They're good guns, I got them when they were $70, cheap $150 Russians too, Yugoslavia ones etc. Bought all the common surplus stuff back in the 80s and 90s like crazy with cheap quality ammo, tons of it. They gave me allot of trigger time, and experience. Still have them and I won't part with them. Recently I added one to the fold, a used Chinese one that was dinged but nicely used. I got a period correct sling, cleaning kit and a surplus Chinese canvas case (cool, whoda thunk they actually made cases for these?) the rifle set me back $299. I still consider these a deal. The expensive thing is ammo. If you get the actual military clips (think Yugo) these babies are no slouch. Now I added a butt stock lace on 30rd ammo pouch, and the chest rig that you wear (versatile for other guns as well) as a grab and go for the back of my truck. No scope, red dot, laser, plastic stock bullshit. No Bubba gunsmith garbage. Just pure SKS goodness as Sergei Simon intended. My rifle was made in 1967, and shows honest use but not abuse. Make sure to complely disassemble and throughly clean the rifle, especially the bolt and trigger group. Bad things happen if you leave grease in the gun, so remove All of it. Boiling hot water with dawn cleans well including the wood. Add linseed oil liberally after cleaning. Follow up the water with brake cleaner in nooks and crannies and then a regular cleaning with brake free hoppes or whatever trips your trigger. Most the problems with surplus guns stem from incomplete cleaning. You tube the disassembly and clean it right. If you shoot corrosive, use soapy hot water or Ballistol and water one part Ballistol to 4 parts water and clean everything well, not half assed. Follow up the next day. All told I had well under $400 into it. 2k of 150 soft points and this is a critter getter now. These rifles were designed for brutal low tech conditions. Russian equipment was designed to withstand mind numbing cold (anyone for - 100f??) or desert heat and everything in between. They lack, completly, western refinements due to this fact. I personally think they are at their best left as is. Zero at 27 yards with the rear sight set to "2". Aim dead on, at a small 1"" circle (black is best) and adjust ONLY the front sight until it impacts exactly to the sights dead on. You may check it at two hundred yards or meters and it will be spot on or very close, adjust sight to " 1" and check, you should be zeroed or very very close. Now leave your sights alone. Unless you want to take a poke at distance, then guess the range and dial up the sights. Simple. Rezero when you change lots of ammo. I hope this benifits someone out there. I like your channel. Keep going. I went to weapons school in the Army long ago, and learned about many weapons. Familiarity didn't breed contempt, and the things I've shared are tried and true. I've taught many men these things. The SKS still is seen on the modern battle field, and it has sent many many men to Valhalla like its brother the AKM or AK47. Respect it for what it is. May ours see peace. Out.

I bought a 1963 Chinese SKS about 6 years ago for $350 it was my first milsurp. It's a very accurate and a very heavy rifle but I love it. I believe it is still a viable option for a self defense or survival rifle.

Anyone thinking of getting a battle worn Type 56 that was parked in Albania, please don’t hesitate. Anything around the 500 dollar mark is still a good price for one. The milled receiver and chrome lined barrel alone are worth it

Good companion, everyday, general purpose rifle. I leave my expensive, match grade, modern stuff locked up. The type 56 is what I keep handy. This rifle is a superb battle implement.

The SKS is not only a piece of fantastic history but still a useful and practical weapon for self defense, in fact the AK Guy (Brandon Herrera) even said it’s “the poor mans AK”. So underrated and undervalued? I have to say I completely agree.

The SKS is the timex (for younger folks look it up) of milisurp rifles!

I purchased a Model 56 made in 1967. All matching numbers and this is a keeper.

I bought mine for $100.00 back in the 90s, and wish now that I had bought more than one.

Just picked up my 4th SKS, Late 80’s Chinese clean almost never fired, 400 in a local shop.

I made sure to pick up two of them when classic first started getting them in a few years ago the price went so low it was like 300 or 250 I had to buy two

Yup. My Type 66 is fantastic! Super well made and it's a straight shooter! Also got mine as a greaseball for $350 a cpl years ago.

I love my sks more than my AR, never seen an old forum post or anything of them catastrophically malfunctioning, i.e dying.

Picked up a sino-Soviet one from AIM Surplus in 2015 for $299. Of course it was baptized in cosmoline and the stock looks like it was stored for decades on a bed of barbed wire and dragged behind a truck, but bluing was great and it was all matching. I am embarrassed to say it, but I did refinish the stock and now it looks beautiful, but it was the first and last time I refinished a milsurp, now that I know better. A great economical shooter for the time I got it. Classic had a batch of rough ones come in a year or so ago that still looked decent.

SKS. The best one gun for any and all purposes. All day. Any day. Every day.

What's undervalued is the courage it took to wear that hat 😆

I have a 56 put a bolt mounted scout scout mount from MidwayUSA on it and a 20 round detachable mag, its a poor boys Mini 14 and is almost priceless to me 👍

Love type 56, cheap to shoot, easy to maintain, got 3 of them last year. It’s not a beautiful firearm, but a true weapon.

Are they still worth about $400? I bought a really nice one that was mint for $375 locally in 2018 and a non matching one same price. I sold the non matching one like a year later for the same price $400. So maybe $375 for the matching mint one was a good deal at my local gun store. didnt have a bayonet on it but i since put one on. I like to have my rifles complete... oh ok he says in the video lol. I looked on gunbroker and i saw sumone was asking $800 for a mint matching sks like mine. I wouldnt be surprised if it brought $500+ $800 would be like end of the rainbow high i believe

I got one for a deal. The stock is too short so I got one of those Monte Carlo synthetic stocks. Fits me much better and I think it looks just fine. I took it fully apart. The fit is super tight I don’t see any sloppy craftsmanship. I’m aware of the firing pin issue. It’s easy to understand and fix with out buying a different pin. Many people remove the bayonet, I think if you are going to keep it as an urban unrest rifle keeping it on is wise. The naked mount looks kinda silly out alone anyway.

Don’t know what people you’ve been talking to? This gun is beautiful and reliable!

My first milsurp. I since have 2 non refurb Russians and a yugo but the 56 is still my favorite

Honestly, unless you're lucking out with pawnshop finds or garage sale guns, Chinese SKS carbines are going for $500 - $600 on average. Often for more. No, I'm not talking about the well used Albanian surplus guns some still have, which are good buys in today's market. The reason for these prices is because there are no American imports of Chinese SKS rifles allowed and no one has bothered to produce an American SKS. In Canada where there aren't as many restrictions to Chinese and Russian SKS imports, they are going for $200 - $300 Canadian in VG - Excellent condition. So real numbers should be that in US dollars, but they won't be unless some politicians find the political will to turn back the clock on repressive and stupid gun control like they did in the 1980s. In the case of the SKS which has lost its gangland "cred" this is in order, but highly unlikely. That means that the Chinese and Russian SKS carbines will appreciate in value over the next two decades. We may see bargain barrel $69.99 SKS carbines without bayonets from 1993 selling in the $900 - $1000 range by the end of the decade. Now if someone gets the memo and can import the tooling and get licensed state-side for US production of SKS carbines in 7.62x39 and 5.56N with fixed 5, 10 round and 20 round mags, he will be able to sell carbines all day for $500 at a ban resistant profit. Producing rifles which he will be able to sell in most ban states. Bottom line: buy bubba'd SKS carbines and restore them to 922r compliant military configuration and buy SKS C & R carbines now.

have a chinese civilian market norinco type 56 and a yugo m59/66 so far

I got a 1966 all matching (albeit dirty/caked in cosmo) one last year for $350 out the door not bad

Hey boss. I just found one of these in my LGS. Looks like a brand new gun practically. Has the blade style bayonet. Was in a hurry so didn’t check numbers but the owner vaguely said something about it being a rare one . Any idea what a ballpark price is on what I think is an excellent condition Russian SKS ?

YES you are correct. The Chinese type 56 SKS pre 1966 models were made exactly to the original Russian SKS-45 military specs. 1966 and after quality was cut to save on manufacturing time and costs and got progressively worse as time went on unfortunately. The early ones were even made using Russian left over parts. Russia sold China the blueprints, tooling and even trained them at the beginning on how to manufacture the SKS rifle. The quality was identical using all the milling and forging processes. Early rifles even carried over the Russian blade bayonet design. To make the SKS rifle today to the exacting specs. of years past in order to maintain same quality would cost north of $2K easy if not much more. They just don't use hammer forging, milling or quality steel any longer to keep costs low. In fact many gun manufactures use the inferior investment cast steel which is not durable. Vintage rifles were built to last generations and do. Today's guns are just like modern appliances - built in obsolescence. They just don't last. As a side note we have a Sears freezer in our family that has been running non-stop for the last 72 years and it never had any problem.

What type Sks is the 636 triangle?

I like the Chinese Type 56 but I like my Type 53 more

Loved mine.. although I traded a stoeger Luger and it for a Russian sks haha

Oh great tell everyone their SKS is worth more. That screws the rest of us that can still buy them at a fair price.Thanks a lot. Bought my first one in the 80s for $60.00 and it was a minty Russian Tula mfg. Spam cans of ammo were $80.00 If you bought two SKS rifles you got the 2 spam can case of ammo for an extra $50. I bought many from Roses Dept stores and Centerfire Systems. Pre ban milled Chinese AK 47s for $329.00 stamped receiver pre ban AKs for $249.00.

Yep. Bought a total of 73 (cheap) btwn 2010 & 2016 - a mix of Chinese, Russian, Yugoslavian, Albanian and Romanian. All, crisp, numbers matching, AND, all MILSURP, no commercial exports, except for the 'paratroopers'. Down to 34 - more than doubled my $$$ on resales thru the pandemic.

Just this last weekend I seen a type 56 in a sporter stock with a scope for $1150

Yea - Believe (like all milsurp rifles) the SKS will go up. A few years ago, Swiss rifles, were undervalued-now look at the price of them.

Years back I bought a yugo sks bc I wanted the grenade launcher. I got it for 350 beans. Idk what it would go for now.

Yeah. The Chinese spent way more time making and developing their version of the SKS so they are about the best thing you could get from China.

Carcanos are slowly coming around.

I've looked at Type 56 parts....If Colt, Ruger, Stag, Springfield, PTR etal tooled up to produce "SKS" USA clone.... price easily north of $1000....and it wouldn't have (material, steel, craftmanship) quality of Type 56....good day

I see them going for like 349 400

Stop plz we don't want these to get blown out in price .with comments like yours are driving the price up just stop and think about what your doing.

No true gun collector with devalue a gun simply because of the country it came from. I love my Russian SKS. I like my Chinese one too but my Russian45 is way better. As far as functionality and accuracy goes.

Sks is a fkn tank can't kill em and they will run any ammo you put thru them

Hey. I’m a bubba. 😀

It is an old antiquated rifle with crappy ergonomics. Quit trying to drive the value up on these things.... They're handy and used to be cheap, that was the appeal. They're not worth over$400

My first milsurp. I since have 2 non refurb Russians and a yugo but the 56 is still my favorite