Your channel had perfect timing for me! This summer I inherited a Type 56 from "triangle 2", with a 1971 serial number. It is technically, my first rifle. Its good to find someone getting into more detail about the SKS. Most videos are kinda generic and basically say "not bad when it was cheap, better off with an AR15". I hope you might one day have suggestions on how to tune the rifle without changing it too significantly from original.
Awesome, I’m glad to hear that the content has been relevant for you. I think I’ll have a video coming relatively soon, which will address the subject you are describing. SKS tuning is a really interesting concept to me, and I’m looking forward to covering it!
one thing id like to see you try if you revisit this test is compare the same rifles with cleaning rods removed. then also try bayonets extended. also stock fit can affect accuracy greatly. simply popping one into a new stock could yield entirely different results. although as you say, is it enough to care about? probably not, these are not sub MOA target guns. if you are shaving off half or 3/4ths of an inch off a 5 MOA group, does that really increase the capability of the rifle in any real world scenario, outside of hunting horseflies?@@Triangle26
Congrats on 1K subs. Your content is always worth the time to watch. I would like to see a standardized test I could run my type 56 through. Keep it up.
My 1966 Type56 in a Chinese laminate stock shoots 1.75-2moa with Barnaul M43. I suspect the particularly good performance is due to the handfitted experimental stock. Riflechair here on TH-cam saw an incredible improvement in accuracy after bedding his rifle. Amazing video :) keep it up!
Awesome, sounds like a keeper! That makes sense that proper stock fitment would shore things up a little bit. I’ll have to play with bedding one at some point and see if I can get similar results. Thanks a ton for watching and commenting.
🎉🥂🎉 Congrats on getting 1000 subs, you did it! Cannot wait to see you create more content. Really impressed with the accuracy test, and appreciate your transparency. SKS4LYFE!
Back in 2000, a local importer decided to offer sniper versions of the Yugoslavian M59/66 sks. Local gunsmith installed Russian siderails and 4X & 6X POSP scopes. Several were sent to gun writers for evaluation. They got creamed! The Yugo rifles posted 4-6 MOA groups. Reviews were brutal. Too many people thinking the SKS is capable of 1-1.5 MOA. While those of us who shot a lot of paper with them knew 4 MOA was the norm. Some really like Lapua ammo because they use a larger than standard .311 projectile. Other rifles hate it, though.
makes me feel good about my 1973 type 56! also agree with you on fatigue. new shooter so I would go out and bang out couple hundred rounds. I would shoot worse and worse. now I time myself (1hr) and only load 3 at at a time and check. working on aim and muscle memory. how about a video on proper use of iron sights? congrats!!
Great video and congratulations on over 1k subs. You test results are consistent with what I learn from literature and experience for Chinese SKS. The lower limit is ~3.5-4 MOA: a well-trained PLA soldier can hit the 10-score (10cm diameter on chest target) at 100m most of the shots. The upper limit without human factor is ~1 MOA: technical data show 2cm of horizontal dispersion and 3cm of vertical dispersion at 100cm. Worth noting is that the accuracy quickly deteriorates beyond 300-400 m, due to the limitation of the 7.62x39 rounds.
That's good to know, thank you for sharing. Ever since this test I have been wondering if this was just a fluke, or if the first year Type 56 Carbines are truly above average.
Rewatching your video after building my grandson a useful SKS hunter out of a pre-Bubba'd early '70s Norinkos type 56. At least I can tell him it should manage 3-4moa. We will be having a shooting contest, against my own Bubba'd SKS of the same make and vintage. Mine is WAY farther down the Bubba rabbit hole, but I don't want to make those further choices for him, lol.
Yea, honestly I don’t think this result is remotely representative of the production. There are 450,042 1965 Type 56 Carbines in existence, and I tested exactly one of them. I’ve historically considered the late ‘64 and ‘65 Type 56s one of my favorite variants, and this doesn’t change that in the least.
Love your content. I was wondering if the SKS performs negatively or positively without its bayonet? Naturally the presumtion is shooting off bench. You'll be at 2k in no time I bet.
Thanks for the support. I’ll have a video on the bayonet subject soon, but the short answer is that: Theoretically, deploying the bayonet should result in a marginal accuracy increase. In practice, the bayonet has almost zero impact on functional accuracy. Deploying the bayonet *will* significantly change the point of impact. In other words, the group sizes will not meaningfully change, however the group location will.
@@Triangle26 Deployment of the bayonet vs. non deployed, notwithstanding, I wonder if their might be a significant advantage/disadvantage to performance of the SKS with its removal. I have seen an SKS for sale without it, and the question came to mind in terms of its incorporation in its initial, overall design. Look forward to the video you mentioned.
Great work and explanation of your procedure of testing. I have been a fan of the SKS since the late 1980's. I have owned , sold an traded a few. I am still a fan of the SKS but not for what they want for them. Your my favorite SKS channel! Thanks again for the work you perform for us. Semper Fi
Thanks for the extreme detail that you've gone thru to provide this for us. I hereby pledge to go on every single new Garand Thumb video and leave a comment about your stripper clips. The demands will not cease until they are returned to the Triangle 26 compound. We will not pause, we will not falter. We will get those clips, or we will die trying.
I commend this test and your dedication to it! Congratulations on your 1000 subscribers and thanks for all of your scientific analysis of the SKS as your perspectives shed valuable knowledge. Love the rifle and I can tell I'm going to appreciate binging more of the SKS vids on this channel! Definitely would be interested in the rare stripper clips giveaway also! Cheers
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Hope you enjoy the other videos. Clip giveaway is still delayed, but definitely going to happen, stay tuned!
I don't know what a pinger is! In GT's defense, I think his ice/mud tests are top notch, and his urban survival and mountain recce videos are no joke. Under all the performance stuff, I do think he is an extremely knowledgeable guy. But the performance is what sells.
@@Triangle26 It's awesome. Accurate enough, and the French tickler handguard is a nice bonus (latest triangle 26 shipment into Canada seemed to all have them). Before I was serious about getting a SKS, I had the preconceived notion that the Chinese SKS was the worst version of it, and I'm very glad I found your videos that dispelled that myth.
Nice work, as usual. To segue from your GT and giveaway...a stripper clip video would be interesting. Which to buy for which rifles, where they come from, where to get them, and which to avoid.
I'm gonna glass bed my 10 mil Type 56 Carbine when I return home from overseas work and try to reload with a better bullet. I'm really curious to see the results. You need to redo the test with the Albanian SKS. Maybe you can try the test again with reloaded ammo?
I agree, I look forward to getting the Albanian sorted out and back in the test pool. As for testing reloaded ammo, I think it would make for an interesting test to watch, but I don’t think I will be the one to do it. I don’t currently reload 7.62x39 and I don’t see that changing in the immediate future.
GarandThumb!! This is your mother speaking. You send that nice young man his clips back! We raised you to know better! Come on! Get off your butt right now before I get angry. Go!!!!
In my limited experience Type 56 rifles are very sensitive to ammo quality. My early pattern boutique made 1988 commercial rifle (short lug with all of the lightening cuts and spike bayonet) shot a 20 inch pattern at 25 yards with Chinese steel core ammo. I almost dropped it into the trash at the range. But the second time I took it out with Lapua ammo it shot as well as I can, I shot a national match course... mostly standing and it consistently shot in the 8 ring or better. When I was on target, so was the rifle. I'm not going to claim that with the right ammo, the rifle was sub MOA, but it just might not have been far from it. But my point isn't that my example can shoot amazingly well with the right ammo... it's more that the rifle can shoot gawd awful with crap ammo or ammo it doesn't like. While it's true that some rifles are more forgiving of inferior ammo than others, if you really want to compare the rifle's accuracy, you have to start out with match grade ammo. Then the only real variable is the rifle itself. Think of it this way, if your ammo can't do better than 3 MOA, either can your rifle.
All very interesting thoughts. You are of course right about the match grade ammo - and yet this has always been a point of some hesitation for me. On the one hand it’s the only way to see what a rifle can really do. On the other hand - it feels to me to be a departure from the spirit of the rifle, which is fundamentally designed around commbloc, berdan primed military ball ammo. Without dismissing the fact that the SKS remains a viable tool in many capacities, my interest is primarily historical in nature. At this time I am personally less concerned with what it *could* do, and more concerned with what it *did* do. All the same, if others made videos on accurized high performances SKS builds - I would watch them with great interest.
@@Triangle26 You have a valid point. It actually struck me as bazaar that my brand new Type 56 could only shoot a 20 inch pattern at 25 yards with period correct steel core, copper washed Chinese ammo (head stamp 948/80). I still can't imagine how such an absurdly inaccurate weapon system could fit into any kind of military doctrine. Perhaps this might work ok in close range human wave attacks, especially with the AK's spray and pray capabilities. Perhaps this kind of accuracy might also be useful if you are just spraying the jungle with bullets. In as much as period correct Chinese steel core ammo is scarce and banned from import. I don't think we really can find enough of it for any amount of serious testing anyway now. But if you ever do, I would certainly be fascinated if it actually worked in anything with any level of accuracy. That said, I think most SKS type firearms in the US are pretty much retired from military service. I think they are mostly used as practical fire arms now. I suspect that in some parts of the country they serve as ranch rifles, home defense weapons, plinkers and even to some degree as deer hunting rifles. In other words I think more people are interested in what their SKS can do now rather than what the did then. But that's just my opinion. Both perspectives are likely valid and relevant in context. I think the days of the accurized target SKS aren't here yet. But more people are taking the platform more seriously and with various states making AK and AR ownership more difficult, the SKS has certain legal advantages. But sooner or later, I think we will see criterion (type) barrels, precision triggers, muzzle devices and other accuracy improving mods becoming available. More accurate cartridges based on the X39 platform are likely to evolve and for 100 to 300 yard type shoots the SKS platform just might find a new civilian role. I honestly believe that the SKS action is strong, reliable, consistent and abundant, there's no reason someone can't build a target rifle on it. And man... just like you I would like to see that.
i have shot my sks at a 100 yrds and can obtain 1.5 all day long that being said my russians shoot just as good as any chinese even my 1949s give me the same grouping i too also have quite an assortment of sks plus a couple first year production 3 digit serial numbers but i have found that the stock has a great deal to do with it as i have two in custom walnut stocks and those two shoot fantastic
@@Triangle26 well i myself live in canada not sure where you are at but i will not show any of my guns on you tube as here they are likely going to be banned i really dont want cops kicking my doors in and stealing my collection of firearms and really if you live in canada well your choice but i would not advertise how many you have
@@williamdevitt7866 I am genuinely sorry for your country’s legal situation. That said - *everyone* who claims that their military configuration SKS patterns shoot 1.5” groups @ 100 yards “all day long” *always* has a reason why they can’t demonstrate that claim. It’s actually quite tedious. My conclusions are based on substantial experience, informed by empirical data, gathered *publicly* under controlled conditions. They are consistent with the figures documented by the USSR, China, and Yugoslavia. They are consistent with other *transparent* tests, performed by people like the great Canadian TH-camr “Riflechair”. Forgive me if I stick with that, in absence of being *shown* evidence to the contrary.
@@Triangle26 look up a video from a man called wheelchair getting 1 to 1.5 at a 100 yards he is in canada on the west coast he shows how he bedded the stock to improve the accuracy of the sks if the best you can do with your sks is 2.5 or 3 inchs well dont know what to say maybe some day i will post a video i too have been shooting for many years and there is always a way to improve any gun no matter what it is just saying
That’s an interesting thought. It is possible that the initial period of manufacture was subject to exceptional quality control. It’s also possible that some of the tooling was brand new, and resulted in sharper and more precise machined parts. Definitely worth considering.
Dude, you have to bed a sks and try it again. I did before and i noticed that the fliers went away. I think im going to shim up my sks with pop can shims and get the stock nice and tight fitting to the reciever. Shims at the rear for left and right wobble and in the front by that metal insert for same thing , left and right wobble. Ill shoot a group before shimming and then a group after adding popcan shims. 100 yards groups. I have a target setup for zeroing but my rifle is already perfect from the factory. Its the same shape of metal target that ak -ou uses. it has the black mark thats the same size of the front post at 100 yards. From a russian book for sks.
Yea it’s kinda interesting because he improved his groups by re bedding the action to the stock. I kinda figured it might make for a cool video if you perhaps showed the bedding for these rifles that you tested. Would be interesting to see if there were any big differences.
I've only owned 2 SKSs, an unissued 59/66 and my, i have no idea Chinese... That Yugo was deadly accurate out to 100yds, the only thing i didn't like about it was the weight. The sight/launche at the front, and the beefier stock... i should have never sold ANY gun i ever bought... but i should've kept that one... The Chinese was sold to me as a C&R, it's not a triangle and i'm not sure about the serial number decoding. I also haven't shot it yet, so i can't speak to its accuracy
The last time I had mine out I had it at 100 meters and I was getting almost an isoceles triangle in three-shot groups with Tula. I wasn't able to tell which of the three shots were the far point but I thought that was odd. Someone else said they got the same thing before. I need to take her out again. lol.
Perhaps your standardized test could use a sled. I'm new to sleds but I can see how perhaps you could take some of the tired shooter out of the variables.
That’s a great idea, definitely on my radar. Honestly I’m new to sleds and rests too, and I actually bought a specific rest for this test. I quickly learned that I had overestimated the stability it offered, and it was arguably worse than the sandbags I’m used to using! Lots of room for learning and improvement here.
so, I might find that my 1950 Tula Arsenal refinished SKS gets out shot by my bubba'd 1971 Norinko 26. I have a 2nd unbubba'd Norinko that I bought decades ago. Kinda sad about the Rule, but I'll have to shoot and see. 😎✌️
Next video what is the most accurate Surplus ammunition for a 7.62x39 SKS we can buy over the counter and what is the best military issue ammunition for the 7.62x39 SKS? PLEASE?
I'd be willing to bet you were using golden tiger imported in the last 3 years. I've heard reports of gt accuracy taking a dip on later imports. Every sks/AK I've shot has done better with older GT than any other ammo. 1956 type 56 consistently shot 2-2.5 moa (5 shot) and I'm half blind. For how worn the rifle looks the bore is great!
That’s super interesting - I didn’t know that. I’ve got tons of GT, most of which is 5+ years old. Now that you mention it - the ammo used for this test was pulled from a very recently imported case. I did take note of the relatively mediocre performance, I typically expect better. Next time I’ll pull from one of the old cases 👍
One last thing I hope I'm commenting too much. You talked about the M1 Garand and doing a comparison with it with two more rifles. I thought you was going to say the Johnson also that the Marines used in World War II. I always like hearing about that gun. What fascinated me about it was the magazine how it is round and I believe fitted into the gun. Well I watched a lot of your videos today and I'm done so goodbye and God bless
speaking of bayonet accuracy, I've heard lore that removing the bayonet entirely has a negative impact on accuracy. Would be curious if there's any truth to that
I've heard that as well. As the story goes, the bayonet functions as a harmonic dampener, which is a reasonable enough assertion. I actually tried to film a video testing that subject, but I goofed up a few of the shots, so it's shelved until I get motivated to circle back around. That said, the results I got from that test were that bayonet status (whether it be stowed, deployed, or removed entirely) *did* have a measurable effect on point of impact, and *did not* not have a significant effect on accuracy. In other words, changing the configuration of the bayonet would move the location of the group, but not the size of the group.
I have a /636\ 1975 which has neutered bayonet lugs. While I haven't had it to an actual range yet, I have fired several hundred shots through it on my son's rural property out to about 50 yards,, and it shoots very close to POA, considering my eyes don't like the iron sights like they did when I was younger. I am going to try and mount a red dot on it this week and see how it does next weekend. I intend to get it to a range in the next couple of months, when I final zero my sporterized K98k for deer season. I really appreciate the knowledge and research you bring to your videos. I have learned more from your channel since I got mine in April, than anywhere else. Thank you.
Hello friend. you may have mentioned this on an earlier post, apologies if that is the case, but what stripper clips would you recommend? I’ve read on forums that yugo surplus are great, but I’m looking to purchase on there own, not with ammo. Thank you in advance.
Great question. Personally, my favorite clips are the “BXN” marked Czech ones. Technically they are VZ52/58 clips, but they work perfectly in the SKS. In my experience, a little more smooth than anything else. That said, any military surplus clip should meet your needs. Yugo clips are excellent, Chinese and Russian clips are good too. As long as you don’t get modern production Chinese clips, you should be fine!
Thats a hard question. If we are limiting ourselves to other autoloading rifles, I think the answer is "yes, but nothing at a comparable price range". I would say a milled Bulgarian AK has a similar build quality to the SKS, but they cost like 1750. If we are including manually operated rifles, there are some really well made commercial products at lower prices, but that's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison.
@@Triangle26 I mean, modern semi automatic rifles.. my guess is, no. Nothing’s going to come close.. like the new m1 a’s are junk. Even if something were made to the same “standard” the quality of materials might be hard to match as well. Now, nothing is mass produced “to last” By design. Because “long lasting” only means “less profit, in replacement parts” to the manufacturers. The value of the sks rifle, has no rival. In my opinion.
Since you shot all the rounds in one day and you're looking for suggestions and you say you like a standardized test. Why don't you go back and change the title to make people know that it's a torture test too. Lol. To tell them that you did it all in one day so you actually did two tests in one my friend good work
Sure! Mechanically, it’s an SKS. Key differences include a 16” barrel, proprietary short gas system, deleted stripper clip groove, and obviously an AK magazine interface. Other than that, it’s a normal SKS. Opinions on them are mixed. On one hand, some people argue that it’s the “worst of both worlds”. Less reliable than an SKS, less capable than an AK. On the other hand, they are super fun, handy carbines - and extremely collectible. Generally speaking, I see SKS-Ms sell for significantly more than commercial conventional and military configuration Chinese SKSs.
@@Triangle26 And it's in beautiful condition I'm looking forward to seeing how it will compare to the Russian but the Russian has seen alot harder of a life It definitely wasn't unfired like this Chinese
I got this 26 1969 sks with a repair in the butt stock either from aresenal 26 or the pla army? Some say they did repairs in the wood like this if there were knots in it i think it makes my sks unique but im not sure how strong these repairs are and how long it wil last the stock is in beautiful shape it seems as if the rifles never really been fired just dissambled and put back together from the obvious scrathces.
I personally love when I see a repair in the stock. Like you said, they make your rifle unique. I’ve seen a lot of repaired SKS stocks, and I’ve seen a lot of broken SKS stocks, but I’ve never seen an Arsenal repair fail 🤷♂️
Your channel had perfect timing for me! This summer I inherited a Type 56 from "triangle 2", with a 1971 serial number. It is technically, my first rifle.
Its good to find someone getting into more detail about the SKS. Most videos are kinda generic and basically say "not bad when it was cheap, better off with an AR15".
I hope you might one day have suggestions on how to tune the rifle without changing it too significantly from original.
Awesome, I’m glad to hear that the content has been relevant for you.
I think I’ll have a video coming relatively soon, which will address the subject you are describing. SKS tuning is a really interesting concept to me, and I’m looking forward to covering it!
one thing id like to see you try if you revisit this test is compare the same rifles with cleaning rods removed. then also try bayonets extended. also stock fit can affect accuracy greatly. simply popping one into a new stock could yield entirely different results. although as you say, is it enough to care about? probably not, these are not sub MOA target guns. if you are shaving off half or 3/4ths of an inch off a 5 MOA group, does that really increase the capability of the rifle in any real world scenario, outside of hunting horseflies?@@Triangle26
Congrats on 1K subs. Your content is always worth the time to watch. I would like to see a standardized test I could run my type 56 through. Keep it up.
Thanks for the support.
My 1966 Type56 in a Chinese laminate stock shoots 1.75-2moa with Barnaul M43. I suspect the particularly good performance is due to the handfitted experimental stock.
Riflechair here on TH-cam saw an incredible improvement in accuracy after bedding his rifle.
Amazing video :) keep it up!
Awesome, sounds like a keeper! That makes sense that proper stock fitment would shore things up a little bit. I’ll have to play with bedding one at some point and see if I can get similar results.
Thanks a ton for watching and commenting.
🎉🥂🎉 Congrats on getting 1000 subs, you did it! Cannot wait to see you create more content. Really impressed with the accuracy test, and appreciate your transparency. SKS4LYFE!
Back in 2000, a local importer decided to offer sniper versions of the Yugoslavian M59/66 sks. Local gunsmith installed Russian siderails and 4X & 6X POSP scopes. Several were sent to gun writers for evaluation.
They got creamed! The Yugo rifles posted 4-6 MOA groups. Reviews were brutal. Too many people thinking the SKS is capable of 1-1.5 MOA. While those of us who shot a lot of paper with them knew 4 MOA was the norm. Some really like Lapua ammo because they use a larger than standard .311 projectile. Other rifles hate it, though.
You earned it, keep the great content coming!
makes me feel good about my 1973 type 56! also agree with you on fatigue. new shooter so I would go out and bang out couple hundred rounds. I would shoot worse and worse. now I time myself (1hr) and only load 3 at at a time and check. working on aim and muscle memory. how about a video on proper use of iron sights? congrats!!
Great ideas, and thank you as always Craig!
Congratulations on 1000 brother man! (Factory Bear)
Great video and congratulations on over 1k subs. You test results are consistent with what I learn from literature and experience for Chinese SKS.
The lower limit is ~3.5-4 MOA: a well-trained PLA soldier can hit the 10-score (10cm diameter on chest target) at 100m most of the shots.
The upper limit without human factor is ~1 MOA: technical data show 2cm of horizontal dispersion and 3cm of vertical dispersion at 100cm.
Worth noting is that the accuracy quickly deteriorates beyond 300-400 m, due to the limitation of the 7.62x39 rounds.
I have a first year Chinese 56 SKS and it is a great shooter
That's good to know, thank you for sharing. Ever since this test I have been wondering if this was just a fluke, or if the first year Type 56 Carbines are truly above average.
Good stuff and really enjoy the content!
good job sir
Impressive test and thank you for doing it 🎉
Congrats on the 1k, you deserve 100k.
I really appreciate that.
Rewatching your video after building my grandson a useful SKS hunter out of a pre-Bubba'd early '70s Norinkos type 56. At least I can tell him it should manage 3-4moa. We will be having a shooting contest, against my own Bubba'd SKS of the same make and vintage. Mine is WAY farther down the Bubba rabbit hole, but I don't want to make those further choices for him, lol.
Lol - good choice. Some decisions are best left to the individual. Sounds fun either way though.
I am glad you did this. There was a clear biased against Russian made SKSs but whatever haha
Oh man. My 1965’s sister came in last? I wish I could send you mine to test. It’ll probably perform a little better. She’s such a good old girl.
Yea, honestly I don’t think this result is remotely representative of the production. There are 450,042 1965 Type 56 Carbines in existence, and I tested exactly one of them.
I’ve historically considered the late ‘64 and ‘65 Type 56s one of my favorite variants, and this doesn’t change that in the least.
Love your content. I was wondering if the SKS performs negatively or positively without its bayonet? Naturally the presumtion is shooting off bench. You'll be at 2k in no time I bet.
Thanks for the support.
I’ll have a video on the bayonet subject soon, but the short answer is that:
Theoretically, deploying the bayonet should result in a marginal accuracy increase.
In practice, the bayonet has almost zero impact on functional accuracy.
Deploying the bayonet *will* significantly change the point of impact. In other words, the group sizes will not meaningfully change, however the group location will.
@@Triangle26 Deployment of the bayonet vs. non deployed, notwithstanding, I wonder if their might be a significant advantage/disadvantage to performance of the SKS with its removal. I have seen an SKS for sale without it, and the question came to mind in terms of its incorporation in its initial, overall design. Look forward to the video you mentioned.
Youve gor almost 4500 subscribers now, 4.5 times a year ago when this video was released!🎉 awesome content amigo!🎉🎉
Fantastic video. Keep it up.
Great work and explanation of your procedure of testing. I have been a fan of the SKS since the late 1980's. I have owned , sold an traded a few.
I am still a fan of the SKS but not for what they want for them.
Your my favorite SKS channel! Thanks again for the work you perform for us.
Semper Fi
Got a SKS awhile back and find this channel very interesting
Excellent, glad to hear it.
Thanks for the extreme detail that you've gone thru to provide this for us.
I hereby pledge to go on every single new Garand Thumb video and leave a comment about your stripper clips. The demands will not cease until they are returned to the Triangle 26 compound.
We will not pause, we will not falter. We will get those clips, or we will die trying.
I love it. I don’t *explicitly* encourage it, but I love it.
I commend this test and your dedication to it! Congratulations on your 1000 subscribers and thanks for all of your scientific analysis of the SKS as your perspectives shed valuable knowledge. Love the rifle and I can tell I'm going to appreciate binging more of the SKS vids on this channel! Definitely would be interested in the rare stripper clips giveaway also! Cheers
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Hope you enjoy the other videos. Clip giveaway is still delayed, but definitely going to happen, stay tuned!
Congrats my friend. I really enjoy your content. Best of luck with all your upcoming endeavors.
Thanks a ton 🙏
Looking forward to the battle rifle showdown!
Awesome. Me too lol.
Not surprised that Garand didn't return the clips. He's an entertainer not a gun tube guy. Plus he's just a pinger.
I don't know what a pinger is! In GT's defense, I think his ice/mud tests are top notch, and his urban survival and mountain recce videos are no joke. Under all the performance stuff, I do think he is an extremely knowledgeable guy. But the performance is what sells.
@@Triangle26 Air Force--It's the sound they make when they hit a propeller: ping ping ping.😆 Not really relevant in the jet age.
Congrats on the 1k! Your Chinese sks videos led me to buying a late production triangle 26.
Thank you, and awesome. Late production triangle 26s are top notch. How do you like it?
@@Triangle26 It's awesome. Accurate enough, and the French tickler handguard is a nice bonus (latest triangle 26 shipment into Canada seemed to all have them). Before I was serious about getting a SKS, I had the preconceived notion that the Chinese SKS was the worst version of it, and I'm very glad I found your videos that dispelled that myth.
congrats🏆🎉🎉
Love the channel brofessor
Never heard that one before, thank you 😂
Very informative!
136k subs rn congrats! thanks for your info on sks as well we need it
I wish lol. 1 *point* 36 k. Still moving in the right direction though, so I'm not complaining. Thanks so much for watching.
Nice work, as usual. To segue from your GT and giveaway...a stripper clip video would be interesting. Which to buy for which rifles, where they come from, where to get them, and which to avoid.
Thanks for the support. The stripper clip video is a great idea.
Glad i found this channel man. Will be an sks owner soon
Congratulations brother.
10k subscribers soon.
Thanks bro 👊
No thank you for sharing your expertise. I gave up a couple years ago trying to date mine
I'm gonna glass bed my 10 mil Type 56 Carbine when I return home from overseas work and try to reload with a better bullet. I'm really curious to see the results. You need to redo the test with the Albanian SKS. Maybe you can try the test again with reloaded ammo?
I agree, I look forward to getting the Albanian sorted out and back in the test pool.
As for testing reloaded ammo, I think it would make for an interesting test to watch, but I don’t think I will be the one to do it. I don’t currently reload 7.62x39 and I don’t see that changing in the immediate future.
GarandThumb!! This is your mother speaking. You send that nice young man his clips back! We raised you to know better! Come on! Get off your butt right now before I get angry. Go!!!!
🤣
In my limited experience Type 56 rifles are very sensitive to ammo quality. My early pattern boutique made 1988 commercial rifle (short lug with all of the lightening cuts and spike bayonet) shot a 20 inch pattern at 25 yards with Chinese steel core ammo. I almost dropped it into the trash at the range. But the second time I took it out with Lapua ammo it shot as well as I can, I shot a national match course... mostly standing and it consistently shot in the 8 ring or better. When I was on target, so was the rifle. I'm not going to claim that with the right ammo, the rifle was sub MOA, but it just might not have been far from it.
But my point isn't that my example can shoot amazingly well with the right ammo... it's more that the rifle can shoot gawd awful with crap ammo or ammo it doesn't like.
While it's true that some rifles are more forgiving of inferior ammo than others, if you really want to compare the rifle's accuracy, you have to start out with match grade ammo. Then the only real variable is the rifle itself. Think of it this way, if your ammo can't do better than 3 MOA, either can your rifle.
All very interesting thoughts.
You are of course right about the match grade ammo - and yet this has always been a point of some hesitation for me. On the one hand it’s the only way to see what a rifle can really do. On the other hand - it feels to me to be a departure from the spirit of the rifle, which is fundamentally designed around commbloc, berdan primed military ball ammo.
Without dismissing the fact that the SKS remains a viable tool in many capacities, my interest is primarily historical in nature. At this time
I am personally less concerned with what it *could* do, and more concerned with what it *did* do.
All the same, if others made videos on accurized high performances SKS builds - I would watch them with great interest.
@@Triangle26 You have a valid point. It actually struck me as bazaar that my brand new Type 56 could only shoot a 20 inch pattern at 25 yards with period correct steel core, copper washed Chinese ammo (head stamp 948/80). I still can't imagine how such an absurdly inaccurate weapon system could fit into any kind of military doctrine. Perhaps this might work ok in close range human wave attacks, especially with the AK's spray and pray capabilities. Perhaps this kind of accuracy might also be useful if you are just spraying the jungle with bullets.
In as much as period correct Chinese steel core ammo is scarce and banned from import. I don't think we really can find enough of it for any amount of serious testing anyway now. But if you ever do, I would certainly be fascinated if it actually worked in anything with any level of accuracy.
That said, I think most SKS type firearms in the US are pretty much retired from military service. I think they are mostly used as practical fire arms now. I suspect that in some parts of the country they serve as ranch rifles, home defense weapons, plinkers and even to some degree as deer hunting rifles. In other words I think more people are interested in what their SKS can do now rather than what the did then. But that's just my opinion. Both perspectives are likely valid and relevant in context.
I think the days of the accurized target SKS aren't here yet. But more people are taking the platform more seriously and with various states making AK and AR ownership more difficult, the SKS has certain legal advantages. But sooner or later, I think we will see criterion (type) barrels, precision triggers, muzzle devices and other accuracy improving mods becoming available. More accurate cartridges based on the X39 platform are likely to evolve and for 100 to 300 yard type shoots the SKS platform just might find a new civilian role. I honestly believe that the SKS action is strong, reliable, consistent and abundant, there's no reason someone can't build a target rifle on it. And man... just like you I would like to see that.
I'd be very curious to see an accuracy test with just one rifle, standard configuration and with gas piston removed (manual single shot).
That’s an extremely interesting idea - thank you for sharing. I just might make that happen.
Or just use a M59/66 variant and turn off the gas port.
i have shot my sks at a 100 yrds and can obtain 1.5 all day long that being said my russians shoot just as good as any chinese even my 1949s give me the same grouping i too also have quite an assortment of sks plus a couple first year production 3 digit serial numbers but i have found that the stock has a great deal to do with it as i have two in custom walnut stocks and those two shoot fantastic
Showing > Telling
@@Triangle26 well i myself live in canada not sure where you are at but i will not show any of my guns on you tube as here they are likely going to be banned i really dont want cops kicking my doors in and stealing my collection of firearms and really if you live in canada well your choice but i would not advertise how many you have
@@williamdevitt7866 I am genuinely sorry for your country’s legal situation.
That said - *everyone* who claims that their military configuration SKS patterns shoot 1.5” groups @ 100 yards “all day long” *always* has a reason why they can’t demonstrate that claim. It’s actually quite tedious.
My conclusions are based on substantial experience, informed by empirical data, gathered *publicly* under controlled conditions. They are consistent with the figures documented by the USSR, China, and Yugoslavia. They are consistent with other *transparent* tests, performed by people like the great Canadian TH-camr “Riflechair”. Forgive me if I stick with that, in absence of being *shown* evidence to the contrary.
@@Triangle26 look up a video from a man called wheelchair getting 1 to 1.5 at a 100 yards he is in canada on the west coast he shows how he bedded the stock to improve the accuracy of the sks if the best you can do with your sks is 2.5 or 3 inchs well dont know what to say maybe some day i will post a video i too have been shooting for many years and there is always a way to improve any gun no matter what it is just saying
Those soviet advisors must've made sure those original type 56s were top-quality
That’s an interesting thought. It is possible that the initial period of manufacture was subject to exceptional quality control. It’s also possible that some of the tooling was brand new, and resulted in sharper and more precise machined parts. Definitely worth considering.
Dude, you have to bed a sks and try it again. I did before and i noticed that the fliers went away. I think im going to shim up my sks with pop can shims and get the stock nice and tight fitting to the reciever. Shims at the rear for left and right wobble and in the front by that metal insert for same thing , left and right wobble. Ill shoot a group before shimming and then a group after adding popcan shims. 100 yards groups. I have a target setup for zeroing but my rifle is already perfect from the factory. Its the same shape of metal target that ak -ou uses. it has the black mark thats the same size of the front post at 100 yards. From a russian book for sks.
Hmm, ideas
Have you watched Riflechairs video on his SKS? Might be worth a watch for you if you haven’t.
Didn't Riflechairs name his SKS after a Klingon? That got me googling all the Klingon women's names.
I haven’t, I’ll have to watch it soon. Thanks for the suggestion. I watched his channel years ago but it’s been awhile, great stuff.
Yea it’s kinda interesting because he improved his groups by re bedding the action to the stock. I kinda figured it might make for a cool video if you perhaps showed the bedding for these rifles that you tested. Would be interesting to see if there were any big differences.
I've only owned 2 SKSs, an unissued 59/66 and my, i have no idea Chinese...
That Yugo was deadly accurate out to 100yds, the only thing i didn't like about it was the weight. The sight/launche at the front, and the beefier stock... i should have never sold ANY gun i ever bought... but i should've kept that one...
The Chinese was sold to me as a C&R, it's not a triangle and i'm not sure about the serial number decoding.
I also haven't shot it yet, so i can't speak to its accuracy
The last time I had mine out I had it at 100 meters and I was getting almost an isoceles triangle in three-shot groups with Tula. I wasn't able to tell which of the three shots were the far point but I thought that was odd. Someone else said they got the same thing before. I need to take her out again. lol.
Perhaps your standardized test could use a sled. I'm new to sleds but I can see how perhaps you could take some of the tired shooter out of the variables.
That’s a great idea, definitely on my radar. Honestly I’m new to sleds and rests too, and I actually bought a specific rest for this test.
I quickly learned that I had overestimated the stability it offered, and it was arguably worse than the sandbags I’m used to using!
Lots of room for learning and improvement here.
so, I might find that my 1950 Tula Arsenal refinished SKS gets out shot by my bubba'd 1971 Norinko 26. I have a 2nd unbubba'd Norinko that I bought decades ago. Kinda sad about the Rule, but I'll have to shoot and see. 😎✌️
great work I really enjoyed it, in my opinion 3 rifles at a time for a given test would be optimal.
Thanks.
Thanks a bunch. I agree, there at a time seems manageable.
nice... 134% more subs in 6mo
Next video what is the most accurate Surplus ammunition for a 7.62x39 SKS we can buy over the counter and what is the best military issue ammunition for the 7.62x39 SKS? PLEASE?
I'd be willing to bet you were using golden tiger imported in the last 3 years. I've heard reports of gt accuracy taking a dip on later imports. Every sks/AK I've shot has done better with older GT than any other ammo. 1956 type 56 consistently shot 2-2.5 moa (5 shot) and I'm half blind. For how worn the rifle looks the bore is great!
That’s super interesting - I didn’t know that. I’ve got tons of GT, most of which is 5+ years old. Now that you mention it - the ammo used for this test was pulled from a very recently imported case. I did take note of the relatively mediocre performance, I typically expect better.
Next time I’ll pull from one of the old cases 👍
One last thing I hope I'm commenting too much. You talked about the M1 Garand and doing a comparison with it with two more rifles. I thought you was going to say the Johnson also that the Marines used in World War II. I always like hearing about that gun. What fascinated me about it was the magazine how it is round and I believe fitted into the gun. Well I watched a lot of your videos today and I'm done so goodbye and God bless
speaking of bayonet accuracy, I've heard lore that removing the bayonet entirely has a negative impact on accuracy. Would be curious if there's any truth to that
I've heard that as well. As the story goes, the bayonet functions as a harmonic dampener, which is a reasonable enough assertion. I actually tried to film a video testing that subject, but I goofed up a few of the shots, so it's shelved until I get motivated to circle back around. That said, the results I got from that test were that bayonet status (whether it be stowed, deployed, or removed entirely) *did* have a measurable effect on point of impact, and *did not* not have a significant effect on accuracy. In other words, changing the configuration of the bayonet would move the location of the group, but not the size of the group.
@@Triangle26 interesting. I've got a magwedge peep sight on order that I'll have to zero, I'll see if i can replicate.
I have a /636\ 1975 which has neutered bayonet lugs. While I haven't had it to an actual range yet, I have fired several hundred shots through it on my son's rural property out to about 50 yards,, and it shoots very close to POA, considering my eyes don't like the iron sights like they did when I was younger. I am going to try and mount a red dot on it this week and see how it does next weekend. I intend to get it to a range in the next couple of months, when I final zero my sporterized K98k for deer season. I really appreciate the knowledge and research you bring to your videos. I have learned more from your channel since I got mine in April, than anywhere else. Thank you.
Hello friend. you may have mentioned this on an earlier post, apologies if that is the case, but what stripper clips would you recommend? I’ve read on forums that yugo surplus are great, but I’m looking to purchase on there own, not with ammo. Thank you in advance.
Great question.
Personally, my favorite clips are the “BXN” marked Czech ones. Technically they are VZ52/58 clips, but they work perfectly in the SKS. In my experience, a little more smooth than anything else.
That said, any military surplus clip should meet your needs. Yugo clips are excellent, Chinese and Russian clips are good too.
As long as you don’t get modern production Chinese clips, you should be fine!
Thank brother, much appreciated.
how abt a vid on JUST STR CLIPS and using em
... I have an idea for another loading device that
could give another bump to SKS practicality
Are there any commercially available rifles, with the build quality of the sks?
Thats a hard question. If we are limiting ourselves to other autoloading rifles, I think the answer is "yes, but nothing at a comparable price range". I would say a milled Bulgarian AK has a similar build quality to the SKS, but they cost like 1750. If we are including manually operated rifles, there are some really well made commercial products at lower prices, but that's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison.
@@Triangle26 I mean, modern semi automatic rifles.. my guess is, no. Nothing’s going to come close.. like the new m1 a’s are junk. Even if something were made to the same “standard” the quality of materials might be hard to match as well.
Now, nothing is mass produced “to last”
By design. Because “long lasting” only means “less profit, in replacement parts” to the manufacturers.
The value of the sks rifle, has no rival.
In my opinion.
Since you shot all the rounds in one day and you're looking for suggestions and you say you like a standardized test. Why don't you go back and change the title to make people know that it's a torture test too. Lol. To tell them that you did it all in one day so you actually did two tests in one my friend good work
Do you have any info of the SKS model M?
Sure!
Mechanically, it’s an SKS. Key differences include a 16” barrel, proprietary short gas system, deleted stripper clip groove, and obviously an AK magazine interface. Other than that, it’s a normal SKS.
Opinions on them are mixed. On one hand, some people argue that it’s the “worst of both worlds”. Less reliable than an SKS, less capable than an AK.
On the other hand, they are super fun, handy carbines - and extremely collectible. Generally speaking, I see SKS-Ms sell for significantly more than commercial conventional and military configuration Chinese SKSs.
@@Triangle26 thank you sir for your info
do a bedding video
Unfortunately I don't think that will happen. I have very little experience with bedding, and conceptually it doesn't really interest me.
I just picked up a Chinese I think it’s a 1979
Awesome. Great year 👍
@@Triangle26 And it's in beautiful condition I'm looking forward to seeing how it will compare to the Russian but the Russian has seen alot harder of a life It definitely wasn't unfired like this Chinese
Do you think a chrome lines barrel has any effect on accuracy? Picking up a Chineses chrome line 1975 I believe.
GarandThumb stole your clips?!
Stole is a strong word. I’d say “neglected to return”. But yes.
Awesome vid. Congrats on 1k big guy
Do the yugo models have crome linned barrels?
No
@@Triangle26 thank you for the reply
p̳r̳o̳m̳o̳s̳m̳
I got this 26 1969 sks with a repair in the butt stock either from aresenal 26 or the pla army? Some say they did repairs in the wood like this if there were knots in it i think it makes my sks unique but im not sure how strong these repairs are and how long it wil last the stock is in beautiful shape it seems as if the rifles never really been fired just dissambled and put back together from the obvious scrathces.
I personally love when I see a repair in the stock. Like you said, they make your rifle unique. I’ve seen a lot of repaired SKS stocks, and I’ve seen a lot of broken SKS stocks, but I’ve never seen an Arsenal repair fail 🤷♂️