Ain't It Cute.....Cowboy's Companion SKS

[1srelluc]

In my travels yesterday I found a Norinco "Cowboy's Companion" SKS.....They were regular SKSs with the "evil features" removed, barrel shortened to 16.50", and a side scope rail was added. I gave $350.00 for it.

Sadly this one had been dropped into one of the god-awful 4# ATI fiberglass stock-sets and had a 20-round duckbill mag stuck in it. Thank goodness in addition to a 30-round duckbill the 10-round OEM mag was included.

This past Summer I had bought a nice stock set/sling at the flea market for $20.00 so I got to work restocking it. All I had to do was relieve the stock for the side mount bracket. I'll sell the mags/stock and that will defray the total cost by about $100.00.

They were sold with and without the scope (a terrible combo BTW) by Navy Arms and others. The scope/mount looks like this.

I had one I bought from Navy Arms in the late 90s, it was a great shooter with the irons. The only difference was mine had a cleaning rod.

 

[Likkmee]

That thar aint no salt rifle. That's a reglar carabiner like me firty firty brush gun are

 

[1srelluc]

That thar aint no salt rifle. That's a reglar carabiner like me firty firty brush gun are

During the Clinton years they gradually had to remove "evil features" like the bayonet and lug.

All the shortened SKSs are "fantasy" rifles, the chi-coms never issued one.

This one started life as a 11 million series Factory 26 rifle so that would have put it as originally made in 1967.

 

[Likkmee]

During the Clinton years they gradually had to remove "evil features" like the bayonet and lug.

All the shortened SKSs are "fantasy" rifles, the chi-coms never issued one.

This one started life as a 11 million series Factory 26 rifle so that would have put it as originally made in 1967.

Ahhh back before registration days......kinda

 

[Flash]

If I had a ranch and needed a truck gun that would be just the right thing.

I had an SKS back in the 90s that took AK mags. I also had an AK that took .223.

I got rid of all my Commie guns a long time ago.

 

[1srelluc]

If I had a ranch and needed a truck gun that would be just the right thing.

I had an SKS back in the 90s that took AK mags. I also had an AK that took .223.

I got rid of all my Commie guns a long time ago.

That would have been a "M"-series rifle. They went through a lot of "neutering" too.

 

[JGalt]

In my travels yesterday I found a Norinco "Cowboy's Companion" SKS.....They were regular SKSs with the "evil features" removed, barrel shortened to 16.50", and a side scope rail was added. I gave $350.00 for it.

View attachment 610573

Sadly this one had been dropped into one of the god-awful 4# ATI fiberglass stock-sets and had a 20-round duckbill mag stuck in it. Thank goodness in addition to a 30-round duckbill the 10-round OEM mag was included.

View attachment 610574

This past Summer I had bought a nice stock set/sling at the flea market for $20.00 so I got to work restocking it. All I had to do was relieve the stock for the side mount bracket. I'll sell the mags/stock and that will defray the total cost by about $100.00.

They were sold with and without the scope (a terrible combo BTW) by Navy Arms and others. The scope/mount looks like this.

I had one I bought from Navy Arms in the late 90s, it was a great shooter with the irons. The only difference was mine had a cleaning rod.

With names like "Farmer's Friend" and "Cowboy's Companion", it almost sounds like they were trying to compete with the Ruger MIni-14 Ranch rifle. That was around the same time period.

 

[1srelluc]

With names like "Farmer's Friend" and "Cowboy's Companion", it almost sounds like they were trying to compete with the Ruger MIni-14 Ranch rifle. That was around the same time period.

I suspect, given the era, that they far out sold Ruger in that department too. Back then Navy Arms had a store-front in Martinsburg, WV and they had two warehouses with them packed to the rafters.

LOL....I suspect they were more accurate too.

 

[JGalt]

I suspect, given the era, that they far out sold Ruger in that department too. Back then Navy Arms had a store-front in Martinsburg, WV and they had two warehouses with them packed to the rafters.

LOL....I suspect they were more accurate too.

I went through 7 SKS's over the years, before I got an AK, the SKS is a pretty decent rifle. Last one I owned had the 公安 markings of the Chinese National Public Security Forces. I had no idea what the characters meant so I took a picture of them and showed the picture to a lady who works in our local Chinese restaurant. Her eyes got real wide when she told me what agency the characters represented.




Public Security.

 

[1srelluc]

I went through 7 SKS's over the years, before I got an AK, the SKS is a pretty decent rifle. Last one I owned had the 公安 markings of the Chinese National Public Security Forces. I had no idea what the characters meant so I took a picture of them and showed the picture to a lady who works in our local Chinese restaurant. Her eyes got real wide when she told me what agency the characters represented.




Public Security.

Runs to check my SKSs......Sigh, nope.

I do have a early Vietnam bring-back M21 which is a "sanitized" blade bayonet Type 56 with no factory markings. The chi-coms sent them to client states for "plausible deniability"....Very rare.

 

[Shawnee_b]

That scope mount looks pretty good, not them crappy ones usually seen that mount to dust cover.

 

[1srelluc]

That scope mount looks pretty good, not them crappy ones usually seen that mount to dust cover.

The only way to properly mount a scope on a SKS is to D&T the side of the receiver. Top cover mounts are just junk.....By and by they will shift on you.

The problem with the chi-com setup was that the steel for the mount's lever system was very soft and you could not get it to tighten down properly so you had constant zero shifts. I finally said to hell with it, removed it, and used the irons.

Of course that was in my formative years, I suspect I could keep it still now by just losing the lever altogether and securing the mount to the base with 10-32 cap screws after T&Ding the base/receiver. The scopes were as tough as nails for what they were.