SKS Simonov 56 Instructions Manual

TC 9-56 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY TRAINING CIRCULAR 
SKS RIFLE 
SIMONOV TYPE 56 
iEADQUARTERS, 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
OCTOBER 1969  

THE  7.62~M M SIMONO V SEMIAUTOMATIC  

Figure 2 . East German Karabiner-S. 
Figure3 . 
Yugoslav M59/66 rifle. 
Figure 4 . 
M59/66 gas cutoff. 
Technical Data 
Technical data concerning the SKS carbine will be found in table 
II.  

Operation 
a. Grasp the operating handle (fig 1 ), pull it fully to the 
rear, and release it. If the magazine is empty, the bolt will remain 
open. Insert a stripper clip into the clip guides at the top front of 
the bolt carrier, and with the thumb as close as possible to the 
base of the top cartridge, press the cartridges off the clip and into 
the magazine (fig 5 ). Remove the empty clip. If clipped 
Figure 5 . Loading the SKS. 
ammunition is not available, individual cartridges can be placed on...

b. If the rifle is not to be fired immediately, apply the 
safety (fig 1 ) by rotating it forward and upward. 
C. 
Set the rear sight for the desired range by depressing the 
slide catch (fq 1 ) 
and moving the sight bar along the leaf until 
the front edge of the bar is aligned with the line below the number 
that corresponds to the range in hundreds of meters. The first 
character on the sight leaf is a battle sight setting that is used in 
combat, for shooting at ranges up to 300 meters. The Yugoslav...

g- The SKS bayonet is affixed by forcing the hilt to the 
rear (against spring pressure) ‘and swinging the bayonet forward 
until it locks to the muzzle. This action is reversed to fold the 
bayonet in its stowed position. 
.h. The Yugoslav M49/56 can launch rifle grenades. The 
grenades must have tail booms of 22-mm inside diameter and if at 
all possible, only Yugoslav-made grenades should be launched. 
Prior to firing grenades, clear the rifle and cut off the 
gas mechanism by pressing in the lock...

Figure 6 M59/66 grenade sight erected. 
(1) Clear the weapon 
(2) Press in on the cover in the butt plate until the 
combination tool case is ejected. Unlock the bayonet, let it hang 
vertically, and after disengaging the head of the cleaning rod from 
the front sight base, pull the cleaning rod out of the rifle. 
Note: The East German Karabiner-S does not have a combination tool case 
in the butt, nor does it have a cleaning rod; these are carried separately. 
(3) 
Rotate the receiver cover pin (fig 2 J...

Note: It may be necessary to pry the receiver cover pin handle away 1;onl 
the receiver before it can be rotated. 
Remove the rcceivcr cover to the rear and pull the driving spring 
assembly out of the bolt carrier. 
(4) Open the magazine by pulling the magazine catch 
(fig 3 ) to the rear. Pull the operating handle fully rearward, and 
lift the bolt carrier and bolt out of the receiver. Separate the bolt 
from the bolt carrier. 
(5) Rotate the gas cylinder tube lock (fig 2 ) to its 
uppermost position...

b. To rcasscmblc the wc;~pon, follow the proccdurc listed 
below: 
(1) Invert the rifle and engage the pins at the front of 
the trigger group with the notches behind the magazine box. 
Swing the trigger group into position in the stock and seat it by a 
blow of the hand on the loop of the trigger guard. Move the safety 
to the fire position to insure that the catch is fully engaged. 
(2) Slide the gas piston, small end first, into the gas 
cylinder tube; fit the large end of the tube over the gas...

and after the bullet passes the gas port, some of the gases are 
tapped off and directed against t’he piston head. 
b. The propellant gases drive the piston and operating rod 
rearward against the bolt carrier. 
This forces the carrier and the 
hammer rearward and compresses the driving and hammer springs. 
After the bolt carrier moves rearward about one-fourth inch, a 
cam on the inner top of the bolt carrier (6, fig 8 ) contacts a 
projection on the top rear of the bolt and lifts the rear of the bolt...