The SKS is a self loading rifle of Soviet origin. It was developed during the later stages of World War 2 as a much lighter and more compact alternative to the Mosin-Nagant. Eventually it got replaced by the AK-47, which was designed at the same time. However, millions were produced and the SKS has been a very common weapon in all nations using Soviet small arms.
The SKS combines design features from the AVS-36 and SVT-40 self-loading rifles. The SKS has a conventional carbine layout. Externally it looks like a shortened SVT-40 rifle. The stock and furniture are made out of wood. It uses a short stroke gas piston and a tilting bolt. The SKS is fitted with a folding blade or spike bayonet.
The SKS is a semi-automatic rifle. It fires the intermediate power 7.62x39mm round from a fixed 10 round magazine. It is reloaded using 10 round stripper clips. The SKS is not able to launch rifle grenades, but the Yugoslav M59/66 is modified to fire NATO standard rifle grenades. The Chinese Type 63 is a modified version that is select-fire and uses detachable box magazines.