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SKS Collecting and Identification: A Buyer’s Guide

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member

Many different kinds of the SKS were imported over the years, it can be difficult to know what kind of SKS you’re looking at. This guide may help identify all manner of Simonov carbines and their rough value.​

SKS Collecting and Identification

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Here's my Yugo 59/66. And a little friend of the family. I was stunned to find it hadn't ever been fired, like the seller said. Not a wear mark anywhere in the action, just some left over cosmoline. Made in 1977. The old sling and oiler pouch were added by me.
 

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I hate to admit what I paid for my Yugo. That said, they were going for a lot more during the riots of 2020.
I saw one bring almost $2K. The people were going nuts for anything in 7.62X39.
 
Awesome article. I bought a $299.99 Chinese SKS a few years back with the intention of making a restoration project out of it. It's one of the models that was stored somewhere in the Balkans and had a good amount of "trench art" and wear on the stock. After more hours of cosmoline removal than I expected, I took it out to see if/how well it functioned. Not only did the SKS run like a top, the sights were still zeroed. I'd be a happy customer if my new guns functioned as well out-of-the-box as the Norinco did after decades of hard use and storage. I still love taking that rifle out to the land. I'm just glad that I stocked up on cheap steel-cased ammo when I had the chance.
 
Good article @Talyn. I bought a Chinese (Chi-Com) SKS exported from Vietnam, that were used during the war. They sat in Canada for the 20 year import requirement, and it too was covered in cosmoline. Just one more to add to my military surplus collection.
 
The sights on the Yugo needed no adjustment. It functions perfectly and tosses empty brass straight up and forward about 5 feet.
Every cleaning people should give the bolt a shake to make sure the floating firing pin is not gummed up.
There have been incidents of slam firing (but not many.)
 
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