I need to do some work on a friend's sks and need to take the barrel off.  It is a threaded barrel norinco gun.  I have taken the front sight, gas block, stock endcap, and rear sight base off.  I just need to know what thread direction the barrel is threaded into the reciever.  I have tried to take it off but it seems to be stuck, so am I turning it the correct way (right hand thread)?  Any tips for getting this thing off?  Thanks in advance.

Check to make sure it isn't pinned as well as threaded.  Other than that, it's a good bet that the threads would run so as to tighten when the bullet acted against the rifling twist, whatever way that happens to be in that gun.  Check twice on the pinning thing.

I checked, the barrel isn't pinned.  The rifling turns clockwise when viewed from the breach end so would the barrel be left hand thread?  If so, this would explain why it wasn't coming off.  Also, what kind of torque should be required to remove this thing?  I don't want to break anything (like the receiver) by cranking on it too hard.  Thanks.

BTT
Does this make sense for the thread direction?  I don't want to go torquing on it some more without gettting an answer one way or another.  Thanks.

I wouldn’t bet on a left hand thread because of the rifling.  One of my big complaints about Colt revolvers is their left hand rifling.  Their barrels have right hand threads and they constantly try to unscrew themselves when you shoot them.  (S&W barrels have a right hand twist and tighten themselves up.)

Military barrels are often cranked on extremely tight – sometimes you literally have to destroy the barrel to get it off without warping the receiver in the process.

You might want to post this on the Survivor’s SKS site at survivorsks.20m.com/.

Incidentally, Russian SKS’s have a right hand twist.