Try this link, Diablo:

http://world.guns.ru/rifl...s/simonov-sks-e.html

Maybe here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS

or here

http://www.sff.net/people/sanders/sks.html

Thx Bloke for ur reply....But I have been hittin the same sights for info....What I need to know is if someone out there has an SKS,is it legal to own one,does it really shoot a 45 cal. round,if so can i buy said round in the US.Hell can I get in trouble just by have it.

i love the sks, good cheap gun, lots of them around, wouldnt go hikeing/exploring with one cause there too heavy, 7.62x.39 surplus are cheap to come by wich makes it even better. they go right through big trees no prob

All I know is it would be illegal for me to own one...

I popped up the links as no one else appeared to be helping?

Why not simply pop into your local Police station and ask?

Well, generally speaking, YES it is legal to own an SKS rifle in the U.S., although somewhat it depends on both your location and some equipment on the rifle itself. If you live in California, New Jersey, New York, or Illinois do careful research on what is and isn't legal in your location (actually, that's good advice no matter where you are, heh).

An SKS rifle fires a 7.62x39mm cartridge, same as the AK-47. That is basically the same as a .308 cartridge (kind of how regular unleaded and super unleaded are both gasoline, but there are important differences between them). You can do a Google search for the exact wording on your SKS's barrel and it will tell you a lot, for example it might say "M59/66" meaning it is a model from 1959 with later changes to the design in 1966. It could have been constructed last year in theory, but those are the years of design, you understand. Or it could just say M59 meaning it is an older design model. The serial number you can use to find out roughly what year it was made, and other info on the rifle can tell you where it was made (usually).

An SKS falls under the Curio & Relic (C&R) laws. Without getting into too much of the political aspect of all this, SKS rifles have certain restrictions for being brought into the U.S. due to the Clinton Gun Ban (aka Assault Weapons Ban, and other names). The restrictions are due to the fact that certain gov't officials at that time deemed that a battle rifle had "no sporting purpose" and so could only be imported as a collectible item (and for other certain reasons). So, because when they were imported they almost all would have had "scary gun parts" on them (the parts that made them supposedly incapable for any "sporting purpose"). If the one you found in the storage unit falls into this category (and wasn't customized by whoever left it behind) then it may have some or all of the "scary gun" parts, such as a grenade launcher (the Yugoslavian SKS especially), a bayonet lug and/or bayonet, night sights, etc.

Anyway, to answer your other question, no it does NOT fire .45 caliber rounds. You can buy 7.62 x 39mm ammo most places, but you can get it a lot cheaper online if you buy it in bulk. There is corrosive ammo that usually CANNOT be reloaded but is really cheap, and you have to clean the rifle carefully after shooting. Or, the non-corrosive ammo which CAN be reloaded but is a bit more expensive.

There are millions of SKS rifles in the world, and several million of them here in the U.S. alone. Check out the website surplusrifles.com for a lot of good info from owners. The rifle is an excellent design (one of the designers was the guy who designed the AK-47 as I recall, the most venerable battle rifle in the world for the last 60+ years), and is fun to shoot. You can take it to a reputable gunsmith and have it checked out for safety and compliance if you don't know anyone who is comfortable and/or knowledgeable about firearms who could do it for you.

You do NOT need to register it in most places, but you need to check your local laws about that. It is NOT an automatic weapon, it is a semi-automatic (one trigger pull fires only one bullet). The built-in magazine holds ten cartridges, or 20 if it is one of the more rare Chinese SKS's.

Good luck and have fun with it!

Well, yesterday I wrote a very long and detailed response to this but apparently it didn't pass muster with whoever moderated it, as it hasn't been posted. Google google google I guess is what you'll have to do.

[Note from Lokheed - emaildrek, my sincere apologies. It's not that I didn't approve of what you wrote, it's that apparently my spam filters have been eating moderation notifications for at least the past two months and I have been so wrapped up in work I didn't even notice. Your post is fine, I just approved it. So sorry for the delay.]

Bloke y do u say it would be illegal for u to own one?I thank ya for tryin to help when no one else has.As far as talkin to the cops about the SKS,I see them every couple yrs and when I do the last thing I would want to bring up is me havein an SKS at the house.Not that the SKS is at my house mind u.

Posted By Diablo on 20 May 2011 12:16 AM
Bloke y do u say it would be illegal for u to own one?

Because here in good old England its illegal to own firearms !!!

What's your problem with the Police? Just go in and ask "I have been offered an SKS for sale, I need to know if its legal to own and if I need a permit for one if it is?"

You are not saying you do have one just that you need to know before making a decision.

I've come to this discussion late but my two cents is:
Generally, IF you are of legal age; have NOT been convicted of a felony or judged to be mentally unstable; and/or the firearm has not been converted to fire full automatic, you can own an SKS. Some states now also restrict firearm ownership if you are the subject of a restraining order. The SKS is just another in a long list of semi-automatic firearms that are generally legal to own in the U.S., at least for now. You should probably have it examined by a gun smith to see that it functions properly, and then sell it.

sks's are traditionally 7.62x39mm - same as an AK..it is a very cheap closed bolt semi auto rifle...may "look" like an AK but far from it in price and funstionality..it was the standard issue rifle for millions of Chineese soldiers who were not entitled to an AK...

The SKS looks nothing like an AK-47 ???? Its longer, does not have a pistol grip and has no removable magazine. The SKS Models D & M however did use an AK-47 magazine and both were used by the Chinese.

What IS worth noting is the often overlooked US law, in regard to the modification of the SKS.
U.S.C. 922 (r), regulates imported rifles with certain features the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) defines as not being suitable for sporting purposes. This law requires certain "compliance parts" of American manufacture to be installed on any modified SKS.

Posted By )3az )3aziah on 15 Jun 2011 05:37 PM
The SKS looks nothing like an AK-47 ???? Its longer, does not have a pistol grip and has no removable magazine. The SKS Models D & M however did use an AK-47 magazine and both were used by the Chinese.

What IS worth noting is the often overlooked US law, in regard to the modification of the SKS.
U.S.C. 922 (r), regulates imported rifles with certain features the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) defines as not being suitable for sporting purposes. This law requires certain "compliance parts" of American manufacture to be installed on any modified SKS.

to people who don't know much about guns with a magazine conversion on a SKS it can look a lot like an AK...does it really look like one? not really..but close enough for the masses...

I guess you are correct -a bit like a Ferrari looking like a Lamborghini to someone who knows nothing about cars...

A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat I always say.

drek tonight is the first time I saw ur post about the sks,and I loved it.We need to talk more about it away from this forum so we don't get in trouble.Bloke,I think the world of you,and I thank you for your help.But don't hate because you live where you can't have guns.I don't have the sks with me at this time for 2 reasons.1st is I don't know what I have,there are plenty of AKs around here where I live.But nobody has an sks.2nd is seeing a guy in a shootout with cops on tv useing an fully auto sks and killing two of them.

Honestly, if you are really interested in the SKS, there are literally dozens of sites, including several specifically devoted to the SKS and Soviet-style assault weapons where you could find better information readily.

I found pages and pages of them in about 2 seconds using Google.

i'm not a fan of any sks that is not converted to magazine fed..casue you have to hold down a round or the floorplate to get the bolt to close..giving you a possible "bolt thumb" lol!