The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

In my gun locker is Veronika, my lovely little Yugo SKS 59/66A1, sits surrounded by big Mosins. Veronika is not as collectable as others. Not as old as Mosins, or her Russian SKS sisters. Not as scary as an AK, or as tacticool as an AR. But what she is makes her special. She, is my first. The first rifle I bought. I hadn't really owned guns, loved them, but my friends were mostly single with plenty of cash and some land so I just went with them and shot their guns, and shot their ammo. Then a few years ago, someone tried to get into our house at 11:30 PM. Decided to buy a shotgun. Well, that was the gateway gun. Decided I needed a rifle, and bing in MD, AKs and ARs are regulated, so I decided to get something simple. A new, unissued Yugo SKS, covered in about 50 gallons of communist earwax. After some cleaning, Veronika, although still a bit greasy, looked good, shot great. I have since bought and sold many guns, but this is the one I'll probably die being burried with. And every girl needs accessories, so she got the cleaning kit, pouches, clips, M67 ammo to eat, and a cute little M57 Tokarev to pal with.

Nice Yugo

I remember that grease all right Nice SKS

Wow! Very nice!

bet you cant have just one:)

You need another one, so the poor girl has a new brother or sister. Yugo origin of course. That way they are related.

Super nice. My first was a Tula, but recently got a Yugo and although at first I was unsure about that grenade launcher end, that feeling went away after the first clip was fired. They shoot great, feel great, point great, and look great. Mine is worn at least 50% on the finish but has a nice bore and rifling, and my Russian is refurbed with the painted bolt. That means there is at least 2 more in my future if all goes as planned. A unissued looking Yugo and a non-refurbed Russian. Well then there are the Albanian models which I consider to be the most collectible of all SKS's. And something about that AK style bolt handle that looks so cool on the Albanian. Well I might as well not forget the Chinese SKS. What was I thinking? :-)

there is no end to it once you set down the road to collecting.

howiebearse wrote:bet you cant have just one:)

LOL, I know, but isn't that the case with all rifle series? I "had" a 1954r Russian that was bubba'd that I got from a gun shop shortly after I got the Yugo. But we had some medical bills and I ended up keeping the Yugo since it was my first and unissued, selling the Russian since it commanded more money as well. The Russian had been used pretty well. The Yugo also seemed more accurate. Don't know if it was the longer barrel, wooden stock, or just the Russian had been run hard and put away wet. I was hoping to UnTapco the Russian, but a friend thought it was pretty AK like and bought it.

Right now Veronika is naked. Took her stock off, and it's in the attic. I'm trying to bleed more cosmo out of the wood. After shooting a while it just seeps out and gets my hands all greasy. Normally that's okay, but I have some other guns I don't want to grease up. I think I'll try to get as much as I can out, then gently sand and rub some tung oil into the stock.

I also like the Yugo because it has some neat features like night sights and grenade launcher. Not very practical, but pretty neat none the less. I eventually would like a Chinese Paratrooper SKS, and maybe a 20rd red star box mag.

What is that thing in the reciever in the first pic?

A Star Trek phaser ?

Junk Yard Dog wrote:A Star Trek phaser ?

do you run around the junk yard at night grabbing wheel weights? i am retired and you spend more on here giving good answers to any question.

Nice SKS try putting two in the box and watch them multiply. I wonder what happens if you leave a bullet under your pillow for the ammo fairy. :DJGC

howiebearse wrote:bet you cant have just one:)

Oh that's funny coming from you Howie. You would know of all people. ;)

kermit wrote:

Junk Yard Dog wrote:A Star Trek phaser ?

do you run around the junk yard at night grabbing wheel weights? i am retired and you spend more on here giving good answers to any question.

No, unfortunately most wheels have that zinc crap on them, useless, I take the lead the customers bring in for scrap, I have several thousand pounds of wheelweights, possibly more.

Lead wheel weights around my shop is a thing of the past, except a few stragglers. Like Jim said, they are Zinc and mant times steel.

bunkysdad wrote:Lead wheel weights around my shop is a thing of the past, except a few stragglers. Like Jim said, they are Zinc and mant times steel.

When I started in the repair business I was a tire changer at age 16 and we used to save the wheel weights in disgarded wagon wheel boxes. Remember the white spoke wagon wheels they sold for $99 for a set of four? They were a cheap way to set off your pick-up or 4x4 with a new set set of Gumbo Monster Mudders. The manager of the store would let us save the wheel weights and we'd have a BBQ with the money. I remember loading 1600lbs of them into my 69 Impala convertable. The trunk, all the seats except the drivers seat and floor boards were full. We got about $300 if I remember correctly. I lived in Maryland on Gibson Island by the bay and we bought a keg and a few bushels of crabs and some meat for the grill. Had a blast.

Junk Yard Dog wrote:A Star Trek phaser ?

Yeah, a phaser. Just a sort comical picture. I don't always take my firearms too seriously, they're always playing jokes on me, like missing a part here, missing a part there.

and sometimes thet just plain vanish for a few years at a time