SKS newbie

[EP1985]

Classic has these for $319 but I have seen customer pics and they look really rough, is it worth it to get one and go through all the trouble cleaning it up (which I have no idea how to do) or should I just keep looking around and try to find one somewhere else?

 

[excat]

What are you meaning by cleaning it up? If it's cosmoline, it's a PITA to clean, but it's not horrible to do.

Taking apart a SKS is pretty easy. 10 minutes and a youtube video and you'll be good to take it apart.

 

[EP1985]

Yes. The cosmoline is caked on, all down inside the barrel and everything and stocks are really rough possibly cracked& gouged & trench art according to the add

 

[dieseltech09]

Those customer pictures on Classics website looks like the entire rifle was submerged in a bucket of cosmoline. Those would suck to clean.

 

[excat]

If you plan on using it, it's just all character marks that are apart of history of your new firearm. For that price, I'd take the gamble.

All else fails, if the stock is totally trashed when you get it, you can get an aftermarket one fairly inexpensively, and still be under some people's $500 asking price.

Cosmoline just takes time and patience, and you'll get it cleaned up.

 

[TedKennedy]

There are plenty of SKS surplus stocks around, should be cheap if it comes down to that.
FWIW - SKSs are decent rifles. For a few more bucks, you can add Tech-Sights and get a trigger job. Turns a "brush gun" into a 400 yard shooter.

 

[EP1985]

What all does cleaning the cosmoline off consist of besides (a lot of elbow grease)

 

[Jestik]

I got a really really rough SKS during the height of the panic, paid about $350 for it. I ruined the stock when I cleaned it and ended up with just spray painting the entire thing. It is a shooter, as in, it shoots. It's not for looks at all. Sometimes I see really pristine SKSs and I am jealous. It might be worth it to pay more for a gun that really looks super nice.

 

[SeanO]

What all does cleaning the cosmoline off consist of besides (a lot of elbow grease)

Different methods.

Some suggest heating parts in an oven and letting the cosmo drip off. Heat gun works for doing the barrel and stock.

You can also boil the small parts, just make sure they are bone dry after.

YouTube cosmoline removal, you'll get lots of easy methods.

The stock is the hardest part to get it all out since it seeps into the grain.

Mine was COATED in cosmoline, first rifle I bought, took maybe 2 hours and very little elbow grease.

 

[bsmith918]

I recently purchased a I.O. imported SKS that was sold as a gunsmith special through Royal Tiger. It turned out to be an all matching Sino-Soviet with a really great "battlefield pick up" look, but it had enough cosmoline on it to keep a whole crate of mosins preserved for 100 years. I am guessing that they were dipped in boiling cosmoline since the barrel was filled solid. It took a pretty decent amount of time to get it cleaned up, but it did the job of rust prevention well. If you want one, go for it and don't look back.