resistance, there is always tradeoffs and compromises with such technologies. These are all objective factual statements. Your counter arguments aren't even directed at anything I specifically said.. Other than the 2moa difference in accuracy which was a hypothetical example. Regardless of what the MOA difference there is, it is in-fact measurable, that is my point.. Chrome lining is a choice which is a reasonable choice to make in a military setting (which I said in my original comment), but it also isn't as big of a deal as is assumed either, most weapons in WW2 also lacked chrome lined barrels including the M1 Garand. The variability in accuracy would most likely be determined by ammo quality over chrome lining.
@@-Zevin- i'm odd, thats funny. 1. when an experience person like myself say corrosive ammo, we mean corrosive primers, its the primer thats corrosive not the gun powder. so why are you talking about black powder and muzzle loader? lol. so primer has NOT been around for hundreds of years. that was my point. 2. you are asking me to quote you for something i didnt say either. you jumped to conclusion from the link. my original point was there is no proof Yugo used better steel. even if they did, the benefit doesnt out weight the negatives and thats why the M70 switched to chromes in the 1970s. those are my points. 3. you said " I agree that Yugoslavia didn't chrome barrels because they lacked chromium natural resources." i'm saying you are wrong because Yugo does have chrome. please read the link. www.photius.com/countries/serbia_and_montenegro/economy/yugoslavia_former_economy_energy_and_mineral_r~11882.html "Kosovo also supplied a substantial part of Yugoslav chrome."
My husband owns 2 Yugo sks and he calls them “back when they were 60$ each at Big 5 sports store”. He refuses to sell them because the prices ballooned over the years. He brought both in 2002 and they are tip top shape free of cosmoline and revarnished wood stocks. he still loves the stripper clips
@@gnutzguy they are such fun rifles, I’m from Japan and i married my husband in 2012 and he taught me to properly use firearms and the SKS,Ak and Ar-15 was my first rifles my husband exposed to me and i love all of them. Only rifle i am not a fan of is the 7.62x51/.308 G3 and FN Fals too heavy for me. Took time for me to learn how to properly load the sks from stripper clips needed to get a little stronger.
Very interesting video. A small correct ion - Soviet military doctrine assumed SKS to be a weapon of a more accurate soldier, while AK-47 was to add volume of shooting. Then they found that AK was not significantly worse than SKS, so they simplified the use. At the same time, they also found that RPD was slightly better than RPK, so they also eliminated a machine gun with a different design. And then they developed PK, also on Kalashnikov mechanics. This a major benefit for a conscript army because you teach only one mechanism (and we studied Kalashnikov at schools) instead of 4-5 different mechanisms: SKS, portable machine gun, company machine gun, automatic rifle , sniper rifle
That Russian one is stunning !The wood is absolutely gorgeous!My first gun I bought was an SKS sporter by Norinco, I traded it for a NHM 91,also by Norinco still have it in the original box never fired it.
I have a nearly mint condition Norinco. Made for the civilian market only, but I don't see where that matters outside of collectability. I stripped the stain and clear off the stock and put several coats of oil on it to keep the natural look.
Also a little known fact, that paint on the flip up grenade launcher sight is usually made with RADIUM as a cheap way to create night sights on the Yugo SKS's
I owned a crate of each back in the 80's and agree with your assessment. The only difference, and this is a personal preference, is that I really liked the furniture on the Yugo.
but the yugo dropped the ball by not putting proper coat on the wood. Coating with oil attract dirt which forced me to redo the wood otherwise I would agree with you.
Picked up a very nice Chinese SKS back in the early 90's at a gun show for $150. It's unusual as it has two stock cross pins (one below the rear sight and one just below the rear of the receiver. Dating (from reading several websites as my Chinese isn't very good) seems to be late military issue (possibly ceremonial) and goes back to pre 80's before they would have been able to sell it on the American gun market. Solidly made, excellent accuracy at 200 yards with a bolt cover mounted scope (I added). I've never had an issue with it. It's never slam fired, malfunctioned, or had any broken parts. Wood is nice, a light blond color, and it's well fitted to the receiver. I must have gotten lucky. A friend (many, many years ago) had a Russian SKS bring back from Vietnam and was firing on an Air Force range noticing it was going full auto occasionally on him. It you pull the trigger part way back it fired a single round. If you pulled the trigger all the way back to the stop it went full auto. Our gunsmith's dissembled it and discovered it had a modified trigger mechanism that allowed semi and auto by pulling the trigger as I mentioned. I found a reference to full SKS's in my extensive gun library in an old Russian firearms publication. They had experimented with full auto SKS's back in the 50's (with an adapted AK magazine) as a stop gap measure before the AK's became widely available (early AK-47's were machine milled and difficult to make in large numbers until they mastered stamped metal pressings in the AKM series in the late 50's). The modification was well designed and made out of machined parts. It was either the Russian mod or something someone designed and made in China or Vietnam before putting out it into the field. We put a normal SKS trigger mechanism into it for him and the parts went into gunsmith shop's historical collection for future reference.
@@gnutzguy Finally figured out when and where it was made at a site that had updated Chinese serial numbers. My gun is a Factory 26 SKS made with a Russian style factory stock in 1965 (9,000,000 plus) serial number with the 五六式 stamp. Why a Russian factory stock? I don't know as they said that they broke up with the Russians in 1960. They may have been still making it in the Russian style and I got one of those SKS's. As I said it's military grade and a great shooter. They did a good job making the early SKS's before the whole export model thing, which I think unfairly gave the Chinese SKS a bad rap. I've seen and helped work on some those post 86 SKS's and a lot are badly built, fitted, and untrustworthy to shoot. I did note one thing, military post 1988 guns were made to accept AK Magazines. I think they got the idea from the Russians, but didn't standardize AK mag SKS's till much later. Several SKS's I've seen imported in the late 80's where made to handle AK Mags and were later banned for import after 1994.
In the Soviet SKS world, the two stock pins meant the stock is a laminate stock. My '51 Tula is so equipped. A single stock pin is a real wood stock. Which is what I wish mine had. lol
Hello, I do not know your native language but your English is very good. Thank you for taking the time , showing your passion to compare these 3 varieties of this historical war weapon. I am both impressed and sad that you have never fired your Soviet SKS; I posses Yugo that has never been fired, I'm on the fence as to whether or not i want to be the first one to offer that pleasure to another shooter. This of course depends on all the new reduculous gun control laws. Thank you again for your genuine love and review of these time capsule firearms.
lol, i dont know you. perhaps you know someone who know me. if you know me you then you would know i'd over a dozen russian sks that i shot. i chose THIS russian bcos i wanted to show what a prestine one looks like.
sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know a trick to log back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost the login password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Arturo Steven Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out atm. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
I can't speak for the Russian or Chinese models, but my Yugo SKS is absolutely amazing. I've had it for 20 years and it still fires like the day I first got it.
I have 3 SKS rifles at one time I bought them to give as gifts One to each of my sons I found the milling especially that of the top cover to be quite poor. The area where the front edge of the top cover met with the receiver was cut unevenly which made for a lot of rattling. I did finally get rid of the rattling but I had to buy replacement top covers that happily came too long so I could hand fit them for each gun. I did give them the original top covers so they still had matching numbers but that was when SKS,s sold for about 75 to 80 dollars. Wish I could still get them for that price lol.
I’ve owned Romanian (rough), Chinese, and a couple of Yugo’s. I learned a lot about them and the inner workings. I always wanted a model D Norinco but never owned one. Of my 4 the Yugo’s were my favorite….There were some issue with Yugo’s having gummed up firing pins from storage cosmoline and it was important to disassemble the bolt and polish the firing pin plus channel to prevent “slam fires “….Today I own one special to me AKM only, but I do really like SKS rifles.
Here in Canada, the Russian ones are cheap and the Yugoslavian ones are expensive. The Chinese ones look "cheaper" but my most accurate SKS was Chinese too.
In the 1980’s I bought cases of them for $45 each. All used but in excellent condition. I owned many kinds and sold ammo for them. I sold them as cheap deer rifles. I liked the Russian SKS but they all were great guns. People would break them and I would do small repairs but 99.99% never had a problem.
The original Yugoslavian sks had 10 rounds for storage and one more in the barrel, a total of 11 ... at least as far as I know, because I used it in the army, and then I borrowed an ak 47 or rather a Yugoslav ak 47 (M70) everything that is less than 10 rounds it was not intended for the army ... GREETINGS FROM JNA
Both of mine are Tula rifles and have operatee flawlessly for 40 years and the fit and finnish is excellent on them both. One is a '53 and the other is a '54 from what I know.
About 15 years ago I picked up a gorgeous YUGO M59 SKS (original version without the grenade launcher). I'll match my M59 to the Russian or Chinese SKS any day. Zastava makes the best rifles in the world, bar none. Tula may have the reputation, but the 170 year old Zastava Arms Plant is just as good, if not better.
But you are comparing your m59 to your Russian. Compare it to mine and it would be a different story, my Russian is unissued and unfired. Btw, my Russian was built in Tula arsenal which was built 313 years ago, I'm just saying, lol.
@@gnutzguy I'm comparing the Yugo M59 in general to other SKS rifles - NOT mine in particular. I'm a big fan of Tula and Izhevsk Armories. I have a 1968 Izrhevsk AK, a couple of Tula Armory Mosin rifles, and a Soviet Nagant revolver with Tula markings and date stamp. However, in my opinion, the Serbian Zastava Armory is on par with Tula and Izhevsk. BTW, my M59 was in unissued and unfired condition.
@@Batko10 so you werent comparing your gorgeous yugo to an unissued Russians bcos unissued Russians in the US are not common (in the hands of collectors), unlike in canada.
Many people don't know that Marshal Tito strongly encouraged everyone in the country to practice yoga to build strength and resilience. That's why it was Yoga-Slavia.
As I’ve noticed with dealing with sks’s over the years, older manufactured ones from all countries they were produced in have a better quality from the newer ones. I have a older Yugo that is blued on all of the metal parts and the wood is of great quality with a nice grain.
Picked up an unissued one a few years back when they were being brought over here from Slovakia. Never fired and a really nice gun love it. Surprised it even had the checklist a little grey book the military had when they went threw the riifles and must have did count. Anyhow prefer the yugo to the chinese one that's for sure well built.
I have a Russian 1951 SKS but have you ever seen one with a Red Bakelite Stock and upper hand guard? The #'s match and it is in great condition. Mine holds 10 rounds not 5.
@@gnutzguy Definitely Russian. I have seen one other with this type of stock a long time ago but no idea of the year. It's not polymer or plastic and it's red. I have not had it apart except to check and clean...A very nice shooter and it has the blade bayonet. It could be some sort of aftermarket item but it is a perfect fit. That's why I'm asking about it.
@@gnutzguyThey might have been plentiful but you still or at least I haven't seen any around. I had a Chinese pre ban years ago but my dad complained about it being a war only gun So I sold it back to keep the peace. I need to get it out and look a little more closely at it and I'll tell you what I see. So far you have given me more input on it then I have been able to find online. Maybe I didn't try hard enough but google will roughly give you what it thinks? you want. I found it in a pawn shop years ago so I don't know much about it.
I acquired my first this year, Chinese /636\ 1975. I have no ex?experience with the others, but after spending 25 years in oilfield manufacturing, I can say unequivocally that it is a well made, high quality piece of equipment I wouldn't be afraid to trust my life on.
The thing about tooling is that they all breakdown, and at different rates. So realistically these comparisons dont amount to a whole lot because the factories arent on the same maintenance schedule meaning that sometimes the tools making the cuts are at very different stages of their life. Making smoother or rougher cuts an inevitability
ah, you are correct in theory but.... you are assuming i am basing it on one yugo, mine.... nope, i have seen several internals and they are all the same. btw, no one has step forward to say theirs are smooth.
Since I have a C&R license, I could order one of these and have it ship to my door, instead of the new Zastava ZPAP M70 that will have to go through the usual FFL route. I might end up with a nice historic rifle that could be less money, or same price as the Zastava AK.
Thanks for going over the mfg. differences in the Russian models (early to mid and late) I had no idea. I recently bought a Russian 1950 bought have not had a chance to shoot it yet. The first thing I noticed was the spring loaded firing pin.
thanks for letting me know guys. It sounded weird when I heard it. It's a military rifle. Would be counter productive to mass produce a feature with such problems presented. Not that that's never happened in history, but pretty sure for a while there the SKS was the backbone of the Chinese military
i dont know 300 savage so i wont speculate but i do know the chamber profile area of SKS. there are 3 types, long lug , short lug and no lug (pinned barrel) so with increase in pressure. best to stick with barrels with long lugs so that would be russian, yugo and early production of chinese. avoid late production chinese bcos quite often they use no lug. good luck.
Excellent video and quite informative, sir. My one complaint is: there were instances of your showing a part, the differences in the manufacturing, the quality of the part, and it was out of the shot.
That was very informative and it is interesting that the Yugoslavian SKS did not have a chrome barrel, I have noticed that mine has a dark bore when I was cleaning it.
Around 30 years ago I was in a little gun shop the owner had Chinese SKS it would take AK 30 round mag and had no bayonet it was around a hundred bucks I got one took it home put in my gun vault and I never got it out maybe I should get it out and use it I think it is the only gun I have never fired just got it because it took AK mags
@@gnutzguy There is nice video from Izmah factory, where the specialist for licensing of their products made comparison of AK and SKS around the world. The quality of first SKS assembled in China from Soviet parts was almost the same as in USSR. Later they start produced more and more own parts and the quality start to degrade. The best SKS you can find is the EAST-German DDR. But the chance is close to zero.
Had a Chinese, all same serial number, it was carried a bit, but shot great, spike bayonet though. What did they do for the civilian model? Besides the bayonet.
civilian models are commercial variants, most were late production, they assembled standard SKS with leftover parts. while other commercial variants were modified from Earlier production which had blade bayo. example SKS-D. therefore you can not rely on the bayo alone.
I have a 1954 Tula Arsenal SKS and 3 later Chinese Type 56s. Although the former is more expensive, the latter is more accurate and light weight, and the Type 56 with spike bayonet is more comfortable for holding than blade bayonet. I used a Type 56 to take down a 200 lb black bear with one shot 3 months ago and I use the same Type 56 as a self-defense weapon when moving in the woods. Another advantage I found with a Type 56 for hunting is that I don't need to wear hearing protection because the gunshot is not too loud, so I won't miss any sounds in the woods. Of course, the most important reason is that you can't find a cheaper and more reliable semi-automatic rifle than the Type 56.
when i was younger it wasnt macho to wear protection of any kind so i fired 308 without hear aid. first shot my ears will be ringing, by the 3 shot i hear nothing, lol.
I purchased two Russian sks’s in the ‘90’s. I kept one unfired and in pristine condition and the other one I shot a few times over the years. Both sks’s have matching serial no. One has the Tula insignia and 1953r stamped on the dust cover. However, the other one the dust cover has no inscription, but below where the dust cover contacts the receiver it says made in russia. Does that mean it’s not made in Tula? Other than that both Sks’s have same fit and finish - original stainless blade bayonets, stainless bolts and bolt carriers, smooth, lacquer finish dark stain wood just like the one in the video.
My Norinco SKS, purchased years ago for $80, rocks. Reasonably accurate to over 300 meters. Capable of firing all manor of cheap ammunition. Thousands of rounds fired with no problems whatsoever. I'm not a hunter but I'm confident that my SKS could take most North American game. Not to mention it's capability with two legged predators. And I have no problem with stripper clips. I think they're fast and efficient when combined with a surplus ammo belt.
ya beat me, lol. lowest was US$110, that was my favorite till last year, i'd paid US$400 my highest for an unissued factory 26 1979. ua-cam.com/video/tbL5jZliYIg/v-deo.html
@@gnutzguy Not so fast. My $80 was in 1993 dollars so updated to when you made your purchase, you might have gotten a better deal. And I was able to purchase two tuna cans (880 rounds of 7.62 X 39 each) for $60 each. So two hundred dollars for a near new SKS and 1760 rounds of ammo. I still have both sealed ammo cans. I'm saving them in case I need to bug out.
@@willyswagon57 Summer of 1993. Purchased at a local gun show. At the same time I also purchased a near mint 1943 Husqvarna M38 Swedish Mauser cavalry carbine for $90. One of my finest and most accurate rifles, chambered in the well respected, flat shooting 6.5 X 55 cartridge. If I could go back in time I'd buy as many guns as I could carry home.
I didn't read all 300 comments so I'm not sure anyone else mentioned it but I think you Chinese SKS is a '64 model and not a '65. In 1965 the bayonet became a spike instead of the bladed that was used prior to '65. Nice rifles!
I have Norinco SKS and Russian SKS. Both shoot great, no issues with over 1000 rounds +. I also fitted both with ATI synthetic stocks. Chinese SKS required very little sanding to ATI stock, practically just dropped right in. The Russian SKS was a pain, have to remove a lot more of material from inside ATI stock to make fit. So I would say Russian SKS was slightly wider tolerances. But I'm not a gunsmith. Also, when I bought my Norinco in the late 1980's they were on sale for 100.00 each Canadian... So I bought 3 lol.
@@gnutzguy i think im going to take the risk and order one online, recent reviews on their site people are saying they are getting some quality rifles.
@@inktownfishing4505 thanks for the info! i wish i got my pal years ago im for sure paying a lot more to get into it no but oh well its better late than never! i think im going to pick up a Chinese sks
The thing is: Russian riffles have been used, Chinese and Yugo are relatively new and barrels are not worn out. Yet. A friend of mine shoot them all and he said can't compare new and old but overall Chinese and others wear out faster than Russian barrels That's all.
18:13 - do you know how to separate the wooden parts from the metal parts, that is, to completely disassemble the rifle and separate the wooden parts from the metal parts and of course to put everything back together so that it is functional again
The difference in machining can easily be explained by the wear that occurs on any production machining device. By 1980 the machines would have been on their last legs based on reduced demand and therefore a lack of maintenance on those machines.
what ever the explanation may be, most of the yugo imported here are late production and most yugo owners seeing the same quality as i says its the best. no different with the chinese sks here, mostly are late production or commecial, no one says its the best, even tho not many us seen one from the 50s or early 60s so i have to base it on what we have on hand.
I've had several SKS rifles, both Russian and Chinese. None were butchered with the 5 round blocking. I wouldn't own one that was. My Russian had the blade bayonet, one of the Chinese had the spike type. All of mine were from the 50's. The Russian was the best.
I have had several variants of SKS rifles. Sold most of them when I ran onto hard times. I have slowly started buying them again. The ones I have now are all Norincos. I know they get a bad wrap from a lot of people, but they are excellent rifles. It is interesting that they have features that many consider better quality when referring to other rifles (AR's AK's) like chrome lines barrels, gas piston systems, and milled parts. Yet... many people still call them junk rifles. It is true that they are not very optics friendy/modular/modern. I just don't understand it....bias maybe? Also, the steel in them seems to be good quality. Anyway, I would trust one with my life.
I sold mine when I moved to a condo. I bought them back in spite of lack of gun cabinet space. I agree with everything you said. No idea why any gun owner would Pooh Pooh them.
I agree!! A quality SKS is a fine rifle. Well built, good design, rugged, and reliable. It's a WW2 Era design. You can't compare it to space-age stuff like the AR platform. I would bet my life on the effectiveness of the Russian SKS. However, against a well trained and equipped adversary, I'd prefer something more modern like a 100 or 200 series AK or Scar. Not comparable to modern rifles. Apples and oranges.....
This is a good video. I especially like how you show the different 5 round limitin methods used. If you could do a follow up video where you pull out the magazines and measure and show close up images, that would be most useful. Here in some of the states we could use SKS for deer hunting but it has to be permanently modified to 5 rounds. There are no other videos showing how that is done. If the measurements are in your video, you would be doing a great service to the community. I hope you follow up. Thank you
Thanks for your idea. It is worth exploring. Matter of fact I have a mag for the sks that was factory modified to 5 rds. It would be interesting to replicate that but first I need a spare mag.
Dang theres a lot of haters in this videos comments. I appreciate your video brother if they cant get passed an accent, i think they need a new hobby. One of the coolest things about the firearm world is, the diversity. You gan get two of the same guns, made on different sides of the planet and theyre different. The sks is a classic. I personally love yugo guns for their quality and the history. Also they're super handsome.
That is true . But some of the early Chinese models have screw-in barrels that aren't pinned.... The shoot quite well.... I think one of the tricks with the SKS is to find early screw in barrels, not the crappy ones later pinned.
@@johngibson2884I have a late model Norinco made at one of the lesser known factories and it still has a screw in barrel, not pinned. And it's all number matching.
Thanks for that, it is all interesting and fine for background, but the only thing that really matters is how they stack up in terms of accuracy and reliability on the firing line.
@Gnutzguy is the yugo 59/66 stock identical in dimension/ interchangeable with the Russia one? I have a Russian model with matching numbers but I don't want to worsen the condition of the stock when I shoot, I'm wondering a replacement stock that's for the Yugo varient would fit on the Russian metals? Thanks
yes, with some hand filing but you are better off with an after market synthetic stock. im in the process of gathering a bunch of them for a review. so far i got 4-5, damn costing a small fortune .
The pin in the magazine is an after market "upgrade" from Canada. It is not made on the sks. It was put on so it could be hunted with in Canada and the U.S. that magazine block shows it was imported through Canada.
I have had the Russian SKS and it was a little heavier than the Chinese SKS Sporter and regular Chinese SKS i paid 120 dollars for the Russian SKS, the most expensive was the Sporter that took the AK magazines and had a wooden thumb hole stock and it was shorter than the other SKS rifles I had it was new and the Russian SKS was a milsurp but the fit and the finish on the Russian was far better than the Chinese ones, it was complete with the bayonet and sling and cleaning,tool kit,had the star and cycle on the bolt cover and all the numbers matched, everything about the Russian SKS seemed to be of better quality and it was quite accurate for a semi auto rifle with open sights but the Chinese SKS Sporter was fairly straight shooter but the fit of the bolt in the receiver and the stamped trigger was not on the same level as the Russian SKS,i really wish I had kept it, it was in very good condition it only had a few notches that where cut into the stock,i can only imagine why someone cut them in there but whoever used it took very good care of it, the Chinese SKS Sporter was sloppy in how all the parts fit and the AK magazines would rock side to side and the trigger and All the other levers like safety and take down pins where stamped in sheet metal instead of milled out of a single piece of steel like the Russian SKS but it would fire everything time you pulled the trigger very reliable but the Russian SKS was definitely a higher quality firearm in every way just heavier
Just because the bolts fit doesn't mean they'll work. Try shooting them with the other bolts and I bet the head spacing will be way out and might cause explosive failure.
You all have some nice sks's there in Canada aside from the 5 round limit. many here imported into the united states are pretty beat up. I have a Chinese but would love to get another one or a Russian version. Great video sir I enjoyed it. And good luck over in Canada I hear they are getting worse with the gun laws similar to what happens here in California.
@@edwardhawkey5714 recently the Canadian liberal government tried to ban all semi auto rifles including the sks, Luckily the public opposed and they backed down. they will try again with something else. So your 7 mo wait ain't so bad compared to a complete ban, lol.
I didn't read too far into the comments so I apologize if this is a repeat question. How do you determine the year of manufacture and in which factory it was made? Thanks. 👍🍻
@@williamemerson1799 you can only calculate the year of production from factory 26. All other factories you can't but a few does have the year stamped on the receiver
Your vids are excellent and very informative. I haven’t been here in awhile but I wasn’t surprised to see your follower count up. I’ve never seen these three layed out together. The heft of the Yugo is very apparent next to the rus and chicom, and understandable given it’s purpose. Did you refinish the wood? Also, have a like.
Get one that hasn't been chrome lined, also you can turn off the gas tube on the yugo almost making it a bolt rifle and some say a little more accurate.
I know this is an old video but if you still check it. Why did they put blockers in the magazines to limit it to 5 rounds why not just add another round or two?
Probably to give their communist overlords an advantage while using stripper clips. Edit: looked it up. Pretty much what i said before. Semi auto rifles were limited for hunting purposes to 5 rounds meaning you'd have to take a lot of effort to convert your stripper clips from 10 to 5. It was their governments doing.
I have a question that may be dumb but I haven’t done my research. I bought a Chinese SKS that clearly had a couple modifications done. It has a metal heat shield to help cool the barrel down faster instead of the typical wood I usually see. Was the SKS ever produced this way or is that just another modification?
No sks came with vented top handguard. You can easily reverse it by buying a wooden Chinese top HG, they are not expensive. Search my vid "vented handguard sks"
I had it at the beginning of the war in Bosnia and we called it a stake. I later got the M70 AB2. The SKS/Kolac had a problem with the gas chamber due to the Yugoslav highly corrosive ammunition. There was a deadlock just when you needed it the most and if you didn't have a cleaning kit then you were screwed
@@tromblon1 no, all Commie countries used corrosive ammo back then. gas tube rusting was a common problem with all sks but easy to clean except the Yugo with grenade launcher bcos of the gas valve. Also made worst no chrome in the bores. Let's say it's a pain to clean a yugo.
I am curious to know if you have had the unfired Russian SKS borescope inspected. I have also an unfired Russian and ran a borescope thru it. What I found is suprising.
The first time I remember seeing anything in reference to the SKS it was in a book we received evert year. The book served as a way to update a set of encyclopedias so my parents didn't need to buy another complete encyclopedia. Joe
You got lucky with all matching numbers, generally when they pin them they do multiple rifles at the same time and don't much care which mag they throw back on which rifle.
I believe alot of mismatches were to customs and how they entered the country, they couldn't come in with the bayonet attached for instance, I was very lucky to pick one up a week ago at gun show with all matching numbers, from Bolt carrier to gas tube to stock, (minus bayonet)
I love the way you say yoga- slovian
thats a mouthful, lol.
@@gnutzguy it's allright dude
@@gnutzguy but it's yu-go-slavian not yo-gu-slovian xD had a giggle listening the way you pronounce it. It's all good. Nice content.
Haha. I was just about to post the same thing. Those Slavs like doing yoga, I guess.
It’s like You-go
I used the Chinese SKS as my deer hunting rifle for years, it was accurate and had good knock down power. And it only cost $100!!!
@@MW-xm1rc yup, they are good for deer hunting. Only $100? you had her long time ago.
About 30 years ago. Briefly had one. These things *fling* their brass bad, so reloading can be an issue if you can find reloadable cases.
Surplus ammo are cheap so no need to reload.
@@gnutzguy uh, back then (early nineties) surplus was all FMJ. If one wished ammunition for *hunting* - then one paid a lot more, or one needed to reload. I did the latter for pretty much everything I had.
So true.
Excellent job describing the different versions of the SKS.
Many thanks!
I really enjoyed the SKS from Yugoslavia ,very nice and beautiful and when you shoot it gives you the feeling like you are shooting with Sniper just the way how it makes the noise.
sniper? really. i find the front end heavy.
You seem to be misunderstanding quality of steel in some of the comments. Rusting can be a sign of better quality steel, this means it has a higher carbon content. This is equally true in knives and swords. Higher carbon means you have greater toughness and hardness in tempering. Greater toughness and hardness means less deformation and wear, It's a tradeoff. If you have ever had a high quality Japanese chef knife they will rust in hours if you don't wipe them off and oil them. There is always a tradeoff, chrome plating barrels significantly reduces corrosion, and considering most if not all period ammunition was corrosive that is important. However if you clean the gun within hours of use it's not really a issue, but it has to remain liberally oiled at all times.
Another important distinction about chrome lined barrels versus non chrome lining, as I said, everything is a tradeoff. Non-chrome lined barrels are more accurate weapons; this is a objective fact on all rifles, not really something that is debated. Chrome lining inherently limits your minute of angle accuracy, as the chrome is a softer material that fills in the rifling partially. For most militaries this is a worthwhile tradeoff because it can still be accurate enough to hit a man sized target at 200-400 yards, as it was pretty standard even for early AR to shoot in the 4MOA range. Less accurate may be a totally reasonable compromise for a military to make in favor of greater reliability and less maintenance, however for a Civilian shooter in particular one may favor accuracy and rifling quality over chrome lining.
The takeaway here that people need to understand is rusting doesn't mean a rifle is worse, nor does a highly rust resistant stainless steel weapon mean it's better. Most stainless steels are on the very soft side. Nor is a chrome lined barrel "better" *everything is a compromise.*
there are no proof of better steel used but for argument sake let's say they did. high carbon steel will still rust and it will cause pitting. pitting increases friction, friction causes more heat. more friction and more heat causes the bore to wear out faster therefore reducing accuracy.
besides why does yugo sks needs to be more accurate than other sks? it is not a sniper rifle.
i was in the military too and not all soldier are diligent on properly cleaning their rifles.
@@gnutzguy You would have to be exceptionally negligent to let corrosion reach the point of pitting. Even in the first or second world war (besides some areas of Stalingrad) front line troops were not in contact with the enemy for days on end, usually mere hours. Running a patch down the barrel takes how long?
You also speak of your experience in the military. Did you ever stop to think that in a country that had non chrome lined barrels that would have had more strict regulations and training regarding cleaning rifles? Were you a soldier in Yugoslavia?
It's not that chrome lining is inherently a bad thing, but it *is* a tradeoff. You say "why does yugo sks needs to be more accurate than other sks? it is not a sniper rifle." Are you seriously trying to make a argument that more accuracy isn't a benefit? Even if we are talking about the difference between 4moa and 2 that's a appreciable difference to any trained soldier shooting out to the effective range of a SKS. Is it going to make the difference hitting a center of mass shot on target at 200 meters? Probably not, but it could make the difference between hitting or missing someone in the head or in partial cover. More accuracy is never a bad thing...
You act as if for hundreds of years everyone's firearms must have had deep pits in them in 24 hours because they didn't have chrome technology yet. 🤦
i hope are not saying the accuracy difference between chrome and non-chrome is 2moa?
hundreds of years? hello , corrosive ammo hasnt been around hundreds of years.
anyhow, if high quality steel has so many benefits then why did Yugo switched to chrome in the 1970s? see link:
www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=61pvjofqq1qepe8idgut97cco6&topic=25489.0
"I wrote to Mr.Branko Bogdanovic , asking him what was the reason why Yugo sks were chromeless.
For those that don’t know who he is, Branko is THE leading authority on all Yugoslavian weapons, and also Kragujevac factory historian. Of course, Kragujevac is the one and only Yugo factory that produced small arms in Yugo.
His response:
The technology for producing chrome and nickel existed in Slovenia’s steel mills ( one of the former Yugo republics, now independent state) in 1950.
But, technology of actually applying hard chrome in barrels, began after1970 in Kragujevac factory.
First chrome barrels were produced in M70 automatic rifles ( Yugo Kalashnikovs), and Yugo automatic pistols Skorpion 7.62 mm M84 ( Czech scorpion M61)"
@@gnutzguy You have a habit of saying some incrediblely odd things. "corrosive ammo hasn't been around hundreds of years." You heard it here first folks, black powder isn't corrosive, don't clean your muzzle loaders... 🤦
Then you make an argument for points I never made... Do quote me where I said Yugoslavia chose to not chrome their barrels for accuracy. I agree that Yugoslavia didn't chrome barrels because they lacked chromium natural resources. I never disputed this or pointed it out in the first place.
I simply pointed out, quality high carbon steel rusts more readily than non high carbon steel, chrome lined barrels aren't inherently better, and inherently sacrifice accuracy for reliability and rust resistance, there is always tradeoffs and compromises with such technologies. These are all objective factual statements. Your counter arguments aren't even directed at anything I specifically said.. Other than the 2moa difference in accuracy which was a hypothetical example. Regardless of what the MOA difference there is, it is in-fact measurable, that is my point..
Chrome lining is a choice which is a reasonable choice to make in a military setting (which I said in my original comment), but it also isn't as big of a deal as is assumed either, most weapons in WW2 also lacked chrome lined barrels including the M1 Garand. The variability in accuracy would most likely be determined by ammo quality over chrome lining.
@@-Zevin- i'm odd, thats funny. 1. when an experience person like myself say corrosive ammo, we mean corrosive primers, its the primer thats corrosive not the gun powder. so why are you talking about black powder and muzzle loader? lol. so primer has NOT been around for hundreds of years. that was my point.
2. you are asking me to quote you for something i didnt say either. you jumped to conclusion from the link. my original point was there is no proof Yugo used better steel. even if they did, the benefit doesnt out weight the negatives and thats why the M70 switched to chromes in the 1970s. those are my points.
3. you said " I agree that Yugoslavia didn't chrome barrels because they lacked chromium natural resources."
i'm saying you are wrong because Yugo does have chrome. please read the link.
www.photius.com/countries/serbia_and_montenegro/economy/yugoslavia_former_economy_energy_and_mineral_r~11882.html
"Kosovo also supplied a substantial part of Yugoslav chrome."
My husband owns 2 Yugo sks and he calls them “back when they were 60$ each at Big 5 sports store”. He refuses to sell them because the prices ballooned over the years.
He brought both in 2002 and they are tip top shape free of cosmoline and revarnished wood stocks. he still loves the stripper clips
thats a super deal, i dont recall them being that low in 2002. your husband is a wise man. every sks i've sold in the past i regretted it.
@@gnutzguy they are such fun rifles, I’m from Japan and i married my husband in 2012 and he taught me to properly use firearms and the SKS,Ak and Ar-15 was my first rifles my husband exposed to me and i love all of them. Only rifle i am not a fan of is the 7.62x51/.308 G3 and FN Fals too heavy for me.
Took time for me to learn how to properly load the sks from stripper clips needed to get a little stronger.
I have some as well and yes the prices went way up. Got 6 for 100 a piece. Wish I would have bought 20
Very interesting video.
A small correct ion - Soviet military doctrine assumed SKS to be a weapon of a more accurate soldier, while AK-47 was to add volume of shooting. Then they found that AK was not significantly worse than SKS, so they simplified the use. At the same time, they also found that RPD was slightly better than RPK, so they also eliminated a machine gun with a different design. And then they developed PK, also on Kalashnikov mechanics. This a major benefit for a conscript army because you teach only one mechanism (and we studied Kalashnikov at schools) instead of 4-5 different mechanisms: SKS, portable machine gun, company machine gun, automatic rifle , sniper rifle
interesting. thanks for sharing.
Some years ago I purchased a brand new Russian SKS and have fired it. It still appears as new and is really beautiful.
nice. i wont fire my unissued russian bcos i've another, lol
That Russian one is stunning !The wood is absolutely gorgeous!My first gun I bought was an SKS sporter by Norinco, I traded it for a NHM 91,also by Norinco still have it in the original box never fired it.
thanks for sharing.
I have a nearly mint condition Norinco. Made for the civilian market only, but I don't see where that matters outside of collectability. I stripped the stain and clear off the stock and put several coats of oil on it to keep the natural look.
i redid my yugo. see result in this vid. ua-cam.com/users/shortsTmMv2IAAUAE
Also a little known fact, that paint on the flip up grenade launcher sight is usually made with RADIUM as a cheap way to create night sights on the Yugo SKS's
I owned a crate of each back in the 80's and agree with your assessment. The only difference, and this is a personal preference, is that I really liked the furniture on the Yugo.
but the yugo dropped the ball by not putting proper coat on the wood. Coating with oil attract dirt which forced me to redo the wood otherwise I would agree with you.
Good side by side comparison especially during disassembled section.. should answer alot of questions for some people 👍
Thanks and thanks for watching.
Picked up a very nice Chinese SKS back in the early 90's at a gun show for $150. It's unusual as it has two stock cross pins (one below the rear sight and one just below the rear of the receiver. Dating (from reading several websites as my Chinese isn't very good) seems to be late military issue (possibly ceremonial) and goes back to pre 80's before they would have been able to sell it on the American gun market. Solidly made, excellent accuracy at 200 yards with a bolt cover mounted scope (I added). I've never had an issue with it. It's never slam fired, malfunctioned, or had any broken parts. Wood is nice, a light blond color, and it's well fitted to the receiver. I must have gotten lucky. A friend (many, many years ago) had a Russian SKS bring back from Vietnam and was firing on an Air Force range noticing it was going full auto occasionally on him. It you pull the trigger part way back it fired a single round. If you pulled the trigger all the way back to the stop it went full auto. Our gunsmith's dissembled it and discovered it had a modified trigger mechanism that allowed semi and auto by pulling the trigger as I mentioned. I found a reference to full SKS's in my extensive gun library in an old Russian firearms publication. They had experimented with full auto SKS's back in the 50's (with an adapted AK magazine) as a stop gap measure before the AK's became widely available (early AK-47's were machine milled and difficult to make in large numbers until they mastered stamped metal pressings in the AKM series in the late 50's). The modification was well designed and made out of machined parts. It was either the Russian mod or something someone designed and made in China or Vietnam before putting out it into the field. We put a normal SKS trigger mechanism into it for him and the parts went into gunsmith shop's historical collection for future reference.
very interest story. i havent seen a chinese stock with two cross pins before, only on the russians
@@gnutzguy Finally figured out when and where it was made at a site that had updated Chinese serial numbers. My gun is a Factory 26 SKS made with a Russian style factory stock in 1965 (9,000,000 plus) serial number with the 五六式 stamp. Why a Russian factory stock? I don't know as they said that they broke up with the Russians in 1960. They may have been still making it in the Russian style and I got one of those SKS's. As I said it's military grade and a great shooter. They did a good job making the early SKS's before the whole export model thing, which I think unfairly gave the Chinese SKS a bad rap. I've seen and helped work on some those post 86 SKS's and a lot are badly built, fitted, and untrustworthy to shoot. I did note one thing, military post 1988 guns were made to accept AK Magazines. I think they got the idea from the Russians, but didn't standardize AK mag SKS's till much later. Several SKS's I've seen imported in the late 80's where made to handle AK Mags and were later banned for import after 1994.
In the Soviet SKS world, the two stock pins meant the stock is a laminate stock. My '51 Tula is so equipped.
A single stock pin is a real wood stock. Which is what I wish mine had. lol
Hello,
I do not know your native language but your English is very good. Thank you for taking the time , showing your passion to compare these 3 varieties of this historical war weapon.
I am both impressed and sad that you have never fired your Soviet SKS; I posses Yugo that has never been fired, I'm on the fence as to whether or not i want to be the first one to offer that pleasure to another shooter. This of course depends on all the new reduculous gun control laws.
Thank you again for your genuine love and review of these time capsule firearms.
lol, i dont know you. perhaps you know someone who know me. if you know me you then you would know i'd over a dozen russian sks that i shot.
i chose THIS russian bcos i wanted to show what a prestine one looks like.
Thanks for the overview, the SKS has really become a Canadian classic
The SKS will liberate Canada
@@CovenantElite1117 Behind every blade of grass
sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know a trick to log back into an Instagram account??
I was dumb lost the login password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Brooks Jalen Instablaster ;)
@Arturo Steven Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out atm.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
I can't speak for the Russian or Chinese models, but my Yugo SKS is absolutely amazing. I've had it for 20 years and it still fires like the day I first got it.
unfortunately. no chrome bore so barrel will wear out sooner.
How old a firearm is has little to do with how it fires…actually nothing to do with how it fires
The Russian SKS is superb!
@@gnutzguy would I be correct to assume that because 7.62 is a slow round that barrel life is pretty good with even mediocre materials?
I have 3 SKS rifles at one time I bought them to give as gifts One to each of my sons I found the milling especially that of the top cover to be quite poor. The area where the front edge of the top cover met with the receiver was cut unevenly which made for a lot of rattling. I did finally get rid of the rattling but I had to buy replacement top covers that happily came too long so I could hand fit them for each gun. I did give them the original top covers so they still had matching numbers but that was when SKS,s sold for about 75 to 80 dollars. Wish I could still get them for that price lol.
for clarification, yugo sks top cover didnt fit?
I’ve owned Romanian (rough), Chinese, and a couple of Yugo’s. I learned a lot about them and the inner workings. I always wanted a model D Norinco but never owned one. Of my 4 the Yugo’s were my favorite….There were some issue with Yugo’s having gummed up firing pins from storage cosmoline and it was important to disassemble the bolt and polish the firing pin plus channel to prevent “slam fires “….Today I own one special to me AKM only, but I do really like SKS rifles.
cosmoline and all sks firing pins has always been an issue. yup, clean prior to using.
How times change, acquired a norinco for 80$ and came with 880 round sealed tin, new in bag coated in cosmo line
and you bought a crate of it, right? lol.
I have a 1950 Tula with all matching numbers. Laminated stock, Very nice rifle that shoots well. Only con is its heavy.
yup, laminated stocks are heavy.
Here in Canada, the Russian ones are cheap and the Yugoslavian ones are expensive. The Chinese ones look "cheaper" but my most accurate SKS was Chinese too.
yugo are more expensive only bcos its rarer.
Where are you that 5 rds is a thing? I have a Yugo that was surplus (but looked unfired) with 10 rd capacity.
Canada
In the 1980’s I bought cases of them for $45 each. All used but in excellent condition. I owned many kinds and sold ammo for them. I sold them as cheap deer rifles. I liked the Russian SKS but they all were great guns. People would break them and I would do small repairs but 99.99% never had a problem.
$45? those were the days. i wish i bought a couple of crates,
The original Yugoslavian sks had 10 rounds for storage and one more in the barrel, a total of 11 ... at least as far as I know, because I used it in the army, and then I borrowed an ak 47 or rather a Yugoslav ak 47 (M70) everything that is less than 10 rounds it was not intended for the army ... GREETINGS FROM JNA
yes, mine is a 10 rds mag but is limited to 5. our stupid gun law.
Both of mine are Tula rifles and have operatee flawlessly for 40 years and the fit and finnish is excellent on them both. One is a '53 and the other is a '54 from what I know.
Thanks for sharing.
My friend has one but is missing parts like jigsaw puzzle lol now he's trying to look for parts with no luck
About 15 years ago I picked up a gorgeous YUGO M59 SKS (original version without the grenade launcher). I'll match my M59 to the Russian or Chinese SKS any day. Zastava makes the best rifles in the world, bar none. Tula may have the reputation, but the 170 year old Zastava Arms Plant is just as good, if not better.
But you are comparing your m59 to your Russian. Compare it to mine and it would be a different story, my Russian is unissued and unfired. Btw, my Russian was built in Tula arsenal which was built 313 years ago, I'm just saying, lol.
@@gnutzguy I'm comparing the Yugo M59 in general to other SKS rifles - NOT mine in particular. I'm a big fan of Tula and Izhevsk Armories. I have a 1968 Izrhevsk AK, a couple of Tula Armory Mosin rifles, and a Soviet Nagant revolver with Tula markings and date stamp. However, in my opinion, the Serbian Zastava Armory is on par with Tula and Izhevsk. BTW, my M59 was in unissued and unfired condition.
@@Batko10 so you werent comparing your gorgeous yugo to an unissued Russians bcos unissued Russians in the US are not common (in the hands of collectors), unlike in canada.
MIne is a Russian Tula 1953 with that same dark reddish wood. I still want to get 1 or 2 more from other countries. Nice vid filled w/info
Owned a Vietnam bring back for many years.accurate and reliable with all sorts of ammunition.I would trust this carbine in most any situation.
sweet, do you still own it?
Yes!
Many people don't know that Marshal Tito strongly encouraged everyone in the country to practice yoga to build strength and resilience. That's why it was Yoga-Slavia.
@@samadams8355 😂😂😂
I have all three. Like all of them. From a combat perspective, the rougher the wooden stock the better for grip in all climate conditions.
yeah but we arent in combat, lol. i prefer my wood stock not beaten to HELL, lol.
5 ROUNDS? Canada! 10 rounds in US.
yup, silly gun law up here.
Detachable mag conversion is the more American approach.
Lol Canadians can still use bean flips I think .😂🤫
Max
I have a 1952 sks, I love it.
As I’ve noticed with dealing with sks’s over the years, older manufactured ones from all countries they were produced in have a better quality from the newer ones. I have a older Yugo that is blued on all of the metal parts and the wood is of great quality with a nice grain.
I have a yugo, all original, I love it.
All 3 excellent 👌
My personal opinion Russian SKS.
One of the best underrated rifles created.
Guys let’s give SKS its flowers 🌺
I got my Yugo SKS for 600, 4 years ago. Only reason I paid that much, it was unissued, and only fired at the factory.
and now it looks like a good buy, cheers
@@gnutzguy Cheers 🥂 back.
and the price will only go up good buy
Picked up an unissued one a few years back when they were being brought over here from Slovakia. Never fired and a really nice gun love it. Surprised it even had the checklist a little grey book the military had when they went threw the riifles and must have did count. Anyhow prefer the yugo to the chinese one that's for sure well built.
@@raresr4092 I just wish they had chrome lined barrel, though.
I have a Russian 1951 SKS but have you ever seen one with a Red Bakelite Stock and upper hand guard? The #'s match and it is in great condition. Mine holds 10 rounds not 5.
bill: nope, are you sure its a russian and not a chinese? i dont think the russian made red bakelite stock
@@gnutzguy Definitely Russian. I have seen one other with this type of stock a long time ago but no idea of the year. It's not polymer or plastic and it's red. I have not had it apart except to check and clean...A very nice shooter and it has the blade bayonet. It could be some sort of aftermarket item but it is a perfect fit. That's why I'm asking about it.
probably chinese jungle stock, it was red and made of resin in fabric. they were cheap and plentiful in the 90s and early 2000
@@gnutzguyThey might have been plentiful but you still or at least I haven't seen any around. I had a Chinese pre ban years ago but my dad complained about it being a war only gun So I sold it back to keep the peace. I need to get it out and look a little more closely at it and I'll tell you what I see. So far you have given me more input on it then I have been able to find online. Maybe I didn't try hard enough but google will roughly give you what it thinks? you want. I found it in a pawn shop years ago so I don't know much about it.
I’ve got the Chinese type 56 made in 1967. All matching numbers. It’s a great gun.
/26\ 1966 here 👍
my latest Chinese is fac 26 1979 with french tickler top HG. unfired.
I acquired my first this year, Chinese /636\ 1975. I have no ex?experience with the others, but after spending 25 years in oilfield manufacturing, I can say unequivocally that it is a well made, high quality piece of equipment I wouldn't be afraid to trust my life on.
How can you tell the age/year? My Chinese sks is confusing. But all the numbers are matching
The thing about tooling is that they all breakdown, and at different rates. So realistically these comparisons dont amount to a whole lot because the factories arent on the same maintenance schedule meaning that sometimes the tools making the cuts are at very different stages of their life. Making smoother or rougher cuts an inevitability
ah, you are correct in theory but.... you are assuming i am basing it on one yugo, mine.... nope, i have seen several internals and they are all the same. btw, no one has step forward to say theirs are smooth.
Since I have a C&R license, I could order one of these and have it ship to my door, instead of the new Zastava ZPAP M70 that will have to go through the usual FFL route. I might end up with a nice historic rifle that could be less money, or same price as the Zastava AK.
ميشا....شكرا على المراجعه....كنت رائعا بلا حدود....اشتركت في القناة وفعلت الجرس....ياللروعه
If there only one gun I have to choose
It will be one of these models
Any will do.
Excellent weapon
yup except the yugo, too heavy.
@@gnutzguyas a "yogoslavian" how you pronouced it...i say that walnut stock will absorb far more recoil being heavy
@@djordjekaljevic5725 but 7.62x39 doesn't have much recoil plus the barrel and gas valve rust like crazy
@@djordjekaljevic5725yeah 7.62x39 recoil isnt much anyways. I want the lighter ones if im in the woods alll day.
Thanks for going over the mfg. differences in the Russian models (early to mid and late) I had no idea. I recently bought a Russian 1950 bought have not had a chance to shoot it yet. The first thing I noticed was the spring loaded firing pin.
ua-cam.com/users/shortsUC-FYevYjjg
I hear the chinese Bayonet gets locked up and hard to put back down. Is this true?
not true, smooth same from other countries.
I have Chinese SKS w/spike bayonet works perfect. Have a Yugo too real heavy. Chinese is light and easy to carry .
thanks for letting me know guys. It sounded weird when I heard it. It's a military rifle. Would be counter productive to mass produce a feature with such problems presented. Not that that's never happened in history, but pretty sure for a while there the SKS was the backbone of the Chinese military
No..chicom has good tolerance
Nice collection, I haven't shot very many of these but it seems there very accurate as compared to the AK.
oh yeah, compared to the AK.
I am curious, is there enough barrel chamber to adapt the SKS to .300 Savage?? I know tat there have been AKs built in that chamberig, so I wondered
i dont know 300 savage so i wont speculate but i do know the chamber profile area of SKS. there are 3 types, long lug , short lug and no lug (pinned barrel) so with increase in pressure. best to stick with barrels with long lugs so that would be russian, yugo and early production of chinese. avoid late production chinese bcos quite often they use no lug. good luck.
300 Blackout maybe they are both a 30 Caliber Round!!
Why don't you ask a real gunsmith?
I got the 1951 Tula version ...amazing rifle
glad to hear.
Excellent video and quite informative, sir.
My one complaint is: there were instances of your showing a part, the differences in the manufacturing, the quality of the part, and it was out of the shot.
Back in the 90’s the Yugo rifles were considered the low end of the SKSs available.
probably bcos most earlier were not in good shape. later shipment were unissued, mine is in excellent condition
Great info on the parts interchangeability! Love my Yugo! Will hopefully add a Russian to my collection one day, if they ever go down in price
maybe in the US but in canada, prices unlikely to go down due to uncertainty.
I’d recommend getting one now I don’t see Russian sks rifles being imported in large numbers anytime soon
Agreed
Anybody know what country this guy is in? I've never heard of a law requiring an SKS to be welded to five rounds.
Canada. Semi-Auto center fire rifles have to have mags pinned to 5 rounds.
@@Anesh02
Did not know that. So sad.
sad indeed, including a drum mag.
@Anesh02 just remove the pins. They don't even enforce the laws there since the prime minister can get away with crimes.
@@Anomalyy666 not true, they don't go looking but when they do come across it, they will persecute. Sad to say.
That was very informative and it is interesting that the Yugoslavian SKS did not have a chrome barrel, I have noticed that mine has a dark bore when I was cleaning it.
yup, i dont use corrosive on mine yugo bcos im lazy, lol.
Around 30 years ago I was in a little gun shop the owner had Chinese SKS it would take AK 30 round mag and had no bayonet it was around a hundred bucks I got one took it home put in my gun vault and I never got it out maybe I should get it out and use it I think it is the only gun I have never fired just got it because it took AK mags
If you live in the US then Sks-d are fine wine. They can only go up. Yours unfired is probably worth US$1500, . Fired US$1200
@Gnutzguy my father had a type D that he gave to a friend. A month after the friend took ownership, he called my dad and told him "it blew up".
@@Knightrem I never heard of sks blowing up before so what happened?
Chromed barrel or not. That the main difference between all of them
ignoring the yugo for a moment so not much difference between russian and the chinese? really?
@@gnutzguy There is nice video from Izmah factory, where the specialist for licensing of their products made comparison of AK and SKS around the world. The quality of first SKS assembled in China from Soviet parts was almost the same as in USSR. Later they start produced more and more own parts and the quality start to degrade. The best SKS you can find is the EAST-German DDR. But the chance is close to zero.
Had a Chinese, all same serial number, it was carried a bit, but shot great, spike bayonet though. What did they do for the civilian model? Besides the bayonet.
civilian models are commercial variants, most were late production, they assembled standard SKS with leftover parts. while other commercial variants were modified from Earlier production which had blade bayo. example SKS-D. therefore you can not rely on the bayo alone.
commercial variants: ua-cam.com/users/shorts0wWHpqh6jqk
@@gnutzguy I believe I just picked it up for a moment, it was the norinko sks civilian import, nicer stock for sure.
I have a 1954 Tula Arsenal SKS and 3 later Chinese Type 56s. Although the former is more expensive, the latter is more accurate and light weight, and the Type 56 with spike bayonet is more comfortable for holding than blade bayonet. I used a Type 56 to take down a 200 lb black bear with one shot 3 months ago and I use the same Type 56 as a self-defense weapon when moving in the woods. Another advantage I found with a Type 56 for hunting is that I don't need to wear hearing protection because the gunshot is not too loud, so I won't miss any sounds in the woods. Of course, the most important reason is that you can't find a cheaper and more reliable semi-automatic rifle than the Type 56.
the blast is loud enough. maybe your hearing is already damaged.
@@gnutzguy Maybe, but hunting is just one or two shots, so the impact is limited. I usually wear hearing protection at the shooting range.
when i was younger it wasnt macho to wear protection of any kind so i fired 308 without hear aid. first shot my ears will be ringing, by the 3 shot i hear nothing, lol.
@@gnutzguy Thanks for your advice.
I've had the opposite experience, I'll never trust chinesium sht again 😂
I purchased two Russian sks’s in the ‘90’s. I kept one unfired and in pristine condition and the other one I shot a few times over the years. Both sks’s have matching serial no. One has the Tula insignia and 1953r stamped on the dust cover. However, the other one the dust cover has no inscription, but below where the dust cover contacts the receiver it says made in russia. Does that mean it’s not made in Tula? Other than that both Sks’s have same fit and finish - original stainless blade bayonets, stainless bolts and bolt carriers, smooth, lacquer finish dark stain wood just like the one in the video.
1956 and after in tula, the top cover had no marking. the one other factory always has markings.
1954 tula proud owner here ,the best sks quality 1000%
ive had a yugo and chine sks and ive checked out a russian i think russhian is number 1 china number 2 yugo number 3
My Norinco SKS, purchased years ago for $80, rocks. Reasonably accurate to over 300 meters. Capable of firing all manor of cheap ammunition. Thousands of rounds fired with no problems whatsoever. I'm not a hunter but I'm confident that my SKS could take most North American game. Not to mention it's capability with two legged predators. And I have no problem with stripper clips. I think they're fast and efficient when combined with a surplus ammo belt.
ya beat me, lol. lowest was US$110, that was my favorite till last year, i'd paid US$400 my highest for an unissued factory 26 1979. ua-cam.com/video/tbL5jZliYIg/v-deo.html
@@gnutzguy Not so fast. My $80 was in 1993 dollars so updated to when you made your purchase, you might have gotten a better deal. And I was able to purchase two tuna cans (880 rounds of 7.62 X 39 each) for $60 each. So two hundred dollars for a near new SKS and 1760 rounds of ammo. I still have both sealed ammo cans. I'm saving them in case I need to bug out.
That was about 1990 right I remember
@@willyswagon57 Summer of 1993. Purchased at a local gun show. At the same time I also purchased a near mint 1943 Husqvarna M38 Swedish Mauser cavalry carbine for $90. One of my finest and most accurate rifles, chambered in the well respected, flat shooting 6.5 X 55 cartridge. If I could go back in time I'd buy as many guns as I could carry home.
Keep an eye on and look hard down the barrel right in front of the firing chamber usually develops a crack after about 1500 rounds.
I put a murrys spring loaded firing pin in my yugo. Did you do a video about the cleaning kit in the butstock?
kinda. ua-cam.com/video/Ylj_lEDeutw/v-deo.html
I didn't read all 300 comments so I'm not sure anyone else mentioned it but I think you Chinese SKS is a '64 model and not a '65. In 1965 the bayonet became a spike instead of the bladed that was used prior to '65. Nice rifles!
nope, its a 65 and in mid year they switched to spike.
You know your stuff. Thank you for sharing your study.
many thanks
Actually the Yugoslavian shs are named pap m59/66
yes, i know but in canada its commonly known as yugo m59/66.
If I remember correctly, the PaP magazine holds 10 bullets?
hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zastava_M59/66
i was thinking about picking up a chinese sks from cabelas here in canada are they worth the $550 they want for one?
i bought mine in person and i paid $500 last summer from another dealer.
I have Norinco SKS and Russian SKS. Both shoot great, no issues with over 1000 rounds +. I also fitted both with ATI synthetic stocks. Chinese SKS required very little sanding to ATI stock, practically just dropped right in. The Russian SKS was a pain, have to remove a lot more of material from inside ATI stock to make fit. So I would say Russian SKS was slightly wider tolerances. But I'm not a gunsmith.
Also, when I bought my Norinco in the late 1980's they were on sale for 100.00 each Canadian... So I bought 3 lol.
@@gnutzguy i think im going to take the risk and order one online, recent reviews on their site people are saying they are getting some quality rifles.
@@inktownfishing4505 thanks for the info! i wish i got my pal years ago im for sure paying a lot more to get into it no but oh well its better late than never! i think im going to pick up a Chinese sks
Hey! I’m from Michigan, do you guys know if the Cabelas in Canada ships it over?
The thing is: Russian riffles have been used, Chinese and Yugo are relatively new and barrels are not worn out. Yet.
A friend of mine shoot them all and he said can't compare new and old but overall Chinese and others wear out faster than Russian barrels
That's all.
18:13 - do you know how to separate the wooden parts from the metal parts, that is, to completely disassemble the rifle and separate the wooden parts from the metal parts
and of course to put everything back together so that it is functional again
Can you be more descriptive? Gas rods is at 18:13
SKS rifles all came with a 10 round internal magazine. Any modifications to make them 5 rounds were not done by the manufacturers.
yes, we all know that. i compared the differences and not the quality, it was informational.
The difference in machining can easily be explained by the wear that occurs on any production machining device. By 1980 the machines would have been on their last legs based on reduced demand and therefore a lack of maintenance on those machines.
what ever the explanation may be, most of the yugo imported here are late production and most yugo owners seeing the same quality as i says its the best.
no different with the chinese sks here, mostly are late production or commecial, no one says its the best, even tho not many us seen one from the 50s or early 60s so i have to base it on what we have on hand.
Really good point cheers
I've had several SKS rifles, both Russian and Chinese. None were butchered with the 5 round blocking. I wouldn't own one that was. My Russian had the blade bayonet, one of the Chinese had the spike type. All of mine were from the 50's. The Russian was the best.
Thanks for sharing but Chinese made spike after the mid 60s.
@@gnutzguy Ok. I wasn't sure about the date of the Chinese spiker. One of them had the blade type.
@@tommyspann9740 no worries
I have owned both Cinese and Russian. In my opinion the Russian is far better than my previous 2 chinese models l previously owned.
I have had several variants of SKS rifles. Sold most of them when I ran onto hard times. I have slowly started buying them again. The ones I have now are all Norincos. I know they get a bad wrap from a lot of people, but they are excellent rifles. It is interesting that they have features that many consider better quality when referring to other rifles (AR's AK's) like chrome lines barrels, gas piston systems, and milled parts. Yet... many people still call them junk rifles. It is true that they are not very optics friendy/modular/modern. I just don't understand it....bias maybe? Also, the steel in them seems to be good quality. Anyway, I would trust one with my life.
I sold mine when I moved to a condo. I bought them back in spite of lack of gun cabinet space. I agree with everything you said. No idea why any gun owner would Pooh Pooh them.
@@wvdave771 its just yours and mine opinions. whats not an opinion is im on crack, im not, lol.
I agree!! A quality SKS is a fine rifle. Well built, good design, rugged, and reliable. It's a WW2 Era design. You can't compare it to space-age stuff like the AR platform. I would bet my life on the effectiveness of the Russian SKS. However, against a well trained and equipped adversary, I'd prefer something more modern like a 100 or 200 series AK or Scar. Not comparable to modern rifles. Apples and oranges.....
This is a good video. I especially like how you show the different 5 round limitin methods used. If you could do a follow up video where you pull out the magazines and measure and show close up images, that would be most useful. Here in some of the states we could use SKS for deer hunting but it has to be permanently modified to 5 rounds. There are no other videos showing how that is done. If the measurements are in your video, you would be doing a great service to the community. I hope you follow up. Thank you
Thanks for your idea. It is worth exploring. Matter of fact I have a mag for the sks that was factory modified to 5 rds. It would be interesting to replicate that but first I need a spare mag.
@@gnutzguy thanks for the reply. I'm especially interested in how the Yugo mag was done.
Dang theres a lot of haters in this videos comments. I appreciate your video brother if they cant get passed an accent, i think they need a new hobby. One of the coolest things about the firearm world is, the diversity. You gan get two of the same guns, made on different sides of the planet and theyre different. The sks is a classic. I personally love yugo guns for their quality and the history. Also they're super handsome.
many thanks.
Here in the States most Chinese SKS I have seen comes with a spike bayonet. I noticed yours had a blade one. Could you elaborate on that?
explanation in this link, you will find it interesting.
ua-cam.com/video/tWGUswPgGJg/v-deo.html
He's a canuck. Nuff' said and obviously isn't an SKS expert.
Spike does more damage ... puncture wound is harder to stop the bleeding
Yoga-slavian? I have two Tula made Russian SKSs and they are far better than any other production. Period.
That is true . But some of the early Chinese models have screw-in barrels that aren't pinned.... The shoot quite well.... I think one of the tricks with the SKS is to find early screw in barrels, not the crappy ones later pinned.
Correction:
Soviet,not russian.
@@volodymyrbuchak1852Soviet? read Russia😂 same as Yugoslavia read Serbia
@@johngibson2884I have a late model Norinco made at one of the lesser known factories and it still has a screw in barrel, not pinned. And it's all number matching.
Balkan only made shit quality 🤮
Thanks for that, it is all interesting and fine for background, but the only thing that really matters is how they stack up in terms of accuracy and reliability on the firing line.
that would be in another vid
I have a Chinese with a spike bayonet & Yugo with the launcher. Bought years ago for $100.00 each.
the yugo was a better investment, lol.
@Gnutzguy is the yugo 59/66 stock identical in dimension/ interchangeable with the Russia one? I have a Russian model with matching numbers but I don't want to worsen the condition of the stock when I shoot, I'm wondering a replacement stock that's for the Yugo varient would fit on the Russian metals? Thanks
yes, with some hand filing but you are better off with an after market synthetic stock. im in the process of gathering a bunch of them for a review. so far i got 4-5, damn costing a small fortune .
The pin in the magazine is an after market "upgrade" from Canada. It is not made on the sks. It was put on so it could be hunted with in Canada and the U.S. that magazine block shows it was imported through Canada.
after market upgrade? lol. you are 3 months too late, its been covered.
@Caden Malcolm just a number our government picked and felt the public is safe with, 🙄
I have had the Russian SKS and it was a little heavier than the Chinese SKS Sporter and regular Chinese SKS i paid 120 dollars for the Russian SKS, the most expensive was the Sporter that took the AK magazines and had a wooden thumb hole stock and it was shorter than the other SKS rifles I had it was new and the Russian SKS was a milsurp but the fit and the finish on the Russian was far better than the Chinese ones, it was complete with the bayonet and sling and cleaning,tool kit,had the star and cycle on the bolt cover and all the numbers matched, everything about the Russian SKS seemed to be of better quality and it was quite accurate for a semi auto rifle with open sights but the Chinese SKS Sporter was fairly straight shooter but the fit of the bolt in the receiver and the stamped trigger was not on the same level as the Russian SKS,i really wish I had kept it, it was in very good condition it only had a few notches that where cut into the stock,i can only imagine why someone cut them in there but whoever used it took very good care of it, the Chinese SKS Sporter was sloppy in how all the parts fit and the AK magazines would rock side to side and the trigger and All the other levers like safety and take down pins where stamped in sheet metal instead of milled out of a single piece of steel like the Russian SKS but it would fire everything time you pulled the trigger very reliable but the Russian SKS was definitely a higher quality firearm in every way just heavier
yup, you cant compare a russian to a chinese commercial sporter. thanks
Love my Norinco
Just because the bolts fit doesn't mean they'll work. Try shooting them with the other bolts and I bet the head spacing will be way out and might cause explosive failure.
Might????😜
You all have some nice sks's there in Canada aside from the 5 round limit. many here imported into the united states are pretty beat up. I have a Chinese but would love to get another one or a Russian version. Great video sir I enjoyed it. And good luck over in Canada I hear they are getting worse with the gun laws similar to what happens here in California.
yup, sks is about all we have, lol.
Stupid laws, everyone know they can easily remove the limiting pins
@@TheTeehee11111 I think they will ban pinning and make it mandatory to chop the mags to 5 rds only.
@@edwardhawkey5714 recently the Canadian liberal government tried to ban all semi auto rifles including the sks, Luckily the public opposed and they backed down. they will try again with something else. So your 7 mo wait ain't so bad compared to a complete ban, lol.
I didn't read too far into the comments so I apologize if this is a repeat question. How do you determine the year of manufacture and in which factory it was made? Thanks. 👍🍻
For yugo , there is a serial numbers table, google search it. The single letter stands for the year of production.
@@gnutzguy Chinese
@@williamemerson1799 best sight for chinese is Weebly sks.
@@gnutzguy Thank you very much!
@@williamemerson1799 you can only calculate the year of production from factory 26. All other factories you can't but a few does have the year stamped on the receiver
Do you have an East German SKS?
I wish, lol.
Good video, i love this rifle and all its productions
Me too. Thanks
You’ve got a bad example of the Yugo. The Yugo (unmolested and not refinished), has bar none the best fit and finish.
lol, this aint my first rodeo. i owned a few yugo in excellent cond over the years and my opinion of them hasnt changed.
Your vids are excellent and very informative. I haven’t been here in awhile but I wasn’t surprised to see your follower count up. I’ve never seen these three layed out together. The heft of the Yugo is very apparent next to the rus and chicom, and understandable given it’s purpose. Did you refinish the wood? Also, have a like.
Thanks .... Not in the video but in the thumbnail pic , yes. Two different gun.
That's all nice but which one is the most accurate? I'm totally getting one before Trudolf bans them indefinitely.
Lol. Already planned, just have to sort out details
Get one that hasn't been chrome lined, also you can turn off the gas tube on the yugo almost making it a bolt rifle and some say a little more accurate.
I know this is an old video but if you still check it. Why did they put blockers in the magazines to limit it to 5 rounds why not just add another round or two?
Probably to give their communist overlords an advantage while using stripper clips.
Edit: looked it up. Pretty much what i said before. Semi auto rifles were limited for hunting purposes to 5 rounds meaning you'd have to take a lot of effort to convert your stripper clips from 10 to 5. It was their governments doing.
stupid canadian gun law, for center fire rifles the mag must not fit more than 5 rds.
I have a question that may be dumb but I haven’t done my research. I bought a Chinese SKS that clearly had a couple modifications done. It has a metal heat shield to help cool the barrel down faster instead of the typical wood I usually see. Was the SKS ever produced this way or is that just another modification?
No sks came with vented top handguard. You can easily reverse it by buying a wooden Chinese top HG, they are not expensive. Search my vid "vented handguard sks"
@@gnutzguy thanks a bunch!
The wood is much better too, you won't get burned
I had it at the beginning of the war in Bosnia and we called it a stake. I later got the M70 AB2. The SKS/Kolac had a problem with the gas chamber due to the Yugoslav highly corrosive ammunition. There was a deadlock just when you needed it the most and if you didn't have a cleaning kit then you were screwed
Yes, I heard from other veterans from that war of the rust issue.
so it is an ammo issue, not rifle
@@tromblon1 no, all Commie countries used corrosive ammo back then. gas tube rusting was a common problem with all sks but easy to clean except the Yugo with grenade launcher bcos of the gas valve. Also made worst no chrome in the bores. Let's say it's a pain to clean a yugo.
I am curious to know if you have had the unfired Russian SKS borescope inspected. I have also an unfired Russian and ran a borescope thru it. What I found is suprising.
nope, whats so surprising?
I love my Yugo
The first time I remember seeing anything in reference to the SKS it was in a book we received evert year. The book served as a way to update a set of encyclopedias so my parents didn't need to buy another complete encyclopedia. Joe
my first encounter was at a gun store. i saw it on the rack and thought what an unusual shape magazine.
I won’t lie, I would take any of them. Thieves stole mine.
Semper fi
no shit? thats sucks.
You got lucky with all matching numbers, generally when they pin them they do multiple rifles at the same time and don't much care which mag they throw back on which rifle.
that was true when the importer didnt think it mattered. most owners of SKS wants the # to match.
I believe alot of mismatches were to customs and how they entered the country, they couldn't come in with the bayonet attached for instance, I was very lucky to pick one up a week ago at gun show with all matching numbers, from Bolt carrier to gas tube to stock, (minus bayonet)
How about the Albanian and Romanian SKS rifles?
not the top 3 common. actually, i have never seen those in canada
Lmao rarer then hens teeth almost zero exported.