Vz.52 Rifle Vs. Sks

gulfwarsubvet said:

SKS...for the reasons listed above.
But tell him to keep the 30 round mag. (maybe he will knock $5-10 off the price).
First off, it's not legal to transfer any mag over 20 rounds in Md., and second, just about all of the 30 round detachable mags are junk and don't function properly anyway.
Most detachable metal SKS mags are junk, as a general rule.
About the only reliable detachables out there for the SKS, are the Tapco polymer 20 rounders.
Selling it to you, with the original fixed 10 rounder installed, also leaves no doubt that the rifle is unregulated.

The big problem is that 7.62x45 is a surplus ammo only option.
Currently there are no commercial manufacturers making ammo for it.
At one time it was like 5.45x39 AK ammo was a couple years ago...dirt cheap and plentiful, when the rifles were first being imported.
Only a select few had the foresight to stock up and now the rifles are still available, in great condition, and cheap, with ammo being rarer than hens teeth.
.303 British, Italian ammo and now 8mm Mauser are have traveled the same path, but at lest commercial ammo is an option for those.

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Thank you for providing information & your opinion sir thats 11 so now I believe im going to go for the sks

I like the SKS and use 10 rd clips for the SKS - try to get the original attached magazine and try clips

I would not use an SKS for home defense - it will go thru your wall and thru five houses next to you

for home defense - consider a walmart $200 shotgun with double aught

mdjohn said:

I would not use an SKS for home defense - it will go thru your wall and thru five houses next to you

for home defense - consider a walmart $200 shotgun with double aught

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Thanks Uncle Joe! If you can still find it, they do make soft point ammo in 7.62x39. That's a better HD load than mil-surp, steel core stuff.

mdjohn said:

I like the SKS and use 10 rd clips for the SKS - try to get the original attached magazine and try clips

I would not use an SKS for home defense - it will go thru your wall and thru five houses next to you

for home defense - consider a walmart $200 shotgun with double aught

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The shotgun with buckshot isn't any better. You'll just end up with a dozen holes in your walls instead of one.

I think you want to compare the VZ.58 and the SKS in that matter...... But I'd go with the SKS instead of the VZ. 52.

Makarov Kid said:

I think you want to compare the VZ.58 and the SKS in that matter.

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LOL.

As someone who may have recently acquired a 58 that made me chuckle.

mdjohn said:

I like the SKS and use 10 rd clips for the SKS - try to get the original attached magazine and try clips

I would not use an SKS for home defense - it will go thru your wall and thru five houses next to you

for home defense - consider a walmart $200 shotgun with double aught

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Lol im the first house on my block and by the way that assailants can enter none of my neighbors would get hit

Makarov Kid said:

I think you want to compare the VZ.58 and the SKS in that matter...... But I'd go with the SKS instead of the VZ. 52.

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Thanks man thats 11 I think for the sks

What the hell, make it an even dozen for the SKS.

No one is going to recommend the 52 over the SKS, the 52 has only one benefit, it's never likely to appear on anyone's ban list.

As another person remarked, it's a different ball game when you are talking about the Vz.58, that's a much nicer choice than the SKS or AK, IMO. I love my Vz.58's, they are great little shooters.

Markp said:

What the hell, make it an even dozen for the SKS.

No one is going to recommend the 52 over the SKS, the 52 has only one benefit, it's never likely to appear on anyone's ban list.

As another person remarked, it's a different ball game when you are talking about the Vz.58, that's a much nicer choice than the SKS or AK, IMO. I love my Vz.58's, they are great little shooters.

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Lol well you are the even 12 man thanks for your opinion. I'll be posting pics of the rifle when I get it.

Personally I'd take the VZ52 over the SKS. Not to shoot, but as a collectible piece. Few were made compared to the SKS. But then I'm an accumulator, not so much a shooter.

Bryan

I would definitely go with the SKS for the reasons already mentioned. Plus, I just like the SKS...

I know this is an ancient thread and no longer relevant to the original post starter. I would imagine that he already purchased his SKS. But Being the owner of 5 Vz-52 rifles and having gotten rid of my SKS.

I obviously like the Vz-52 hands down. I have also built 3 bolt action hunting rifles for the 7.62 x45 cartridge which I love. It outperforms the 7.62x39 hands down by 200fps. At these low velocities, that is a big difference. I have actually used the Vz for hog hunting and it is fantastic. This is why I built the bolt guns for the cartridge. I sold one and kept two.

The Czechs never also adopted the AK-47 either because of the quality. They instead built their own assault rifle of much higher quality. They designed the Vz-58 which has the same outline as the AK but completely different operation. These also first came out in the 7.62x45 and than later on in the 7.62x39.

The Czechs used a lot of Russian equipment but bought almost nothing from the USSR everything was manufactured in Czechoslovakia with much better quality if it was of soviet design. Otherwise the Czechs designed their own. This was everything from aircraft to armor to firearms to cars, trucks, trains & farm equipment. Much of the higher quality equipment was sold all over the world including being shipped back to the USSR. You must note thar CZ/Brno has always been and still is one of the finest firearms manufacturers in the world. As of late last year they also now own Colt.

I did buy 3 sealed cans of ammunition for the Vz and sold off one of them in bits and pieces. As stated before, there is available a chamber insert to adapt it for the 7.62x39. Because of the added 6mm of free-bore the velocity is considerably increased and the accuracy is slightly diminished with this insert. But the Vz will outshoot the SKS any day of the week using the adapter and 7.62x39 ammo.

The man issue with the factory mil-spec ammo for the Vz is, that it would be illegal in some states. There is a carbide core in the bullets which makes them definitely armor piercing. The ammo is NOT corrosive. It is actually less corrosive than modern Russian made Wolf and Tula ammo. Which is absolute garbage to shoot. It is extremely filthy and fouls everything. I still have about 5k rounds left for my Vz and also make brass ammo for my hunting rifles out of PPU Carcano brass.

I have also reloaded the steel cases from the mil ammo using RWS Berdan primers. I de-prime the cases hydraulically with a punch using automotive antifreeze. System works great and I can reload each case about three times. No problems.

One of mi Vz rifles is converted with the insert and it also shoots very well. Myself, I would not exchange one of my Vz rifles for two SKS rifles. Doing a comparison between the two in quality is like asking if you would rathe be in a T-55 tank vs M-60 or a MiG-29 vs F-18, or a T-80 or M-1 Abrams. I think you get the gist. After all they are either Russian or Chinese made. The Chinese ones are usually better because they come with chrome lined barrels. The Russians have never built anything for quality or longevity, only for pure functionality. The gun, notice I do not use the word "rifle", will send a bullet down range for sure with 99.99% reliability. If you send enough rounds down range, eventually you will hit something.

Gunny

Just my 2 c

Gunny

Hello GunnyK.

Welcome aboard. Please introduce yourself in in the new members section.

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OK I edited the post for paragraph layout and also at the same time updated the info. Many websites do not allow this, to save space. So normally I don't attempt it.

Gunny

Definitely get the SKS. I bought one back in the 90’s when they went for like $150. Great little gun that you will have no problem getting ammo for.

I would think that since he started this post in April of 2013, He would already have one. The irony is that in 2013 ammo for the Vz was still easy to get. I do still have a ton of it and doubt I will ever run out. So today the only issue would be that the ammo for the SKS is much easier to get. So the question, do you get a Ford Maverick instead of a Corvette because the gasoline is less expensive and easier to get for it? That is what it boils down to.

You won't find a more diehard Czech rifle guy than me and I've had a 52/58 for decades but there is no way in a million years the VZ52 is the combat carbine the SKS is. The VZ is more accurate and lots of fun at the range but comparing the two in the role they were designed for, the VZ52 is fragile compared to the SKS. The 52 stock tends to crack, you can almost break the bayonet out of the stock with your hand and parts of the action are weak compared to the tank like build of the SKS. The SKS might not be "sophisticated" but it's as durable as a hammer.

I wont argue that the SKS might be a better "combat carbine" The Vz has definitely seen it's share of combat though in Africa, South America, Middle East and South East Asia. Where, as you say the SKS is the "hammer" the Vz is "sickle". These two rifles were designed for two completely different soldier types. The Russians have always designed their weapons so anyone can use them with no training or respect for them and they still must function. The Czechs however always were on the opposite. You can make the exact same comparison between the M-16 and its variants and the AK-47. However the Vz has always been a very reliable weapon even though the wood might have cracked on it on occasion. Out of all the Vz rifles I own, only one has a small crack in the front stock in the bayonet relief. 95% of the Vz rifles that were brought into the US were in some form of combat use. None of them came from Czechoslovakia directly. Unlike the Vz and CZ pistols which actually did come from Czechoslovakia. I would love to get my hands on an original Scorpion in 7.62x25, which is what my dad carried in the 50s. Actually he first started out with a Vz-23-26 and at the very end of his tour the Scorpion. He actually was on the test trial for the original design in 1959 when it was originally in 7.62x25 before the first production in 7.65x17 came out in 1961. He liked both the weapons but as you say the Vz-23-26 was a hammer and the Scorpion was a fine piece of machinery. But I would take the Vz-52 over the SKS any day of the week. Same as I would take the Vz-58 over the AK. These weapons are just built for two completely different types of soldiers. Since there is no one here that will drag their weapon through the mud in combat on this website and is at worst case scenario going to take his weapon hunting but most likely just to the range. it is a mute point.

Gunny

IMO, The wrist cracks on the VZ52 because they drilled the cleaning rod hole all the way up into it. My 52 had a cracked wrist, so I carefully drilled down through it from the inside and doweled it for strength. Looks like the crack was never there. Much later I went to put the cleaning rods back in the buttstock and couldn't get them all in. Couldn't figure out what was going on and shone a light down in there. Doh, the dowel.

Interesting you state the ammo is not corrosive. I will have to do the nail test. Its so easy to get out of the stock to clean but if I didn't have to do it, I would shoot it a lot more often.