Took the CZ out for a spin yesterday. As usual, it shot less than an inch at 100 yards and I almost achieved my goal of five shots in a cluster that could be covered with a quarter…almost. Most of the time the groups can be covered but I’ll have half a .308 hole poking out from one edge. But someday….
Anyway, the chronograph showed no real difference between the CCI and Fed. Match primers. I finished off the box of MatchKings and , after cleaning, feel that they MK give a bit more copper fouling than the Amax.
Anyway, I think load development isn’t going to provide anything better than what Ive got now so all that’s left is to get better optics and load up about 500 rounds of ammo.
That CZ rifle really is a very very nice rifle for the money.
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While I was at the range, I made sure both SKS were sighted in..putting them dead on at 50 yards gives –1/4” at 100, -2.5 at 150 and –7 at 200…anything past that and youre probably gonna need a lot finer open sights, although you could hit a man-sized target at 300 but you’d have to accommodate a 24” drop…aim for the forehead and hit ‘em in the navel.
Still and all, I very much like the SKS for its role as a cheap, cheap, cheap defensive carbine. SOG is selling ‘good’ condition Yugo’s for $89.95, ‘very good’ for $130 and ‘excellent’ for $150. Theyre starting to dry up so get ‘em now. Yes, theyre C&R eligible.
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While we’re on the subject of 7.62×39, one of my vendors is listing Wolf @ $120/1000…a better price than Ive seen lately at most places. If its in stock at that price it could mean that the supplies are finally starting to increase and that while we may not see it at less than $100/case again, it will still be cheaper than pretty much anything else. My goal is 10k rounds. Why that much? Well, that’s divided amongst two people, four guns, and then halved to keep in two separate locations. Factor all that in and 10k rounds becomes 1,250 rounds per gun..and if that’s all the ammo you have to get you through Katrinaville and its aftermath your gonna start thinking maybe another 10k might have been a good idea…esp. if you have to split it up even further..a few boxes to friends, some for trading purposes, some to kleep in the magazines, some to keep in the vehicle, some to keep in your pack, etc, etc.
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Since I’m going to have a tiny, tiny bit of ‘extra’ money each payday Im accelerating certain purchases. While I have a spreadsheet that runs several hundred rows, theres some things on there that, while I want them, may be worth bumping up in terms of priority and getting ASAP. Im fairly content with supplies of guns & ammo, food, and medical stuff. What I want to move on is fuel, fuel storage, communications and emergency power. Highest priority is fuel, though. Briggs & Stratton has a new gas can out..it appears to be a ‘modern’ civilian version of those Euro gas cans we’ve been seeing at Major Surplus and a few other places. Its on their website but I haven’t found a place that has them yet locally. Might be worth looking into.
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One other thing I was thinking about – why am I keeping money in the bank? Most regular savings accounts offer interest that barely makes it worth the effort. In fact, for myself, I see no reason to keep more than $100 in the bank and that’s there just to let me use my debit card for online purchases. The only reason I can see for keeping my money in the bank is ‘out of sight, out of mind’…but I think my self-discipline is better than that. Also, in a crisis, ATM’s may not work, may limit withdrawls, or otherwise make my money unavailable and one thing you can count on in a disaster is that cash trumps checks and Visa cards every time. Theft isn’t a big concern since I can just keep an envelope full of cash in the gun safe. So, I think that’s what Im going to do. A couple hundred bucks in smaller bills for convenience. Stick it in an envelope, tuck it in a corner in the bottom of the safe, and try to forget its there. Sadly, I did this same policy with some silver and gold coins a few years ago and literally forgot they were there and now I cant find the damn things. (Yeah, its funny. Ha. Ha.)
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I agree with you on stashing money in the safe. I keep a few hundred dollars along with the important papers, pictures, etc., in the fireproof gun safe. I also keep some silver (mostly) and a tiny bit of gold in the safe. I keep an inventory list/bug out list in there, too, but I’ve often wondered if I should add a list of where everything is. I’ve lost some pretty unusual things through the years (2 guns, a crossbow, a case of #10 cans, a 300′ rope)…they usually turn up eventually, although I’d really like to know where that damn crossbow got to.
Keeping some cash on-hand is certainly worthwhile, but you can get 4.5% in a money market account these days (Emigrant Direct). The cash is liquid (unlike a CD, which are around 5.15%/12 month). Beats watching it deplete via inflation.
That gas can filler is one of the POS types they used to require in California. They’re a giant PITA to use. CA now requires a different type, which I haven’t used yet but assume it will be even worse, since CA always trys to up the ante in making life harder for the
slavescitizens.Are those the ones from which the gas sort of trickles out slowly? I have to laugh every time I hear “California-legal gas can.” It sounds so absurd!
The red spout type is the one that’s supposed to be pressed against the container being filled in order to open the valve. It usually doesn’t work, but if you’re clever, you just remove the active parts so you can actually pour gas.
I’m not sure about the trickle – that may be the new type that I haven’t used yet – they have black spouts. I’m still trying to find some non-CA jerry cans, but it’s worse than trying to buy high-capacity magazines around here. Maybe when I’m in Montana I’ll bring a couple home.
CA is definitely a nanny state – with stupid laws passed by a bunch of sorry goats ;p
money
as in cold cash, always be certain to stash away for any rainy day, in any emergency works better than gold or silver. check your local packrat rodent nests as those little thieves steal any shinny stuff. as for me, tend to stick to the basics needed as too much of can “dissapear* for years buried under other junk. recently par down a lot of extra items and wond up with a more effective shop and storage, which may be what you might have to do? Wildflower 06
Hi there – I am an acquaintance of MMike from Baen’s Bar, who turned me onto Oleg’s photography, which led logically to Kitiara’s LJ, which dumped me out here. I read through your comments and ideas on the SKS, and they grabbed my attention. I will still get the whizbang bullet thrower that I have been drooling over, but I have also been looking for a lower cost, highly reliable 300m battle rifle. The Mini14 has shite for accuracy, and a really awful trigger (Stock) and runs $700 ea. I have one of those, and am considering selling it.
I have a handful of higher end firearms, but the notion of picking up a half dozen good condition SKS’s at $90 a throw is becoming attractive. I have seen many adds saying, “This is the last batch, and we mean it this time…”. My question, therefore, is whether or not we are likely to see a shortage or a price increase in these rifles? J&G Sales in Prescott, AZ, is advertising $90 ea., for two or more per purchase. Ammo is looking like $120/1000rds. The object is to set up a squad’s worth of equipment –
Although I am firearms literate, my experience with 7.62×39 is limited to the Chicom AK clones that were issued to me. I have zero experience with the SKS – I am going to ask some GN friends at work if I can try one of theirs. I see lots of spare parts, but they seem to feed the ‘form over function’ desirements.
Quick summary of questions:
SKS Prices – stable?
SKS availability – really decreasing?
SKS trigger jobs – are decent triggers do-able?
Millet sight mounts – worth a shite?
Thanks in advance. If you prefer to address via email, I’m at froghop169 ‘at’ hotmail ‘dot’ com.
Oh, and I just picked up a CZ 452, in 22LR for my boys to shoot, they are almost ready to move beyond an air rifle. I suspect it is a little brother to your .308. Does your rifle’s safety click forward for ‘safe’ and rearwards for ‘fire’?