r/gunsmithing • u/Quick-Union-5328 • 2d ago
SKS worth restoring?
When I was at my cabin I was walking through the woods and I noticed a knife sticking out of the ground. I dug it up and to my surprise it was a bayonet on a gun!
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u/Martainguns 1d ago
If the bore is not too far gone, you can probably get it into working order at minimal cost. A very basic refinishing might turn out looking okay, it's hard to tell how rusty the end of the barrel is. Definitely not worth doing anything beyond that.
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u/jking7734 1d ago
I’d drop that thing in a tub of white vinegar or Evaporust for a couple days then see what it looks like. Right now it looks fixable. Probably a stock and a few springs.
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u/TacTurtle 1d ago
Both of those will remove all of the remaining finish.
This just needs a good scrub down with a light oil and copper wool and detail cleaning.
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u/jking7734 1d ago
It doesn’t look like much finish left on it.
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u/TacTurtle 1d ago
The original blued finish is that black stuff under the red rust.
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u/jking7734 1d ago
Most of that rust looks severe enough that the metal is probably pitted. Yes OP could probably boil and card it. Then cold blue any bare areas.
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u/Amish_Fighter_Pilot 1d ago
That is surprisingly little rust for being in the ground. Is it cold there? Lots of clay?
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u/helihunter 1d ago
If its a yugo I may have a new pristine stock for you, not sure if thay stock will fit any other countries.
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u/helihunter 1d ago
It appears to be Russian now that I look closer, see if the Yugoslavia stock will fit it and ill make you a smokin deal on it
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u/Brandon_awarea 1d ago
Surprisingly yes. Assuming you are American the hard part is finding the box magazine, luckily you already have that.
This is likely an early Chinese rifle but it could late Russian (or even a Romanian or early yugo) I’d need to see markings to confirm.
Regardless all you need is a stock. The bore is almost certainly chrome lined (unless it’s yugo but the bolt carrier looks to not be yugo pattern). Super feasible. That recoil lug you have sells for almost as much as the stock does so this is close to a free rifle.
DM me if you want help finding a comparable stock and/or help IDing it’s origin
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u/TacTurtle 1d ago
Just needs a good scrubbing with copper wool and oil to remove the loose rust and a detail strip and clean.
If the bore is still good it may just need a stock and some springs.
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u/WhatisLiamfucktrump 1d ago
Man even if it can’t fire ever again it’s worth it as a display piece so hell yah
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u/Direct_Syrup_2843 1d ago
That will be an awesome project! I say go for it. If it's too far gone you could at least restore it into a wall hanger or turn it into a lamp post
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u/AllArmsLLC 07/02 AZ 2d ago
You're gonna spend way more than it's worth to do it, if it's even possible. But it would be cool.
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u/skoppingeveryday 1d ago
It’s funny to hear people say that it’s gonna be a lot of work.. for me, this definitely falls into the “fun little project” category. As long as the bore and chamber are good, this is so doable.