In the late 1970’s
rumors started to circulate that vast quantities of these were
going to be imported from China. I decided to sell my small
collection while the prices were still high, and did manage to
“cash out” at no loss. I went on to collect other things,
knives, .45 automatics, clocks and whatever happened to catch my
fancy at the time. However, I never lost my interest in SKS
rifles.
Then about 5 years ago, my interest again turned to SKS rifles,
and soon I had amassed a collection of them from various
countries and with quite a few variations. Information on these
was quite hard to find. There were few books out, and those
available did not adequately cover the many variations to be
found. With research on the internet, studying existing
specimens and lots of other research, I was finally able to sort
out many of the details of this fascinating rifle.
The SKS rifle was designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov. The
initials stand for Samozaryadnyi Karbin Simonova, or
“Semi-Automatic Carbine, Simonov”. He designed and utilized the
basic design in an anti-tank rifle, and also a full size
semi-automatic rifle that was designed in competition with the
SVT or Tokarev. The SKS, firing an intermediate size cartridge
(7.62x39), was first produced in small quantities in 1944. These
saw limited usage on the Byelorussian Front, where they received
very positive reviews. Full production did not commence until
1949 at the Tula Arsenal. The SKS was produced there until 1955
or 1956. Production also took place at the Izhevsk Arsenal
during 1953 and 1954.
With the AK-47 assuming the role of the major weapon in the
Soviet arsenal, the machinery for producing the SKS was no
longer needed, and so was shipped to various communist states,
where, with the help of Soviet technicians and an adequate
supply of left-over Soviet parts, production was started.
Besides Russia, the countries that are known to have produced
the SKS are China, North Korea, East Germany, Romania, Albania,
Yugoslavia and North Vietnam. Some people are of the opinion
that those rifles designated as having been made in North
Vietnam, were actually made somewhere else. As of yet there is
no definitive proof as to the actual origin of these rifles.
In addition, there are rumors of other countries having
manufactured the SKS, notably Poland and Bangladesh. As of yet,
no specimens from either country have been identified, although
it is known that both still use them.
Among collectors, the holy grail of SKS rifles is the East
German. These exhibit the finest workmanship and are extremely
rare in the U.S. Also quite rare are specimens made in North
Korea and North Vietnam. Recent imports from Yugoslavia and
Albania have made these previously rare rifles available to the
average collector. In fact, it was not known that Albania made
SKS rifles until a quantity of these was imported after the
Balkan War.
The most prolific producer of the SKS has been China. Along with
supplying their armed forces, China also supplied arms to many
countries. Most of the SKS rifles that came out of Vietnam were
of Chinese manufacture. Vast quantities of Chinese rifles were
imported into the U.S. before the U.S. government cut off
shipments of weapons from China. From specimens that can be
found, it appears that China emptied out many of their armories
and shipped the contents to the U.S. They also proceeded to
manufacture and re-manufacture rifles of many configurations to
dump on the U.S. market.
For those interested in collecting SKS rifles, most start by
trying to obtain one from each country of manufacture. Others
collect variations produced within a given country. One
collector, Howie Bearse, has put together a collection of over
50 Chinese variations. He also has compiled a listing of the
various Chinese manufacturers’ markings. You can view this
information on this web site: http://www.simonov.net/codechart.htm
Of the Yugoslavian SKS rifles, there are two major variations,
the Model 59, which is an earlier model without grenade launcher
and the corresponding sight, and the 59/66 that has both of
these features. In addition the 59/66 A-1 has night sights with
two distinct variations of these sights that are found. One has
radium dots painted on the front and rear night sight, whereas
the other has glass tritium vials inserted in slots. Some
collectors also collect the Yugoslavian SKS rifles by the alpha
prefix of the serial number. They feel that each alpha character
represents a different year of manufacture.
The Romanian and Albanian rifles can be collected by dates of
manufacture. The date markings are to be found following the
serial number. Albanians also can be found with no date, thought
to be the first year of manufacture, and with dates from 1967 to
1971. Then apparently there was a lapse in production until 1978
and 1979. Romanians can be found with dates from 1957 to 1960.
Rifles that were brought back from Vietnam attract quite a bit
of attention from collectors. These will have no import
stampings on them anywhere. However, just because an SKS does
not have any import markings does not mean that it was a
captured rifle brought in by a returning GI. Without
documentation, it would be wise not to pay a premium for an
alleged “GI bringback”. The proper documentation can make a
rifle worth quite a bit more than a non-documented specimen.
Normally such documentation would be in the form of “capture
papers” granting the bearer permission to bring the rifle into
the U.S. Usually these would be military forms DD603 and
DD603-1. Documents from the Provost Marshall also can be found,
as well as documents from the Vietnamese government, written in
Vietnamese. In addition, some rifles were presented to various
officials and can be found with a presentation plaque affixed to
the stock. One example I have has a brass plate, engraved in
Vietnamese, announcing the presentation to a U.S. Special Forces
Lt. Colonel, from a Vietnamese Special Forces Lt. Colonel. I was
able to locate the U.S. Lt. Colonel and obtain the capture
papers from him, which was a sheer stroke of good fortune! One
warning, fake documents do exist, so be careful as to what you
buy.
The SKS has generally been replaced by the AK-47 around the
globe, it still is found in use for ceremonial occasions. The
AK-47 is a clumsy rifle for parade and ceremonial guard use, so
SKS can still be found being used in parades and by “Honor
Guard” troops. Some of these rifles have been specifically
modified for this role by being heavily chrome or nickel plated.
They are still relied upon as a service weapon for rear guard
and police use, as well as seeing lots of use in third world
countries.
The SKS has proven itself to be accurate and reliable in service
around the globe. With the many variations to be found, it is an
excellent rifle to collect as well as to shoot.
Recommended reading:
The SKS Carbine (CKC45g) by Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer, North
Cape Publications, Inc. P.O. Box 1027, Tustin, CA 92781
Simonov SKS-45 Type Carbines, compiled and edited by Wyant
Lamont and Stephen Fuller (out of print)
SKS Rifle Simonov Type 56 TC 9-56 Department of the Army
Training Circular, Headquarters, Department of the Army, October
1969
I would also suggest the following web sites:
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=11
http://pub113.ezboard.com/fparallaxscurioand
relicfirearmsforumsfrm52
http://kalashnikov.guns.ru/wwwboard/board3/index.html
Many thanks to Adrian and Judy Van
Dyke for being our Featured Displayers at the November meeting.
If you are interested in doing a Featured Display in July,
September or November, please contact the Business Office.
Tables, hotel for 2 nights are provided. March Display Show
Competitors are welcome to also do a Featured Display outside
the March display show.
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