Interesting Facts About the SKS Rifle You May Not Have Known

The SKS, more properly known as the Samozaryadny Karabin Simonova, is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm that was developed for the Soviet Union in the 1940s by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, and which was widely carried by Soviet soldiers in the Second World War and beyond. 

Test your knowledge against this wildly influential rifle platform against these facts. See if you know them. 

• The SKS rifle featured a permanently attached, folding bayonet, making it different from many other battle rifles of the era which featured lugs that enabled a bayonet to be attached or removed. 
• It fed from a fixed magazine that held 10 rounds.
• The magazine can either be loaded manually or with a stripper clip.
• The SKS rifle was not capable of fully-automatic select fire. 
• Nearly 15 million SKS rifles have been built since it was first introduced. 
• Some of the earlier SKS rifles were manufactured at Tula Arsenal, the same plant that makes TulAmmo.
• The SKS rifle is powered by a gas piston action. 
• Except in the case of Yugoslavian rifles, the SKS was manufactured with a chrome-lined barrel that both protected against corrosion and facilitated cleaning of the bore. 
• The SKS platform can easily be field-stripped for easy cleaning and the platform is designed to house a cleaning hit in the stock. No special tools are needed to field strip the rifle.
• The SKS was much lighter and shorter than the Mosin-Nagant that it replaced, making it much easier to handle in close-quarters.
• The SKS was intentionally designed with relatively loose-fitting components, which made it much less likely to jam when obstructed by dirt, grease or fouling.
• In an era in which many battle rifles were made with stamped steel components, the SKS was made with a milled receiver and a solid wooden stock, giving it a heavy feel.
• Many SKS rifles are covered in cosmoline to protect them during storage. If you get an old SKS rifle from a military surplus collection, you will need to thoroughly clean it before it can be safely fired. 
• Many Russian-made SKS rifles feature attractive birch stocks, making them highly prized by collectors. 
• Nearly every country that was party to the Warsaw Pact has issued SKS rifles at some point or other. 
• At one point in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and as a result of a high volume of Chinese imports, the SKS rifle became one of the most affordable centerfire rifles on the market. In some places you could get them for as little as $70. 

These are just a few interesting facts about this Soviet rifle platform. Hopefully you found them unique and engaging. 

Here for SKS Parts?

If you landed here not because you wanted to test yourself on trivia on a Soviet rifle, but because you need a place where you can get SKS parts or accessories, check out SARCO, Inc. They carry a wide range of SKS parts and accessories, some of which are fairly hard to find. Shop their collection first and if you have any questions about what they sell, or about compatibility, get in touch with them directly.

For more information about Parts Kit and Springfield Parts Please visit: Sarco Inc.