In 1926, the world's first assault rifle designed by Vladimir Grigorievich Fedorov was removed from both production and service. However, the very idea of ​​​​creating highly effective automatic weapons was not forgotten. The baton was picked up by a student of V. G. Fedorov, who by this time had taken the position of director of the Kovrov arms factory.

Soviet small arms designer Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov

This student, as you probably already understood, was none other than Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov.
While still acting as a senior foreman at the Kovrov arms factory, he often worked together with the leading designers of the plant and was engaged in the creation of individual weapon components. Soon, the accumulated experience allowed Simonov to continue Fedorov’s work and begin to develop an automatic rifle of his own system, designed to use a rifle cartridge of the 1908 model.
The first project of an automatic rifle was created by Simonov at the beginning of 1926. Basic distinctive feature The operation of its mechanism was the removal from the muzzle of the barrel of powder gases formed during the shot. In this case, the powder gases acted on the gas piston and rods. Locking the barrel bore at the moment of firing was achieved by entering the support combat stump into the cutout of the bolt in its lower part.
The rifle made according to this project existed only in a single copy. Factory tests have shown that, despite the completely reliable interaction of its automatic mechanisms, the design of the rifle has a number of significant shortcomings. First of all, this concerned the unsuccessful placement of the gas exhaust mechanism. For its fastening, the right side of the muzzle of the barrel was chosen (and not the upper, symmetrical one, as, for example, this was later done in the Kalashnikov assault rifle). A shift in the center of gravity to the right when firing caused a significant deflection of the bullet to the left. In addition, such a placement of the gas venting mechanism greatly increased the width of the forend, and its insufficient protection opened up access to the gas venting device for water and dust. The defects of the rifle could also include its poor performance. So, for example, in order to remove the bolt, it was necessary to separate the butt and remove the handle.
The noted shortcomings led to the fact that in April 1926. The Artillery Committee, which was reviewing the project for an automatic rifle of the Simonov system, rejected the inventor’s proposals to release a trial batch of weapons and conduct official tests. However, it was noted that although automatic rifle and has no advantages over already known systems; its design is quite simple.
Simonov’s attempts in 1928 and 1930 were also unsuccessful. present to the commission improved models of an automatic rifle of your design. They, like their predecessor, were not allowed to undergo field testing. Each time, the commission noted a number of design flaws that caused delays in firing and automatic breakdowns. But failures did not stop Simonov.
In 1931, he created an improved automatic rifle, the operation of which, like its predecessors, was based on the removal of powder gases through a side hole in the barrel. In addition, for the first time in weapons of this class, the barrel bore was locked with a wedge that moved in the vertical grooves of the receiver. To do this, a wedge was placed vertically in the front part of the receiver, which fits into a cutout made in the front part of the bolt from below. When the bolt was unlocked, the wedge was lowered by a special clutch, and when locked, the wedge was raised by the bolt driver, against which the bolt spring rested.
The trigger mechanism had a striker-type trigger and was designed to conduct single and continuous fire (the switch for one or another type of fire was located on the rear right of the receiver). The rifle was fed with ammunition from a removable box magazine that held 15 rounds. A muzzle brake-compensator was placed in front of the muzzle of the barrel.
In the new project, Simonov managed to increase the range of aimed fire to 1500 m. At the same time, the highest rate of fire with a single fire with aiming (depending on the shooter’s training) reached 30-40 rds/min (versus 10 rds/min of the Mosin rifle model 1891/ 1930). Also in 1931, the automatic rifle of the Simonov system quite successfully passed factory tests and was admitted to field testing. During their course, a number of defects were identified. They were mostly constructive in nature. In particular, the commission noted the low survivability of some parts. First of all, this concerned the muzzle tube of the barrel, on which the muzzle brake-compensator, the bayonet and the base of the front sight and the barrel release wedge coupling were attached. In addition, attention was paid to the very short sighting line of the rifle, which reduced shooting accuracy, significant weight and insufficient reliability of the safety catch.
Another model of an automatic rifle of the Simonov system mod. 1933 passed field tests more successfully and was recommended by the commission for transfer to the army for military testing. In addition, on March 22, 1934, the Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the development in 1935 of capacities for the production of automatic rifles of the Simonov system.
However, this decision was soon reversed. Only after, as a result of a series of comparative tests with samples of automatic weapons of the Tokarev and Degtyarev systems, which took place in 1935-1936, the Simonov automatic rifle showed the best results, it was put into production. And although some copies failed prematurely, as the commission noted, the reason for this was mainly manufacturing defects, not design. “This can be confirmed,” as stated in the protocol of the testing commission in July 1935, “by the first ABC prototypes, which withstood up to 27,000 shots and did not have the kind of breakdowns that were observed in the tested samples.” After this conclusion, the rifle was adopted by the rifle units of the Red Army under the designation ABC-36 (“automatic rifle of the Simonov system model 1936”).

As in previous models, the operation of the ABC-36 automation was based on the principle of removing powder gases generated during a shot from the muzzle of the barrel. However, this time Simonov placed the gas exhaust system not on the right, as usual, but above the barrel. Subsequently, the centered placement of the gas release mechanism was and is currently used on the best examples of automatic weapons operating on this principle. The rifle's trigger mechanism was mainly designed for single-shot fire, but also allowed fully automatic fire. Its accuracy and efficiency were increased by a muzzle brake-compensator and a well-placed bayonet, which, when rotated 90°, turned into an additional support (bipod). At the same time, the rate of fire of the ABC-36 with single fire reached 25 rds/min, and when firing in bursts - 40 rds/min. Thus, one soldier of a rifle unit, armed with an automatic rifle of the Simonov system, could achieve the same density of fire as was achieved by a group of three or four riflemen armed with rifles of the Mosin system mod. 1891/1930 Already in 1937, more than 10 thousand rifles were mass-produced.

On February 25, 1938, the Director of the Izhevsk Arms Plant, A.I. Bykovsky, reported that the automatic rifle of the Simonov system was mastered at the plant and put into mass production. This made it possible to increase their production by almost 2.5 times. Thus, by the beginning of 1939, more than 35 thousand ABC-36 rifles entered the troops. The new rifle was first demonstrated at the May Day parade in 1938. The 1st Moscow Proletarian Division was armed with it.
The further fate of the automatic rifle of the Simonov system mod. The year 1936 has an ambiguous interpretation in historical literature. According to some reports, the decisive role was played by I.V. Stalin’s phrase that an automatic rifle leads to unnecessary waste of ammunition in wartime conditions, since the ability to conduct automatic fire in battle conditions that cause natural nervousness allows the shooter to carry out aimless continuous shooting, which is the reason for the irrational consumption of a large number of cartridges. This version in his book “Notes of the People's Commissar” is confirmed by B. L. Vannikov, who held the post of People's Commissar of Armaments before the Great Patriotic War, and during the war - People's Commissar of Ammunition of the USSR. According to him, already starting from 1938, I.V. Stalin paid great attention to the self-loading rifle and closely monitored the progress of the design and manufacture of its samples. “Perhaps it rarely happened that Stalin did not touch on this topic at defense meetings. Expressing dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work, speaking about the advantages of a self-loading rifle, about its high combat and tactical qualities, he liked to repeat that a shooter with it would replace ten armed with a conventional rifle. That the SV (self-loading rifle) will preserve the strength of the fighter, will allow him not to lose sight of the target, since when shooting he will be able to limit himself to only one movement - pressing the trigger, without changing the position of his hands, body and head, as he has to do with a conventional rifle , requiring reloading of the cartridge." In this regard, “it was initially planned to equip the Red Army with an automatic rifle, but then they settled on a self-loading rifle, based on the fact that it made it possible to rationally use cartridges and maintain a large sighting range, which is especially important for individual small arms.”
Recalling the events of those years, the former Deputy People's Commissar of Armaments V. N. Novikov in his book “On the Eve and on the Days of Testing” writes: “Which rifle should I give preference to: the one made by Tokarev, or the one presented by Simonov?” The scales fluctuated. The Tokarev rifle was heavier, but when tested for “survivability” there were fewer breakdowns. The elegant and lightweight Simonov rifle, which was superior to the Tokarev one in many respects, malfunctioned: the firing pin in the bolt broke. And this breakdown is only evidence that the firing pin was manufactured. made of insufficiently high-quality metal, - the outcome of the dispute was essentially decided. The fact that Tokarev was well known to Stalin meant little to him. The Simonov rifle was considered unsuccessful and the short bayonet, similar to a cleaver, won a complete monopoly in modern machine guns. Then some people reasoned like this: in a bayonet battle it is better to fight with an old bayonet - faceted and long. The issue of a self-loading rifle was considered at a meeting of the Defense Committee. Only B.L. Vannikov defended the Simonov rifle, proving its superiority.”
There is also a version that the automatic rifle of the Simonov system arr. 1936, having passed the test of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, showed low performance, and its design for industrialists turned out to be low-tech. The trigger mechanism, designed to allow variable fire, provided continuous fire at too high a rate. However, even the introduction of a tempo decelerator into the design of the rifle during continuous fire did not provide satisfactory shooting accuracy. In addition, the trigger spring for servicing two sears was cut into two parts, which significantly reduced its strength. The wedge designed to unlock and lock the barrel could not simultaneously serve as a satisfactory stop for the bolt. This required the installation of a special bolt stop located in front of the wedge, which significantly complicated the entire automatic mechanism of the rifle - the bolt and receiver had to be lengthened. In addition, the shutter was open to contamination when moving forward and backward. In pursuit of reducing the weight of the weapon, the bolt itself had to be reduced and lightened. But it turned out that this made it less reliable, and its production was too complex and expensive. In general, the ABC-36 automation wore out very quickly and after some time it worked less reliably. In addition, there were other complaints - a very loud sound of the shot, too much recoil and shaking when fired. The fighters complained that when disassembling the ABC there was a real possibility of pinching fingers with the firing pin, and that if after complete disassembly the rifle was inadvertently reassembled without a locking wedge, it was quite possible to send a cartridge into the chamber and fire a shot. At the same time, the bolt bouncing back at enormous speed could cause significant injuries to the shooter.
One way or another, but already in 1939 the production of the Simonov rifle was reduced, and in 1940 it was stopped altogether. Military factories previously involved in the production of ABC-36 were reoriented to the production of self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system mod. 1938, and then mod. 1940 (SVT-38 and SVT-40). According to some data, the total production of automatic rifles of the Simonov system mod. 1936 amounted to about 65.8 thousand units.

Caliber: 7.62×54 mm R
Length: 1260 mm
Barrel length: 627 mm
Weight: 4.2 kg without cartridges
Rate of fire: 800 rounds per minute
Shop: 15 rounds

The Red Army began the first tests of self-loading rifles back in 1926, but until the mid-thirties, none of the tested samples met army requirements. Sergei Simonov began developing a self-loading rifle in the early 1930s, and entered his designs into competitions in 1931 and 1935, but only in 1936 a rifle of his design was adopted by the Red Army under the designation "7.62mm automatic rifle Simonov model 1936", or ABC -36. Experimental production of the ABC-36 rifle began back in 1935, mass production - in 1936 - 1937, and continued until 1940, when the ABC-36 was replaced in service with the Tokarev SVT-40 self-loading rifle. In total, according to various sources, from 35,000 to 65,000 ABC-36 rifles were produced. These rifles were used in the battles at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, and in the winter war with Finland in 1940. And also in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. Interesting. That the Finns, who captured rifles designed by both Tokarev and Simonov as trophies in 1940, preferred to use SVT-38 and SVT-40 rifles, since Simonov’s rifle was significantly more complex in design and more capricious. However, this is precisely why the Tokarev rifles replaced the ABC-36 in service with the Red Army.

The ABC-36 rifle is an automatic weapon that uses the removal of powder gases and allows single and automatic fire. The fire mode translator is located on the receiver on the right. The main fire mode was single shots, automatic fire was supposed to be used only when repelling sudden enemy attacks, and with the consumption of cartridges in bursts of no more than 4 - 5 magazines. A gas outlet unit with a short stroke of the gas piston is located above the barrel. The barrel is locked using a vertical block moving in the grooves of the receiver. When the block moved upward under the action of a special spring, it entered the grooves of the shutter, locking it. Unlocking occurred when a special clutch connected to the gas piston squeezed the locking block down from the bolt grooves. Since the locking block was located between the breech of the barrel and the magazine, the trajectory of feeding cartridges into the chamber was quite long and steep, which served as a source of delays when firing. In addition, because of this, the receiver had a complex design and great length. The design of the bolt group was also very complex, since inside the bolt there was a firing pin with a mainspring and a special anti-rebound mechanism. The rifle was fed from detachable magazines with a capacity of 15 rounds. Magazines could be equipped either separately from the rifle or directly on it, with the bolt open. To equip the magazine, standard 5-round clips from a Mosin rifle were used (3 clips per magazine). The rifle barrel had a large muzzle brake and a bayonet-knife mount, while the bayonet could be attached not only horizontally, but also vertically, with the blade down. In this position, the bayonet was used as a one-legged bipod for firing from a rest. In the traveling position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the fighter’s belt. The open sight was marked for range from 100 to 1,500 meters in 100-meter increments. Some ABC-36 rifles were equipped with an optical sight on a bracket and were used as sniper rifles. Due to the fact that spent cartridges are thrown up and forward from the receiver, the optical sight bracket was attached to the receiver to the left of the weapon's axis.

The issue of creating an automatic rifle in Russia began to be given great attention after the end of civil war. The advantages were obvious - more intense and accurate fire, because the shooter could not interrupt observation of the target and make several accurate shots in a row. At the end of the 20s, technical requirements were formulated - a mass of no more than 4 kg, the ability to fire in bursts and single shots. The problem of creating such a rifle was solved in the early 30s. This merit belongs to S. Simonov, who spent 5 years on development. In 1931, a prototype was submitted for testing. In 1936, the rifle was adopted for service as the “7.62mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system mod. 1936 (ABC-36)."

The automation operates on the basis of removing part of the powder gases from the barrel; we note that here, for the first time in the world, the location of the gas outlet tube above the barrel was used. The barrel is locked by a wedge bolt moving in vertical grooves. Unlocking occurred when a special clutch connected to a gas piston pressed the locking block down from the bolt grooves. The barrel is equipped with a massive muzzle brake. It is possible to attach a bayonet. The weapon was distinguished by a complex trigger mechanism (trigger mechanism) - inside the bolt there was a firing pin with a mainspring and a special anti-rebound mechanism. Single and burst fire is possible. The translator was located in front of the trigger guard. Safety was ensured by a fuse against accidental shots. The open sight is designed for ranges from 100 to 1,500 meters and is marked in 100-meter increments. Feeds from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds.

ABC was used in the following conflicts:

Battles at Khalkhin Gol

Soviet-Finnish War

The Great Patriotic War.

The combat use of the ABC in the difficult conditions of the Soviet-Finnish War demonstrated all its shortcomings:

Low efficiency of automatic fire, because the shooters could not cope with the recoil and “dive” of the rifle after each shot.

Low reliability of the mechanism, sensitive to contamination and shock.

High weight and considerable length of the weapon.

Of course, the ABC-36 is the first example of an automatic rifle in the USSR and one could hardly expect ideal results, but during its development and use significant experience was accumulated and new design solutions were tested. All this was taken into account when creating subsequent models - for example, the SVT (Tokarev self-loading rifle).

His first timid attempts to create a new standard army self-loading rifle, Soviet Union carried out since 1926. However, until 1935, not a single one of the presented specimens was able to adequately satisfy the requirements for this weapon by the military leadership.

At the very beginning of the 1930s. S. Simonov decides to change the current situation and begins a project to create a new rifle. He sent his prototypes for evaluation by an expert jury in 1931, and after modifications - in 1935. However, success came to the master only in 1936, when a rifle of his design easily passed all stages of testing, following which it was recommended for mass production for further armament of Red Army military personnel. Simonov’s creation reaches the troops under the official designation “7.62 mm Simonov automatic rifle, model 1936,” abbreviated as ABC-36.

The first test batch of rifles, of a rather small volume, was produced back in mid-1935, and the weapons were sent into mass production in the 1936-1937s. This continued until 1940, when another domestic gunsmith, Tokarev, introduced his new SVT-40 rifle, which ousted the ABC-36 from the ranks of the Soviet Army.

According to very inaccurate estimates, about 36-66 thousand ABC-36 units were collected. The weapon performed well in the ruthless battles at Khalkhin Gol (1939) and in the bloody winter conflict with the Finns (1940). Of course, it remained in service at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, helping Soviet soldiers in the fight against German intervention.

There is an interesting fact indicating that the soldiers of sunny Finland, who captured rifles from both Simonov and Tokarev systems during the battle, nevertheless preferred to use SVT-38 and SVT-40. This is due to the fact that Simonov’s weapon had a noticeably more complex design and was more sensitive to operating conditions. By the way, this was noted not only by the Finns, and that is why Tokarev rifles were preferable to the Red Army than the ABC-36.

As for the ABC-36, it is an automatic weapon, the system of which operates on the basis of a scheme with the removal of powder gases. The model's trigger provides firing in both automatic and single mode. The fire mode translator can be found on the left surface of the receiver.

The main fire mode for the ABC-36 is considered to be single. In turn, the automatic fire function was planned to be used only in case of force majeure (for example, an unexpected enemy attack). The gas piston and the entire gas exhaust system are structurally provided above the rifle barrel. Reliable locking of the barrel is achieved through a vertical block moving in special grooves in the receiver. When this block was moved upward under the influence of a special spring, it entered the grooves of the shutter, locking it.

Due to the fact that the locking block was installed between the breech and the magazine, the path of each cartridge from the magazine to the chamber was very long and steep, which caused regular delays when firing. In addition, for the same reasons, the receiver had a complex structure and significant dimensions.

The design of the bolt assembly was also very complicated, since the bolt itself contained a spring-loaded firing pin and a sophisticated anti-rebound mechanism.

The ABC-36 was supplied with ammunition from detachable magazines that could hold up to 15 rounds of ammunition. Equipping magazines was allowed both separately from the rifle and directly in it by unlocking the bolt. To equip the magazines, classic clips from a Mosin rifle were used (3 full clips were required for 1 magazine).

A massive muzzle brake was installed on the ABC-36 barrel, as well as a bayonet-knife, which could be mounted not only in the horizontal plane, but also in the vertical, with the tip pointing down. Obviously, in this position he played the role of a one-legged bipod to introduce shooting from a rest position. On the march, the bayonet had to be worn in a standard sheath on the waist belt.

All basic technical parameters of ABC-36 are given in the table below:

The sights are open, with marks for a distance from 150 to 1,500 meters. It is worth noting that a small batch of ABC-36 rifles was equipped with an optical sight (sniper version).

Simonov automatic rifle ABC-36 (USSR)

The Red Army began the first tests of self-loading rifles back in 1926, but until the mid-thirties, none of the tested samples met army requirements. Sergei Simonov began developing a self-loading rifle in the early 1930s and entered his designs into competitions in 1931 and 1935, but only in 1936 a rifle of his design was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “7.62-mm Simonov automatic rifle model 1936”, or ABC-36. Experimental production of the ABC-36 rifle began back in 1935, mass production - in 1936 - 1937 and continued until 1940, when the ABC-36 was replaced in service with the Tokarev SVT-40 self-loading rifle. In total, according to various sources, from 35,000 to 65,000 ABC-36 rifles were produced. These rifles were used in the battles at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, in the winter war with Finland in 1940, and also in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. It is interesting that the Finns, who captured rifles designed by both Tokarev and Simonov as trophies in 1940, preferred to use SVT-38 and SVT-40 rifles, since Simonov’s rifle was significantly more complex in design and more capricious. However, this is precisely why the Tokarev rifles replaced the ABC-36 in service with the Red Army.

The ABC-36 rifle is automatic, using the removal of powder gases and allowing single and automatic fire. The fire mode translator is located on the receiver on the right. The main fire mode was single shots, automatic fire was supposed to be used only when repelling sudden enemy attacks, and with the consumption of cartridges in bursts of no more than 4-5 magazines. A gas outlet unit with a short stroke of the gas piston is located above the barrel (a world first). The barrel is locked using a vertical block moving in the grooves of the receiver. When the block moved upward under the action of a special spring, it entered the grooves of the shutter, locking it. Unlocking occurred when a special clutch connected to a gas piston pressed the locking block down from the bolt grooves. Since the locking block was located between the breech of the barrel and the magazine, the trajectory of feeding cartridges into the chamber was quite long and steep, which served as a source of delays when firing. In addition, because of this, the receiver had a complex design and great length. The design of the bolt group was also very complex, since inside the bolt there was a firing pin with a mainspring and a special anti-rebound mechanism. The rifle was fed from detachable magazines with a capacity of 15 rounds. Magazines could be equipped either separately from the rifle or directly on it, with the bolt open. To equip the magazine, standard 5-round clips from a Mosin rifle were used (3 clips per magazine). The rifle barrel had a large muzzle brake and a mount for a bayonet-knife, while the bayonet could be attached not only horizontally, but also vertically, with the blade down. In this position, the bayonet was used as a one-legged bipod for firing from a rest. In the traveling position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the fighter’s belt. The open sight was marked for range from 100 to 1,500 meters in 100-meter increments. Some ABC-36 rifles were equipped with an optical sight on a bracket and were used as sniper rifles. Due to the fact that spent cartridges are thrown up and forward from the receiver, the optical sight bracket was attached to the receiver to the left of the weapon's axis.

SKS - Simonov self-loading carbine mod. 1945

The experience gained during the first half of World War II showed the need to create weapons that are lighter and more maneuverable than the self-loading and repeating rifles currently in service, and at the same time have greater firepower and effective firing range than submachine guns. Such weapons first of all required the creation of cartridges that were intermediate in characteristics between pistol and rifle cartridges, and providing an effective range of about 600-800 meters (versus 200 meters for pistol cartridges and 2000 meters or more for rifle cartridges). Such cartridges were created both in Germany (7.92mm Kurz cartridge) and in the USSR (7.62x41mm cartridge, later turned into 7.62x39mm). While in Germany they focused mainly on one, the most universal type of weapon for an intermediate cartridge - an automatic carbine (MaschinenKarabiner), later renamed an assault rifle (SturmGewehr), in the USSR the development of a whole family of weapons for a new cartridge began. This family included a repeating carbine, a self-loading carbine, an assault rifle (the same assault rifle) and a light machine gun. The first samples of weapons of the new family appeared towards the end of the Great Patriotic War, and their mass entry into service began only in the late 1940s. The repeating carbine, as an obviously outdated concept, remained only in the form of prototypes. The role of an assault rifle was taken over by the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Light machine gun - RPD. And the SKS was adopted as a carbine.

The first samples of a self-loading carbine chambered for the new cartridge were created by designer Simonov by the end of 1944. A small experimental batch of carbines was tested at the front, but development of both the carbine and the new cartridge continued until 1949, when the “7.62-mm Simonov self-loading carbine - SKS model 1945” was adopted by the Soviet Army. During the first post-war decades, the SKS was in service with the SA along with the AK and AKM, but with the spread of assault rifles, the gradual displacement of the SKS from the troops began, although a number of them were in service until the 1980s and even 1990s in such branches of the military as communications and air defense, where small arms are not the main weapon. To this day, SKS are used as ceremonial weapons due to their much greater aesthetics than modern machine guns.

As with other types of post-war weapons, the SKS became widespread in the countries of the socialist camp and others that were friends with the USSR. The SKS was produced under license in China (Type 56 carbine), in the GDR (Karabiner-S), Albania, Yugoslavia (Type 59 and Type 59/66) and a number of other countries. As they were removed from service, a significant number of SKS ended up on civilian arms markets, both in their original and in a more or less “civilized” form. Moreover, as a rule, “civilization” came down to removing the bayonet. The low price of both the carbines themselves and their cartridges, combined with high performance and combat characteristics, ensured the SKS great popularity among the civilian population in the most different countries- from Russia to the USA. It should be noted that Americans are very fond of Simonov carbines, since with reliability and combat data comparable to other models (AR-15, Ruger Mini-30), the SKS has a much lower price.

The SKS is a shortened self-loading rifle (carbine), built on the basis of an automatic rifle with a gas engine. The gas chamber and gas piston are located above the barrel. The gas piston is not rigidly connected to the bolt frame and has its own return spring. Locking is carried out by tilting the bolt downwards, behind the lug in the bottom of the receiver. The bolt is installed in a massive bolt frame, on the right side of which the charging handle is rigidly fixed. The trigger trigger, the safety is located in the trigger guard.

A distinctive feature of the SKS is the integral middle magazine, which can be loaded with separate cartridges or using special 10-round clips when the bolt is open. The clip is installed in guides made in the front end of the bolt frame, after which the cartridges are pressed into the magazine, as shown in the photo. In connection with this loading scheme, the design of the carbine is equipped with a bolt stop, which is activated when all the cartridges in the magazine are used up and stops the bolt group at open position. For faster and safer unloading, the bottom cover of the magazine can be folded down and forward; its latch is located between the magazine and the trigger guard.

The SKS sighting devices are made in the form of a front sight on the base in a protective ring and an open rear sight with range adjustment. The stock is solid, wooden, with a semi-pistol neck butt and a metal butt plate. The SKS is equipped with an integral blade bayonet, which is retracted downwards under the barrel in the stowed position. Chinese Type 56 carbines have a longer needle bayonet with a similar mount.

Unlike the original SKS, the Yugoslav type 59/66 carbines have a combined muzzle device designed to launch rifle grenades. For the same purpose, there is a folding grenade launcher sight behind the front sight and a gas cut-off device in the gas chamber, which is activated when firing a grenade and blocks the gas outlet path.

In general, as an army weapon, the SKS is largely outdated, although it has an advantage over 7.62mm Kalashnikov assault rifles in the effective firing range due to its longer barrel and aiming line. As a civilian weapon for hunting small and medium game (with the right choice of cartridges), the SKS remains at the modern level. The presence of a wide range of civilian accessories (stocks of various configurations, lightweight bipods, mounts for optics, etc.) only expand the scope of application of this undoubtedly worthy and well-deserved example of Soviet weapons thought.

From the author: there is an opinion that the SKS should take its place not among self-loading rifles, but among machine guns and assault rifles, based on the fact that it uses an intermediate cartridge. However, since the SKS lacks such a species-forming feature of assault rifles as the ability to conduct automatic fire, I believe that its place is precisely among conventional self-loading rifles.
M. Popenker