Carried by upwards of 30 nations and forces around the world, the SKS, or Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, is one of the most popular rifle platforms that has ever been developed.
Since so many were produced (estimates lie somewhere between 5 and 15 million, but the real number may be higher) there are still many in circulation as surplus firearms. Not only are the rifles themselves typically affordable, but ammo is widely available, as are many SKS accessories.
Speaking of which, if you do own an SKS, or are thinking about getting one, these are some of the essentials you should get, too.
Are they exciting? Not really, no. But they do what they promise to do.
1. Phenolic stocks
The SKS was issued with a wood stock. However, wood is, as you know, prone to warping, splitting, cracking, dry rot, and much worse.
It’s pretty but less practical than plastic. Hence, upgrading your rifle with a phenolic stock will solve the above problems and then some. Plus, plastic is impervious to most elements.
2. Drum magazines
The SKS features an internal box magazine that feeds from a 10-round stripper clip. That’s somewhat anemic by today’s standards.
However SKS accessories are often as easy to come by as the rifles themselves, and this includes extended magazines.
Specifically, there are 75-round drum magazines available for SKS rifles that can substantially save you time between reloads.
3. Anti-rattle springs
Does your stock rattle? It’s actually a pretty commonly observed problem with SKS rifles. If that is the case, get an anti-rattle spring, install it, and be done with it. Onto the next!
4. Ammo pouches
Not exciting, but quite straightforward. You could even make one yourself. After all, if it holds ammo and is a pouch, doesn’t that categorically make it an ammo pouch? Or you could just spend a few bucks and buy one, like anyone and everyone else does.
5. Bayonet lugs
Original SKS rifles had a permanently attached folding bayonet. Later models were made with bayonet lugs, and some were made without them.
Either way, if your model had lugs at one point but you need replacements, they are available – and with them, you can restore your rifle to its former glory!
6. Gas port cleaning tools
The 7.62x39mm ammo utilized by the SKS is notoriously dirty, and the rifles themselves are no strangers to fouling.
Extremely fouled rifles, with occluded gas ports, will either cycle sluggishly or hardly cycle at all. If your rifle is extremely dirty, it might fail to cycle or frequently jam.
SKS owners have improvised their own gas port cleaning tools, using everything from picks to screwdrivers. Keeping the port clean is vital to cycling.
However, a gas port cleaning tool works better than these jury-rigged solutions.
7. Sight adjustment tools
Some rifles have sights that are easy to adjust. The venerable SKS does not. A sight adjustment tool can help with that, at least if consistently connecting with your targets is one of your goals as a shooter.
8. Replacement sights
For whatever reason, sometimes used rifles are sold with missing sights. Don’t ask us why. All we know is that you can find replacement sights for SKS rifles in many collections of SKS accessories.
9. Replacement firing pins
Old rifles may be missing firing pins or have broken or incapacitated ones. Either way, keeping a few on hand will allow you to make some fixes to your action if the rifle stops shooting and the pin is the culprit.
10. Cleaning kits or accessories
See above, the SKS fires foul-happy ammo and the action itself is a labyrinth for it. Keep a cleaning kit close by along with some oil to limber up the works.
Where Can You Get These SKS Accessories?
You can find all of these SKS accessories online at SARCO, Inc, at SarcoInc.com, along with countless others.
Visit their website via the above link and get in touch with them at 610-250-3960 if you’re looking for a specific SKS part or accessory that you don’t see in their online catalog.
