More deer are taken with an SKS in northern Canada than with any rifle that gets written about. It is cheap, it does not care about rain, and 7.62×39 with a soft point is a fair deer cartridge inside 150 metres. Here is what you need to know about the SKS for hunting: what it will and will not do, which ammo to use, what the rules are, and how to set one up.
Is the SKS a good hunting rifle?
An SKS for hunting deer, black bear, wolves and coyotes at woods ranges? Yes. The 7.62×39 pushes a 123 grain .30 calibre bullet at about 2,350 feet per second, which is .30-30 territory: roughly 1,500 foot-pounds at the muzzle and around 1,000 at 150 metres. That kills deer cleanly with a good soft point behind the shoulder. Past 200 metres the bullet is dropping fast and running out of energy, and the iron sights make precise shots harder, so treat 150 metres as the working limit.
It is not a moose rifle. Some people do it at close range with heavy bullets, and some provinces allow it, but a 123 grain bullet is light for an animal that size. If moose is the plan, buy a proper moose rifle and keep the SKS for deer.
Is it legal to hunt with?
Yes, in every province and territory. The SKS is non-restricted and semi-autos are legal for hunting across Canada with the federal five-round limit, which every SKS sold in Canada already meets. The cartridge clears every provincial calibre minimum, including Quebec’s 6 mm rule and Nova Scotia’s .23 calibre rule for deer. Two things to check in your own regulations (Ontario’s are here): the shooting hours and blaze orange rules, and whether your province bans full metal jacket for big game. Use expanding ammo regardless. It is the ethical choice and it is what the cartridge needs to work.
The right ammo
This is the part most SKS owners get wrong. The cheap surplus-style FMJ that makes the rifle so affordable to shoot is a poor hunting bullet. It pokes a .30 calibre hole and keeps going. For game you want a soft point.
- Federal 7.62×39 123gr Soft Point, $42.00 for 20. A proper hunting load with a jacketed soft point that expands at SKS velocities. One box zeros the rifle and hunts the season.
- Norinco 7.62×39 FMJ, $14.50 for 20, and PMC 123gr FMJ, $22.45. Range ammo. Practice with these, hunt with the soft points.
Zero the rifle with the hunting load, not the practice load. Point of impact can shift several centimetres between brands at 100 metres.
Sights and zero
The SKS rear sight is a sliding tangent marked in hundreds of metres, with a battle setting. Set it to 100, zero at 100 metres, and the bullet is about 20 centimetres low at 200. That is all the sighting most deer hunters need. If your eyes are past forty, a receiver-cover scope mount and a low-power scope or red dot makes the rifle a lot more usable in the last half hour of light. Keep the optic light and mounted low, because the stock was designed for iron sights.
Which SKS for hunting
The SKS with an ATI synthetic stock at $798.88 is the one we would take hunting. The stock does not swell in the rain, it has a real recoil pad and a pistol grip, and the 20 inch barrel is still handy in a blind or a boat. It also comes in OD green and dark earth. If you like wood, the Chinese SKS with blade bayonet at $1,278.88 is the classic. The Soviet SKS at $1,198.88 is nicer than either and too nice to drag through alders.
Whatever you buy, strip the cosmoline first. A gummed-up firing pin is how an SKS fires when the bolt closes, and that is not something you want to discover with a deer in front of you. Our cosmoline guide takes an hour to follow.
Setting up an SKS for hunting
An SKS for hunting needs four cheap parts and nothing else.
- A sling, $29.88. The original canvas sling is fine and fits the factory swivels.
- Stripper clips, $34.88 for 25. Load five rounds in one push instead of thumbing them in with cold hands.
- A five-round detachable magazine, $46.99. Optional. It makes unloading at the truck faster, which matters because the rifle must be unloaded in the vehicle.
- A rust pen, $12.49. Blued steel and wet snow do not get along.
Field tips
Keep shots inside 150 metres and wait for a broadside or quartering-away animal. Chamber a round only when you are set up and legal to shoot. The SKS safety is a lever in the trigger guard and it is not the quietest, so practise it at home. After the hunt, wipe the rifle down, run a patch through the bore, and leave the bolt cover off overnight if the gun came in wet.
If you are choosing between an SKS and something newer, our best deer rifle and best coyote rifle guides cover the bolt guns and the .223 semi-autos. And if you have heard the rifle is about to be banned, read where that actually stands.
The short answer
- SKS for hunting deer, bear and coyote inside 150 m: yes, with soft points.
- Moose: no.
- Ammo: Federal 123gr SP to hunt, Norinco FMJ to practise.
- The rifle: ATI-stocked SKS, $798.88.
Prices current as of September 2026. Check your provincial hunting regulations for calibre, ammunition and season rules. A non-restricted PAL is required.