I had a Yugo. Got it for free. A guy bought it in a vacuum sealed cosmoline. It looked brand new after he got it all cleaned up and range ready. It was built like a tank like others have mentioned. I went to the range with him and it failed to fire. He threw it in my truck and said I could have it. He paid two hundred for it with all the accessories and ammo.
My initial impression of it was that it was junk. After fiddling with the trigger group and talking with a few SKS experts I got it running good. When switching it out to high cap mags it ran awful and jammed often. Had another fellow guy at the range with one just like it that he tacked out and it also ran like garbage.
If left in stock configuration they run good and are pretty accurate. The 7.62 round is amazingly hard hitting. Neat rifle to collect. I off loaded mine and made a nice bag of money. I am a shooter and if I cant run it hard without issues it has to go on down the road.
If you are into old military stuff and appreciate it for what it is grab one up. DONT pay over two hundred for one!
When switching it out to high cap mags it ran awful and jammed often. Had another fellow guy at the range with one just like it that he tacked out and it also ran like garbage.
I think I paid ,$350 for my wasr and $200 for my sks. I must be getting old
I think I paid right around 150 for my Russian sks well over a decade ago. I was actually thinking of getting rid of it but I guess I'll hold on to it for awhile, didn't realize the price had gone up so much
They are great rifles. I gave $149 for mine in 2003. I wish I had bought a dozen! IMHO, the Zastava SKSs are the best of the lot.