Paul Saacke

May 30, 2016

I'm really happy with this purchase! I received a 1989, last year of manufacture, SKS 59/66 A1 with brand new leather stripper clip pouch. This rifle was never issued. It was lightly cosmolined, and stock appears to be unfinished. It's got a few smudges from handling and a minor dime sized dent that will steam out if I get the urge, or I may just leave it, it's that insignificant. There is scattered and very minor corrosion from long term storage in some spots. The only obvious one, if you're looking hard, is about the size of 1/4 of a dime on the rear top of the housing cover. No big deal. I'm guessing the storage crates support the gun there and adsorbed some moisture. The enclosed cleaning kit had some external corrosion but is completely useable. The stock ferrules have some scattered rust (tough to see) and a few small light ones (less than 1/8") on the wood-side edge of the trigger group. There is a little bit or rust under the gas tube just under the front of the top stock. The screw heads of the butt plate screws have rust but the integrity of the screws is not affected. The butt plate, trap door assemble is rusty inside (as is the spring at the bottom of the cleaning kit cavity) and although the spring to close the door is functional, it's not enough to close the door when you take your finger out. Generally speaking I mention the corrosion because it's there. I hate rust on a gun, but, I'm quite OK with the minimal amounts and where they're located. Don't look, don't tell as far as I'm concerned. The only one my critical eye caught right away was the one under my nose at the rear of the housing/dust cover. The ferrules and trigger group were mostly found by feel when I was cleaning the cosmoline. The cleaning kit and butt plate screws were obvious (when you stick the butt in your face)



I mentioned the stock is unfinished. It looks like a very straight and close grained piece of birch. It should take a nice finish with just a surface cleanup up of very fine steel wool. Oh, almost forgot, virtually no cosmoline inside the stock. Only a couple of spots which I may have caused upon dissassembly, which wiped right off. This is really OK to finish as you see fit as is. I may use a little acetone and whiting to clean out the internal spots. The outside looks devoid of cosmoline, just some finger smudges.



The bluing is superb and the piston looks like it's chromed, although the Yugoslavian SKSs did not have chrome bores. I wiped down the metal parts with some Kroil and the cosmoline came right off (again, very little, just enough to almost do a perfect anti-rust job. The bolt is almost immobile from the cosmoline, so that, and the bore and internal gas tubes, still need to be done. Not a big deal, strip down is quite easy, no tools necessary, except a bullet or screw driver to push the trigger group release. With that clean up done it's ready to shoot (or just plain admire). Even the internal machining, which you wouldn't see is none cleanly.



The shipping package was open at one end and had been kind of re-taped a little by UPS, but still open so I don't know if a sling was included from my container and fell out or not. No big deal. Absolutely no damage to remaining contents. Thanks Top Gun Supply!