Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas Gunpr0n: SKS

#2 Son had decided some time ago that the SKS was his favorite rifle.  Besides, it's on The List, so Santa got hisself busy.


The Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova Type 56 (Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова) was Sergei Simonov's most famous design.  It's a semiautomatic gas operated (you can see the gas tube  above the barrel in the picture here) carbine length rifle chambered for the same short 7.62x39mm round used in the AK-47 (shown here between the full sized .303 British and .45 ACP).

Simonov designed it back in 1944, when reduced cartridges like the Sturmgewehr's 7.92x33mm kurz round were sort of in the air, so to speak.  Not intended to shoot to ranges of a thousand yards or more, the shorter cartridges not only weighed less but had considerably reduced recoil suited to fire superiority doctrine.

#2 Son took to the reduced recoil like a fish to water.  The integral, folding bayonet didn't hurt, either.


This is not an "assault" rifle, and so while the scary bayonet will likely give the vapors to all the Usual Suspects, it remains surprisingly legal many places.  The magazine isn't removable (well, it's not designed to be removed under battlefield conditions).  Rather, the rifle is loaded via stripper clips through the top, when the bolt is locked back.


The Magazine holds ten rounds, and so you might have problems if you leave the United States of America for such communist controlled places like New Jersey or Massachusetts.  I'm told that the magazines can be modified to only hold five rounds.  I've also seen after market drum magazines that hold 75 rounds, which sounds like a lot more fun.  Be prepared to pay a significant percentage of the rifle's purchase price to get one of those.

While these were manufactured all over the Warsaw Pact bloc and beyond (East Germany, Yugoslavia, Red China*), this one is Russian, from (I think) 1950. I'm told that Russian manufacture means that this can be treated as a Curio and Relic by the BATFeieio.  If you get interested in this, you should definitely check into this on your own, because I Am Not A Lawyer (nor do I play one on TV).

Strangely, this rifle has a stamp that says "Made in Russia" (in English).  I'm not sure what to make about that, except that it was perhaps remanufactured in the early 1990s for import to the USA.

The ammo is cheap as chips.  The guy I bought the rifle from had ten boxes of NORINCO for $4.99/20 each.  While I'm fairly open minded on Red China* in general, NORINCO is the People's Liberation Army, and therefore the adversary; needless to say, I won't be getting any more (it was an all-or-nothing deal with the rifle).  I rounded this out with some Tula for not much more, so now #2 Son has 300 rounds for this baby.  By way of comparison, I paid $18/20 for .303 Brit, and thought I got a good deal.  Shooting this is as easy on your wallet as on your shoulder.

It was a ring-style front sight and a flip up rear sight.  It's graduated to further out than is likely to be realistic (perhaps the triumph of optimism over sobriety), but this was designed for shooting to 300 meters or so.


So, let's sum up the benefits: it's inexpensive, easy to shoot, inexpensive to shoot, and still gives the vapors to the Usual Suspects.  Actually, it would make a decent SHTF rifle, too.  #2 Son is pretty happy with Gunnie Santa.

* I only say "Red China" to annoy the Usual Suspects.

14 comments:

Brock Townsend said...

Looks to be in awfully good shape.

45er said...

A great rifle and the pre-loaded clips should not be underestimated for speed of reloading. I'm not half bad with a little practice. The stripper clips are practically free at most gun shows. I have a whole stack and keep the unloaded ones together with a twist-tie.

Dave H said...

Very nice shape. You're the best Santa's Helper ever!

FYI (or maybe you do know and I just misunderstood; if so I apologize) you don't shoot it with the sight upright like that. You lay it flat, move the slider to the desired range mark, and use the notch at the rear end of the sight just like you would any open iron sight. When I got my first Mosin-Nagant I thought I had to stand the sight up for long shots.

New York is one of the places where that rifle is surprisingly legal. Our tribute to the late Assault Weapon Ban specifically defines assault weapons as having a removable box magazine. With the fixed mag almost anything goes (except capacities over 10 rounds). To use it for hunting you have to modify it to hold only 5 rounds still.

I've seen talk online that you can get parts to modify the SKS to take a removable magazine, but I haven't seen it done.

cybrus said...

My SKS may be my favorite as well. It's just such a solid rifle and the it puts off a solid boom when fired. Now I guess I have to go to the range again...poor me.

wv: woode - what shooting the SKS may cause

Brock Townsend said...

I've seen talk online that you can get parts to modify the SKS to take a removable magazine, but I haven't seen it done.

http://tinyurl.com/d8usypv

Robert McDonald said...

Nice! I need to pick up one for myself at some point.

Stephen said...

In truth, they are one of the finest battle rifles made in the last hundred years. Tough as nails, cheap and easy to load and shoot. I own several. Nice gift.

doubletrouble said...

Actually, you don't need any "kit" to go to a removable mag. After removing the factory mag, SKS-only mags will fit.

That said, DON'T do it. I have a 1950 Russian rifle, & after much flooging around with 30 round detachable mags, I can attest that the factory unit, using stripper clips, is far superior to any removable mag; faster overall, too. My SKS is back to factory configuration.

Nice rifle, enjoy, #2!

Anonymous said...

Great looker! That rifle is on my list too. 7.62 is running the same as or cheaper than 5.56 right now. Better penetration and bigger BOOM.

Anonymous said...

Nice..
Is also my #2 Son's favorite gun when we go shooty stuff....
Except the last outing it went bang bang click click...
And now I need to figure out why??

But I am always keeping an eye out for another one....

And we have a 20 round Tapco on it that works fine....'

TOTWTYTR said...

I remember how much fun #2 son had firing my SKS a couple of years ago. I'm glad you were able to get one for him.

To the best of my knowledge ALL variations of the SKS are C&R eligible. They are also completely legal in the PRM, ten round magazines and all.

The Russian ones are considered among the most valuable as they are the originals.

Some early Russian made rifles had a problem with the firing pin that could result in full auto or slam fire problems. http://www.murraysguns.com/sksown.htm

That's just something to be aware of in case it should happen. If it doesn't then don't worry about it.

I hope #2 son enjoys his SKS as much as I do mine.

TOTWTYTR said...

After re-reading, I realize I wrote this backwards. The early guns didn't have this problem, the later ones have this problem. Carry on.

Rabbit said...

Nice carbine. My brother has one he keeps as a truck gun, and uses it for the occasional close-in feral pig. I think he's up to his third deer with it as well.

Stretch said...

I use the phrase "ChiCom" to describe the ... well, ChiComs.
Annoys the He** out of the Usual Suspects.