Dear gunlovers, hunters and shooting enthusiast,

 

Last month I purchased an arsenal refinished SKS model 59/66 A1 from Bruce at Ellis County Military Surplus. The experience was a pleasure and from several e-mails and a phone call, I feel I not only have a very reputable gun dealer, I have a friend in Bruce.

 

Yesterday was the second time I fired the Yugoslavian beauty originally designed by Sergei Simonov. I took three of my closest friends, one of whom is off for two weeks from Ramadi (Army Artillery 2-17th Battalion).

 

We were using stripper clips of ten rounds of 122 grain hollow point Wolf (Russian) ammunition.

We fired exactly 200 rounds total and never once experienced a mis-fire or jamming problem. Both the weapon and ammo performed perfectly.

 

I learned that if you hold the stripper clip full of cartridges a bit forward with the one thumb, while pressing the rounds down and into the magazine with the other thumb, the cartridges glide smoothly down and into proper position for the next volley. It took me a few attempts at loading with the strippers to figure this one out, however once I showed my friends, we all were zipping those rounds into the SKS with great ease. If you "struggle" with the stripper clips, I must say that your technique is the problem. Once I learned to hold the stripper forward while pressing, it was as if a light had come on in a previously dark closet.

 

I have enclosed a photo of my first ten round target from 50 yards and the weapon I bought from Bruce (Ellis County). What I know you guys want to hear is what my friend, Chris Huff, pfc United States Army Artillery thought of it. I asked Chris how many weapon systems he was qualified on and he stopped thought, counted, and said at least 50. He is a bonified weapons expert with more experience than plugging holes in paper targets, if you know what I mean. Well, the man said, "The Yugo SKS is an impressive weapon, the accuracy is better than I expected and the weight is not too heavy. This is a dependable beautiful rifle, every bit as good, if not better than the original Russian."

 

Chris has fired many SKS before and he was shooting beer cans at 100 yards and bumping them around about 2 out of three times. He was not ready to trade in his Colt .223 or anything, but a professional soldier gave the Yugo model 59/66 A1 two thumbs up. Chris goes back to Irag this coming Thursday for another 6 to 8 months until he comes home to New Mexico again. Please keep him in your prayers as I do.

 

Sincerely,

J.R. McKinney