Three SKS rifles
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:23 pm
Having some time on my hands at the moment I decided to do one of those show and tell stories. This one is to compare three of my SKS rifles. I trust the Australians, who used to have them until 1996, and my Brit friends, who are not familiar with them first hand, would forgive me as I do not wish to rub salt in any wounds. If we believe all the ranting at some gun sites I may be in the same boat myself one day.
The three are the Albanian, the Russian, and the Yugo 59/66. The Albanian turns out to be fairly rare. According to some sources there were 18,000 total ever made and half of them were destroyed. I got mine for less than $100 and wish I had bought more. The Russian is said to be the best quality and is not all that easy to find now days, although made in much larger numbers than the Alabanian, and does bring a premium price, at least a lot more than the $160 or so of the Yugo that seems to be plentiful.
The Yugo is 4 and a half inches longer than the other two at about 44 ½ inches OA owing to the granade launcher that looks like a flash hider. The Albanian, however, has the longest upper hand grip three inches longer than the other two at 8 ½ inches long.
The Yugo doesn’t have a chrome lined bore but the Russian does and the Albanian probably should, although I couldn’t swear by it.
The metal finish is shinny on the Russian and dull on the Yugo and shinny but not as much so as the Russian on the Albanian.
The front sights on the Albanian and the Russian are identical and the Yugo is nearly the same with the addition of a fold up “night”, glow in the dark, front post. All three have identical 100 to 1000 meter rear sights.
The round knob charging handle on the Russian and the Yugo are about the same. The Alabanian has a curved finger grip like an AK.
The Yugo and the Russian have blade bayonets. The Russian has the ring that goes over the barrel, the Yugo has a half ring that locks under the barrel. The Albanian has the cruciform bayonet that hooks by a complete ring like the Russian.
The sling swivels are the same on the Russian and the Yugo. TheAlbanian has a side placed swivel rather than underneath the butt.
The butt caps are each slightly different. The Russian has a metal butt cap with a single spring door storage compartment. The Yugo is much like the Russain but has a rubber butt pad. The Albanian has a metal pad but with two spring loaded storage compartments.
The stocks are made of different wood. The Albanian looks like beech. The Yugo is more like oak with a distinct grain and seems the hardest wood. The Russian is dark stained and I wouldn’t venture a guess.
The three are the Albanian, the Russian, and the Yugo 59/66. The Albanian turns out to be fairly rare. According to some sources there were 18,000 total ever made and half of them were destroyed. I got mine for less than $100 and wish I had bought more. The Russian is said to be the best quality and is not all that easy to find now days, although made in much larger numbers than the Alabanian, and does bring a premium price, at least a lot more than the $160 or so of the Yugo that seems to be plentiful.
The Yugo is 4 and a half inches longer than the other two at about 44 ½ inches OA owing to the granade launcher that looks like a flash hider. The Albanian, however, has the longest upper hand grip three inches longer than the other two at 8 ½ inches long.
The Yugo doesn’t have a chrome lined bore but the Russian does and the Albanian probably should, although I couldn’t swear by it.
The metal finish is shinny on the Russian and dull on the Yugo and shinny but not as much so as the Russian on the Albanian.
The front sights on the Albanian and the Russian are identical and the Yugo is nearly the same with the addition of a fold up “night”, glow in the dark, front post. All three have identical 100 to 1000 meter rear sights.
The round knob charging handle on the Russian and the Yugo are about the same. The Alabanian has a curved finger grip like an AK.
The Yugo and the Russian have blade bayonets. The Russian has the ring that goes over the barrel, the Yugo has a half ring that locks under the barrel. The Albanian has the cruciform bayonet that hooks by a complete ring like the Russian.
The sling swivels are the same on the Russian and the Yugo. TheAlbanian has a side placed swivel rather than underneath the butt.
The butt caps are each slightly different. The Russian has a metal butt cap with a single spring door storage compartment. The Yugo is much like the Russain but has a rubber butt pad. The Albanian has a metal pad but with two spring loaded storage compartments.
The stocks are made of different wood. The Albanian looks like beech. The Yugo is more like oak with a distinct grain and seems the hardest wood. The Russian is dark stained and I wouldn’t venture a guess.