I would have never guessed it... but... SKS outshoots 10-22

[Magnum Wheel Man]

well it was a long hard day, & I was tired last night... there was a strong cross wind, & the sun setting behind my target stand... but I really wanted to shoot the old SKS I'd been working on... so I cracked open that 10-12 year old russian hollow point tin that I'd been saving ( wow... english printed on the boxes... "assemble to hunting standards"  )... loaded a couple of stripper clips, grabbed the rifle, sight adjusting tools, a target, duct tape, & shooting pad... & trudged on over to the shooting range...

I guess I could have gotten better results shooting off the bench, but wanted to use some of the skills I learned at the Appleseed shoot I attended a few weeks ago, so prone using a sling, & at 25 meters I set up to shoot the SKS...

... I struggled a bit getting the 2nd stripper clip into the 20 round fixed box on the rifle, but they went in there, & now 20 rounds were loaded... I also found out I'll need to tweak the lips a bit, as the left side would not tip up the cartridges to feed into the chamber... the right side fed perfectly, but 8 out of 10 of the left side feeders needed some help...

1st 3 rounds went on the paper anyway ( I've replaced both the front & rear sights )... 8" low, & 4" to the left, but a 1" - 3 shot group, was what the 1st 3 shots through the rifle ( since all the work ) produced... a front sight adjustment, & the next 3 shots produced another 1" group, about 1.5" higher... several more adjustments of the front sight elevation, gave me 3 more 1" groups, & the groups finally rested 4" off the right side of the 1" orange dot on the paper... by now, the sun was setting low enough behind my target, that I was having a little trouble seeing my dot, but after a few windage adjustments, I had the SKS on the dot... over all, nothing much over a 1" - 3 shot group... my 10-22 that is pretty deciently set up for an Appleseed with the same sling, & very similar sights, & was only giving me 1.5" or so groups, from the same distance & shooting position...so I was very happy with the 1st range trip with the SKS...

BTW... both guns still have stock triggers... & the 10-22's trigger is typical, & I'll probably have to do some work on it... the SKS trigger is suprisingly smooth, but seems like I have to pull it clear to Iowa, before the sear breaks... but with the groups I was able to shoot with it... I think I can live with the l o n g travel...

...if I get the feed lips adjusted enough to get 100% reliability, also the front sight is not pinned yet, ( to allow some adjustment if I needed ) & since I had to adjust the rear Tech Sight pretty far past center, I might tweak the front sight, before I pin it, so I can better center the rear sight... after it's pinned, I can smooth over the cleaning rod tabs, & reblacken the smoothed down parts... then this will be the best < $200.00 I've ever spent...


how the SKS looks now... ( this pic taken before I added the front sling stud to the stock, & the US military sling )... I'm hoping to use this at my next Appleseed





the 10-22 the SKS is out shooting right now... ( the one I set up for the June Searsboro Appleseed )




__________________

[Nickle]

The biggest flaw the SKS has is the rear sight, and the Tech Sight fixes that.

Fred himself has shot Rifleman scores with an SKS. So, it CAN be done, and actually, given a good rear sight and good ammo, the SKS is a pretty good rifle overall.

Wait until you see what quality reloads do for it.

[Old Dog]

Sounds like the 10/22 has some issues.  Either that or the ammo isn't quite right for that rifle.  Have you tried different types of ammo?  My 10/22, with stock barrel and trigger and stock with Remington Golden Bullets is around 5/8" for groups at 25 meters. 

The 10/22's will do better than 1.5".

[Magnum Wheel Man]

the key here... was   Me  shooting it... off the bench, & with a scope, the 10-22 was plenty accurate enough "before"... but from the positions required to qualify at an Applesseed, & with "me" shooting it... well pretty dismal 

I'm suprised I shot the SKS as well as I did...

BTW... the barrel was trimmed 1.5" , ( the rifle started out as a long barrel $89.00 Chinese SKS... did I just give away how long I've had that rifle    & the bayonette & lug removed, the barrel recrowned ( I wanted to smooth out the looks of the end of the rifle )... judgeing from the groups I was able to shoot, I'd say my buddy did a good job crowning the barrel...

[didactic]

Before you blame yourself totally  ...

Check that the sights and stock screw are tight on that 10/22.  Check for muzzle crown damage.  Try a different brand of ammo.

A 10/22 ought to group better than 6 MOA.  Given that, the most common cause of poor grouping is still a loose nut behind the butt plate.  I've been there, myself, too many times.  

The answer is in the Six Steps.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

Stock screw & sights were tight...

BTW... the 10-22 had been in the vault for several years, & last I shot it, was with several year ago manufactured Federal bulk pack, which gave me pretty accptable results... I had just bought 2 boxes of new Federal bulk pack before Searsboro, when I was setting the rifle up, & for use at the shoot...

I may try comparing it to some non "bulk pack" ammo, just to see if I can tighten things up with the ammo... ( I need all the help I can get...  )

[Magnum Wheel Man]

BTW #2... the stock is an old Faigen lami thumbhole, inletted for a bull barrel... I did notice there is "some" movement of the barreled action within the stock, so I could use some glass around the action... not sure how much "real world" difference that will make or not

as long as I'm trying to improve the 10-22 to keep up with the old SKS  ... I had always intended to put a bull barrel on the rifle, & may still do that... curious on your guys thoughts to glass bedding the barrel... I've heard that because of the attachment method for the barrel on the 10-22, that the rifle is more accurate with the barrel bedded rather than free floated ( which is how it is now, with the stock barrel laying into a bull barrel channel )

your thoughts there

[didactic]

Lotta debate on the free floating/bedded barrel question.  Check out the "LTR" thread.  Every rifle is an individual, even more so for .22's.  Check that the two screws holding the barrel into the receiver are snug, but not over-tight.  It's scary-easy to strip the threads out of that aluminum alloy receiver by overtightening the steel barrel mounting screws.

You can try putting several business cards or layers of paper under the barrel, so it puts a little upward pressure on the barrel when the stock screw is snugged up, and see if that makes any difference.  There's always a concern with the forearm putting pressure on the barrel, that differences in sling tension might change the point of impact.  Seems to sometimes, other times not.  ?

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I guess my incination is to bed the action & barrel... but the stock has been on there for years, & the rifle seemed at least tolorably accurate when the scope was mounted ( but then I always shot it off the bench "before" )...  bedding is probably more important with a lighter barrel than with a heavy barrel... the Faigen stock seems pretty ridged, so it would likely support a barrel OK, if it were bedded

BTW... the barrel retaining screws were still "factory tight" I checked them for snugness, but they didn't move at all... anyone know the "torque specs" I have a small torque wrench, & could loosen & retorque the screws, or properly torque them, if / when I change out to a heavy barrel...

[Nickle]

Some movement?

Tighten the action screw (the one that holds the action to the stock).

Bet your groups tighten up after. It won't be the first time I've seen it happen.

[Mark Davis]

If the action screw doesn't improve it. Try the tightening the screws that hold the barell to the action. They have come loose on me before.

[Franktown_Kid]

If the stock screw is tight and the action is still loose in the stock, check to be sure the screw didn't bottom out. Remove a little off the screw's end and it will then hold the stock tight without bottoming out. If it bottoms out and you try to tighten it more, you can strip the threads.

There's a thread about this somewhere on the site.

Action shouldn't move in the stock. You'll be running around in circles if you don't fix that first.

After it's solid, the business card /paper test ref'd above is a quick and dirty way to get an idea of how to proceed. Some bbls like to float, some don't. Only way to tell is to try both ways. Then set it up the way it wants to be.