What's wrong with my Yugo SKS barrel?

[Sand Pirate]

Hey guys. I picked up one of the Yugos the other day. Metal is in excellent shape, just a tiny bit of wear on the bluing around the magazine and top cover. But I can't get the barrel clean.

I know these aren't chrome-lined, and that's a first for me. But I've run Shooter's Choice, Hoppes #9, and CLP through this barrel, and it still looks filthy.

Is this normal? Am I using the wrong stuff to clean with, or do I just need more elbow grease?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I hate to sat it but it could be corrosion. Several people have complained about the barrels being really messed up. Try shooting a few rounds and xee if the bullets will scrape the crud out of the barrel.

[1006587]

Used Butch's Bore shine. Cleaned for 3 hours and still never came clean. The machining on the bore is rough so it probably traps a lot of crap. Maybe it will clean up after 300 rounds of South African ammo. The Wolf ammo made the bore even dirtier.

[W.E.G.]

This is the BARREL POLICE!

Put your hands in the air and step away from the cleaning rod!!!

Seriously guys. We are talking about an SKS here. So long as it goes bang reliably, it is doing all that was ever asked of an SKS. Still, if you insist on scrubbing and polishing the bore until it "shines," you won't be doing it any good, and you might wallow out the muzzle area real good. You thought the SKS shot big <u>groups</u> before? Wallow-out that muzzle some, and tell me about your <u>"pattern."</u>

If it aint broke...

[FNfreak]

Try some J-B Non embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. It is a paste that will REMOVE hardened powder fouling, metals (ie.lead and copper) It is best to shoot 10-15 rounds and THEN clean the bore as the HEAT will help soften the fouling. This stuff will NOT harm bores in anyway....I used it on a few old C&R Enfields and the bores polished bright and shiney like a new nickel.
Order it from Brownells part number 083-065-002.
used by may high end professional gunsmiths and barrel manufactures....GOOD STUFF that WORKS!!! ;)

[odin75]

arent these barrels blued? of course that wouldn't explain the roughness of the bore.

['TUDE]

Shoot a few rounds through it warm it up. This will open the pores so to speak. While good and warm, clean it then. Don't get carried away, but just clean it as you would any other just fired rifle.

[Sand Pirate]

I don't have to have a bore that blinds me, I just want to be able to see if it's pitted or not. Hard to tell like it is.

I gather this is not all that uncommon, judging from the responses. I haven't shot it yet (I'm refinishing the stock- now THAT was filthy), but should get to shoot it this weekend, along with the M-14 again!

Thanks for all the responses, and FNfreak I will try that J-B Bore Compound. Sounds like good stuff.

[HelluvaEngineer]

Jeter, I think I have asked you this before, but aluminum cleaning rods will wallow out a hardened steel barrel? I don't get it.

[gunhead]

Originally posted by gary.jeter:
<STRONG>This is the BARREL POLICE!

Put your hands in the air and step away from the cleaning rod!!!
...</STRONG>


Hey Gary, You're a real pi$$er
:) and a funny guy :D

[WJ-Polish Guy]

OK people just stand back and shut up :p

As for you Pirate, buy yourself a box of ammunition, go to the range and shoot your new iron.
That should take care fot dried up cosmo. And most likely you will see mirror barrel after standard cleaning.
If shit is still there, you out of luck as it is corrosion... return to seler or replace ;)

[W.E.G.]

Originally posted by HelluvaEngineer:
<STRONG>Jeter, I think I have asked you this before, but aluminum cleaning rods will wallow out a hardened steel barrel? I don't get it.</STRONG>

[W.E.G.]

Originally posted by HelluvaEngineer:
<STRONG>Jeter, I think I have asked you this before, but aluminum cleaning rods will wallow out a hardened steel barrel? I don't get it.</STRONG>


If you asked me before, I don't recall my reply. But, I'll say this:
I agree you are safer with the aluminum rod if you must clean from the muzzle. But, even an aluminum rod can get crap from the bore and elswhere on it. Harder particles can become imbedded on the soft aluminum. Now your "harmless" aluminum rod aint so harmless anymore.

Understand that I'm the renegade from the old school that used to preach "Two strokes for each shot fired." I say that is bullshit. Don't do it. Excessive cleaning ruins the barrel sooner or later. Although, you may never notice the loss in an SKS, as most SKS are roughly-manufactured bullet-hoses, no more, no less. The loss of one MOA at 50 or 100 yards will likely go unnoticed.

[law4fun]

My Romanian SKS would probably faint if I cleaned her barrel more often than every 400-500 rounds....

['TUDE]

Okay.
Mine (Yugo) was described as above. Dark bore but strong lands.
Shot the sucker today and believe it or not, the bore improved. I now have a little shine in the grooves after cleaning it. There still is a little dark speckling here and there, but not bad. For what I have in it, that's just fine.

[ByronF]

My Pappy's CMP Garand bore looked like crap but shot itself into pretty nice shape. Lands and grooves are very strong and the frosting was even from end to end. We figure the bore must have been inadvertantly parked. Shoots very well but fouls quickly. That doesn't slow down the old man, though. It has improved greatly and continues to do so. Nothing wrong with a frosty bore except for target rifles n'such.

Byron

[xIA]

There was a vendor with a boatload of these at the last Indy 1500. Bores ranged anywhere from sewer-pipes to new.
ALL the Com-Bloc ammo from that period was corrosive.
My best advice, if you want a pristine bore, is to pass the sewer-pipes up.
Not sure on the Yugo cleaning kits, but on most others the cap to the buttstock "capsule" is a handy bore guide...

[OZ]

I think as long as you still have a good tight muzzle (not abused by excessive and improper use of cleaning rod) and some reasonable rifling left , your rifle should shoot well.

I have a BlueSky garand whose barrel is just looks like a sewer pipe. Pitted, frosted, dark, you name it. Very little rifling left, but the muzzle is still very tight. I shot 2-3 CMP Garand match with it, and each time scored 450/500 or higher. I was thinking about putting a better barrel (I have a VAR barrel with TE 2 and excellent muzzle), but looking at how the BlueSky shoots I think I will leave it as it is ....

[usmc326]

Yugoslavia & Turkey were the last to stop using corrosive ammo. Any rifle from either will have a dark barrel; and,stay away from any "non-corrosive"
surplus ammo from them.
Those barrels will suffice through your lifetime. Due to the Yugo's unique barrel there are no replacements, and a custom barrel is cost prohibitive.
Shoot em, and years from now you can always have the original barrel relined(which will effect the collector value).

[WJ-Polish Guy]

Originally posted by usmc326:
<STRONG>Yugoslavia & Turkey were the last to stop using corrosive ammo. Any rifle from either will have a dark barrel; and,stay away from any "non-corrosive"
surplus ammo from them..</STRONG>

Barrel on my Yugo M48A Mauser would blind you USMC....

[usmc326]

Originally posted by WJ-Polish Guy:
<STRONG>

Barrel on my Yugo M48A Mauser would blind you USMC....</STRONG>

I know what you mean, as they are the exception. I haven't seen a bad bore on any M48, even years ago when some really ratty ones were imported.

[Sand Pirate]

Thanks for the help guys. I really believe I could come on this board with a question about one-armed circus midgets and get a wealth of good answers.

And Mr. Jeter, you ARE the man. I have slowly grounded my cleaning rod, and am now proned out on the floor, ready for cuffing.

Wait, that's kinda gay.........

[Asmodeous]

If you've been cleaning your SKS from the muzzle end, put down the cleaning rod and back away from the gun.

I know most of you must know this:

NEVER CLEAN A BARREL FROM THE MUZZLE END!

Unless that's the only way (like a Garand), and the use of a muzzle protector in that case, won't hurt.

With the SKS take the extra 30 seconds and break the gun down so you can clean the barrel from the breech end.

David<