r/canadaguns • u/Western_Wish4280 • Jul 05 '26
Buy recommendations To buy or not to buy an SKS
Hi all,
I got my PAL and am saving to get the tikka t3x this fall in 308win.
I have been eyeing a soviet SKS that my neighbour(fishing buddy) has and wants to sell it.
Growing up i had loads of native friends and almost all of their families had an sks or multiple ones. Its a beauty. Now as im in the maritimes far away from home, i felt oddly nostalgic after hearing about him willing to sell it off and take a break from hunting and guns in general.
I am also well aware that many people are saying its gonna get banned and i cant use it in the future. Im not a collection kinda guy, i strongly believe in "if i cant shoot my gun why bother stashing it away" but that doesnt mean im a one gun guy or wont buy a shitload of different types in the future.
I hope i was able to express what i feel and no offense to anyone who loves collecting guns, heck im down for collecting too but i gotta be able to use them end of the day.
I already hate the gun laws of my country and every year they try to disarm us more and more.
TLDR: would it be wise to buy an SKS and what are the chances of it getting banned in the near future?
Thanks for your Patience in reading this long body of text, please advise me on it.
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u/Bulky_Load5312 Jul 06 '26
Do it. You never realize how much you want something until you can't have it.
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u/Cope180-Enjoyer Jul 06 '26
Who cares if it gets banned. Liberal gun laws don't make sense and are not enforcable on NR FRs.
SLAP THE BUY NOW BUTTON. 🫳
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u/Xaxxus Jul 06 '26
Even my super liberal friends think the gun laws here are stupid and could see bill blairs lies after the OIC. Sadly that’s not enough to not vote liberal for them.
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u/conanap Jul 12 '26
I doubt gun bans are high on the list of voter issues (except for poly I guess), and it isn’t even for me and I’m a gun owner
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u/GinnAdvent Jul 06 '26
SKS is probably one of the affordable semi auto in Canada now.
The ammo is plentiful, it's very durable, and it's great for many different purposes, and it has its own history behind it.
I see it as like an indispensable tool such as first aid kit.
If things goes south, I can use it to hunt for food.
If things goes south, I can use it to defend myself.
It could be used as a drying rack too, and whatever you can think of.
Given that 2500 semi autos are all prohibited in Canada and you aren't going to spend 2.5k plus for a M1 Garand or some rare semi auto that Poly hasnt ban hammerd yet. I would say the choice is even more obvious.
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u/Content_Sky_2676 Jul 06 '26
Buy it. Odds are good that grandfathering will happen if the whole thing doesn't outright collapse, and once that's announced the market will instantly explode or be frozen. Either way, you can always buy the tikka later.
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u/Ok-Bowler-203 Jul 06 '26
You should buy it because they want to ban it.
The doubt they are putting into people’s minds is exactly what they want. And the very reason I got mine last year.
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u/thefreezy96 Jul 06 '26
Buy it, and then grab a case of norinco red box. Shoot it as much as you can and don't worry about a possible ban. It's been in debate/discussion for like 6 years. Just enjoy the rifle and the nostalgia it'll give you. I don't think you'll regret it.
For what it's worth- I've never met anyone that felt they shouldn't have bought an SKS. +All the sks owners I know own at least 2 of them haha
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u/rearg1 Jul 06 '26
Buy it dude. I bought one for 900$. No regrets. Cheapest center fire money can buy and they want to ban it so FOMO!
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u/Response-Cheap Jul 06 '26
Yep, buy. I bought one and I've only shot it once. Like one round. I love it, and plan to shoot it a lot more in the future, but I don't like shooting it on my property because of its effective range and because it's louder than my .22s, so it's more of a "when I start going to a range, or when I finally buy a deer tag" type gun. But I'm glad I bought it, and the price will only continue to climb unless they abolish the OICs. Put one in your safe before they're hard to get.
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u/scottsuplol Jul 06 '26
I love my sks, take it with me every time I go shooting just to squeeze a few rounds off just in case it’s my last time shooting it. But it sucks to clean and honestly not my favourite gun to shoot. It’s clunky and I suck with it, I’ll stick with a .22 any day. I think if it’s something you want go for it but also realize that it’s day may come. If you want to hit the range a lot I think you’re better off with a .22
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u/Conscious_Bid_8762 Jul 06 '26
I’ll take it !!! I would go for it why? Not I have the tikka and it’s sweet… but they will always be available
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u/QuietInitial3363 Jul 06 '26
I recently got my pal too, and got a sks. I’ve shot a few guns in my time and I can say I really enjoy my sks. For the price, I don’t think you can go wrong. There’s something about shooting an older rifle that just seems satisfying
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u/ArisakaType99_ Jul 07 '26
I say buy one! I remember when they were like $200 lol. Honestly how likely are they to get banned, and how would they even go about collecting them? Isn’t there more Sks rifles in Canada than people in this country?
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u/floppy_breasteses Jul 07 '26
Buy it if you can. This gun ban isn't going anywhere and no one will even know you have it anyway.
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u/Iokua_CDN Jul 07 '26
My advice? Get one.
I think it's a classic. Sure it's not the BEST gun out there, but it's cool, has cheap ammo, classic look, fun to load with stripper clips.
Like do you need 2 of them? Debatable. But you at least need to own one.
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u/KorporalKarnage Jul 08 '26
Here I thought every gun owner in Canada has one.
I find it odd he's asking here since we're biased towards saying "yes" to every impulse buy, but here we are...
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u/Aspenkarius Jul 06 '26
Honestly the SKS is the reason the NDP squashed the last liberal semi auto ban list. Too many First Nations people use them for hunting and they raised a stink over it getting banned.
It may make the list eventually but I don’t think it will be soon. Especially if the gov is actually consulting with the rcmp on a ban list. Most rcmp are against bans as it doesn’t make their lives any easier.
I do enjoy my SKS although it’s a pain to clean after shooting surplus ammo