Nice idea Bill. I have a Bushnell like yours and love it. I am totally new to SKS's and have some questions. What gun do I need if: I don't like the bayonet and grenade launcher?
Need to use optics so which one is most acceptable to scope mounting? Which is best for finding one in real nice condition? Is there such a animal out there? Appreciate any help you can give Bill. Thanks, Smoker

I never could shoot my SKS very accutately due to the sights and my eyesight so I did this.

Used a Millet base to replace the rear sight leaf. Added a Red dot Sight. There's no magnification but I have a much better sight picture. My groups at 50 yards went from 6 to 8 inches to one and a half plus. Not even close to my other rifles but it has possiblilites.

I don't think the SKS is known as an "accurate" rifle. I did remove to bayonet from mine as I hope I don't need it. But it's is fun to shot. Hardly no recoil and I think the handloads I was using would probably come very close to factory 30/30. 29 grains of Reloader 7 pushing a Hornady (.310) 123 grain softpoint at 2490 fps.



This mount still is not as stable as a tapped scope mount would be but it seems to work as long as you realize it's no long range rifle.



To mount a scope on a SKS, the best way is to get the side mounts which would require a drill and tap operation. But I'm not sure where it mounts as the SKS seems to eject the fired round up (but never in the same place) and might hit a scope.



There is another way. There is a scope mount attached to the reciever cover but I think each time you disassembled the rifle for cleaning you would have to readjust the scope. Plus there is some play in the mount. I heard of one way is to put a couple of set screws thru the cover.



By the way, my SKS is of Romanian origin.

Thanks Bill, appreciate all the good stuff. I was just browsing through Gunbroker and find a device for deflecting your brass so it "doesn't go every where". Might be the answer for your problem. Was ~ 8.00. If you like I can find it again and send you the address. From what I can gather most SKS's are about the same. Looks like ~ 200.00 shipped should get me a pretty nice one. If you think of anything jot me a note. Thanks, Phil PS I would remove the bayonet!!!

Yes, I would appreciate info on the brass catcher.



I think down here they're going for 150 or less. So considering shipping and FFL cost, that's probably OK.



There is a question of the receivers, stamped or milled?



Plus this. The main difference between other SKS rifles and the Yugoslav versions is that the bores of the Yugo versions were not chrome plated





Here's a SKS Info site

Surprisingly the SKS can be relatively accurate at shorter ranges where the cartridge is more optimal. If you can get one of the newish Yugo's with rifleing so sharp you might cut your eyeballs on it (wear safety glasses) they can be pretty good. As such I would classify that as being 1 1/4" groups (10 shots) at 100 yds with factory ammo with issue sights, which is about as good as my Springfields can do at that range (issue sights).

A couple of things were interesting about this, single loading of each round, bayonette extended (folded it disrupts the harmonics on the bench) and ammo of it's choice (Barnaul in this case).

Generally such groups fell apart at 300 yds or so, but could still be lethal. A fun, handy rifle worth experimenting with!

I've got a Yugo SKS and it is a fun shooter. I've ordered the Millet mount and have already replaced the stock with a Butler Creek one. Hated the original. The next step is to shorten the barrel to right behind the front sight and recrown it. It will still be over 17" long and with no rear sight and no plans to launch any grenades, not much point in keeping it. That should also make it a much handier package.

Don't know about the Yugos but I drove out the cross pins and tapped the entire front sight/bayonet assembly off of my Chinese SKS. Then I sawed the bayo part off and reinstalled the section with the front post. later I removed it, too and went optical. The slick barrel looked good and removing the weight from the front helped handling a bunch.