SKS-45 Technical Data

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Designation:

Samozaryadni Karabin Simanova 1945 (SKS-45)

Manufacturer:

Tula and Izhevsk Arsenals

Year Adopted:

1949

Operational Status:

Russia - Used only in ceremonial capacity

People's Republic of China - Used under the name Type 56 Carbine.

East Germany - No longer in use, was used under the name Karabiner-S.

Other Users - Yugoslavia, North Korea, Bangladesh, Afganistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guina, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bisseau, Guyana, Indonesia, Laos, Sao Tome et Princepe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Yemen, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Ammunition

7.62x39 M1943 Cartridge

Method of Operation

Gas operated, semi-automatic rifle

Selector

Semiautomatic and Safe
There is no provision for automatic fire on the SKS-45 rifle

Weight:

3.75 kg (empty)
8.5 pounds (empty)

Maximum Range

350 meters Effective
600 meters Maximum

Length:

102.0 cm (without bayonet)
126.0 cm (with bayonet extended)

Sights:
Maximum Sight Range:

Hooded post front sight, tangent rear sight
1000 meters

Rate of Fire:

35-40 rounds per minute

Rifling Grooves:

4, right hand twist
474 mm long

Muzzle velocity

735 meters/second

The SKS-45 in Pictures

History, Development, and Use

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of the Iron Curtain