Scotty check this link out. : http://www.marstar.ca/dynamic/product.jsp?productid=74819

Marstar is running a special on chinese made type 56 sks. Made to russian specs, the only difference is the spike bayonet as opposed to the bladed one on the russian. $380 for the rifle, hard locking case, and 1440 rounds of surplus 7.62x39 ammunition.

Also if you go to their specials page, check out the tactical sks. I purchased one as my first rifle. Solid fire arm, famously reliable, inexpensive, and the ammo is as common and inexpensive as they come. Only draw back to the tactical rifle that I found was the scope mount. Its terrible, literally fell off after 50 rounds. The screws spun out and stripped inside the female end. So I just put the origional bolt receiver back on, and now I have a nice, smooth, tactical sks with iron sights.

Only other drawback was that because it is a surplus rifle, it comes in pieces, and covered in cosmoline (like vaseline... Designed to keep the gun from rusting during long term storage.) But there are countless videos to teach you how to put this simple fire arm together (which you should know how to do anyways) or you could just take it to the gunsmith. And to get the cosmoline off, just soak the pieces in deisel, then wash in soapy water and air dry.

Whatever you do, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE FIRING PIN CLEAN!!! There is nothing more dangerous. And embarassing then slamfire (look it up on youtube).

I have put 1000 rounds through mine in the last month since I got it, and havnt had a hiccup yet. Great rifle to learn how to shoot with. Congrats on making the decision to arm yourself for shtf.

Also, they have another special which is just the rifle and a hard case for $199. http://www.marstar.ca/dynamic/product.jsp?productid=80105

I've had good results through this company.

Dayum. Way cheaper and a case to boot! I'm going with them. How does one order a gun online? Or, are these guys in Calgary?

No they are in ontario I believe. Once you get your pal you just make an account on their website and fill out the order forms. Shows up in 7 business days.

The other bonus is that the mags are pinned at 5 rounds, not welded... So in shtf if you really wanted to break the law (which I am not suggesting) you could just pop the rivet out. Badaboom, 10 rounder. But you didn't hear that from me.

I see they have a great deal for buying 1440 bullets and the gun... what a deal. Works out to .o5 cents per bullet. You get the gun for $75 with this purchase. Might be the route to go. My only hurdle is that I am without credit cards. I dont want to be tied to the bank system so have lived on a cash basis. I will have to work something out with them like a prepaid or something.

If you have a bank, you can get a visa debit card. Doesn't go on credit, it basically just let's you use your debit card for internet purchases. That's the route I went. I'm not a credit card user down with debt!

One more afterthought... I would recommend buying an aftermarket stock if your just going to get the standard rifle. In particular, either a tapco or an ati stock that has a telecoping and folding butt end. Make it fit nicely in a bugout bag 🙂

If you have any other questions about it, pm me and ill do my best to answer them. That way we don't hijack this thread. Also people on this board tend to get a bit squeemish with a lot of gun talk.

Only other drawback was that because it is a surplus rifle, it comes in pieces, and covered in cosmoline .... just soak the pieces in deisel, then wash in soapy water and air dry.

Some people recommend "deep" cleaning the stock too. Cosmoline can get in the wood (not sure if in all stock types) so wiping it with a piece of cloth won't be enough. They recommend slow cooking it in a stove 😯 or using a heat gun.

Only draw back to the tactical rifle that I found was the scope mount. Its terrible, literally fell off after 50 rounds. The screws spun out and stripped inside the female end. So I just put the origional bolt receiver back on, and now I have a nice, smooth, tactical sks with iron sights.

The only way to mount a scope properly on an SKS is to used a ScoutScope mount. The other ones If they don't fall off they will lose zero when you clean your rifle. With ScoutScopes you have two options, one is this:

http://scoutscopes.com/sks-scope-mounts/sks-scope-mount-black-anodized/ and can be bought from Marstar for 120+shipping +gst

The other one is this:

http://www.bctactical.ca/products.html . It's almost half price but the first have a nice feature that this one doesn't seem to have. It can be used as a traditional rear sight if for whatever reason you can't use the scope. If the canadian one has this too it would be a no brainer.

Works out to .o5 cents per bullet.

How did you get to this price? I've almost jumped off my chair with my credit cards ready. 🙂 . It's a good deal but not that good

I'm slotted for the upcoming PAL course on Nov 18th. Cost has gone up and is now $140. Send an email off to waltless@firearmslicencetestcalgary.com to inquire or visit http://www.firearmslicencetestcalgary.com/ for information. You can call Leslie at 403.803.7844 as well.

Oau, 140$. For this money they should have scheduled you yesterday 🙂 . I'm wondering, why not going with AHEIA? It's by donation, so basically you can get it for free, although I wouldn't recommend this, they are nice people and they are working hard to make sure you learn how to use rifles safely . The drawback is that you have to wait more, there is a big lineup so if you want to get a rifle before Dec 21st 🙂 this is not a valid option.

Thanks for the links prom. The sks I purchased was a "tactical kit package" gun for lack of a better word. The scope is fine, but its a receiver mount that replaces the origional receiver entirely. And there is a space underneith you can look through to see your irons. I knew that there were going to be problems with it, I didn't really want the mount anyways, I'd rather learn on irons myself. Once I learn to shoot ill look at different optics, but I would probobly just get a higher end rifle all together. The sks was never intended for any kind of optic, and when your scope costs more then the gun you put it on... Well that's another issue lol.

And yes, I should have mentioned that. The cosmoline does soak into the wood furnature, and heat is the only way to get it out. Heat, wipe, repeat. DO NOT SOAK THE FURNITURE WITH DEISEL lol.

Looks like I hit something funky on the calculator coming up with that per bullet cost. Its actually .20 cents each round. Damn. lol.

Thanks for advice gang. Looks like some cleanup work on the rifle is needed once I get it. Doesnt baking in the over dry the wood and make it crack?

Just set it al the lowest setting possible and it should be fine. Leave it in for 5 minutes at a time, take it out, wipe it off, repeat. Do this untill it is completley clean when you bring it out. Then you could rub a wood oil into it, but I'm sure the stock would be fine. It takes a lot more then a bit of baking to ruin an sks!

I think it is a good idea to have to put the gun together yourself. It can be frustrating the first time through, but it is an intimate experience with your fire arm and allows you to really apreciate the mechanics of it. Also if your going to own a fire arm, you should know it inside and out anyways, for cleaning and maintenance. I've had mine for a month, and I can completley break it down and reassemble in 10 minutes in the dark. Gotta know how to do it if the lights go out 😀

Also just as a side note, I would recommend getting a good cleaning and maintenance kit. I purchased one from bass pro. For the sks you will need one that has a .30 caliber brush, or you can buy one seperatly. But I would reccomend getting a universal kit anyways, in case you plan on owning other calibers in the future. They cost about the same. Also, get extra cleaning wipes! They go really fast lol.

The majority of the Chinese surplus SKS I have seen have a varnish coat on the wood parts. The cosmoline covers the surface but doesn't soak in. The only place you may see it is on the inside of the stock where the action is. Both areas are easily cleaned with a little varsol.

I agree Buggie about take down skills. I was in the forces back in 89 and remember that well. We had the old school FN's back then, not the tonka toy's model. I'm sure it will bring back some memories playing around with an old heavy semi auto. 🙂

As for shooting... seeing as how you have one Buggie... later on once I have my own perhaps there is the chance of hitting the range together? I wouldnt mind the first time out hearing and seeing a few tips on you using yours.

Sounds like I would be taking more pointers from you lol. No ex force here, just a shooting enthusiast. Been at it for just over a month now, only got my pal in august. But sure, perhaps we could arrange something down the line.