Advantages over the SKS were the selective-fire option, a rifle that was lighter, had more magazine capacity, not to mention that it was less labor-intensive to manufacture. The quality of the early Soviet carbines was quite high as compared to some later manufacturers.Īlmost as soon as the SKS was brought into service, it was made obsolete for Soviet purposes by the new AK-47 by Kalashnikov. Initially fielded in early 1945 against the Germans, the SKS was not adopted officially by the Soviet Army till 1949 and was produced by the Tula Armory until 1955. This rifle was a less radical 'just in case' for the AK-47's experimental design. The SKS was to designed and produced as a service firearm that would have a limited lifespan between 2 rifles but utilized a reliable operating mechanism design.
#CHINESE NORINCO SKS SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
For example, a serial number 2958E44-1967 indicates that the SKS was. These four numbers indicate the date of manufacture. At the end of the serial number, there is a dash followed by four numbers. Look at a Romanian rifle's serial number.