Another day, another assassination attempt on former President Trump. Have you ever predicted something, prayed you’d be wrong, then begrudgingly found out you nailed it? That’s what it feels like to see two deranged trash buckets try to take Donald Trump’s life in as many months. Fortunately, the picture being painted is that nobody who voted for Biden or would vote for Kamala Harris knows their way around a firearm enough to be effective with one, and for that, we thank you. Not wanting a near tragedy to go to waste, the mainstream media once again threw its ineptitude hat in the ring, attempting to identify the big scary gun as one of their usual suspects. It’s an AR-15…it’s an AK-47…no dummies, it’s an SKS.

But what is a Samozaryadny Karabin Sistemy Simonova, or SKS? Compared to the AR-15 and AK-47, the SKS is the oldest of the rifles and was developed by Russian weapons designer Sergey Simonov in the 1940s. It was first produced in the Soviet Union, later manufactured by various nations and widely exported. It has been a popular rifle worldwide due to its low relative cost, durability and ease of use. The semi-automatic SKS is commonly equipped with a wood chassis, folding bayonet and a fixed 10-round magazine, which must be loaded by hand or from a stripper clip. 

While the media and Fudd-lifers jump at the chance to show us how truly little they know about guns, quickly calling out the ubiquitous AK-47, the SKS is far from it. The only commonalities are the country of original design, a little bit of wood and the cartridge they fire, the 7.62x39mm. In rare instances, models like the SKS-D and SKS-M were fed from AK-47 magazines, while others could be modified to do so. 

That’s where the similarities end, with the SKS running on a short-stroke gas piston and tilting bolt operating system, and the AK-47 sporting a long-stroke gas piston and closed rotating bolt. Aesthetically, the rifles should not be mistaken for one another, with the AK-47 demonstrating notable differences including a stamped and riveted receiver (most of the time), stamped dust cover and the typical four-piece furniture set (stock, pistol grip, upper/lower handguards). The SKS, on the other hand, is equipped with a 1-piece chassis, upper handguard and no pistol grip. The SKS is also more often fitted with a 20-inch barrel versus the AK-47’s 16-inch and shorter variants. 

Inexpensive and readily available for years, the popular SKS inspired a cottage industry of terrible accessories, some claiming to address shortcomings, others seeking to modernize the aging platform, but most looking to play dress-up with the rifle trying to turn it into something it is not meant to be. I can’t begin to tell you the cumulative hours spent shaking my head at the wide variety of abominations for sale on Gunbroker and Armslist. 

The rifle found at the scene of this latest assassination attempt was masquerading as one such abomination, and as a gun guy, I’ll say that this particular SKS looks like a hot piece of gun show garbage. With a synthetic black “sporterized” chassis, detachable magazine and fitted with a magnified scope, this is the firearm equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. I’m not hating on the SKS at all, and I’ll admit it was my first rifle long enough ago that I’d rather not age myself by saying when, but with reports claiming a 300 to 500 yard distance from the former President, a precision rifle this is not. I’ll go out on a limb here and say the would-be shooter who looked more like an extra in a meth den episode of “Breaking Bad” is not likely to know the difference between a sniper rifle and a supersoaker.