This Soviet SKS is a late Tula production rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm, with the Tula star marked on the left side of the receiver instead of on the top. It carries serial CCCP371xx. The rifle has been through arsenal refurbishment, with the rebuild mark on the dust cover, and its numbers match as refurbished. It wears a laminated stock and is complete with its folding bayonet. No carbon or brass residue can be found in the chamber or bore, so it appears to be unfired. The cleaning kit is stored in the stock.
The SKS is Sergei Simonov’s semi-automatic carbine for the 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge. Soviet production centred on Tula, with a brief run at Izhevsk in 1953 and 1954, and through the 1950s the AK-47 gradually replaced the SKS as the standard service rifle of the Soviet Army. Tula changed its markings during 1955 and 1956 to a small star on the left side of the receiver in place of the earlier top marking, the feature that sets late Tula rifles like this one apart. Most original Soviet SKS stocks were birch, while very late Tula production used laminated stocks. Most Soviet SKS carbines later went through an arsenal rebuild, which can leave a box symbol with a line inside or a diamond as a rebuild mark, along with struck-through or replaced serial numbers on parts. The rifle feeds from a fixed ten-round magazine, loaded by hand or from a stripper clip, and a cleaning kit is stored in a trapdoor in the buttstock.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Tula Arsenal
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Year: Late Tula production, 1955 to 1956 marking style
Model: SKS
Action: Gas operated, semi-automatic
Caliber: 7.62x39mm
Serial: CCCP371xx
Markings: Tula star on the left side of the receiver, rebuild mark on the dust cover
Matching: All matching as refurbished
Refurbishment: Arsenal refurbished
Stock: Laminated
Bayonet: Folding bayonet, present
Condition: Appears to be unfired, no carbon or brass residue in the chamber or bore
Included: Cleaning kit in the stock
