The Official SKS Manual [Paperback]

U.S.S.R. Army (Author), James F. Gebhardt (Translator), Major James F. Gebhardt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0873649087 | ISBN-13: 978-0873649087 | Publication Date: January 1, 1997 | Edition: 1st

This Soviet military manual, originally published in the Soviet Union and now available in English for the first time, covers instructions for use and maintenance of perhaps the most widely distributed of all weapons produced by the arms factories of the former Soviet Union: the ubiquitous 7.62mm Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James F. Gebhardt is a retired U.S. Army officer who served as an enlisted infantryman (1966-69), armor officer (1974-83) and Soviet foreign area officer (1984-91). Gebhardt performed military duty in the Soviet Union and has escorted numerous Soviet scientific, military and diplomatic personnel on U.S. military installations in the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873649087
• ISBN-13: 978-0873649087
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The must-have book for the serious SKS owner, September 28, 1999

By 

Splatt (Utah) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Official SKS Manual (Paperback)

What better way to learn about a rifle than from the people who designed it? It contains everything you need to know about the SKS, including detailed instructions for breakdown and cleaning. It also contains military information that is fairly useless to the modern American reader (how to shoot at different kinds of targets), but that is interesting nevertheless.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history, terrific break down and assembly information., May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Official SKS Manual (Paperback)

This is a translated manual for russian soldiers about the SKS weapon. It has interesting firing information like leading calculations for firing at planes and parachutists (which I believe is against the Geneva convention) and not generally helpful in modern America but interesting. Shooting distances, wind targeting, information about various types of ammunition available, and a really nice history of the designer. It is a must for any SKS owner.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the shooter., May 5, 2004

By 

Va- Bank (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Official SKS Manual (Paperback)

This is probably a good book for collectors - history, statistical data, military application (how to shoot what, how an officer has to inspect the weapon, etc.,) Mostly things that are not relevant to today's sports shooting. It's probably because this manual is direct translation of a Russian field manual, which was issued (only in theory, most soldiers have never seen it) as a SUPPLEMENT to training. It was not meant as a stand-alone "teach yourself" type of book. Yes, there are disassembly and cleaning chapters, but any free information I've found on the web was better and more detailed with better illustration.

Just last night I had to disassemble my new SKS and remove storage grease, lube and re-assemble. I found this manual LEAST helpful out of all information sources I had.