The SKS Rifle Thunder:Big FAQ'ing Storm With All The Variants From Russia To China

This time, its all about the Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonova 1945, aka the SKS. We discuss its development, service history, and all its variants from around the world.
Also, reminder any Patreon can go over and vote on the topic for the next ridiculous deep dive video while Fox and I are on vacation thanks to the 100+ degree heat!
Timeline:
Russian Roots...
Riders On The Storm - 0:00:01
Sergei Gavrilovich Meet 7.62x41 - 0:18:25
Simonov v Kalashnikov - 0:27:06
Soviet Changes - 0:44:30
Exporting To The World...
Romanian Cugir M56 - 1:09:30
Egyptian SKS Service & The Rasheed - 1:28:08
Early & Late Chinese Type 56s - 1:39:24
East Germany's Karabiner-S & North Korea's Type 63 - 1:59:48
Whats Albania's SKS Called Anyway? - 2:07:20
SHE Vz.52/57, The Not-SKS By Czechoslovakia - 2:25:21
Best For Last? Yugoslavian Zastava M59/66 - 2:44:45
Riding Out The Storm - 3:07:05
Interested in becoming a Patreon contributor? Check out our Patreon page at:
/ mishaco
Visit mishacooba.blogspot.com to read more articles.
This video is produced and published to KZbin for historical and educational purposes and to document and make record of the content herein publicly available for said purposes. The Mishaco channel is run by experienced and trained industry professionals and all activity portrayed and content herein is presented with all considerations to safety and in accordance with local, state, and the Federal law of the United States.

[@thekaiser7772]

After all these years, we've finally got THE BIG SKS video.

[@reallyhappenings5597]

I hope you mean PTRS bc SVT-40 aint it

[@RosaParksWasWyt]

@@UncleSam7.62you got conned big time. That sks was definitely not brought home from Vietnam. And someone bubba’d (aka destroyed) that sks by gutting the internal 10 round magazine and adding those detachable magazines. Sorry to let you know

[@misha5670]

@@UncleSam7.62 He's right, sadly.

[@Mike-cp3xr]

Very interesting. Thank you. Triangle 26 also has a lot of SKS information. Appreciate your sharing your vast knowledge with us ! Hope your power (air conditioning) comes back on...hot this summer !

[@kenfromhawaii1138]

A must have for every collection.

[@wwalker3738]

Finally you do a deep dive into the SKS. I have been waiting for this for a long time. The SKS is one of my favorite rifles. I love my SKS’s I may only have a few but the ones I have are very to me. The SKS was the first rifle I bought as a 18 year old in 1985. Followed by a SVT-40 not far behind. Russian and Yugo guns were cheap and we burned up quiet a few just being stupid out in the mountains. At that time you could get one and a couple of spam cans of ammo for a 100 bucks on sale at Big 5 or at the Gun Shows where they were being sold out of the crates. Mater of fact you could buy a creat for 650 to 750 bucks but as a kid we never had that amount of coin to blow and did not have the space. What a shame. I really wish I knew we’re they would go as I would have saved and bought a couple to put away. Thank you for the history lesson. It is long over due IMO.

[@stefanmolnapor910]

I wish i was not born in 1985, as I missed out on these days 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@ZSLegacyMediaProductions]

Excellent video sir! The SVT is something I was unwilling to pass up.

[@rumpleforeskin5064]

Love this video, love the rain tween segments. So much knowledge, im enjoying this a ton

[@clessiecummins3077]

Nice! Been waiting for this one!

[@kilroywuzhere1]

3 hours? Every sks ever? Mishaco? Sign me up

[@thesanfordmethod1905]

I always look forward to these videos.

[@misha5670]

Honestly, big videos like this are the most fun for me to make too. It was actually very relaxing to record this while it thundred its butt off outside. I was only a bit worried we could loose power, which definitely would have turned it into a 'blackbox' video fast lol.

[@ghostmourn]

Very cool. A special rifle for folks my age. Chinese spiker was my first rifle, we used to shoot it at the gravel pit when we were 16. We never cleaned the hard grease out of the firing pin channel so we all loved that it was full auto burst every few mags. I would love to get another one, wish i never sold it.

[@petermonck5448]

Thank you for your excellent presentation.

[@misha5670]

Thank you for watching it. We'll be back in a couple weeks when its no longer 100+ outside (F, not C because we aren't actually boiling even though it does feel like it with our humidity)

[@petermonck5448]

@@misha5670 living in Miami now, I understand 👍

[@chrischiampo7647]

2nd Time Watching This Long Deep Dive Love The SKS’s 😀😇

[@michaelbirdsong196]

When I lived In Arkansas as a kid I always loved the thunder storms awesome video misha

[@misha5670]

I have to live somewhere that gets at least a few good storms every year. Ditto for mountains. I need my mountains.

[@michaelbirdsong196]

@@misha5670 we are having a great one in Nashville at the moment

[@RangerRickNRA]

I have a Chinese "paratrooper" SKS. Bought it back in the day at a PA gun show for $99. Oh, those WERE the days my friend.

[@misha5670]

I owned the Navy Arms Type 84 16" SKS for awhile but someone wanted to pay me like $2k for it, so away it went heh. I wish i could keep everything but alas no.

[@stefanmolnapor910]

I had plans this afternoon after work , and they just canceled!!!! YeS!!!! THIS IS A GREAT WEEKEND! Wanted to add: My Father gave me his SKS with the only caveat that I ONLY use brass ammo, because Steel ammo will ruin it! 😅😂 and to my Shock, he kept and produced the original dust cover upon request

[@zman5387]

Good video. PS - send some of that rain here to Arizona.

[@misha5670]

Just talk to folks who mail me things. They mix up AR & AZ all the damn time...AK too more in thepast. I still ahve an AMD65 build lost somewhere up in AK....for 20 years now lol.

[@Cruiser777]

That Russian submachine gun spits Bullets out like it was going out of style That's a nice collection

[@stanislavt6376]

This is the history of the gun, much better knowledge than at the Forgheten weapon. That man is just a used car salesclerk.

[@Face2theScr33n]

To be fair, I started watching Ian at Forgotten Weapons about 10 years ago. I pretty much knew that guns go bang. He really piqued my interest enough that I started checking out other gun channels. If I hadn't started down that path in the first place, I may still have virtually zero knowledge, and most likely wouldn't even own any guns. My first SKS is on a FedEx truck as we speak, too. Bottom line: the internet is big enough for all of these gun channels. I don't like tearing one guy down to build another guy up: both have their own merits. If one guy is an idiot, sure ridicule him, but it doesn't really make your hero any better or knowledgeable than he actually is just because there are idiots out there.

[@simonerubino52]

Read on for the deep-dive man definitely brought back some memories of Coulda Woulda Shoulda I definitely gotten into collecting comm block are weapons too late the price point of these SKS is there well beyond my preference now just left one curious. What's the difference between chai calm and Norinco and whatever Factory 26 was

[@MaxWray111]

Excellent video! As a fellow history buff(I completed 90 hours towards my history degree, and also spent over 50 years doing independent study and research), I really appreciate the depth of knowledge you bring to the subject. I acquired my first SKS earlier this year, a matching Chinese with unfortunately neutered bayonet lugs. But is a joy to shoot. I would love to put an optic on it, as my eyesight isn't what it used to be, but the only ones I feel confident would reliably hold zero require drilling and tapping the receiver, and that thought makes me crInge. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your content.

[@MaxWray111]

One other thing, my research suggests the Soviets had an issue with the firing pin springs breaking in service, jamming the pin and causing light strikes and slam fires. Therefore the change to the free-floating firing pin. Not sure how correct this is, but it makes sense.

[@haroldbell213]

Love the M44

[@peterreily1490]

Why the 3 vent slots on the Russian sks but when things transferred to AK’s more specifically the yugo AK pattern kept the 3 vents on the hand guard where the AKM shortened to 2. Any specific reason?

[@schrodingersgat4344]

The SVT is an underrated gem.

[@peterreily1490]

This is true. Unless it’s a Ford SVT, then it’s a piece of trash.

[@schrodingersgat4344]

@@peterreily1490 That's a given

[@g54b95]

I have an unissued Zastava M59/66. The tritium vials were long expired, but I found a reputable source in Taiwan for replacements. I bought 3x white and 3x green. I could pick up the green ones better than the white. I had my gunsmith go through the rifle and clean the cosmoline out of it (there was so much the bolt would barely move forward) and replace the vials. I sold the other set to one of the kids who worked at the gun shop who was into mil-surp stuff for his M59/66. It's one of my favorite rifles, just from the badass factor.

[@misha5670]

Some of those had painted night sights too. Also I know of at least 2, maybe 3 grenade launcher variations. Collecting is fun.

[@haroldbell213]

They were kept in storage. Every so often they were pulled out and gone through again. I think they are the best SKS.Geting priced these days. They were selling them in new condition for a 100 bucks.Now around 7 to 8 hundred.They are over engineered. That's why 😢

[@JoeyP322]

SKS is the ultimate rifle

[@haroldbell213]

Perfect survival rifle

[@Cops-R-Bad]

I understand your LOVE for the SKS. I own 2 of them. However, the SKS was deemed obsolete once the AK came out. That is a fact. Military use and design of a weapon is based on many factors and they make these decisions with due care. The SKS would be the perfect rifle for a military rifle if full-auto never became the accepted norm. Once full auto was the norm, the SKS became obsolete. Also, making an AK cost MUCH less than the SKS. That is the end of story. AK became the cheap and most effective design of the demand of the military in its time. HOWEVER….here in the USA, a semi-auto rifle is all we can have. With that in mind I AGREE, the SKS is BETTER than the AK. Just my opinion

[@spd579]

Yes, I agree. Bubba, stop with the mods! PS; I hope that long lasting rain is a synchronistic event. Because we need it in Az!

[@timewave02012]

Imagine a bizarro world with NATO and Warsaw Pact small arms philosophy swapped. FN doesn't develop the FN-49 or FAL. The US makes something in form and imagined role analogous to the SKS, by chambering a Garand derivative in 280 British or 8mm Kurz. Meanwhile, the USSR adopts an SVT derivative, chambered in a shortened, rimless cartridge that duplicates the ballistics of 7.62x54R; but quickly ditches the battle rifle concept for the AK-74 (skipping 7.62x39). The US sees the merits of 5.45x39, copies it, and basically ends up with a Mini-14/AC-556.

[@connorburnes7697]

Fun fact, Hoxha is actually pronounced like HOE-CHA. Enver Hoxha was a D bag though. It’s pretty wild if you go to Albania, all the old bunkers are still all over the border areas of the country.

[@misha5670]

Thank you, everytime i try and get my TTS (speech) program to say his name, it just voices "Fuckface" lol

[@dreadnaughttactical]

I have a beautiful Russian SKS in laminated stock with blade bayonet and a Chinese Norinco SKS-D with spike bayonet - I have always wanted to add a Yugo to my collection.

[@tsuchinokoz5036]

I wonder if perhaps the DDR ones could have actually been made in the USSR sans stock. Like the Soviet parts in Bulgarian 74’s. Maybe forged / cast in the USSR and finished out then built in Germany? Would be a good way to get rid old SKS parts ready for building. If the USSR got sold them and the DDR profited selling them to other countries

[@basrutten641]

I know a guy who bought an old church to tear it down. Up in the chimney he found a gunny sack. Inside it was a PPSH in perfect condition other than slight surface rust on the muzzle. No mag. He was a felon and surrendered it to authorities but they did give him a portion of the money that was taken upon its sale.

[@misha5670]

If he found it in an old church, then i assume it didn't have paperwork? An unregistered MG isn't worth much sadly. If he found it before 1968, he could have filed it during the amnisty but if were a felon too? *shrug* shit i don't know.

[@basrutten641]

@@misha5670 it was only about ten years ago that he found it. He did what some people would likely not do. That guy is one of a kind. It’s like one of my most favorite firearms in history. 😂 I am glad he surrendered it before he told me about it

[@misha5670]

@@basrutten641 Being post '86, it probably brought $2,000 or less on the legal market. Not many could own it today sadly. That said, any felon with sense would not risk another 5 years in club-fed just to have a gun, much less an unregistered MG. But....most felons I know do not in fact have common sense, so good on your friend for having a brain and actually using it lol. I have a very good friend in a similar position and 20+ years later it still sucks that we can't go shooting together, but 'ems the price of jail.

[@basrutten641]

@@misha5670 it could very well have been a pre-ban though that church sat empty for at least twenty years.

[@timewave02012]

@@basrutten641 The ban on registering machineguns for non-FFL/SOT ownership was 1986, but the ban on importing machine guns that would be eligible for registration prior to the 1986 ban was 1968. Either way, pre or post ban is irrelevant if it wasn't registered. With transferable machineguns, the registration is almost always worth significantly more than the gun.

[@chrischiampo7647]

😀😎😀 Love My Chinese SKS 😀❤️😀 Misha

[@Antigonus.]

Reading the Red Army reports that led to the development of 7.62x39 and the new weapons family, they comment on the German's new "карабин пулемет"; literally "carbine machine gun"... but perhaps more naturally in English "automatic carbine". They had just captured examples of this new weapon (the MKB 42). Having evaluated the weapon, they say that the Red Army needs a new intermediate round along the lines of 8mm Kurz, and three new weapons chambered in it: a carbine, a light machine gun, and a "карабин пулемет" or "automatic carbine". They don't say they want a new "пистолет-пулемет" or "submachine gun". Rather, they say, they want to *replace* the submachine gun with an automatic carbine, and that this new weapon will be used by mechanized troops. I feel like this nuance gets lost a lot of times and people end up thinking the AK was actually considered to *be* an SMG rather than a *replacement for* the SMGs.

[@misha5670]

Before the assault rifle concept was really, real, things like the MP43 and original AK were marketed as handheld machineguns...ie SMG types. Tis is why many nations have names like "PMK" (Poland). History is a lot of fun and you can even go back to the M1918 BAR. Not as an SMG of course but just seeing how many in militaries just didn't know how to class a new concept. Its all great fun and we could do a 12 hour video on all the details and false starts.

[@haroldbell213]

China made some horrific SKS carbines. Some looked like little kids made them. Totally junk. Arsenal only when it comes from China.

[@acester86]

Need better lighting in the gun closet for videos. Or even a flash light on your camera.

[@misha5670]

Nah, I intentionally keep things a bit vague.

[@acester86]

@misha5670 well I didn't mind you just talking to the dark so much that you mentioned specific things about the rifles in the dark corner. 😅 appreciate the deep dive.

[@andrewpinheiro7202]

Do you know where I can find ak74 metal butt plate with trap door I got a nice wood furniture set from combloc custom with a crapy akm looking smooth butt plate that doesn’t fit at all I took one off my kusa polymer stock butt screw holes are close to the top and bottom edge and I don’t want to crack or split stock I’d appreciate it if you knew where I can find them with all hardware

[@misha5670]

Is your buttstock made to spec? REmember poly and wood stocks were made with different s pecs and use different types of screws.

[@andrewpinheiro7202]

@@misha5670 I’m assuming so I tried the one off the kusa polymer fits good but like I said screws would be right on edge is that a sign it’s not true ak74 wood spec if Kusa polymer one fits

[@andrewpinheiro7202]

@@misha5670 also should probably mention I ordered Ak 74 furniture the akm smooth metal one it came with fits but you can see a lot of unfinished wood that you don’t see with kusa one on it

[@misha5670]

@@andrewpinheiro7202 exposed wood around the edges is normal for a military stock.

[@andrewpinheiro7202]

@@misha5670 I’m sure but I want the Ak 74 style like the looks better and then it won’t have that

[@user-kn4rf2ly3q]

You and Herrera should start a new channel OCGG. Obsolete Communist Garbage Guns

[@brentmiller3951]

I have a chinese russian mix master it is my thumbnail pick just for this post

[@misha5670]

I'll take your word on that.

[@CANNNIBALIX]

USSR was becoming not just too liberal but also counter revolutionary, Mao himself critized Chruščov for releasing literal fascists from prisons and flipping mode of production towards a capitalist one

[@misha5670]

That was a whole thing....like everything really it was not black & white. Some of those folks in prison deserved to be there, but otehrs not so much. Many Russians were jailed following the war for truely rediculous reasons. Of course one good way to have a better postwar life for a Nazi was to be a scientist with valuable ensights. Work camps instead of prison in the USSR and jobs witht he military/NAS in the USA and no jail at all.

[@CANNNIBALIX]

hi Miša, any sources for the Stalin request being the sole reason for the fixed magazines ? somehow i smell bullshit

[@misha5670]

It goes back to the SVT38 days, and so the mag thing became part of trials requirements during the war. Feel free to read up on it yourself; they don't pay me enough to keep citations (i.e. they don't pay me at all so take or leave whatever I say as you like lol).

[@CANNNIBALIX]

well that's the thing, from what i read so far there haven't been any specifically/solely Stalin's interventions, i will try to look up more but this stuff is really hard to come by, the backdated sources are usually ideologically lensed through "experts on socialism" coming from capitalist countries who think Stalin himself ate all the grain and drank all the clouds in soviet union (myself being from Czech republic it's almost always the case even by so called army/military historians)@@misha5670

[@misha5670]

@@CANNNIBALIX Being completely transparent, I do have to simplify things for videos and also try and make things entertaining too. That bit of info came from my notes, notes I've been keeping since I was a gradstudent and after that living in Russia. I did used to keep citations but quickly realised no one online much cared. So i stopped posting them years ago. Saying Stalin directed a fixed mag is a bit of a simplistic view but it does get the point across just how invalved in military matters he was, especially earlier on during the war. There are notes on early Simonov fixed mags, both 10 & 5 rd capacities. There are also plenty of historical documents pointing out that the SVT's detaching mag was felt to be n issue or even shortcoming. This is something i could go into in greater detail, but i realise most folks aren't that interested, so I just do not for videos. As long as my videos are, there are many things I leave out everytime and i try my best to condense the politics to what is relevant for the firearm being discussed. Sometimes on my personal channel I do videos going more into Eastern European politics and other things I studied (and find interesting). I am definitely a shades of grey person when it comes to the world; not black & white.