SKS on the range

So since our health care system was just taken over by the government today, I felt that it would be appropriate to take a Communist made rifle out shooting today.

Behold, the Chinese SKS.I bought this little gem back in the 1990's when they first came onto the market. Back then, they were abundant but no one wanted them and I got this one for--are you ready? $64.95 shipped to my door. (I had an FFL back then.)

It was my first SKS and a rifle that I carried afield on a few camping trips before upgrading to lighter rifles such as the M1 carbine or the AR-15.

This one hasn't been fired since Bill Clinton was President; it has simply sat quietly in a gun locker or a display rack while other rifles have had all of the fun. But today, I took it out for the first time in a long time and I was pleased to see that once I made a few minor adjustments to the front sight, it would fairly consistently hold a 4" circle from sandbags at 100M and keep all but one fired on a paper plate at 200M. (And to be fair, the flyer was my fault.)

I put a fair number of rounds rounds through it before another shooter with his bench-rest rifle showed up and made me want to quit for the day, and I have to say that it brought back memories of a couple of camping trips years ago. It felt good against my shoulder, and my only complaint is that I need to learn to keep my fingers away from the forward stock metal and barrel once the rifle starts to heat up.

The SKS isn't going to be my first choice of rifle to grab if and when Obama and Company push this country over the edge, but it's good to know that it's there as a back-up or as a loaner for friends in need, and in the meantime, it's a fun plinker that shoots ammunition that's still relatively cheap and readily available.