SKS from JG Sales

[SamGoldstein]

So I ordered an SKS last week from JG and I picked it up this morning from the UPS CC.

Pretty excited to see what I got, so I took it home (yeah, work ytakes a back seat) to unbox it.

JG Sales stated: Don't expect a cleaning rod or matching numbers, lots of cosmoline. However, I did get a cleaning rod, the bolt and receiver match, and yes, there is TONS of cosmoline. The blueing looks good, but the bolt has some minor tarnish, which should not affect functionality. The stock is very good, dark stain, very little damage. Don't see any cracks either. I was unable to determine bore condition until I clean this thing up. A few pics attached.

[SkyHawk]

That bolt should clean up pretty good - a wire wheel on a dremel should make quick work of it.

You're gonna be cleaning cosmoline for daaaaayyss though!!

Post more pics when you get a chance after clean up. Thanks!

[SamGoldstein]

More unboxing pics of the SKS

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by SkyHawk

That bolt should clean up pretty good - a wire wheel on a dremel should make quick work of it.

You're gonna be cleaning cosmoline for daaaaayyss though!!

Post more pics when you get a chance after clean up. Thanks!

I'm really happy so far with the rifle and with JG. I asked for hand select, but they said no. So I guess I got lucky or the guy actually knew of a few good specimens.

That cosmoline is caked on pretty thick, BUT I'm glad of it because it preserved the firearm. I really wanna see the bore, I assume its still a good shooter. I have a buddy that's a Porsche master mechanic, he might let me use his chemical wash for the metal pieces. If not, spray brake cleaner in massive quantities. This week, it'll be over 100 degrees, good time to melt cosmo out of the wood stock too.

If anybody is looking for an SKS, looks like JG is a good bet. They had 25 left when I called last week to order.

[SkyHawk]

When I cleaned my Yugo SKS, I got a plastic tray used for wallpaper. It is a good size for this. Filled it a few inches with mineral spirits, put in all the metal parts, and let it melt away the cosmoline.

You can get them at Lowes/Home Depot etc. Get the biggest one you can if you decide to go this route.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by SkyHawk

When I cleaned my Yugo SKS, I got a plastic tray used for wallpaper. It is a good size for this. Filled it a few inches with mineral spirits, put in all the metal parts, and let it melt away the cosmoline.

You can get them at Lowes/Home Depot etc. Get the biggest one you can if you decide to go this route.

Thanks!

[Red-Osier]

August is a fine month for cleaning an SKS. While cleaning the small parts, put the stock wrapped in news paper in a black trashbag, and let the sun help you draw some cosmo out of the stock.

[guhuna]

Hmm, I'm still trying to find a LGS that will deal with JG so I can get an SKS. None out in the East Bay do.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Originally Posted by SamGoldstein

I was unable to determine bore condition until I clean this thing up. A few pics attached.

Originally Posted by SamGoldstein

I really wanna see the bore, I assume its still a good shooter.

Why don't you just........look at the bore then? 2-3 swabs will give you a very good idea of its general condition.

The good news is that based on the bluing and overall condition of the rifle in the pics, I'd almost guarantee the bore will be spotless. When these things were everywhere 3 years ago, there were broken stocks and external pitting, but the bores were almost always in great shape.

[marksmandowntown]

Originally Posted by Bobby Ricigliano

......based on the bluing and overall condition of the rifle in the pics, I'd almost guarantee the bore will be spotless. When these things were everywhere 3 years ago, there were broken stocks and external pitting, but the bores were almost always in great shape.

Agree with Bobby. Thinking about getting one for old time's sake.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by guhuna

Hmm, I'm still trying to find a LGS that will deal with JG so I can get an SKS. None out in the East Bay do.

I have an 03FFL w/COE. You should get your license. This rifle was sent to my door, absolutely no 01FFL involved. Plus, you don't have to pay tax. Just $19 to self-register.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Bobby Ricigliano

Why don't you just........look at the bore then? 2-3 swabs will give you a very good idea of its general condition.

The good news is that based on the bluing and overall condition of the rifle in the pics, I'd almost guarantee the bore will be spotless. When these things were everywhere 3 years ago, there were broken stocks and external pitting, but the bores were almost always in great shape.

Guess I didn't think of that.

Kidding. I was in a hurry to get to work, so that will wait till I get home today.

[1bulletBarney]

Push a cleaning rod through from the chamber and watch a cosmo snake crawl out of the muzzle...

[MarikinaMan]

Im bringing mine home today!

[Vlad 11]

I would not use brake cleaner . Over kill and nasty

WD40 will safely melt cosmo off like magic. Safe for the stock too, which brake cleaner is not.

Brake cleaner will decimate any remaining finish on a stock

[God Bless America]

OP get a HF heat gun, melt 99% of the Cosmo right off.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Vlad 11

I would not use brake cleaner . Over kill and nasty

WD40 will safely melt cosmo off like magic. Safe for the stock too, which brake cleaner is not.

Brake cleaner will decimate any remaining finish on a stock

That's what the Porsche mechanic said. I'll just soak the metal in mineral spirits.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by God Bless America

OP get a HF heat gun, melt 99% of the Cosmo right off.

Already have one. Way ahead of you!

[Milsurps]

Originally Posted by SkyHawk

When I cleaned my Yugo SKS, I got a plastic tray used for wallpaper. It is a good size for this. Filled it a few inches with mineral spirits, put in all the metal parts, and let it melt away the cosmoline.

You can get them at Lowes/Home Depot etc. Get the biggest one you can if you decide to go this route.

Originally Posted by SamGoldstein

Thanks!

I did the same, MS works great !
Warning the MS will "melt" the plastic tray if left in over night...
Ask me how I know...

[The Shootist]

I tried a few times to buy mineral spirits in socal and I had no luck! Everywhere I went asked if I had a business license that it was not legal for sale to the public....where do you guys pick it up from? Just curious thanks

[sleepybrother]

Originally Posted by The Shootist

I tried a few times to buy mineral spirits in socal and I had no luck! Everywhere I went asked if I had a business license that it was not legal for sale to the public....where do you guys pick it up from? Just curious thanks

I'd recommend Amazon, I got my Mineral Spirits through them.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by The Shootist

I tried a few times to buy mineral spirits in socal and I had no luck! Everywhere I went asked if I had a business license that it was not legal for sale to the public....where do you guys pick it up from? Just curious thanks

Home Depot

[SVT-40]

So wipe off the left side of the receiver so we can see pic's of the markings!!

[The Shootist]

Originally Posted by SamGoldstein

Home Depot

Went to Home Depot they said we don't carry any anymore....went to all the paint vendors they told me not for the public...so I did end up on amazon and got some. I was just hoping to grab some local in socal.

[george tirebiter]

I used the large rectangular cardboard box my Mosin came in, I opened both ends and had a ceramic heater on one end, a hair dryer would work too. The gun got hot and the cosmoline melted off. Every 15 minutes I wiped the gun down.minimal effort for great results.

[CinnamonBear723]

Lots of cosmoline=lots of preservation. I always enjoy bringing a nice milsurp back to life.

[Dieppe42]

Would Simplegreen and hot water in that tub work?

[SkyHawk]

I never had a problem leaving mineral spirits in the tub, for days and days. It probably depends on exactly what tub you get and what it is made of.

And I get mineral spirits at Home Dept or Lowes when I am in Reno. The real stuff. With exception of a few zip codes in CA, all you can get here is mineral spirits 'substitute'. It will say substitute in tiny letters.

And I would scrape off a big chunk of cosmo and put it in a ziploc. Smell it every once in a while I love that smell...

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by SVT-40

So wipe off the left side of the receiver so we can see pic's of the markings!!

okay. here ya go. BTW, the bore is excellent.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Dieppe42

Would Simplegreen and hot water in that tub work?

Simple green doesn't cut the cosmoline in my experience.

[SamGoldstein]

The bolt hold-open function doesn't work when I tried it smothered in cosmoline. I hope that cleaning it fixes this problem. Anybody else have this problem?

Also, the importer was TGI from Knoxville Tenn.

[God Bless America]

1963!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

You can remove cosmo on metal with nothing more than very hot water and some old toothbrushes and rags. You avoid ending up with a bucket of used mineral spirits and cosmolene.

[Frisco3Gun]

Thinking about grabbing a Norinco off J&G. That vs. Yugo? Already have a Yugo OPAP and I think I'd like to expand my collection to other countries!

[Tere_Hanges]

Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) a toothbrush, some rags, newspaper and a couple hours is all you need. Just put a bunch of newspaper down to soak up any OMS that drips off. Dip the tooth brush in OMS scrub a little then wipe with a rag soaked in OMS. And repeat until done. Using a big tub to submerge the whole rifle is how you make a mess, not a good idea.

Seriously, nothing works better than OMS and a toothbrush. Its super simple. You dont need any crazy long drawn out procedure or a bunch of chemicals to clean off cosmoline. Removing cosmolene doesnt have to be complicated or leave you with a tub of dirty liquid to figure out how to dispose of.

Just plain old cheap OMS from Walmart.

I've cleaned up many SKS and 91/30s that had way more cosmo than that.

Originally Posted by Bobby Ricigliano

You can remove cosmo on metal with nothing more than very hot water and some old toothbrushes and rags. You avoid ending up with a bucket of used mineral spirits and cosmolene.

Yeah I tried that before I discovered how much easier just using OMS is. OMS evaporates even better than water and if have a bunch if old newspaper it will soak it up and you just put in the trash. Hot water burns your hands and makes a god damn mess. Its a terrible idea. I dont know where you are thinking you will have a tub of dirty OMS, thats not what you end up with if you just use newspaper to soak up excess OMS.

[marksmandowntown]

COSMOLINE REMOVAL HOW TO:

I've tried most of the methods that people talk about, and this is the one that works best for me. It costs very little money and creates very little toxic waste.

Get yourself a full roll of paper towels, 1-3 plastic Hefty-style trash bags, a can of WD-40 and a plastic tub or short bucket that can hold hot water. Optional tools that I like to add are Q-tips and a toothbrush.

1) Get yourself a flat space well out of the view of any women who live with you. I'd advise a table or counter top in the garage. Put one of your hefty bags down as a plastic table cloth and then either tape or staple it down to your table top. (I was serious about the women thing, they will react in a hostile manner if they see this.)

2) Lay the rifle down on top of that plastic table cloth on top of the table and using your hand with a wad of paper towels in it rub, scrape or dab off as much of the cosmoline as possible. As your paper towel fills up, toss it into your second hefty bag which will serve as the trash bag. (You might want to wear gloves. The cosmoline won't hurt you but it smells and doesn't wash off very well. I don't wear gloves anymore and have learned to like the smell.)

3) Take the rifle apart and put all the metal pieces that will fit into your bucket or plastic tub and pour hot (not boiling, just hot, remember bucket is plastic) water over them. Remove the parts from the water one at a time. Rub them down with paper towels to remove the cosmoline that was loosened by the hot water, then spray it with WD-40 both to melt the remaining cosmoline and to prevent rust. WD-40 = "water displacement". It's purpose is to allow you to dunk metal in water and then immediately spray it with WD-40 and not have to worry about rust anymore because the water got displaced.

4) Put the stuff that wouldn't fit into the hot water bucket back on the table (stock, hand guard, barreled receiver) and one at a time hose them down with WD-40. After giving the WD-40 time to work, rub it down with paper towels again.

5) Rinse and repeat until your rifle is clean. You can use hot water on the metal parts but never the wood ones. WD-40 only on the wood please. If it is an SKS you need to make sure that you pay special attention to the firing pin and that you get it all the way clean. Crap loves to hide in there and cause slam fires. It's going to sweat cosmoline the first few times that you fire it, there is no avoiding this.

[Tere_Hanges]

Originally Posted by SamGoldstein

The bolt hold-open function doesn't work when I tried it smothered in cosmoline. I hope that cleaning it fixes this problem. Anybody else have this problem?

Also, the importer was TGI from Knoxville Tenn.

Of course it wont work with cosmo, you have to clean it up first. The magazine follower is what holds the bolt open. Make sure youve pulled the bolt back all the way.

[marksmandowntown]

Originally Posted by Frisco3Gun

Thinking about grabbing a Norinco off J&G. That vs. Yugo? Already have a Yugo OPAP and I think I'd like to expand my collection to other countries!

OPAP! You have excellent taste. As to the SKS question, you need both. The J&G Chinese guns are a good deal and a good idea. The Yugo guns are equally good. The two guns are cheap enough and dissimilar enough for you to easily justify owning both. Dan's Ammo and Calgunner Audiophil2 are good places to look for a Yugo SKS. There are two varieties of Yugo SKS and one of them has an illegal grenade launcher on it that has to be removed (Audiophil2). The other one is ok as is.

[SamGoldstein]

Originally Posted by lightcav

Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) a toothbrush, some rags, newspaper and a couple hours is all you need. Just put a bunch of newspaper down to soak up any OMS that drips off. Dip the tooth brush in OMS scrub a little then wipe with a rag soaked in OMS. And repeat until done. Using a big tub to submerge the whole rifle is how you make a mess, not a good idea.

Seriously, nothing works better than OMS and a toothbrush. Its super simple. You dont need any crazy long drawn out procedure or a bunch of chemicals to clean off cosmoline. Removing cosmolene doesnt have to be complicated or leave you with a tub of dirty liquid to figure out how to dispose of.

Just plain old cheap OMS from Walmart.

I've cleaned up many SKS and 91/30s that had way more cosmo than that.



Yeah I tried that before I discovered how much easier just using OMS is. OMS evaporates even better than water and if have a bunch if old newspaper it will soak it up and you just put in the trash. Hot water burns your hands and makes a god damn mess. Its a terrible idea. I dont know where you are thinking you will have a tub of dirty OMS, thats not what you end up with if you just use newspaper to soak up excess OMS.

Hot water burned my hands too. I tried it on a Garand and it did get the cosmo off, but it made a mess and hurt like hell. Now, if you have a professional cleaning bath with a hot water tank, yeah, that works, but I don't have that. So I use Ed's Red.

[God Bless America]

Originally Posted by lightcav

Just plain old cheap OMS from Walmart.

Which are no more here in CA. Next best is kero or bbq lighter fluid.