SKS is a modern model of a carbine. Simonov self-loading carbine: device and performance characteristics

Avoiding a long story about how the legendary Simonov carbine was created, we will talk about its civilian version. She has proven herself in the best possible way and was released in large quantities. If you have a permit for a rifle, you can buy it at any hunting store. If, of course, it can be found on sale.

How to distinguish OP-SKS from SKS-45

The difference between the civilian version of the SKS and the one supplied to the troops is very slight, as can be seen in the photos of the carbine presented. The difference lies in the absence of a bracket on which the folding bayonet is mounted, the barrel is “pinned” to ensure ballistic identification and the length of the sighting bar is shortened. With its help, targeted shooting is possible only at a distance of up to 300 meters. The differences between the OP-SKS and SKS-45 are quite insignificant and therefore only a person with experience in handling rifled weapons can see them right away.
During the conversion of the army version of the carbine, no changes were made to its design. There are no connecting screws at all, all parts are made using milling. Only the magazine covers and housings are made using the stamping method.
Keeping your original positive characteristics OP-SKS has earned high marks from hunters.
Hunting wood grouse in the fall with the OP-SKS carbine is very effective.
Despite the fact that the design of the civilian version of the carbine uses a skewed barrel locking method, this design solution has many supporters. Its maintenance is simple and inexpensive.
The absence of technological cavities on the bolt frame and box prevents dirt and dust from accumulating inside the carbine. Cleaning weapons does not require a lot of time and complex equipment.
The failure-free operation of the SCS mechanisms allows its operation in the absence of maintenance for a year.
The peculiarity of the OP SKS lies in the method of loading it. For a person accustomed to handling Kalashnikov weapons, clip-on loading will be somewhat unusual and will require certain skills. But this is just a matter of practice.
In fact, only errors made during loading are the cause of many failures during shooting. All mechanisms of the carbine work flawlessly and are not the cause of misfires.

Using a carbine for hunting purposes

The Simonov carbine is valued by many hunters, but there are also opponents to its use. The dispute between them has been going on since the first batches arrived in hunting stores. In order to draw your own conclusions, you need to know a number of important conditions.
What is the advantage of using a rifle for hunting purposes? Firstly, due to its unpretentiousness and reliability, it has no equal among similar models. Originally adapted to difficult military conditions, it never fails its owners. The SKS carbine is capable of showing good accuracy when shooting, combined with low weight and compactness.
The caliber of the SKS and the cartridges used for it require certain shooting skills from the hunter. Supplied during war to incapacitate manpower, the carbine is not suitable for hunting large representatives of the fauna; elk, bear, wapiti. SKS hunting cartridges have been developed and are actively used, which, despite their advantages, do not change the overall picture. Not without influence human factor in assessing the performance qualities of the carbine.
Constant training of shooting skills plays a big role. However, not all hunters pay due attention to this. Knowledge anatomical structure and location internal organs different types animals plays a big role in successfully hitting a target.
By ignoring the above points, you can only waste your ammunition, which costs money, and not get any pleasure from the hunting process itself. Shooting at other than vital organs causes slight harm to the animal. Such a wound can also be inflicted, after which he easily leaves the hunter, dying far from human eyes.
There is a high probability that the hunter will blame all his failures on the carbine.
How can you avoid such a situation? First, you need to carefully study the object of hunting. Before you go hunting for the first time in an unfamiliar place, you need to know species composition animals that can be found in the forest and field. It is necessary to clearly understand where the vital organs of the animal are located in order to cause maximum damage. It is necessary to constantly train shooting skills, including during the off-season.
Secondly, it is possible to initially identify medium-sized animals as hunting objects and avoid the emergence and development of negative consequences.
The hunter only needs to decide what goal he is pursuing during the hunt and make his choice in favor of the SKS or refuse it.
And yet, unique technical specifications SKS allow him to remain in demand among hunters in the most various countries peace. Its “excessive” reliability will serve it for a long time, compared to similar models.

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Army version of the SKS (Simonova) carbine with a bayonet.

The SKS hunting carbine traces its lineage back to the SKS-45 combat carbine, which was put into service back in 1949. This reliable weapon has proven itself well in many wars of the 20th and 21st centuries - from the wars in Korea and Vietnam to numerous conflicts of the 21st century, including the war in Donbass. This weapon was and is still in service with almost fifty states of the world - Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America. In the GDR, Egypt and Yugoslavia, their own licensed versions of carbines were produced on its basis.

The Soviet self-loading carbine left a strong memory among American soldiers who took part in the fighting in Korea and Vietnam. The SCS armed the most trained Viet Cong units, which carried out surprise raids on American military bases, headquarters and airfields. It’s not for nothing that the SKS is, along with the AK, the best-selling model Russian weapons in America. Thus, as of 2015, more than 2.5 million units of the Simonov carbine were purchased in the United States. In Russia, the SKS is still in service with the security units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Hunting version of the carbine.

Production of SKS hunting carbines.

Since Soviet times in state warehouses former USSR preserved large number Simonov military carbines. After the beginning of the reduction of the army and the process of détente in the late 80s and early 90s, all these weapons were no longer used. It was during these years that the conversion of combat carbines into hunting ones began. Several factories converted the SKS carbine into a hunting version:

• Machine-building plant "Molot" (Vyatskie Polyany). A modification of the OP-SKS (hunting and commercial) was carried out on it. This model did not have a bayonet, the aiming bar was limited to three hundred meters, and there was a pin in the barrel.
• Tula arms factory. This plant produced both the OP-SKS and its own design, the TOZ-97 Arhar hunting carbine. This variety differs from the combat version in a new sight mount, a sight rail cut down to 300 m, and a pinned barrel. The stock has been made more convenient for use while hunting.
• Tula Design and Research Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weapons. Produces the SKS hunting carbine model.
• Scientific and scientific association “Fort”. A Ukrainian enterprise from the city of Vinnitsa, based on SKS, produces two models at once: SKS-MF and Fort-207. The first model differs from the combat SKS-45 by the absence of a bayonet, and the second by a modified fore-end and butt made of black plastic.

For greater clarity, it should be said that none of these factories produce SKS hunting carbines. They only convert combat carbines purchased from the warehouses of the Ministry of Defense into hunting ones. This is achieved primarily by reducing the combat qualities of the weapon. To do this, a drill with a diameter of 7.64 mm is passed through the barrel, increasing the caliber and thinning the barrel rifling. At the same time, the bullet caliber remains the same - 7.62 mm. As a result of this operation sighting range drops to 300 m, accuracy of fire - up to 10 cm at a distance of 100 m. After this, the bayonet lug is removed and the barrel is pinned.

This operation is provided for by the Russian law “On the circulation of weapons”. According to him, any rifled weapon must have its own individual mark, and in a barrel with an artificially increased diameter, the rifling of the barrel leaves a faintly visible mark on the bullet. As a result, an artificial notch is made in each barrel - a pin or “criminal mark”, for ease of carrying out forensic examination if necessary. Thus, for a “civilian” carbine, using the artificial defect method, the aiming range is reduced to 300 m, and the accuracy of fire is reduced to 10 cm, while initially, for a combat carbine, these figures are 1,000 m and 5 cm.

SKS Carbine Shop

Pros and cons.

The main advantage of the Simonov carbine can be considered its low price. In comparison with foreign hunting modifications, which cost several times more, this model is the most optimal from a price-quality point of view. Other advantages of Simonov are its reliability and unpretentiousness.

The receiver, like a significant part of the other metal parts, is made of forged steel on milling machines, which significantly reduces their wear and increases the operating time of the weapon. This weapon is designed for trouble-free operation in a wide temperature range: from + 50 to - 50. Despite the fact that this weapon was originally intended for mass production to order Soviet Army, it is quite well balanced and fits comfortably in the hands, which cannot be said about many military models of rifles and carbines. The absence of unnecessary grooves in the bolt frame and box makes their cleaning easier and makes the entire structure more reliable. And finally, its compactness and low weight, which is an undoubted advantage when trekking through the taiga for many hours.

Among the disadvantages of this model are problems with its “modernization”. Often, attempts to improve the SKS carbine (for example, install modern optics) will cost more than its cost. Also, some hunters note that the bullet has insufficient stopping power. However, such conclusions are drawn when comparing the 7.62 x 39 cartridge used in Simonov with other, more powerful samples. For example, with the 7.62 x 54 cartridge, which traces its ancestry to famous rifle Mosin and used in a number of modern hunting carbines and rifles (for example, “Tiger”, “Winchester”).

In this regard, the SKS carbine is even prohibited for hunting ungulates, in order to avoid a large number of wounded animals. However, this problem is easily solved by using a semi-shell or expansive charge against large animals. The charging method can also cause inconvenience. of this weapon— quick handling of the clip will require some preliminary skills and training. Inept loading can cause failures and shooting problems.

Use for hunting.

Judging by the reviews of the owners of the SKS carbine, it is impossible to form any single picture about it. Reviews have the most wide range- from enthusiastic to extremely negative. This is primarily due to the fact that they are trying to compare these weapons, created seventy years ago, with modern models. The other extreme is the ardent adherents of the SCS, who, in fact, did not really hold anything else in their hands except it. To get the most out of this weapon you need to know how to use it. This is the only way to achieve maximum effect from this inexpensive, outdated, but still the most reliable and unpretentious weapon.

Clip for Simonov's carbine.

The SKS is recommended for hunting animals that are not too large and quite fast, such as a wolf or a fox. As mentioned above, hunting ungulates with this weapon is prohibited. Nevertheless, SKS is widely used for hunting ungulates, including roe deer and medium-sized wild boars, weighing up to a hundredweight.

For shooting at relatively large animals, a semi-jacketed or hollow-point bullet is recommended. This bullet is intended for shooting from a distance of up to 200 m and has an excellent stopping effect even against fairly large animals. When it hits the body of an animal, such a bullet (9.7 SP) is flattened, which achieves increased lethal effect. At long distances, the speed of the bullet and its effectiveness drop sharply.

A new development is a bullet for the SKS 8 HP, which has a jacket sawn off at the top. When it hits the body of an animal, such a bullet is flattened or, when it encounters hard parts (bones), it is destroyed, causing severe damage and providing an excellent killing effect. The 8 HP bullet with its excellent stopping effect allows you to avoid a large number of wounded large animals, which are inevitable when shooting from an SKS at large animals with a conventional bullet.

As can be seen from the above, the SKS hunting carbine, despite its advanced age, is still a fairly effective type of hunting weapon, which has a large number of adherents among both amateurs and professional hunters.

old materials

In circles of people interested in weapons, there are no people who do not know the 7.62 mm Simonov SKS self-loading carbine. But despite the wide popularity of the SCS, the history of its creation is still “shrouded in darkness” and accompanied by misconceptions. One of them is the story that in 1944, a batch of SKS carbines was tested on the 1st Belorussian Front. This information is given in the famous book by D. N. Bolotin “History of the Soviet small arms", and it is specifically indicated that these were Simonov carbines chambered for mod. 1943

S. G. Simonov. 1947 Photo from the archives of VIMAIV and VS, published for the first time.

The story of the SKS carbine that fought at the front became widespread among weapon lovers, becoming an integral part of the “biography” of the SKS. However, this is a mistake: the SKS carbine was actually tested at the front, but... it was a completely different SKS, not the one that everyone knows, but its prototype, developed in 1941. And - and this is the most important thing - it was designed not for the intermediate cartridge model 1943, but for the classic 7.62 mm rifle cartridge. Extremely compact and almost weightless (weight without cartridges and bayonet is 2.9 kg), this carbine still makes a strong impression with its ease of handling. Produced in a small series, the carbine remained virtually unknown to researchers of the history of domestic weapons, but the results of its tests significantly influenced the technical appearance of the entire post-war system of individual small arms of the Soviet army.

In 1940, even before the completion of work on developing the SVS self-loading rifle, S. G. Simonov began creating a carbine based on it. It cannot be said that only Simonov was involved in the development of weapons of this type: in 1940–1941, self-loading and automatic carbines were designed in several design bureaus: TsKB-14 (Tula - F.V. Tokarev), EPB plant No. 314 (Tula ), design bureau of plant No. 74 (Izhevsk). All of them developed carbines based on the serial SVT-40 rifle. OKB-180, headed by S. G. Simonov, created a carbine of an original design. At the end of 1940 and the beginning of 1941, four samples of self-loading carbines were simultaneously ready for testing in the USSR:
- Tokarev TKB-65 designs;
- designs of plant No. 74;
- EPB designs of plant No. 314;
- Simonov SVS-53 designs.

Simonov carbine SVS-53. The sample is stored in VIMAIViVS. Published for the first time

The SVS-53 carbine passed field tests in October 1940. Based on their results, the test site came to the conclusion that different conditions During operation, the carbine showed unsatisfactory results, had several breakdowns of minor parts and needed improvement. However, its design was recognized as the most promising, and the test site was recommended to be developed on the basis of the SWS-53 new sample in order to finally resolve the issue of adopting a self-loading carbine into spacecraft service.

Simonov carbine SKS-30. The sample is stored in VIMAIViVS. Published for the first time

A pack of cartridges for the SKS-30 carbine. (Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation)

In April 1941, S. G. Simonov developed two carbines with magazines for 10 and 5 rounds - SKS-30-P-41g. and SKS-31-P-41g. Their automatic mechanisms were identical, the only difference was in the design of the magazines - the SKS-30 carbine had a magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds, loaded in a pack from the bottom of the magazine box, the SKS-31 carbine had a magazine with a capacity of 5 rounds, loaded from above from a standard rifle clip.

In May 1941, the SKS-30 and SKS-31 carbines entered field testing. Here it turned out that the SKS-31 with a permanent magazine of 5 rounds provided a rate of fire of 20 rounds/min, which was significantly higher than that of the rifle mod. 1891/30 (15 shots/min.). The SKS-30 carbine had an even higher rate of fire (about 25 rounds/min.). At the same time, loading a pack of cartridges for the SKS-30 carbine required significantly more time than loading cartridges from a conventional clip. Loading a magazine with a pack of cartridges also required more time than loading an SVT-40 rifle with a detachable magazine due to the additional operation of opening and closing the magazine lid to remove the empty pack and insert the loaded one.

The reliability of the SKS-31 carbine with a 5-round magazine turned out to be higher than that of carbines of competing designs. The number of delays when firing from the SKS-30 carbine with a 10-round magazine was 4.58%, while the SKS-31 carbine with a 5-round magazine was 3%. There were no breakdowns of carbine parts during full-life shooting. In terms of maneuverability, both carbines were considered convenient, including in bayonet combat, but the SKS-31 carbine turned out to be the best, due to the absence of a magazine box protruding beyond the dimensions of the stock.

Based on the test results, the GAU test site recognized that the Simonov SKS-31 carbine with a permanent magazine for 5 rounds showed satisfactory results in terms of survivability and trouble-free operation of the automation. The SKS-30 carbine did not pass the test due to a large number of delays. On July 1, 1941, the test results of the Simonov SKS-31 and SKS-30 carbines, the Tokarev carbine and carbines designed by factories No. 74 and No. 314 were reviewed by the AK GAU, which came to the following conclusions:

"1. The main feature of the 1941 Simonov self-loading carbine is its light weight and permanent magazine, which improve the design in the following ways:
a) the carbine is much lighter compared to the Tokarev carbine. For example, the weight of a Tokarev carbine with a bayonet and foot, a set of magazines and clips based on ammunition ammunition (90 pcs.) is 4.6 kg, and the weight of a Simonov carbine with a bayonet, foot and a set of clips based on ammunition ammunition (90 pieces) is 4.6 kg. 3.4–3.55 kg, which makes it possible to increase the ammunition load by about 50 rounds.
[…]
In bayonet fighting it has an advantage over the SKT, especially with a long thrust, due to the fact that its magazine does not protrude.”

The GAU decided to approve the drawings of the Simonov carbine with a permanent magazine for 5 rounds for ordering a batch of 50 pieces. to conduct military tests with a batch production deadline of July 15, 1942, military tests were ordered to be carried out in July 1942.

As you can see, the decision to manufacture a batch of Simonov carbines for military testing took place on July 1, 1941, i.e., in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War, which had already begun Patriotic War, which largely determined the course of further events regarding this product. It is clear that in the conditions of the severe defeats that the spacecraft suffered at the beginning of the war and the subsequent urgent evacuation of defense industry enterprises, accompanied by the demand for a sharp increase in the number of weapons produced, the production of a batch of experimental carbines was out of the question. The NKV returned to this issue only in the spring of 1942, when the deployment of mass production of weapons at arms factories was largely completed.

Simonov carbine SKS-31 (serial model of the SKS carbine No. 19 produced in 1944 at plant No. 314 in Mednogorsk). The sample is stored in VIMAIViVS. Published for the first time

Factory mark of the Mednogorsk arms factory No. 314 on the butt of the SKS (SKS-31) carbine No. 19 1944

On May 29, 1942, the People's Commissariat of Armaments reported to the State Autonomous Agrarian University that the production of a batch of self-loading 7.62-mm Simonov carbines (SKS) for military testing was planned at plant No. 74 (Izhevsk). The production deadline for a batch of carbines was set at the third quarter of 1942. However, Plant No. 74, loaded to the limit with the production of weapons for the front, refused to fulfill the order. In this regard, in April 1942, the GAU petitioned the People's Commissariat of Armaments to transfer the production of a batch of SKS carbines to plant No. 314 (Mednogorsk), which had been producing Tokarev SVT-40 self-loading rifles since November 1941. In June, the NKV allowed the transfer of the order and decided that Plant No. 314 should produce a batch of carbines by July 25, 1942. But time passed, the deadline for the production of a batch of carbines came, but the matter hardly moved. On August 12, 1942, S. G. Simonov sent a letter to the GAU, in which he reported that plant No. 314, for production reasons, could not fulfill the order for the production of carbines on time, and asked to postpone it to the fourth quarter of 1942. Work on the production of carbines began, but by September 1, 1942, the plant had completed the task of mastering the technological cycle of their production by only 50%. This situation did not suit the GAU, and it began to rush the plant, sending letters to it and to the NKV, asking them to speed up and deliver the batch of carbines by October 20, 1942. However, neither in 1942, nor in the following 1943, the production of a batch of Simonov carbines was completed - plant No. 314 experienced great difficulties in producing SVT-40 rifles, and could not pay attention to fulfilling the order for carbines. As a result, the production of a batch of carbines was suspended. It was possible to return to this work only in December 1943, when the plant finally produced the first three carbines, and production of the entire batch was completed in May 1944. Of the 50 carbines, one was shot at NIPSVO for a full survivability of 8000 rounds (with 1.76% delays obtained), one was sent to the NKV and six were sent to the GAU. The plant prepared 42 carbines for military testing. On June 14, 1944, a batch of Simonov carbines in the amount of 37 pieces. left the factory for active duty in the army, the remaining five carbines went to the “Vystrel” officer training course.

At the front, they decided to issue SKS carbines to the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in units on the defensive, considering that under these conditions it would be possible to evaluate them as fully as possible. The progress and results of tests of SKS carbines at the front are reflected in the report of the GAU representative, Captain P. I. Paranichev (document dated August 19, 1944): “To the Head of the UZPSVO GAU KA, Major General of the Engineering and Artillery Service, Comrade. Dubovitsky N.N. Report of engineer-captain N.I. Paranchev, who took part in military tests of a batch of 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbines. […]The carbines were handed over to the personnel of the 2nd company 1083 rifle regiment August 14, 1944. In the period from August 14, 1944 to August 18, 1944, carbines were used in combat operations of the unit. There were no tests under combat conditions.

From conversations with officers and enlisted personnel of the 2nd company of the 1083rd Infantry Regiment 312 rifle division The following shortcomings have been identified:

- 7.62-mm Simonov self-loading carbines with slight dust (contamination), with dry parts of the moving automation system and without daily cleaning, which is inevitable in modern combat, give a lot of delays when shooting. Typical delays when shooting in combat conditions are set out in the act of 08/18/1944 in four reviews of the officers of the unit who were armed with carbines. On August 18, 1944, I and other members of the commission interviewed 12 soldiers who took part in the unit’s combat operations with Simonov carbines. Of these, most of the fighters are t.t. Meninov, Lomzin, Ngazbekov, Shakirov and others pointed to frequent delays “non-extraction”, “non-reflection”, “sticking”, “non-advancement”, etc. […] At the same time, the delays “non-extraction” were repeated. With a lubricated chamber, these same carbines had no “non-removal” delays. […] According to fighters, individual carbines work relatively well in combat conditions. I believe that in combat conditions Simonov’s 7.62-mm self-loading carbines showed unsatisfactory results in terms of trouble-free operation of the automation. Due to the identified negative qualities of the carbine under combat conditions, the command of the 312th Infantry Division did not consider it possible to further use them in combat conditions outside the front line of defense and transferred most of the carbines to the 2nd echelon and special units. […] Tests of Simonov’s 7.62-mm self-loading carbines in the troops showed that without significant modifications to the carbines in the direction of increasing the reliability of the automation in any conditions of their use in the army, mass use and in active army V modern conditions have a fightthey won’t.”

S. G. Simonov in the design bureau working on the SKS-31 carbine

The above document reflects one of the most important aspects of testing SKS-31 carbines at the front - they did not directly participate in combat clashes with the enemy!

Based on the results of testing the carbines, taking into account the insufficient reliability of the weapons and feedback from personnel, the division command removed them from the first line units and transferred them to artillery units. But even there they did not deserve recognition from the fighters. Other documents reveal the reasons for this attitude: “...the head of artillery supply of the 312th page of the Smolensk Red Banner Division reports: “In at the moment the personnel of three artillery and mortar units of the 1083 SKP demand (due to a significant number of delays) that this carbine be removed from them.”

Bayonet mounted on the barrel of the SKS carbine (SKS-31)

However, despite the significant shortcomings of the carbines, the front commission made a rather favorable final conclusion from their tests: “The 7.62-mm Simonov self-loading carbine, in terms of maneuverability and operational qualities, can be adopted into service with spacecraft units when eliminating negative aspects, i.e., by increasing the reliability of the automation.” The reason for this decision of the commission is clear - the light weight, compactness and maneuverability of the carbine looked very attractive.

Movable system (bolt carrier with bolt)

The results of testing carbines at the Shot course are given in the report dated August 29, 1944. Summarizing the material of the act, you can cite the information contained in it in the following form. The carbines were tested on the following points:
- speed and ease of mastering the equipment by conscripts;
- determining the reliability of the automation in various conditions: with thick lubrication, after crawling across a plowed field, with wiped parts dry, after 25 km of transition (dust), after crawling 100 m through swampy terrain and through a narrow trench, while maintaining long time without cleaning, after standing for 24 hours in the open air, in the rain and in swampy mud, after standing for 24 hours in swampy mud. Each test was accompanied by the shooting of 50 rounds. In addition, the carbine was evaluated for maintainability, its maneuverability in everyday use in the field and for convenience in bayonet combat were determined, and officers with front-line experience took part in the last test.

Shutter mirror view

The main results of tests of SKS carbines were as follows:
- mastering the material part of the carbine, the techniques and rules of shooting from it does not present any difficulties;
- loading a carbine from a clip takes a lot of time and is extremely difficult due to the incorrect placement of cartridges in the magazine after loading, which caused the flanges to overlap, which makes loading cartridges impossible;
- the resulting practical rate of fire (6 rounds/min.) taking into account aiming, despite automatic reloading, is lower than the rate of fire of the rifle mod. 1891/30 due to delays in loading cartridges into the magazine. Distortions of cartridges in the magazine and the flanges of cartridges biting into the wall of the magazine were noted;
- the carbine bounces strongly when firing, which requires additional time to return to the aiming line and reduces the rate of fire;
- shooting is accompanied by a strong and sharp sound that deafens the shooter left ear, with hearing loss within 24 hours. The flame of a shot, and in dry weather, dust, unmasks the shooting position, and the flash is visible not only at night, but also during the day. Firing as part of a unit from a vehicle is impossible due to the fact that the shooters jam each other. Shooting forward from a horse is also difficult because the horse is stunned;
- the carbine has a high recoil: after 50 shots the shooter feels severe pain in the shoulder;
- in terms of accuracy of combat when shooting at various ranges, the carbine is not inferior to a rifle mod. 1891/30 and exceeds SVT: R50av(100m)=7.9 cm, R100av(100m)=16.5 cm;
- the carbine does not provide the required level of reliability due to the large number of delays. The performance of automation is considered unsatisfactory, especially in difficult conditions - in these conditions 20–100% of delays occur. IN normal conditions the number of delays was 4.61–6.16%.
- in hand-to-hand combat in open areas and in trenches, the carbine is convenient and has good maneuverability.

Trigger mechanism

Based on the results of tests at the Shot course, the commission came to the conclusion that the Simonov carbine has the following significant disadvantages:

Unacceptably large number of delays and high sensitivity to contamination;

Sharp recoil and a strong and sharp sound of a shot, which is why the shooter is unable to fire for a long time;

Large flame when fired;

Low rate of fire due to the difficulty of loading, delays, and the carbine tossing when fired.

Some of the delays were due to unsatisfactory manufacturing quality of a number of important parts of the carbines, but this factor was not the determining factor. A significant part of the delays were the result of design flaws. For example, a lot of criticism was caused by loading the magazine with a clip, in which the cartridges did not take up desired position in a store box. The reason for the phenomenon was the uniformity of the position of the clip in the grooves of the receiver, which was not ensured by the designer. Due to these shortcomings, the Vystrel courses did not recommend the SKS carbine for adoption.

Having summarized the results of military tests, Artcom GAU in a document dated October 18 came to the following main conclusions:

Simonov's self-loading carbines work unsatisfactorily: they gave a high percentage of delays, showing themselves to be sensitive to contamination, and had a low rate of fire, i.e., they lacked the main advantage compared to repeating carbines.

The main delays obtained during military tests are similar to the delays obtained when firing from the SVT-40: tight cartridge case extraction, under-opening of the bolt, non-reflection of cartridges, sticking of the cartridge."

Strong recoil, sharp shot sound and large flame when fired.

Fragment of a drawing of the SKS carbine (SKS-31) (Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation)

Technical characteristics of Simonov automatic carbines 1940-1941.

Characteristic	Options
Weight with bayonet and magazine without cartridges, g
Weight of bayonet without scabbard, g
Length with bayonet, mm
Length without bayonet, mm
Rate of fire, rds/min.
Recoil energy with muzzle brake, kgm

In its conclusions, the Artcom of the GAU separately indicated that the delays that arose when firing from the SKS required serious modification. The direction of this work, indicated by the GAU, was to increase the weight of the mobile system. This instruction was absolutely correct: such a measure, primarily in the direction of increasing the weight of the bolt frame, made it possible to increase the energy of the moving system during the roll, i.e., in the most energy-consuming part of the movement, when the movement of the moving parts is carried out only under the action of the return spring. Subsequently, the method of increasing the reliability of automatic weapon operation due to forced “heightening” of the bolt frame was used not only by Simonov in his SKS carbines chambered for the Model 1943 cartridge, but also by other designers in the most successful assault rifles designed by Sudaev, Bulkin and Kalashnikov. He played a significant role in the legendary reliability of the AK and all its modifications.

The final conclusion on the military tests of the SKS carbine sounded like a verdict: "With these shortcomings, positive aspects carbine (simplicity of design, light weight, good maneuverability, satisfactory accuracy and ease of shooting) - are not of significant interest, since most of the listed positive qualities are the cause of deficiencies. As a result, the 7.62-mm self-loading carbine designed by Simonov with a permanent magazine for 5 rounds did not pass military tests and its modification in its presented form is impractical.”

The opinion of the 1st Belorussian Front about the potential suitability of the Simonov self-loading carbine chambered for a rifle cartridge for modification and adoption was not taken into account: it was impossible to ignore the shortcomings of the SKS that appeared at the front and during the Vystrel courses - they were of a very serious nature. The final part of the GAU conclusions, which reasonably asserted that the positive aspects of the Simonov carbine are, at the same time, the sources of its shortcomings, “put an end to” not only the development of a specific model of the carbine, but also, in general, the concept of the most lightweight individual automatic weapon chambered for a full-size rifle cartridge. The army's desire to have a compact model of a self-loading carbine with minimal weight for a rifle cartridge led to a significant increase in recoil and toss when fired, which had to be compensated for by mounting it on a weapon muzzle brake. But, as can be seen from the test documents, the muzzle brake did not fully cope with the task of reducing recoil, despite the fact that its use led to the formation of a powerful shock wave, increasing the sound pressure level on the shooter to a critical value. The short barrel of a carbine in combination with a rifle cartridge led to the emergence strong outbreak shot, which, along with the dust raised shock wave powder gases flowing from the muzzle brake unmasked the shooting position. This in once again an immutable truth was proven: it will not be possible to outwit physics, because it is impossible.

Carbine SKS No. 19 with an installed clip loaded with rifle cartridges

Work on the design of self-loading carbines for a rifle cartridge was no longer resumed. But this was no longer necessary: ​​in 1944, the USSR already had a 7.62-mm cartridge of intermediate power, and S. G. Simonov, like some other gunsmiths, switched to developing weapons for this, much more convenient in all respects ammunition that promised a way out of the current impasse. And in these works, S. G. Simonov made full use of the experience gained during the development and testing of the SKS-31 carbine. Taking as a basis the design of its main parts (bolt frame, bolt, receiver), in 1944–1948 S. G. Simonov developed several samples of self-loading and automatic carbines, the best of which was put into service in 1949 as the SKS.

To this day, on the shelves of gun stores you can find Simonov’s self-loading carbine under the designation OP-SKS (OP - hunting and commercial). Visitors have many questions regarding the year of manufacture of the carbines (SKS was discontinued in the 50s) and the differences between a hunting carbine and combat models. Disputes continue about the effectiveness of the 7.62x39 cartridge when shooting at medium and large animals...

Story

The SKS underwent military tests on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in the victorious 1945 and was adopted by the army in 1949, almost simultaneously with the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Being quite comparable to the AK in terms of reliability and simplicity of the device, the SKS, of course, was inferior to it in combat effectiveness. During the Great Patriotic War, the last doubts about the advisability of the mass use of automatic weapons were dispelled, and therefore the army history of the carbine was quite short.

At first, the carbine was produced with a needle bayonet, and then with a knife-shaped folding bayonet. During the production process, design changes were made to some parts and components (shutter, trigger mechanism).

After being removed from service, the SKS remained a service weapon in some branches of the military (for example, in air defense units) until the end of the 80s. And one more thing for a long time The SKS will serve as a ceremonial weapon at post No. 1 Eternal Flame, in the honor guard companies of Russia and many other states.

Except Soviet Union The Simonov carbine was produced in China and the UAE.

Today, a large number of Simonov carbines are in army warehouses and some of them, having passed special training at a weapons factory, goes on sale with the abbreviation “OP”. The main enterprise producing OP-SKS is the Vyatsko-Polyansky machine-building plant "Molot".

Device

The carbine's automatic operation works by removing part of the powder gases through a hole in the wall of the barrel bore. Unlike the AK system, the gas piston has a short stroke and acts on the bolt frame through a spring-loaded pusher. The barrel is locked by tilting the bolt in a vertical plane. The trigger mechanism of the carbine is hammer-operated and allows firing only single shots. The safety lever is located on the trigger guard and locks the trigger. Magazine for 10 rounds, permanent. To quickly fill it, clips are used. The cleaning rod is located under the barrel and is fixed with a bayonet tube. The pencil case with cleaning accessories is carried in a special slot in the butt. The stock with a semi-pistol neck is made of wood or bakelite plywood. Partial disassembly of the carbine is carried out without the use of tools.

The carbine has excellent balance and is designed for quick aiming, which is very important when shooting offhand.

The magazine can be loaded with cartridges manually (one cartridge at a time), and using a clip. To use special clips are provided on the bolt frame guides. Loading a magazine with a clip takes literally a couple of seconds. Such speed is necessary not only for war, but also on some types of steppe and northern hunts, for example, when shooting is carried out at long ranges and the probability hits depend not only on the skill of the shooter, but also on the number of bullets fired

Design features of OP-SKS

Details of the SKS carbine.
1 - bolt frame;
2 - shutter;
3 - trigger mechanism

Basically, the Molot plant receives carbines manufactured in the early 50s from army warehouses. The vast majority of carbines were practically not used by the troops. At the factory, they all undergo preliminary shooting, which makes it possible to identify trunks that are unsuitable for accuracy. In addition, the functionality of the trigger mechanism and the locking unit is checked. The old varnish is removed from the wooden parts and a new one is applied. The metal parts of the weapon are coated with a phosphate varnish protective coating. Externally, the OP-SKS differs from the SKS in the absence of a bayonet - not the most necessary thing for hunting. The carbine can be equipped with optics. As a rule, this is a 4x scope of domestic production. At the factory, the weapon is adjusted to normal combat at a distance of 100 meters with both mechanical and optical sights. The carbine is equipped with a cleaning rod, a pencil case with accessories, clips for loading and a standard belt.

In accordance with the Law on Weapons of the Russian Federation, all carbines undergo control shooting for bullet cartridges, about which a corresponding note is made in the weapon passport. In order to individualize the mark on the bullet, a special pin is installed in the bore of each barrel, which, however, does not affect either the accuracy of fire or the initial speed bullets.

In general, SCS leaves the factory fully prepared for long-term operation in Russian conditions.

Efficiency

The common opinion about the insufficient effectiveness of the 7.62x39 cartridge on traditional Russian hunts can be fully justified only by comparing this caliber with a obviously more powerful one (for example, 7.62x54). The weak stopping effect of bullets (and not the low efficiency of the cartridge as a whole), live ammunition, multiplied by the inability to shoot - this is, perhaps, the reason for all sorts of stories about moose and wild boars with dozens of wounds. Of course, one cannot ignore the greater survivability compared to humans. wild beast, but damage to vital organs, even with a through penetration without deformation of the bullet, does not pass without a trace for any animal.

As for the ability of an ordinary hunter to shoot (not a hunter or a sports shooter), we have to admit that it is quite difficult to acquire the necessary skills in the absence of shooting ranges and shooting clubs. But illiterate, inaccurate shooting from any weapon and with any cartridge can lead to the most unpredictable results.

A bullet fired from an OP-SKS carbine
after hitting a boar

Banning hunting with a certain caliber (5.6 LR, 7.62x39, etc.) in some regions of Russia is not a solution in this case. Motivation - a lot of wounded animals. Foreign experience solutions to such a problem are more interesting. For example, in Finland the owner rifled weapons will not be allowed to hunt animals if he does not pass the shooting test at the beginning of the season. Moreover, the test shooting itself has been turned into a most interesting action comparable to our discovery of hunting.

Despite the rather meager range of domestic 7.62x39 hunting cartridges, you can hunt quite effectively using a cartridge with a heavy (9.7 g) semi-jacketed bullet produced by the Barnaul Machine Tool Plant. In the photo you see a bullet from this cartridge removed from a dead boar. Weapon - OP-SKS. Distance 80-100 meters. The boar was hit in the neck area by the first shot.

Shooting with a cartridge produced by the Klimovsky Stamping Plant with an 8-gram expansive bullet (7.62x39-8) can also be very effective. This bullet has four longitudinal cuts on the inner surface of the ogive, which contribute to significant deformation of the bullet when it hits the target and, as a result, loss of more than 50% of its energy inside the target.

Table 1 shows experimental data when shooting from an SKS carbine at 14-centimeter gelatin blocks coated with a fragment of elk skin.

TABLE 1
Cartridge	Firing range, m	Bullet energy, kgm		Result
		in front of the block	loss of energy
7.62 x 39, jacketed bullet (combat) PS	100-120	150-158	3-5
7.62 x 39-8	100-120	150-156	56-93	The bullet is deformed
	190-240	101-112	44-67	The bullet is deformed
	380-410	61-65	8-28	The bullet does not deform, the movement is unstable (sideways)
	490-530	38-44	1-3	The bullet does not deform, stable movement

Analysis of the results shows that up to a range of 250 m, the use of this cartridge is very effective. The loss of bullet energy, even with a target thickness of 14 cm, is 44-93 kgm.

Considering that a bullet energy loss of 20 kgm is sufficient to reliably kill a large elk, the OP-SKS with this cartridge is suitable for hunting any large animal, living in the Russian Federation.

It is difficult to predict how long the OP-SKS will remain one of the most popular self-loading hunting carbines, but, regardless of this, Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov and his carbine will forever go down in world weapons history.

• Articles » Rifles / Carbines
• Mercenary 33067 0

There is a mixed opinion about hunting with the SKS carbine (Simonov self-loading carbine). Military weapons sometimes converted into a hunting one. This happened with the SKS carbine back in 1949, when it was put into service. The main model SKS-45 has proven itself in combat conditions as a reliable and trouble-free weapon with high shooting properties. These same qualities migrated to hunting rifle variations. Technical data of the SKS: caliber - 7.62 mm, primary speed - 735 m/s, weight with a dozen cartridges in the magazine - 3.9 kg, accurate shooting range - 1000 m with a bullet weighing 8 g, product length - 1 m.

The SKS carbine and its variants for hunting are still used today by commercial hunters to catch medium-sized animals. Only the live cartridge is replaced by a hunting cartridge with a weighted bullet weighing 9.7 g.

Features of OP SCS

The conversion of the combat SKS-45 into a civilian version was carried out by several Tula arms factories, resulting in the OP SKS, KO SKS and TOZ-97 Arhar carbines. Latest model differs significantly from the original, it is equipped with a mount for optical sight. But we are not talking about the TOZ-97, but about the OP SKS carbine. Unlike the SKS-45, the hunting carbine has the bayonet mounting bracket removed, a marked barrel installed, allowing its ballistics to be identified, and the aiming bar has been shortened to shoot at 300 m. With this, external differences are ending.

As for the design of the SKS mechanisms themselves, they were not changed during processing into the hunting model: there are no screws in both versions, and the parts are stamped or milled. So the OP SKS adopted the reliability and technical indicators from its combat brother. The features of a hunting rifle include:

• locking the barrel with a skew is an outdated method, but convenient for weapon maintenance;
• the bolt frame and box have a minimum of grooves, which prevents the accumulation of dirt in them and speeds up the cleaning process;
• loading method is clip-on, without removing the magazine (it is not removable), this requires a certain skill.

Unpretentiousness, simplicity and reliability allow the carbine not to lose its qualities even with a maintenance interval of 1 year. Competition in the hunting weapons market is great - Saiga and Vepr carbines have similar characteristics, but they are much more expensive, and in terms of historical value they are inferior to the SKS, which has military glory.

Hunting Application

Most often, OP SKS is taken with them when hunting medium-sized animals: wolf, roe deer, small wild boar. For hunting large wild boar, elk or bear, the power of the 7.62×39 cartridge is considered insufficient; preference is given to the 9 mm caliber and the 7.62×53 cartridge. Although experienced hunters do not share this opinion. Skills aimed shooting and knowledge of the anatomy of large animals is the key to successful hunting of such an animal as a bear. An inexperienced shooter, who has no idea about the concept of shooting “in place,” misses or, even worse, inflicts light wounds on the animal, only irritating it, and chalks it all up to the fact that the SKS OP is not suitable for such a hunt.

The solution to this situation would be to study the target anatomically and practice aiming skills. This conclusion is confirmed by the popularity of SKS for hunting in many countries.

On the boar

A medium-sized boar weighs 100-120 kg, and a self-loading carbine is most suitable for obtaining such a trophy in terms of price-quality characteristics, although there is a ban under the new rules on the use of such weapons in relation to artiodactyls. To shoot a wild boar from the OP SKS, 2 types of cartridges are used:

1. Hunting 7.62×39 with a semi-jacketed bullet weighing 9.7 g. Such a bullet, hitting an animal, is deformed, providing a damaging effect at a distance of 100 m. A greater distance does not allow the bullet to cause shock to the wild boar, but an aimed shot from a self-loading carbine is possible up to 200 m. Increasing the distance is possible after preliminary zeroing to determine the range correction.
2. Hunting 7.62×39 with a bullet weighing 8 g, consisting of 3 components– bimetallic shell, lead jacket and steel core. It is unified with the projectile of the 1943 model cartridge. Externally, the bullet can be identified by the cut of the shell at the tip, where the lead jacket is visible.

A bullet of the second type of cartridge (8 g), hitting the soft parts of the animal’s body, is deformed to the point of destruction at distances of up to 300 m. damaging factors are realized in full, causing the animal to go into a state of shock. Hitting a bone with a steel core shatters it into fragments, increasing the animal's stun and shock.

For moose, bear

The determining factor in the suitability of a weapon for bear hunting is the power contained in the cartridge. To effectively kill an animal, the bullet energy must be at least 9 J per 1 kg of its mass. For an elk weighing 200 kg, the bullet characteristic should be 1800 J. But the bear can withstand wounds well and is dangerous when shot. So for him this figure needs to be increased by a third. The 7.62×39 cartridge passes this parameter only at the very bottom limit - when shooting at point-blank range.

But hunting conditions are not only a cartridge, but also a distance: a large animal can be hunted from a distance of 15-100 m, for an SKS carbine this is a comfortable interval. Ambushes are usually made for large animals, which involve shooting at calm conditions on a standing or slowly walking animal. And the shooting does not happen as expected, but exactly “in the place” that an experienced hunter unerringly chooses on the body of a nearby bear.

The first shot is the most important, it should leave the animal in place completely immobilized so that the hunter does not lose the ability to accurately aim. There is no point in delaying the second, and possibly subsequent, shot.

OP SCS is most successfully used by hunters who have extensive hunting practice, knowledge of the anatomy and habits of wild animals, who understand who they are raising their hand to, and not just sharp shooters. So the weapon, which proved to be of high quality, reliable and practical more than half a century ago, continues to serve not only as a museum exhibit or for a collector, but also in real life from the hunter.