SKS vs. M1 Carbine

[cosermann]

Given the OP parameters:
Defensive, i.e. Katrina situation. Very little need for any shots over 100 yards.
Restricted to ball ammo, so a 30 cal hole is a 30 cal hole.
Thus, I'm thinking no difference in the cartridges for all practical purposes on soft targets.

Therefore, I'd to with the M1 Carbine for handiness and weight reasons.

M1 Carbine about 5.2 pounds.
SKS about 8.5 pounds.

Plus the difference in ammo weight.

My.

 

[Bisley Man]

Maybe this wouldn't matter to most between the M-I car. vs. SKS. The SKS stripper clips hold 10 rds. of .38 Special or .357 Magnum ammo as well as the 7.62x39.

 

[kludge]

I usually never play these games, but since I like both rifles very much I guess I will.

My initial thought is to go with the .30 Carbine... but let's go through the numbers... and I'll use the OP criteria of "defensive" and "Katrina" (disaster area, no cops to be found, roving looters, relocation difficult/impossible)

SKS vs .30 Carbine
Ballistics -- SKS
Ammo portability -- tie*
Ammo availability -- SKS**
Ergonomics -- tie
Handling -- .30 Carbine
Weight -- .30 Carbine
Capability of others in my family to use it -- .30 Carbine
Accuracy -- tie

*.30 Carbine wins on rounds/cubic inch, but SKS stipper clips are cheaper and easier to find than .30 Carbine magazines.

**At retail 7.62x39 is much easier to find than .30 Carbine, but if I had to hunker down (see assumptions above) it only matters what you have on hand.

 

[Glennster]

The M1 Carbine seems to be the Red Headed Step Child of rifles, how would you like to grow up in the shadow of the Garand?
I think the M1 Carbine must be the most under rated rifle ever!

 

[hotfarmboy1]

If I had plenty of ammo for whichever I had, I wouldn't feel underarmed with either. Although the M1 is definitely lighter, and faster reloads with higher capacities, with low recoil and good accuracy. In those sort of distances I'd go with the M1. If I were possibly going to be shooting over 100 yards, out to let's say 200 yards, then it'd be the SKS. I currently have an SKS, but do want an M1 carbine in the future. And as for detachable mags, I do like the Tapco mags for it so far, no FTF or jams with them so far, and they hold open the bolt on the last round well.

 

[Bigswin]

carbines were also given to paratroopers, mortar crews and forward observers. Not just REMFs.

 

[AverageMidwest]

My dad carried an M1 carbine during his tour of such garden spots as New Guinea (his nomination for the the world's all time worst place) and the Phillipines. Said the carbine was light, handy, accurate to about 200 yards but didn't have much knockdown power. His contention was that if you thought of it as a replacement for a pistol, it was great. As a replacement for a rifle, not so much...

 

[wtfd661]

M1 Carbine

 

[SCAR]

I own both and agree both are great guns but if I had to choose one for a SHTF type event I would grab the SKS.

Even though I prefer the SKS for SHTF (I own a Russian and SKS-M) I will not buy anymore because the price has gone up and for a few dollers more I can buy more M1 carbines (I also own 2 Inlands). I just feel the carbines are better built for money.

 

[88E30M50]

I own and like my SKS a whole lot, but depending on the scenario, I'd choose the M1 carbine over the SKS. If I were manning a foxhole at the entrance to our neighborhood in a true SHTF situation, then I'd opt for the SKS. If I needed to keep a rifle with me while doing other sorts of work, then the SKS would get to be a bit cumbersome. I see it kind of like the military saw it. If my primary job is manning the rifle, then the SKS would make sense, but if my primary job was fixing the pump, tilling the garden or maintaining the generator, then a carbine would make more sense.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I would NEVER consider the sks a "carbine" is shoots a RIFLE round out of gun that weights the same as a RIFLE..... the m1 C on the other hand used a pistol cartridge

however provided i have a few mags... i will take a detachable mag system anyday....

just out of curiosity...... you seem to be trying to justify the SKS for a bunch of uses lately..... are you wishing you could have a better gun but cant justify the money? or are you just playing around with your sks alot and realize its a pretty nice gun?

 

[Wabatuckian]

I would NEVER consider the sks a "carbine" is shoots a RIFLE round out of gun that weights the same as a RIFLE..... the m1 C on the other hand used a pistol cartridge

however provided i have a few mags... i will take a detachable mag system anyday....

just out of curiosity...... you seem to be trying to justify the SKS for a bunch of uses lately..... are you wishing you could have a better gun but cant justify the money? or are you just playing around with your sks alot and realize its a pretty nice gun?

Hello,

An SKS is indeed a carbine. It shoots an intermediate cartridge and has a barrel length of 20.5".

Same as an M4 is a carbine.

The M1 Carbine round, so far as I can tell, is not a pistol round, but was developed for use with the M1 Carbine. So I guess it's more of a rifle round as well.

I'm not trying to justify anything - I like the M1 Carbine as well and will have one when I find one at the right price. Here people seem to think around $1,000 is fair. I do not.

I think that, with a few mods, the SKS probably has more going for it - more versatile, and overbuilt, so it's tougher.

I view it as being somewhere between the M1 Carbine and the M1/M1A in power and performance, especially when outfitted with a tangent sight drilled to 1/8".

I bought it because it's what I could afford at the time, and I'm coming to realize I prefer the SKS (in modified form) over most modern battle carbines. I would prefer an M1A with 18" barrel and synthetic stock in .308, but I'm getting awfully close in performance for about half the price with the SKS.

Further than 300 yards, I'd choose an M1 or Remmy 700 with a 'scope.

I just feel the SKS fills a niche in America that has been ignored. In fact, I have read that the Mini-30 was developed because of the importation of the SKS.

Josh <><

 

[huntall50]

I'd say the SKS:
1) Ammo cost
2) Ammo availability
3)Cost of the Weapon
4) Cost of magazines vs. stripper clips
5) I already have the SKS

 

[chraland51]

I currently have both and would want my SKS over my M-1 carbine in most situations if those were my only two choices particularly since the ammo would likely be much more readily accessible in a pinch (SKS, AK, Mini-30 vs only the M-1 carbine and an obscure pistol that fired the same round). I do like my M-1 carbine as a fun gun to shoot, but for me it is also more difficult to field strip and clean than the SKS. Spare parts for the SKS are probably easier to acquire. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Shoots4Fun]

I've never shot the M1 but I love my SKS. It is great to shoot (at even a long distance, 100 yeards+), was relatively cheap to buy, easy to tear down and clean, and there are a fair number of accessories for them (even though I've kept mine stock). I have an extended mag but have had no luck with it so I'm shooting with the fixed magazine. However, I bought some ammo already on stripper clips and it loads as fast as most people changing the extended mags.

I wouldn't trade it and find I like to shoot it every bit or more than my other guns.

My ...

 

[Michiana]

M1 Carbine

Lots of ways to dress up your M1 Carbine too.

 

[Jeremiah]

If the SKS was set up to take real AK mags, then SKS,

if weight is an issue M1 carbine, I don't doubt the ability of either round to put a man down, and recoil/time back on target I like the carbine, or Ar over an AK,

 

[jclark]

SKS
I own two .
I have a boat load of ammo on stripper clips.
A heavy gun means the bayonet/stamped butt is far more effective.
If you can't clean it...so what it will still shoot.

 

[metaldog]

IMHO, as an owner of both weapons, I can see advantages/disadvantages for each. The SKS dressed with a fixed 20 rd. box magazine is quite sufficient for me. However, due to its versatility and much lighter weight, I think I would prefer the M1 carbine over the SKS. Especially since I have a fairly even mix of 15 rd. & 30 rd. magazines for it (26 magazines total).

 

[dontcha]

without the corbon hp's, the .30 carbine rd aint much. With CorBon 150 gr sps, at 2200 fps, the .30AK is a decent deer rd to 100 yds or so, like the 30-30.. If I had to carry it on foot, the 30c might get the nod, but only if I could use the hps. I'd much prefer the SKS when it came to fighting, too, with some of the stripper clips being loaded with steel cored ball ammo, so it could shoot thru car bodies a lot better. The .30AK also has considerably more "reach" than the .30C has, for combat. 250 yds or so, as vs 150 yds, (at best, after you flip up the 'long range' wing of the peep sight.) for the .30 carbine. Since M1A carbines are $1500+, you paid half that for an SKS? wow, man. I gave $100 for mine, 3 years ago.

You don't DRILL a peep sight. Drill bits always leave an egg-shaped hole. For something that needs to be as precise as the aperture in a peep sight, that is unacceptable. you use a REAMER for such work.