Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index History: The Samozaryadnyi Karabin sistemi Simonova, 1945 (Self-loading Carbine system, Simonov, 1945) or SKS45, was designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov at the end of WWII. This rifle was planned to serve as the new standard issue weapon for the Soviet military forces, alongside the AK-47. As mass production of the superior Avtomat Kalashnikov (specifically the more inexpensive AKM variant) increased, the SKS carbine was soon phased out of service. It is still manufactured for use as a hunting rifle. Ammunition: 7.62x39mm or M1943. Uses a fixed 10-round box magazine which is loaded using disposable 10-round metal stripper clips. Some variants have a removable box magazine -- these variants are classified as illegal assault weapons in the state of Califonia. Bayonet: Permanently mounted folding bayonet. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.