Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Create Account now to join.
  • Login:

Welcome to the NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.

Terminator Darkness


User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 35
Like Tree14Likes

Thread: History of SKS/SKK rifles in NZ?

  1. #1
    Member Ben Waimata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    1,653

    History of SKS/SKK rifles in NZ?

    I'm curious about SKS/SKK rifles in NZ, when did they first come in? How many are there? I was reading about 300,000 of these rifles going into Australia from the 1980's on (and about 20,000 being handed in during the 1996 semi-ban buy back!). Did NZ import in anywhere near these quantities?

    Also, are SKS still being manufactured, or are the 'new' SKS rifles being sold now ex-military or stored rifles?

    Is there any reason why the SKS rifles with AK magazines are called 'SKK' in NZ and Australia, but not anywhere else?

    Are non-Chinese SKS rifles common in NZ?

    None of this is important, just idle curiosity. I don't know where to look to find this information.

  2. #2
    Member Micky Duck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Geraldine
    Posts
    22,365
    trademe will answer one question..eg whats about now.....I remember them popping up for sale in late 80s early 90s as a cheap tool type offering for on the farm. prices seem to stay about the same...they were all the rage for a time then guys seemed to realise they were no better off than with the old bolt action sitting in the cupboard and if deer was 200 yards away.....well the bolt wins hands down.

  3. #3
    Member jim160's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    2,946
    I was told that they stopped making the SKS and the NHM90s as there are so many of them in circulation all ready.

  4. #4
    Member Max Headroom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Southland
    Posts
    4,124
    I've never seen or heard of a non Chinese SKS in NZ. Not to say they don't exist.

  5. #5
    Member jim160's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    2,946
    Quote Originally Posted by Max Headroom View Post
    I've never seen or heard of a non Chinese SKS in NZ. Not to say they don't exist.
    There are a few Russian ones here. Not common and most people keep them once they have them.

  6. #6
    Member norsk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Norway
    Posts
    2,351
    I suppose the first ones might have come in as War Trophies from Korea and Vietnam.
    "Sixty percent of the time,it works every time"

  7. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Central Otago
    Posts
    2,216
    The first SKS I had on my books was an ex-Vietnam trophy, Russian-made, and I bought it off a US Navy Deep Freeze guy on 15 March 1976. His NZ registration certificate was issued on 26 May 1972.

  8. #8
    Village Idjit Barefoot's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Bunji's Bach
    Posts
    3,896
    Chinese ones started coming into the country big time in the mid 1980's. You were able to by them by the crate if you were so inclined. Really it was the golden time if you wanted to get something along those lines, I remember getting offered a couple of UZi's which I foolishly declined. So basically there were thousands imported, lord knows what happened to them all, most would be considered Ecat now.
    The Biggest Room is the Room for Improvement

  9. #9
    Member Beavis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Taupo
    Posts
    4,833
    Molot make new SKS rifles to a commercial standard of quality. We will probably never see them due to the embargoes against Russia. I do remember Norinco SKS's creeping up in asking price in the early 2000's to silly money. Gun City then started importing them again circa 2008, for $500, and I snapped one up then as it was the cheapest I had seen them in almost a decade. It was a great rifle to me, shot a deer and countless rabbits with it. Used to be able to by Barnaul soft points from the local hunting a fisting for $12/20 rounds back then which made it cheap shooting for a centre fire.

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    379
    Quote Originally Posted by jim160 View Post
    There are a few Russian ones here. Not common and most people keep them once they have them.
    I was one on Trademe about six months ago. Went for $700. They are rare.

  11. #11
    Member 300CALMAN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    NZISTAN
    Posts
    5,215
    I had an early Chinese import which had military markings ie not norinco it was a great little rifle. The Russian ones were very nice, some seemed to have laminated stocks. I have seen some rough looking made on the cheap Chinese ones terrible finish, no idea how they shot...

  12. #12
    Member Marty Henry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Tararua
    Posts
    6,632
    Russia shipped tooling and engineers to china when the started making them, so the early ones to all intents could be considered russian made.
    Ive owned several chinese ones (type 56) named after the year they started mnf. All have shot as well as the open sights have allowed me to.

  13. #13
    Member viper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Rabbitvegas
    Posts
    2,592
    Quote Originally Posted by Marty Henry View Post
    Russia shipped tooling and engineers to china when the started making them, so the early ones to all intents could be considered russian made.
    Ive owned several chinese ones (type 56) named after the year they started mnf. All have shot as well as the open sights have allowed me to.
    Yep spot on, I have had an early one as well that was most likely produced while the Russian engineers were in China helping set up.
    There are some pretty informative sites out there on date and location of production but it's not all that easy to decipher some of the stampings.

    Mine shot well and for what it was it was pretty accurate. I like the engineering, clever, simple, robust and they work.
    Steve123 likes this.

  14. #14
    Member Steve123's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Rotorua
    Posts
    3,770
    The only thing collectible thing about the Chinese ones is once you buy one your stuck with it , took me about a year to get rid of it. Shoots ok but the stocks are way short and unless you drill and tap the receiver your not going to get a good scope mount that holds zero. One thing to watch for is if the barrels screwed on (good) or pinned(not so good).
    I've still got one in the grease and kept the 2" butt extension but can't see me hauling it out from the back of the safe anytime soon.

  15. #15
    Member Ben Waimata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    1,653
    Thanks for all the replies. My interest in them is for controlling goats in the bush, and hares out beyond maximum easy 22LR range. Low cost rifle and ammo always helps too.

    Are the Russian rifles much different (better) than the Chinese?

    So anyone know much about the SKK versions? It seems these are the same things the Americans call SKS-D. How many came into NZ, and how popular were they? Was it only a short introduction period? From what I read it seems the Chinese did not manufacture them for very long, makes me wonder why. I've seen one youtube video of an American guy who could not get one to cycle properly, but any youtube video search always shows the Aussie guys culling feral pigs, I haven't watched much of these but Steve Lee seems to have an SKS (SKK) which functions perfectly.

 

 

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Welcome to NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums! We see you're new here, or arn't logged in. Create an account, and Login for full access including our FREE BUY and SELL section Register NOW!!