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Carbine Shootout
This was a comparison of two generations of carbine evolution to determine which was more accurate. It was by no means a scientific measure but more a practical demonstration of the capabilities of each rifle under every day conditions such as a day out at the range.
 To do the comparison, I choose a 91/59 and a Russian SKS as they are both post war examples of Soviet carbines. I felt the 91/59 would make a good candidate as it seems to be a popular "bush rifle" and is not too dissimilar from the other Mosin carbines.
As for the
SKS, I wanted to see if the auto-loading successor of the Mosin was really as accurate. In so much as it was standard issue during the early post war years, I was curious to see just what the Soviets gained from it's design and production. Of course not all of these questions could be answered in such an unscientific manor but at least I could gain some insights. Soviet battle
doctrine aside, the question was just how accurate are these rifles in a side by side comparison. I picked a tough day at the range for this comparison because the wind conditions were terrible. I had a gusting 45 mph wind from left to right across the range. I choose some u-see-em varmint targets posted at 100 yds for the test. The targets are
10 inches tall and 6 inches wide. I didn't count on them looking so small over open sights at 100 yds but they sure did! I decided on ten round per target after I zeroed both rifles at 50 yds. The ten rounds were fired in succession with out a break except for reloading in the case of the 91/59. The results were both predictable in way but none
the less interesting. If you scored the competition on total hits and accuracy under normal conditions I suspect the outcome would have been very different but in this case, the wind was a definite factor. The heavier 6.72x54r round proved to be much more stable.
I used the Czech bxn marked copper washed steel cased ammo I received from Cole Distributing in the 91/59 and Norinco 7.62x39 FMJ in the SKS. The Czech ammo performed flawlessly in terms of extraction as opposed to the behavior of the bxn lacquered case stuff that notoriously freezes the bolts in many Mosins.
 The first target is the 91/59.
The first three rounds were low with two off the target. The next two
were to the right and the last five started from the left and walked into the target going towards the right. I had over compensated for the windy conditions when I shifted my POA to the left.
 The next target is with the SKS and was fired second in the
series. Predictably but not allowed for was the fact that it shot high and off the target to begin with.
 You can see where I walked the rounds into the target area by progressively lowering my POA and making minor adjustments
for windage. I think the reason the first four rounds were so high is that I used the same hold for the lighter 7.62x39 round as I did for the Mosin. Now, the surprise that I mentioned is that under a low wind condition, it is my belief that the SKS has a greater potential for accuracy. I strongly believe that the buffeting of the rifle by the
wind was as much of factor as anything else in not getting rounds on target.
Conclusions: 1. The heavier 7.62x54r 147 grain round was more stable under adverse (windy) conditions. 2. The lighter 7.62x39 has a tendency to strike higher at 100 yds using the same sight
picture as the Mosin. 3. The SKS appears capable of producing much tighter groups under "ideal" conditions. 4. The 91/59 appears to be a better all around "Battle Carbine" in terms of it's stability under adverse conditions.
Again this doesn't address the pro's and con's of
each rifle in conjunction with battle field doctrine or tactical considerations but more a test of general characteristics.
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