This reminds me of my SKS I bought, four decades ago, from a bin-of-the-same at a local Range in Sacto., for $50.00. It really isn't worth that, truth be told! lol Mostly for historical/spur-of-the-moment, it is the most unreliable platform I (Still) own, and I'll NEVER grab it if my safety/life is on the line (I'd rather wield a stout broom handle!), but it does 'Look' nice, sitting there with its wood furniture and folded bayonet. Merely a conversation piece, but damned if I were some Peasant thrown into a combat setting, and had never before owned/handled any firearm, it would seem impressive!

Also, finding a 'Bullet' in the trigger housing? Egads!

Ammo defect likely, or yanked out while clearing a jam.

My first SKS set me back about 80 bucks. Swabbed out a ton of grease. Converted it to hunting and took a deer using reloads as no hunting ammo was available then. Bought a new pinned barrel Norinco and gifted it to the landowner. His son took a six-point buck with it.

Noice!

There really is no arguing about the potency of that cartridge! 'I' sure's hell wouldn't wanna catch one!

On par with a .30/30. I popped a few feral hogs with mine. Handloaded some 150 grain softpoints. Worked, busted thru the pigs with no trouble.

I've been eyeing Rugers 'SFAR' platform, chambered in the .308, for some time now. Since the AR style is what I'm most qualified/experience with, taking the leap into that caliber with that platform has appealed to me for a long, long time. However, I'm NOT ready (Able) to pay the extremely high price for one that is made by great Manufacturers/Armorers, that I can trust my LIFE on (ie, not jamming or failing at the worse possible moment!). I already have an M1 Garand and a few Mossy .12's, so why pay so much $$$ just to scratch my 'AR in .308' itch?
Also, this goes with so many of the 'AK' rifles that have flooded the world market. HOW anything as iconic, with legendary 'Run-in-the-mud' capabilities, still causes so much trouble with reliability, today, has me smdh...

Still.

Feral pigs. Holy shit these things are literally 'Ground 'zillas' on the environment/anything that crosses their path! While they might NOT (Yet?!) breath nuclear fire, the damage they cause everywhere they exist, is phenomenal! They're encroaching on all parts of the N. American continent, and anyone out hiking/camping had better realize it! ('Hunters' are by default already more knowledgeable, and we're ALWAYS carrying things to keep our hides intact, so...).

We have a neighbor who raises pigs, so I've been there from breeding to slaughter (It's FAR MORE HUMANE in his small ranch than any 'Commercial' facility), and the domestics are impressive enough in their strength/size. Knowing what can be out there in the wild, that is NOT afraid of 'Man,' and has no problem attacking/feasting on any poor bastard they can take down? This is the stuff of horror movies.

:-/

I used to work security for Ruger. I was interested their previous rifle but the price was way too high even with the employee discount. A couple of years ago I went with the Palmetto PA 10. Bought a completed lower for $200 thru a dealer then bought a Midlength gas system upper 16.5 inch barrel in 7.62 Nato/.308 win directly from Palmetto. It is a modernized AR 10 in compact form. https://sta.sh/01793il3buau I found it even takes the recently surplused USMC OKC 3C bayonet
Magpul makes very good makes for the M110 designated marksman rifles that also work on that pattern of AR10s. 25 rounder in the rifle in the link. I have 10 round and 20 round mags too. Lot of parts interchange with the standard AR15s. I do my own armorer work on AR's, 1911s and Glocks.
Hmm all told on the Palmetto I have under 700 bucks in it. Rear sight is by Rock River - found it on Ebay used at a damn low price something about 40 bucks. List was close to 180 at one time.

Looking back (Hindsight, it can be such a pest reminding us where we choose the wrong Path sometimes!), I really should have lateraled into the firearm field, right out of the military. My fascination for them alone would've made this seem like such an easy choice, and yet I never even considered it. *le sighs*

Interchangeability,,, wait, wut?... *Ahems* Interchangeable parts is a HUGE reason I stick with what I know works, and own more than one platform, just in case I should ever need parts, of certain firearms that I expect to wield in the field/rough, where breakage/wear-and-tear will be greatest. I have 'Oops kits' of course, but still, it's those tiny little things you just never think about, that will really trip you up if things go sideways for a long time.

If you KNOW what you're shopping for (How things really fit and work (Or don't?!), together), you're ahead of the pack, no doubt! I try something like that, I'm probably going to wind up with a Johnny Cash "One piece at a time" monstrosity?!

While I do have a .44 wheel gun, and really don't mind it (Much. That rubberized grip with the nifty finger grooves truly DO help tame its Song!), it is SUCH a damned heavy beast to carry (Along with the min. two extra speed loaders), AND the Mossy .12 I'm hauling around (Along with the min. 18 rounds I carry (9 '00', 9 Slug), for my forays into bear/mtn. lion/wolf/pig/drug farms/etc., that all adds up, FAST, and my aging knees/shoulders/back are no long so agreeable in doing it.

Damned shame OKC shuttered their doors. DAMNED shame!!! I have some 'Bear pokers' for the Mossy's and two for my AR's, but I couldn't get everything from them I wanted, and now the price for what folks have hoarded/saved, makes it too prohibitive for me.

Napalm. I know how to make homemade napalm! That'll do it! :: shifty-eyed-faice... ::

One of my pandemic projects was working on a Rock Island 10mm 1911. After a while I found I could get a spare barrel for it in .40 S&W - I had a bunch of ammo left over from a Glock 23 I carried on duty for a while. Well I got tired of swapping barrels on that slide - Bull Barrels with an odd recoil guide rod and recoil spring system. Try working with 22 pound springs.. for the 10mm. Bought a spare new slide from Rock Island parts dealer on Fleabay. Reread some gunsmithing texts I have and proceeded to fit it to the frame and fit the barrel to it. Installed extractor and firing pin, etc. So two slide two calibers. Found out the same ejector works for 9mm 1911 slides. Found Rock Island slide with target sights and barrel on Fleabay for under 200 bucks. Fitted that one too. Did need a different slide stop for 9mm. So one frame 3 slides. I was really bored at that time.

My OKC was a fleabay purchase, shipped from a USMC base in Hawaii. Had a lot of fine dust/sand in the scabbard and webbing on it. Washed it in hot water asap. Dunno where it had been but looks like one of the nasty disease ridden sandboxes. Took a bit to get it resharpened. Bit dull from being used for all sorts of tasks
hehe making fun stuff, picked up a late 1960s TM on Improvised Weapons. Got a laugh when I noticed it was the same TM that was in Toy Story - sitting on the desk of that bad kid Sid. Later releases changed the title but not the TM number.

Luckily no pigs of that type in my section of AZ - too dry for them. Do have Javelina but they are more pest/game animal than major threat. Damn hogs were a problem in TX in the late 80s and early 90s before I moved. Have really become a major problem now. My issues woods walking in the AZ highlands have been mainly black bears. I move quietly and end up walking up on the damn things. Have to back away slowly while keeping them covered. Liking a 10mm 1911 by Rock Island for my woods pistol now. I just can't take the .44 mag kick anymore - hands getting old. The 10 works for me.

Yeah,,, you may not (Yet) have the porcines to cope with, check on the Black Bears (Another species that used to cover the entire N. American continent), but YOU haz jaguars AND mtn. lions, and those're ambush fiends! I'd rather face a pissed off bear/pig head-on, than the sudden crushing weight, and the affectionate neck bite the felines prefer!

;-P

Black Bears and Mountain Lions are somewhat common in my neighborhood. Heck years ago I made the mistake of following cat tracks in the sand in backcountry around Sedona AZ. Noticed the tracks suddenly looped off the trail. Heard something in the brush behind me. Turned, drew the CZ52 I'd picked up for 99 bucks and started asking loudly "Who's there. I'll fire one off in the ground if you don't answer." heard more brush moving and a twig crack. Fired one very loud 7.62x25mm round into the sand, damn tawny cat took off from the brush running like crazy. Damn near sh t and decided to cut the hike short. Had another encounter in my yard late at night. Couldn't sleep, sat on the side porch about 1 am. We had warnings of a mother Mountain Lion and cubs in the area. Well she jumped the block wall between the houses and walked by me in the moonlight. I held still, not breathing. She moved past and went down the alley. Dog yapped at her and she made a ghod awful sound. I was back inside asap then. Black Bear tore up my trashcan last fall. Heard thumping in the yard at night. As long as the critters stay out of the house I'm good. Last time I went out to investigate a noise I jacklighted aa pissed off Badger.

Oh we have wolves again. Mexican wolf reintroduction program. They have been sighted in my county and up in Flagstaff. I've been within howling distance to some packs in the eastern part of the state along the New Mexico border. Had fun howling to them. Dad was on that trip and joined in. Got one pack very vocal just across the road from the lodge we stayed at.

When I was romping around Montana/Idaho/Wyoming, I kept hoping to hear wild wolves singing. I intent on returning just to experience it before I die!
Lucky for all the hikers/campers/hunters/forestry workers in the State of Washington, Govt. is planning to RE-introduce Grizzly Bears! What could possibly go wrong, eh?

Now, as-for 'Howling/Singing' from a canid? I'm owned by a Husky. Yes, I have permanent hearing loss from this.

;-P

They could release the Grizzlys in the State Capital Building for the first group.
I was big brother to a Husky/Wolf mix. Dad called her my little sister. We howled a lot, good thing she wasn't too loud. https://www.furaffinity.net/view/31787572/ That was 22 years ago give or take. I'm very very grey haired now.

That is a gorgeous Lady!
(Not a bad lookin' human, either!)


Huskies are 'Cute' when puppies, and they begin their singing. Then they hit their 'Terrible teens,' when you really wanna just throttle 'em (At times). lol
Lucky for me (And what few marbles I have left rattling around in my brain housing group), 'Lump' calmed the hell down when he hit his Middle Years. Now that HE'S an 'Olde Doggo Fart' he's mostly just chill and a comfy foot rest when he's plopped down on the floor (And the couch has no space for him).

Still, he has his moments!

Wouldn't change him or them for all the $$$ in the world!

Fur kids. What you gonna do eh?

:-D

I swapped some Japanese Tanto - early 1900s World Fair souvenir my great grandfather had owned for an in the grease SKS back in 1991. Knife was rather crappy but the dealer agreed to an even swap. Bone scabbard and handle were engraved. Few months later I ran into him at another show, guy raged at me for ripping him off. He thought it was ivory. Several other dealers were laughing at him, said "Now you know how it feels. You've screwed plenty of folks at these shows." The SKS shot okay, played with it for a few years then traded it for something else. I looked at some of those CETME's but they were put together by Century Arms. I've had bad luck with a couple of their Frankenguns and passed. Always wanted a G3 type. Relatives in Norway who were in the Home Guard had their issue ones stored in their homes. One Uncle even had a MG42 lmg in 7.62 Nato. Home Guard could be called up in very short notice during the cold war. Get a call at midnight, you better be at the assembly area in town in about 15 mins with your gear.

I like that the CETME takes H&K mags and will digest my reloads. The sights are a bit wonky though. The local "Mill End" store stocked tons of Cold War surplus, including aluminum mags for $5 apiece. I'd grab a few during each visit. Millie--the store cat, could usually be found curled up on a stack of East German blankets.

I ended up assembling this AR 10 type from components from Palmetto
https://www.deviantart.com/stash/01793il3buau 7.62mm Nato goodness, fair amount of parts interchange with existing AR 15 types I've built. Magpul mags for it are great from 10 round ones, 20 and 25 rounders - one in the pic.

I remember seeing someone who had a custom job done on the charging handle cover saying "Slap me harder daddy" - I about died...

LOL

Holy sheet, that'd be GREAT!!!

:-D