which would be the better plinker? im not very concerned with accuracy just wanted a semi-auto. and maby do a little short range deer hunting.

You can't fine a decent magazine for the mini-30 over 5 rounds. The sks will hold 10 round, and can be loaded easily with a 10 round stripper clip.
The russian ones with the milled trigger guard are probably the best, but they run about $200 in good condition. The sights are kind of not so good, and it is hard to mount a scope on an sks.
Some of the Chinese ones could use AK magazines, but they can really be expensive if in good condition.
The 7.62x39 responds well to barrel length. Most of the AK's are 16 inch or so barrels. A mini-30 or an sks with a longer barrel can get another 100fps out of just surplus ammo. I had a sagia with a 20 inch barrel that would get 2475 fps out of the russian ammo. You might like a sagia better. It is an ak with a decent length stock and a pistol grip. Comes in long and short barrel.

The last SKS's that I saw were Yugo's with folding bayonets. Some were like new for about $175. Those are much heavier than the Chicom ones. They are quite reliable guns and don't cost much.

If you don't want to mount a scope get an SKS or a Saiga. They are much cheaper. The Mini thirty is more expensive but has a better scope mount and is a little more accurate. I dont know how well the mini-thrity shoots surplus ammo. The Ruger has a .308 bore and the surplus stuff has a slightly larger bullet (.311 I think).

Mini-30's are much nicer and easier to mount scopes on.
SKS's are much cheaper. I wouldn't hunt with one unless I didn' have anything else..........DJ

This is more or less for me to plink with and for my mom to hunt with. maximum distance would be a 132 yrd shot. I do have another rifle and more on the way. But i liked an SKS that i saw "like new" in a gun shop for $225. and no scope will be added.

I've seen like new SKS's for under $200. Where I you I'd keep looking. I kinda like the "it's for Mom" though......DJ

quote:

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maximum distance would be a 132 yard shot

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Er, ah, pretty specific, aintcha ?

The Mini isn't any more accurate ( in general ) than any SKS I've shot. Reciever scope mounts exist for the latter that require a simple drill and tap.

I don't know a soul who was happy with the Ruger minni 30. Everybody I know who had one sold it. The SKS is a reliable shooter, but ain't no deer rifle. If that's what you can afford, ok. I bought a bunch 10 years ago at $ 85 each. I sporterized some and had allot of fun. They shoot ok, but for the sake of the animal, you need a deer rifle, not a combat weapon.

As far as deer rifles i got a .270WSM and a .308 on the way. But i need a plinker for some close range deer or some coyotes. Both run rampant on the fields near my uncles house. Really its gonna be more of a yote rifle than deer. But to my mom i needed somthing ultra cheap to see if she wants to stay in the hunting lifestyle.

I have an SKS that I wouldn't hesitate to use on deer out to about 100 yds. I can keep all shots easily in a pie plate at that distance.. the 150gr soft point ammo should work very well on deer, as it's only about 100-200 fps or so slower than a 30-30... and it's a spitzer style bullet.
I don't know why that wouldn't kill a deer stone dead, if you put the bullet where it belongs.
If you go by the "don't use a battle rifle" idea, then no one would use a mauser rifle, or a Springfield... a rifle is just a tool... some can be good for more than one application.
Personally, I LIKE the Rugers... I like the action, and the "neatness" of it.... I don't know about the mini-30's... but mini-14's accuracy has been fair, to dismal. Either the Ruger or the SKS can be accurized with some know-how.

Pie plate doesn't do justice to the animal. We need to hold a higher standard! To wound an animal without proper harvest is killing in my opinion. If an SKS is all you can afford, then I stand down. But I feel a responsibility to do better. I have enjoyed the fun of an SKS, and the ballistics are worthy of of whitetail within 100 yds, but I feel a responsibility to the animal to shoot a shot that I know will do him justice.

Ballistics and accuracy of an SKS prevent me from using it as a game gun because the variables are too many and the rifle can't deliver the consistency to insure a clean kill.

The great thing about both rifles is when you miss, you can blame it on the gun

Terry

sorry, M Joe... I have to respectfully disagree... a pie plate is just about the same size as the kill zone on our deer... if I can put all of them in the plate, I'm good to go.
If I can only do that at 50 yds, then that's my limit... with this one, I can, easily, at 100... and the sks is plenty powerful at 100 yds.
If we have to hold to a higher standard.. just who establishes that standard? You? How small a group does a rifle have to shoot to suit YOU? Justice to the animal? How dead does it have to be? Two 125-150 pound hogs dropped without running off when shot with the lighter 123gr soft point at about 40 yds... and hogs are quite a bit tougher than deer.

Hornetguy; I agree. If you will limit yourself to YOUR self imposed limit of range, that you are confident of a clean kill, then I fully agree.

Sorry to sound sanctimonious. I have my own self imposed limits and should be careful to not impose on my hunting bretheren.

I personally wouldn't use an sks for animal hunting in general, unless I had a high confidence in the majority of my opportunities will be within the range I could expect to put the animal down quick.

If a 9" pie plate is all you can expect for a given firearm, then with all variables that always occur in a hunting situation, I would be saving for something more better.

M Joe....
I agree... the sks is not my first choice for deer... my swedish mauser is. Second would be the BB94 in 375 win.... the sks would be further down the list. I just have enough confidence in that rifle that, if I had to use it, I wouldn't worry about it a bit. One GOOD thing about it... it's UTTERLY dependable... it has NEVER failed to fire...rapid, slow, cheap chinese surplus, Federal Premiums, even some of my feeble attempts at handloads...
...your point about hunting ethics is well taken, though.

Some of this discussion is because of the crappy Russian cheapie ammo. When the ammo is only capable of 3.5-4 MOA, you can't expect much of the rifle. Good 7.62x39 will shoot well under an inch in the same rifle that gives the 3.5 to 4 with Barnaul and Wolf. Been there, done that and the rifle was a CZ 527 if anyone is interested.

Then you have those silly top plate mounts for scopes. I have never seen one that was dead solid and they have to be adding to the group size. One of the drill and tap side mounts should shave another inch and a half.

I ain't claiming the SKS is a wondergun, but if I could not get a decent one to hold 5" at 132 yards, I'd kiss your ass on the courthouse steps and give you half an hour to draw a crowd.

...I have never been a fan of the receiver cover type of scope mounts... you can shake them all around, so every time you fire the rifle, you have a different point of impact. I drilled and tapped the sidemount type, and it has a red dot scope in it.... works pretty well for a compromise between a scope and open sights...

the SKS would be my choice between the two. I took a deer one time at 200 but that was pushing it. The 5 round mag can be easily removed to accept high cap mags. Norinco makes the best one out there in my opinion and can be found for about 175 to 225.
Have fun

Just my experience but most yellow folks can't hit a helicopter with the SKS or an AK, muck less a deer. Some could. The ranges seemed close to me, maybe not. Sometimes they even tried to gang rape me and that failed too. I think they are crappy guns, you are free to disagree.

Hello. I have a little bolt action Sako 7.62x39 I've used to kill 4 or 5 Georgia deer with, all in thick cover, one shot eack. Works just like your ethical guns do concerning a hunt. One with my Ar-15 7.62 also. Turns out the Yugo 59/66 now getting fitted for a scope shoots 1 1/2" at 100 yards with cheap sapsan hp's and issue sights and old eyes. It will soon go to work also. Cartridges in the magazine of a rifle don't do much for killing deer. Its the one in the chamber that works. That is the truth. I shoot hundreds of rounds of 7.62x39 surplus junk ammo in a year. The better stuff in a good gun like those mentioned above will shoot ball cap sized groups at 300 yards off sandbags on a bench, the worst will keep it all in pistol sihlouette targets at that range. The sks and cartridge are great for plinking, and for deer hunting in a 140 yard or less situation. Get one of those 59/66's in as close to new condition as you can find. They are all milled. The barrels I've borescoped rival premiun barrels in interior finish. Master the trigger and you will have some of the cheapest quality semi-auto high power shooting that can be had. Good shooting. ned

Ned has it right,,,A good bit of practice,,and keep it under 140 yds.,,an sks is a rather venerable,,cost effective pice.If you need more range,,,pick up a #4 enfield,,preferably still packed in cosmoline with "ftrb" etched on the reciver.ftrb=factory thorough rebuild.Have fun!!!Clay

I have had a mini-30 since 1992. The only problem I ever had with it while hunting was an uneducated bullet choice. Loaded up some Nosler ballistic tip bullets in a light weight that got near zero penetration on a doe. I think it is a good deer round, but only if you are one of those folks who does not stop and admire the shot. Have one of the new yugo sks rifles in really fine shape. It is the better shooter, but for goofing with targets at 50-100 yards, the mini is more fun. If I only had one, I would keep the sks.

The big thing I have against the mini-30 is the .308" bore. A lot of the commercial ammo runs .309", so with an SKS, you have the opposite problem, since a lot of those bores are .310-.311".

I have a Russian SKS, and it's a fun little plinking rifle. I had a Yugo, but it didn't seem quite as well made. With the Yugo, it's not a great problem to pound out the pin that holds the grenade launcher, and to unscrew it. That lightens up the rifle quite a bit.

I put Mojo sights on my Russian, rather than trying to fiddle with a scope.

At 50 yards, it would be a great coyote gun. Don't know what to say about deer, except that the bullet energy is quite comparable with the 30-30.

Best commercial ammo I have found is Lapua ($.20). Next best is Cheetah ($.12).

CritterKiller,

Here's an alternative to the Mini-30 and the
SKS if you don't need rapid fire. Try a
mini-Mauser from Charles Daly or a CZ527 chambered in 7.62x39. Easy to scope, lighter
than the Ruger or SKS, accurate, and you can
shoot cast bullets without having to worry about
plugging a gas port.

Just a thought.

Old Elk Hunter

I would go with an SKS over a mini-thirty for several reasons.

First off, cost. A mini-thirty will set you back $250-375 depending on condition, and model (blued or SS) and of course if it comes with a scope, folding stock, etc. You can get a good used SKS for $100-200 depending again on model, condition and accessories

Next is accuracy. While I have heard most mini-thirty’s are fairly accurate, there is a trend for them to start stringing rounds high and to the right as the barrel heats up. This starts after only 15-20 rounds in some cases, (the same for mini-14's except they climb high and to the left).

I work in a gun shop and I always ask people coming in looking for mini-30 & 14 stuff, "howz the accuracy?" Almost every person says mini’s start stringing after the barrel heats up.

Accessories. While there are many accessories for the mini’s, next to the 10/22 and AR, no gun has more than the SKS. If you can dream up something for an SKS, somebody probably makes it. And they tend to be relatively inexpensive when compared to the Ruger's.

Stick with a Russian or a Chinese SKS, the Yugo’s are kind-of a bastard model. Some of the parts interchange with the Russian and the Chinese, but some don’t.

Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing wrong with a Chinese SKS. While Russians do have milled parts on them, I have seen just as many "problems" with ALL of them. Most problems can be attributed to maintenance and ammo.

There are even some that regard the Chinese SKS as potentially more reliable than the Russian. I doubt the Chinese would send their troops out to kill their enemies with a defective weapon.

Hope this helps.

Here's my Romanian SKS with a red dot sight. Very good for my old eyes.

Alot of people around here are using SKS's as a brush gun. Light. Cheap to shoot. Fairly accurate.

Good combination.

In my neck of the woods you used to see Win 94 in gunracks of pickups. Now you see SKS's. I played with a Chinese years ago and finally got it to shoot 2.5" at 100 yds. It originally shot 3.5". Ltos of fiddling for a little improvement but it was fun and I learned. A friend had a Mini 30 that shot 3/4" with no problem. He never had problems with stringing since he never shot more than 5 rounds at the time and them looked at his target. My brother carries an SKS for his tractor gun for coyotes and other vermin. It was cheap and is dead reliable. I have a Russian and a couple Yugos but I've never shot them. My eyes went about the time they came along.