SKS is better than the AK

[chewbachman]

The SKS is often left in the shadow of the legendary AK series of rifles both in reality as well as video games and this is unfortunate. It is often degraded as the poor mans AK. This is quite an unfair degrading of what could be considered a legendary rifle in its own right. While not as prolific as the AK it certainly has earned its place on the battlefield. In civilian hands where full auto isn't an option, I would actually argue that the neutered AK is a poor, substandard manufactured rifle when compared to the rifleman's fighting rifle, the SKS.

Ergonomics: the SKS pivots along its central axis making it extremely easy to come to bear when compared to the awkward handling of the AK. The SKS has a safety very handily placed next to the trigger. When compared to the AK's barbaric safety there is no comparison. The SKS distributes its weight better when compared to the AK particularly when loaded. The hand grooves on the SKS allow for better purchase of the rifle.

Manufacture: The AK is manufactured entirely of Stamped metal with extremely loose tolerances and it is not uncommon to have the furniture shift or move when handled. In comparison, the SKS is entirely machined with forged steel components, the rifle is solid though not heavy and feels like it could double as a war club. (which it can with its steel butt plate and folding bayonet)

Accuracy: The SKS has a longer sight radius than the AK as well as longer barrel. Almost every SKS I have seen or shot has been an excellent experience. With the integral box magazine as opposed to the banana mag, it is very easy to take prone or supported shots. (bayonet can and has been used as a monopod)

History: It has a reputation as being an exceedingly reliable firearm in the same league as the AK. Most american casualties in Vietnam were due to the SKS.

China completely preferred the SKS series of rifles to AK and had modernized and kept the rifle in the front line well into the 80's.

The below video shows an SKS paratrooper which takes AK magazines. Not the norm for feeding system, but as you can see, the build quality of this rifle is superb.

https://youtu.be/sw6OXjx2X0Q

I just feel like this little rifle gets stepped on so much while the AK is practically worshiped. I feel like some respect for this little rifle is in order. You all have a good night and hope you enjoyed the read. I would enjoy discussing the pros and cons further.

[Eat3n]

Nice article(?) OP. But i think you're missing one important fact. The dirty commies weren't (and aren't) concerned with quality, but quantity. Which is why in the quest for global conquest the AK spread around the world because it's cheap to make (with hundreds of knock-off varieties existing), very reliable, and so easy to use terrorists train kids to use it. I think that's why there have been millions made (i've heard as high as 200 million AKs in the world).

I don't know if you know this, but the SKS was in Battlefield 3. I can attest to it's quality from both personal experience with it and seeing others use it. For being a "sniper rifle" i routinely saw people (and did myself) slap a red dot on it and engage in front line attacks as if using an assault rifle.

[chewbachman]

Originally posted by Rogue Wolf:

Originally posted by chewbachman:

I don't have any accuracy data on hand, but most sources state that the SKS is in general a more accurate rifle. I think that is certainly believable with the longer barrel and sight radius. My experience with it tends to put it at about 2-3 moa at 100. Yes, the full auto capability is a big one for sure, but the SKS has its full auto variants as well. In its unneutered full auto glory the AK was a game changer for sure. But as modern combat has shown, full auto fire is not as effective as once thought.

As far as the integral box magazine, its kind of a give and take. Stripper clips can be carried in large amounts, allowing you to carry an obscene amount of ammo on your person for less weight, but yes, in its base form that is certainly a limitation.

With full auto not being an option in civilian hands, I think the SKS shines even more so if your in a country that allows firearms.

okay, well that accuracy data conflicts a bit with what ive found.

Its not uncommon have a higher moa for both weapons, and while the SKS is a bit more accurate, they are still fairly similar( which makes sense when you consider they fire the exact same bullet)

3-6 MOA is nothing to brag about, for either rifle. Considering the sks is supposedly going to excel at longer distances, this becomes an even bigger issue.

Modern combat is modern combat. we aren't comparing a modern AK to a modern SKS. We're comparing vintage rifles at this rate.

Here's the thing about carrying an ungodly amount of ammo - you cant do it anyways. ounces make pounds.

Another thing you dont consider, is how many of those stripper clips do you need to carry to benefit over carry a couple AK mags? because they are more than likely going to cause a metric ♥♥♥♥ ton of noise in your ruck or on your person. Magazines are a LOT quieter than a pocket of jingling jangling stripper clips.

unless you stuff them in all the padded nooks and crannies in your pack, in which case you're going to have a hard time with a speed reload.

You dont have the same level of suppressing fire, you're reloading more, which puts you at a disadvantage in small unit tactics.

Oh,I'm not arguing with you. The SKS is no sniper, but it can reach out to a head or chest sized target quite well. With its more rifleman focused ergonomics I think it makes achieving that task easier. I just think the SKS has a higher build quality and I think it is unfortunate that it isn't given a fair shake by a lot of people because the AK exists. In civilian hands especially they share much more in common. Especially with a trigger job, an SKS is a mean bush rifle I'd trust with my life. No arguments on the magazines. There is a reason they are dominant. The original title of this discussion was "SKS: the unappreciated rifle" but it got no response. So I got a little click baity with the title. Haha, it worked.

[Hidden]

It's a combat rifle. That 3-6 MOA will shrug off keyboard warriors, but if they ever happen to look down from the screen to their chest they'll see it's well over those parameters.

haha well be fair to the fair shake. The SKS is a great rifle, but so are many, and if you are going to directly pit an SKS against an AK-47 even with a fair shake there isn't a reason not to take the AK.

Especially if you're talking to anyone on this side of the bloc, the SKS isn't going to immediately come to mind.

But that is also a good point, most of us arent going through the ATF papers and interview to get fully auto weapons, so semi auto becomes a better argument.

unless you can bump fire an ak, in which the argument wanes a little again.

All in all not a bad rifle, and killed plenty of people, and probably more than enough for the average shooter. As a gun fan myself I love the history and science and sometimes even politics that goes into weapon development so i can definitely understand your passion for the weapon.

I mean... okay. hardly seems clickbaity if youre going to ask for a discussion of the exact things mentioned in the post. Perhaps it was because the VS ak-47 was more of an open ended discussion/dialogue. I guess i'll just tap dance awkwardly out then*

Cheers man, hope you find some ammo on sale. When you're in the brush watch that longer barrel. Can be a bigger pain than you anticipate when you need to squeeze through a tight game trail.

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

a good read:
https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2015/04/28/ak-vs-sks-which-should-you-buy-why/

[tramper]

Originally posted by chiefputsilao✖️ping:

a good read:
https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2015/04/28/ak-vs-sks-which-should-you-buy-why/

Thanks for putting up a good site, we have good mags in New Zealand, Rod and Rifle, New Zealand Outdoor Hunting, Hooked on Boars etc, but we don't really have a good channel or channels like you do in the States, there is this though.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=new+zealand+hunting+videos