New Yugo SKS owner - No, not a gas valve question, but help needed!?

Question

Hey gang - I am the proud owner of a new (for me) Yugo SKS with a production year of 78'. I have not previously owned an SKS but am efficient in other firearms. This Yugo is incredible, best shape I have seen out of months of research online and local gun shops. It was spotless when I completely disassembled it, including the firing pin etc. has all matching serial #'s, bright shiny barrel, and yes, even good rifling - this thing is a winner! I am thrilled!

Question - Had it out to the range yesterday, 200+ rounds of Wolf, and had a blast! Lot of fun! Now here is my problem...I have always been a "iron-sights" guy, meaning I am not a big optics fan and am very confident with traditional iron sights. That said - the sights on this Yugo seem really "narrow". What I mean is the standard, adjustable open, partridge rear sights...the "gap" seems so narrow that I found it really hard to properly focus when getting out to 100 (and even 50 truth be told) yards. My vision couldn't focus as it all seemed so "tight" if you know what I mean.

Hoping other owners have noticed this? Is this an issue for you? What solutions are avail or do you recommend? Is this something I just need to get used to? And finally....what about Mojo peep sights as an option? (Hate to change anything though as I love that this is completely original.....

Thanks in advance for any feedback gang - it is appreciated!

Answer 1

I only have 2 suggestions, as it seems you pretty much have your act together I think you'd be capable of using a small square file on the rear sight to open it up a little wider. I have done this on several sights and if you take your time and only file a little bit at a time, you can get the sight exactly how you want it. Refinish the filed steel with either a sharpie for a quick fix, or a tube of brownells blue touch up.



Second suggestion, if you have ever used a Mojo and like them, by all mean get one, I had one on two rifles I have since sold, but they really do what they're supposed to do. Both rifles held zero once I dialed in the Mojo. Since it seems you really do have your act together I.m certain you could install it yourself.



Congrats on the SKS, it sounds like you have a real shooter there.

Answer 2

I'm also an iron sights/offhand shooter & SKS owner. I wanted to confirm your feelings about the stock (rear) leaf sight, it is absurdly narrow. You have some good suggestions here for possible mods, but as someone already said, do keep the original parts.



I never modified my SKS. I studied my groups and I identified certain tendencies, and manually adjusted my POA based on what I was seeing through the rear sight. After a point though, my eyes just get tired and I'm simply wasting ammo. 200 rounds through iron sights would be a pretty good eye workout for me. 2-3 boxes is about all I can do without going completely 'blurry'.

Answer 3

I have a Yugo AK and noticed the same thing when I fire enough rounds. The problem is two-fold... One, the sights are tiny. Two, Wolf ammo is very dirty and creates a good deal of smoke when you fire, making iron sights even harder to see.



What I ended up doing is switching to Bear Ammo, which is slightly cleaner and switched to an aperture sight, which was much easier to see. I actually got this exact one...

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/SKS560-31.html

Just a quick review on them... You WILL probably need to modify the sight to fit your Yugo, but it's very easy with 2 minutes and a dremel. Also, a bit of loctite will keep it sighted in best.

Answer 4

Two solutions come to mind. The first is blue Oval Bastard's method of opening up the notch a bit with a jeweler's file. Be very careful not to make the notch any deeper while you're filing, just WIDER. Widening it will make it easier to find your front sight, but will also give you more margin for error on windage. Nothing is free in firearms.



The second is an aperture rear sight. If you're used to the M16 you won't have any trouble getting used to these. They're the fastest battle sights made. MidwayUSA carries a pretty good one, here's their part number: Williams WSKS-Aperture Sight Aluminum BlackProduct #: 458953



The only problem with aperture sights is getting used to them if you've never used them before. Once you're used to them, they're great.

Answer 5

They take some getting used to. If you decide to use mojo peep sights get a second bolt cover so you dont have to screw up your matching cover.

Answer 6

http://www.tech-sights.com/sks.htm



IF you like peep sights the Tech sights seem like a good idea. for 45 or 60 bucks depending on the set up, you can get a decent peep sight.

Answer 7

Iron sights vary depending on the maker.

You can get used to them.

IF you decide to change the sights, SAVE the original sights. THAT way you can have it reinstalled later if you want to return it to "original" condition.