Dear JWR:
Fearing confiscations of the more “controversial” VZ-58 clones that have hit the Canadian market, I recently sold one and am actively trying to sell another. Not wanting to sell the thousands of rounds of 7.62×39 Czech surplus ammunition I have for them, I have been giving very serious consideration to procuring one (or several) SKSs as a replacement.
To be clear, I don’t think the SKS is the best choice for a primary rifle. For me personally, that honour belongs to the AR-15 in .223 (even if, as required by Canadian law, mags must be pinned to 5 and a permit is needed to transport it, and even then only to a designated shooting range) for tactical purposes, and the Marlin XL7 in .308 for sporting purposes. That said, I believe the SKS is an excellent well rounded choice, especially within the Canadian market given the sticky situation with Canadian laws.
Unfortunately, under Canada’s draconian gun laws, the specter of gun confiscations is always present. In lieu of massive confiscations in the 1990s, the growing trend in government gun confiscations has been to confiscate and strictly reclassify guns with the few owners, as there are fewer dissenting voices to protest the blatant government thievery. At recently as last year, approximately 30 owners of Norinco Type 97 bullpup carbines had their guns confiscated by the government at the behest of the national police.
Marstar Canada, a prominent name in the Canadian firearms industry, recently imported and started distributing a huge shipment of military surplus, Norinco Type 56 SKS carbines (believed to be in the thousands of rifles). Various makes and models of the SKS have been on the Canadian market for years and the price point has seen to it that it is commonly owned among those with a firearms license. The newly imported shipment by Marstar has caused a lot of dealers to offer very good deals for them.
Being classified as a Non-Restricted firearm, the SKS has the fewest regulations associated with ownership, transport, storage, and operation. This coming fall, it is a near certainty the ruling Conservative Party will succeed to abolish the hated long gun registry, meaning there is a very good chance (although not a certainty) that the SKS will no longer be required to be registered with the national police.
The going price for an SKS in Canada ranges from CAD$150 to CAD$300, making it a very good value that is probably the most secure choice against government confiscation. I highly encourage your Canadian readers to consider procuring one, or perhaps ten.
Personally, I think these rifles will be a very good hedge on inflation and if TSHTF, they will have enormous bartering potential. – Mr. X