SKS

SKS
SKS
	An SKS from the collections of Armémuseum, Stockholm, Sweden
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1949 – present
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designer	Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov
Designed	1941 – 1944
No. built	5,000,000; 15,000,000+
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	3.85 kg (8.5 lb)
Length	1,020 mm (40 in),; M59/66: 1,120 mm (44 in)
Barrel length	520 mm (20 in),; M59/66: 558.8 mm (22.00 in)
Cartridge	7.62×39mm M43
Action	Short stroke gas piston, tilting bolt, self-loading
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic rate: 35–40 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	735 m/s (2,411 ft/s)
Effective firing range	400 metres (440 yd)
Feed system	10-round stripper clip, internal box magazine.
Sights	Hooded post front sight, tangent notch rear sight graduated from 100 to 1,000 meters.

The SKS (Russian: Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова, romanized: Samozaryadny karabin sistemy Simonova, lit. 'self-loading carbine of the Simonov system') is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in 1945.

The SKS was first produced in the Soviet Union but was later widely exported and manufactured by various nations. Its distinguishing characteristics include a permanently attached folding bayonet and a hinged, fixed magazine. As the SKS lacked select-fire capability and its magazine was limited to ten rounds, it was rendered obsolete in the Soviet Armed Forces by the introduction of the AK-47 in the 1950s. Nevertheless, SKS carbines continued to see service with the Soviet Border Troops, Internal Troops, and second-line and reserve army units for decades.

The SKS was manufactured at Tula Arsenal from 1949 to 1958, and at the Izhevsk Arsenal from 1953 to 1954. Altogether, the Soviet Union produced 2.7 million SKS carbines.^[5] Throughout the Cold War, millions of additional SKS carbines and their derivatives were also manufactured under license in the People's Republic of China, as well as a number of countries allied with the Eastern Bloc.^[5] The SKS was exported in vast quantities and found favour with insurgent forces around the world as a light, handy weapon which was adequate for guerrilla warfare despite its conventional limitations.^[6]

Beginning in 1988, millions have also been sold on the civilian market in North America, where they remain popular as hunting and sporting rifles.

^ Ezell, Edward (1986). The AK47 Story: Evolution of the Kalashnikov Weapons. Harrisburg: Stackpole Books. pp. 322–342. ISBN 978-0811722476.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.smallarmssurvey.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Cite error: The named reference hogg2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Cite error: The named reference pdf.textfiles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Dabbs, Mike (2 May 2023). "Is the Chicom Type 56 SKS Rifle Worth the Investment?". Firearms News. Peoria, Illinois. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
^ Gander, Terry (1990). Guerrilla Warfare Weapons: The Modern Underground Fighter's Armoury. New York City: Sterling Publishing Company. pp. 52, 80. ISBN 978-0806973333.

[Ezell-1] Ezell, Edward (1986). The AK47 Story: Evolution of the Kalashnikov Weapons. Harrisburg: Stackpole Books. pp. 322–342. ISBN 978-0811722476.

[2] "Archived copy" (PDF). www.smallarmssurvey.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[hogg2002-3] Cite error: The named reference hogg2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[pdf.textfiles-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Cite error: The named reference pdf.textfiles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Chicom1-5] Dabbs, Mike (2 May 2023). "Is the Chicom Type 56 SKS Rifle Worth the Investment?". Firearms News. Peoria, Illinois. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2024.

[Gander-6] Gander, Terry (1990). Guerrilla Warfare Weapons: The Modern Underground Fighter's Armoury. New York City: Sterling Publishing Company. pp. 52, 80. ISBN 978-0806973333.

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