I can tell you my reason…it was the price. I bought my first SKS once I had my F.A.C., back when you could get it at the age of 16. I think the price was around $150, so not too far off of what it is today (many years later). At that time, as a student, I had a very limited budget for guns and the SKS was the only center fire rifle in my reach. I suppose surplus bolt actions might have been within reach as well, but let´s just get it out there and come to terms with the fact those are boring.
As a military surplus gun, the SKS is a bit of an oddity. I won´t dwell on the history of the rifle as you can wiki that as fast as I can. But most surplus rifles have seen extensive military service and as such, are available to civilians at low prices in great numbers. The odd part is we have lots of SKS rifles and always have had, even though the light of mother Russia only shone on it for a short time. Quickly trampled by the AK-47, it was removed from frontline service in Russia. Yet factories continued to churn out SKS rifles, and in a wide range of countries, for frontline service, ceremonial duties and home guard. To say that the SKS is the Canadian sweetheart of surplus rifles might be making a drastic understatement. Thankfully those communist factories kept churning them out, so today, pretty much anybody can afford to own one. Contributing to its popularity on par with maple syrup here in Canada, is the fact we are prohibited from owning a lot of the other iconic battle rifles. What I see in the rifle is a rugged simple design, undisputable reliability and most importantly, the opportunity to shoot all day long. The 7.62x39 round is available to shooters for 16-21 cents a round in surplus crates which is pretty amazing for a center fire cartridge, considering ammunition costs these days. They are a great rifle as issued but also can be configured almost anyway one´s little heart desires, such as an aluminum chassis! (shameless plug, but it is my blog!) As with most things, some people love it and others slam it. I don´t really give any credit to any of the technical criticism as I think most of it is without merit. I think it comes down to perceptions and expectations. The primary complaint is that it´s a cheap rifle… and this is not correct. A cheap rifle is a something made with sub-standard materials, prone to breakage and basically, is worth less than what you paid for it. This in no way describes the SKS. It is made of steel and built like a farm tractor. It is inexpensive due to high numbers being available in the surplus market and the main detractors cite the price as proof of poor quality. I don´t think they are saying the same thing about surplus Mausers 98´s or Springfield 1903´s that could be pulled out of barrels in hardware stores for pennies post WWII. Being as it is a surplus rifle designed 60+ years ago in Russia, and then produced in various of Communist sweatshops (sorry…substitute sweatshop for workers paradise) all over the world does not mean you can expect to buy an SKS and mistake it for a precision rifle made high in the Bavarian Alps. What you should expect is military grade accuracy and reliability with inexpensive ammunition by the crate, and a host of accessories to personalize the rifle any way you wish. I really cannot see the reason not to own one, or several. They are a great purchase for people new to the shooting sports, hunters, or for the experienced shooter looking for an inexpensive military rifle with a host of possible configurations. You really can´t go wrong with one, or a dozen. Matador Arms.
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AuthorLocated in Western Canada, Matador Arms provides new and exciting products to the North American firearms community. Archives
November 2016
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