Customer Reviews

The SKS Carbine, 4th Revised and Expanded Edition (Biotechniques Books) (For collectors only)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While it contains information that has been covered countless times elsewhere (weapon breakdown, cleaning, etc.) this book also contains a wealth of information I have not seen anywhere else: information on how to determine where your SKS came from, information on the various parts and the different versions of parts, what's interchangeable, what's not, etc.

One of the best sections tells you how to inspect an SKS before buying it. I got lucky when I bought my SKS -- I gave it a rather cosmetic going over and later on when I knew what I was doing I realized that I got one in A-1 shape. With this book I would have known for sure long before I put my money down.

Although the usefulness of this book cannot be over stated for the SKS owner, it is in need of revision! With the import of the Romanian SKS variants there is a need to add to this book. Granted most of the information can be infered by reading the Russian sections, there are some differences that could benefit from a new revision. One area this book needs more of is parts compatiblity between models. Not all SKS parts are created equal, and some of the more dangerous examples cry out to be covered. For instance there are at least 4 different types of firing pins, and some of them are not interchangable. I found this book especially helpful with identification, and history of this facinating and occasionally misunderstood firearm. If you have an interest in the SKS you will not regret this purchase. I haven't!

Hihgly recommended for SKS collectors, and someone who is intersted in using the SKS rifle.

The book gives history of the SKS Carbine and how to identify the manufacturers of your rifle. There are detail description of each of the components of the carbine in detail and if they are compatible among different manufacturers.

Since many of these carbine are military surplus, one of the most useful part is how to check to make sure the carbine is safe and how properly maintenance your rifle.

This book combines three major themes related to the SKS carbine: maintenance, history and provenance.

First, it provides a very good expositon of the weapon's compoents for disassembly, preventive maintenance and reassembly. While it does not directly explain how to convert the weapon to full-automatic, it does...shall we say...point the reader in the required direction.

Two, it provides a background history of the weapon's development and proliferation. It's not a magnum opus to be sure, but you get a clear picture of the need and how the SKS met the requirment, albeit for a short (very short) period of time. Mr. Simonov was a very good gunsmith, but, I fear, he was no Khalashnikov. I would have liked to see more detail, howveer. This tended to read like a first level internet search.

Third, the book provides a means to identify the origin of an SKS in a reader's possession. It's not completely comprehensive or consistent; maybe perfect identification only happens on 'Antiques Roadshow." In that I really cannot fault the authors in this aspect. After all, the folks building these weapons tended to be on the secretive side. It appears this is espeoically the case with Chinese made versions. The book advertised itself as having a section on Chinese factory markings published with the permission of a noted expert. While a number of such markings were presented, very few were annotated with any information about the manufacturing facilties. The end-result was that you have a list of plant codes and some guidance about whether or not the weapon in question was produced at a military plant or a strictly-for-export plant.

But, at the risk of sounding overly negative, the volume has value. You do receive, is enough information to make an informed choice about the "generic" quality of the SKS you are considering purchasing based on its country-of-origin.

The book met my needs.

I have been scouring the internet for good information on Romanian SKS carbines. This was the best information that I have found to date. The Romanian SKS is not just a copy of a Russian SKS, like I had read elsewhere.

Fascinating read. Lots of diagrams, photos, really seems like the authors did a great job of researching their subject.

I liked the information about the factories where these were made. Lots of information that you won't find elsewhere.

Would highly recommend to any SKS collector.

Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer have done SKS owners a tremendous favor in publishing THE SKS CARBINE. Not only do they provide a competent summary of the carbine's development, but they follow the part-by-part format that makes the FOR COLLECTORS ONLY series so useful.

I found everything I needed to know about my Chinese, Soviet, and Yugoslav carbines. The Albanians are not covered, but they were imported after the publication of this useful book in 1996.

Fortunately, there is enough overlap between the Albanian and the other SKS types that I can find most of what I need. If THE SKS CARBINE goes into a second edition, I would expect to see the more information on later types of SKS carbines imported into the US.

As handy as these carbines are, I expect interest in them will remain high and guys like me enjoy learning more about the guns we shoot. Keep up the good work, North Cape Publications!

This book gives you lots of history and information for identifying your version of the rifle. Good general information on maintaining and servicing your rifle. Lots of pictures.

This is a terriffic resource for anyone intersted in SKS rifles. For most, this book will completely satisfy their curiosity. For those who REALLY want to know everything, this book gives enough detail to make a fine jumping-off point for further research. History of the rifle is covered, along with all known variants and their history of manufactire and importation. Disassembly, maintenance, and use are also covered in some detail. The book contains a few typographical errors here and there, but no glaring problems. There are lots of great photos and diagrams, but none are in color. For the price, this book has a great wealth of information. I'm sure the authors could have included more photos and more color, but at a much higher cost to the buyer. As it stands, this book is "just right."

Best book I have seen yet on the SKS lot of history an different models with detailed info on this weapon.

Excellent book and a must have for anyone owning a SKS rifle. Very well illustrated and well written. Also, if you are interested in purchasing a SKS rifle, this book would be worth reading first.