AK 47 vs SKS

Although most of the inventions that man has created have been used for good, there are some that have been used for destruction. How these inventions are used by man today greatly makes all the difference as to whether these inventions are beneficial or destruction. Take the AK 47 and the SKS, which were both developed in the Soviet Union during the mid-1940s. Today, both the AK 47 and the SKS are being used in countries across the world to protect the general population as well as to strike fear and cause strife among them.

Type of Mechanism

Between the two, the SKS was invented first. The SKS is a semi-automatic rifle which is comprised of a short stroke gas piston, wooden stock, tilting bolt and no pistol grip. On the other hand, the AK 47 is a selective fire, gas operated assault rifle, which is equipped with an under folding metal shoulder stock. The gas operation feature of the AK 47 makes it a lot easier to utilize by soldiers as compared to the SKS, which perhaps is one reason why the AK 47 replaced the SKS as the primary assault rifle used in combat.

Number of Bullets

One of the primary distinctions between the AK 47 and the SKS is the amount of bullets its cartridges contain. Although both rifles are considered to be semi-automatic weapons, meaning that after the bullet is fired, ejects the bullets the empty bullet, reloads and cocks itself ready to be fired again, the SKS is very limited in the number of bullets its cartridges contain. Each cartridge of the SKS contains around 10 bullets per cartridge. On the other hand, the AK 47 is equipped with a cartridge that allows one soldier to fire as much as 600 bullets per minute. This means that soldiers that use the SKS spend a lot more time reloading their weapons as compared to the AK 47.

Civilian Use

Another distinction between the SKS and the AK 47 is its availability for civilian use. While both rifles have the potential to cause harm to human beings, many governments in the world actually permit civilians to own SKS rifles, which is one of the primary weapons of choice used by recreational hunters throughout the world. However, because of the way how the AK 47 has been designed, this is only permitted to be used by military personnel.

Summary:

1.Both the AK 47 and the SKS are assault rifles that allow its user to fire a certain number of bullets without having to reload the weapon each time.
2.The cartridge used in a SKS assault rifle carries a maximum of 10 bullets. AK 47 assault rifles use cartridges that allow a person to fire 600 bullets per minute.
3.Variations of the SKS are now available to civilians which they can use for recreational hunting in certain parts of the world. On the other hand, the AK 47 can only be used by military personnel, making it illegal for civilians to own one.