Excerpt from this Guide:
Brief History of the SKS
Semi-Automatic Rifle
(Samozaryadnyi Karabin Simonova)
The SKS Rifle chambered in caliber
7.62 x 39mm (SKS-45) was designed by Russian arms inventor Sergei
Simonov and was adopted by the Soviet Union in 1946. Since then the SKS
has been fabricated by several other countries including China (Type 56
/ Norinco), East Germany (Karabiner-S), North Korea (Type 63), Albania,
North Vietnam, Romania, and Yugoslavia (M59 & M59 /66).
The country of origin can be easily
determined by markings on the receiver. Russian models usually have two
Cyrillic characters followed by four numerals. The Soviet and East
German weapons usually carry the year of manufacture and the serial
number on the front left of the receiver. Chinese weapons have three
Chinese symbols usually followed by seven or eight numbers. Later models
have the spike bayonets. North Korean SKS’s have “63” stamped on the
receiver cover. East German versions have a hole through the stock for
attaching the lower end of the sling swivels. Yugoslav M59/66 are very
easy to identify due to their prominent spigot-type grenade launcher
permanently attached to the muzzle.
