Don't consider myself an SKS fan boy although I've got three. First was a brand new 100 dollar special circa 1992 right out of the crate at a gun show. Commercial Norinco that's had a ton of rounds through it. Never missed a beat. Bought it because of all the stories years ago from returning Vietnam vets about how they just keep working and how some were captured with most of the rifling gone from the barrel from all the rounds put through it. Picked up a Russian SKS in 1995 that was arsenal rebuilt and put in one of the laminated stocks. Has the milled parts vs. stamped and a screw in barrel vs. some of the pinned barrel SKS's. That one sits in the safe still unfired. In 2014 I got a used Chinese SKS at a gun show that had already had all the cosnoline clean up done on it. That one's my "beater" and it hasn't missed a beat yet either. I've never purchased an SKS that needed the cosmoline clean up regimen...... Every one was good to go when I got it but I've seen what has to be done on some of them.
