{
  "apiVersion": 1,
  "kind": "work-order",
  "purpose": "Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification.",
  "firearm": {
    "slug": "sks",
    "name": "SKS",
    "manufacturer": {
      "id": "tula",
      "name": "Tula Arms Plant"
    },
    "category": "rifle",
    "action": "gas-operated-short-stroke",
    "calibers": [
      "7.62x39mm"
    ],
    "alsoKnownAs": [
      "Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova",
      "Type 56 Carbine (Chinese)",
      "Yugo M59/66"
    ],
    "coversAlso": [
      "Chinese Type 56 Carbine",
      "Yugoslav M59 and M59/66 (with gas valve differences)",
      "Romanian, Albanian, and Russian SKS variants"
    ],
    "page": "firearms/sks.html",
    "bundle": "api/v1/firearms/sks.json",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "notices": [
    "This work order is written for the SKS. It is reported to cover Chinese Type 56 Carbine; Yugoslav M59 and M59/66 (with gas valve differences); Romanian, Albanian, and Russian SKS variants — if the firearm on the bench is one of those, check the torque notes: values do not always carry over.",
    "No torque values are recorded for this firearm. Get them from the manufacturer or a gunsmith; do not estimate."
  ],
  "disclaimer": {
    "headline": "Read this before you use anything here.",
    "points": [
      "This is a guide, not an authority. Entries are compiled from manufacturer manuals, technical manuals, published references, and community knowledge. Some of it comes from sources that are not authoritative, and some of it may simply be wrong.",
      "Always consult the manufacturer's manual for your specific firearm and serial-number range. Manufacturers change designs mid-production without renaming the model. The manual that shipped with your firearm outranks anything on this site.",
      "Consult a licensed gunsmith for anything beyond routine field stripping and cleaning, for any firearm you are unsure about, and for any procedure marked as gunsmith-recommended here.",
      "Treat every firearm as loaded. Verify it is unloaded, with the magazine removed and the chamber physically and visually checked, before any procedure in this database. Point it in a safe direction the entire time.",
      "Disassembly can damage a firearm or injure you. Springs are under tension, parts can launch, and reassembling a firearm incorrectly can make it unsafe to fire in a way that is not obvious from the outside. If a reassembled firearm does not pass a function check, stop and see a gunsmith.",
      "Torque values are shown in two groups. Values from the manufacturer or the issuing military are shown as such, with the document they came from. Values reported by anyone else — parts makers, gunsmithing publishers, articles, forums — are shown separately with who said them, how reliable that source is, and their exact words. Those are not specifications. Confirm any torque value with the manufacturer or a licensed gunsmith before relying on it.",
      "Nothing here is legal advice. Firearms law varies by country, state, and city, and some modifications or configurations are regulated or prohibited. You are responsible for knowing and following the law where you are.",
      "No warranty of any kind. Contributors and maintainers accept no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from use of this material."
    ],
    "page": "disclaimer.html",
    "legal": {
      "summary": "Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.",
      "page": "legal.html",
      "notice": "https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown/blob/main/LEGAL.md"
    }
  },
  "sourcing": {
    "confidence": "high",
    "verification": "armorer-manual-verified"
  },
  "manufacturerDisassembly": {
    "status": "not-recorded",
    "limit": null,
    "statement": null,
    "source": null
  },
  "recalls": [],
  "shopTier": {
    "tier": 2,
    "group": "rifle",
    "rating": "Pew-Takedown editorial rating (1 easy – 3 hardest), not the manufacturer's",
    "reason": "55 numbered parts (American Rifleman legend). The trigger group is the trap: the hammer is under heavy spring pressure and has to be levered out with a bar in a padded vise, and the group is hard to refit into the stock. There is no timing, and the rest goes together in order.",
    "confidence": "medium",
    "partCount": {
      "value": 71,
      "kind": "line-items",
      "covers": "complete SKS (Type 56 / Simonov 7.62x39mm autoloading carbine) per the Gun Digest exploded drawing legend, keys 1-71: gas system, receiver and barrel, bolt group, trigger group, fixed magazine with fo",
      "basis": "publication-diagram",
      "source": {
        "title": "The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) — '7.62x39mm Autoloading Carbine' (SKS)",
        "publisher": "Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org)",
        "reliability": "secondary",
        "url": "https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf",
        "page": "book p. 860 (PDF page 861)",
        "pdfPage": null,
        "pageUrl": null,
        "quote": "71 Rear Sight Assembly"
      }
    },
    "painPoints": [
      {
        "issue": "Stripping the trigger guard means releasing a heavily sprung hammer and forcing it out with a metal bar in a padded vise.",
        "during": "disassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: SKS Carbine",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-sks-carbine/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "Push down on the disconnector (49) and pull the trigger (44) to release the hammer. (Caution: Be careful as the hammer is under heavy spring pressure.) Use a metal bar as shown (FIG. 4) to force the hammer out."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The trigger group has to hook its two front pins into the magazine notches, then be forced into the stock against a stiff catch.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: SKS Carbine",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-sks-carbine/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "Note that reinstallation of the trigger assembly can be difficult."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The firing pin has no spring. Any preservative grease left in its channel after refinishing can let it stick forward and fire as the bolt closes.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: SKS Carbine",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-sks-carbine/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The gun’s design does not include a firing pin spring, and excessive grease in the firing pin channel can cause the pin to stick in the forward position and fire unexpectedly when a cartridge is chambered."
        }
      }
    ],
    "minutes": {
      "strip": 40,
      "rebuild": 60,
      "basis": "estimated",
      "note": "Receiver cover, bolt and carrier, gas piston and tube, trigger group detail strip (hammer out in vise), stock, bayonet, sights.",
      "source": null
    },
    "stripScope": [
      {
        "assembly": "Receiver",
        "removes": [
          "receiver cover and takedown latch",
          "recoil spring assembly",
          "bolt carrier and bolt",
          "gas cylinder/handguard and piston",
          "rear sight",
          "front sight (drift)"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Bolt",
        "removes": [
          "firing pin and retainer",
          "extractor and spring"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Trigger group",
        "removes": [
          "hammer and spring (levered out)",
          "trigger, sear, disconnector",
          "safety and spring",
          "trigger guard catch"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "padded vise",
          "metal bar"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Stock",
        "removes": [
          "magazine assembly",
          "bayonet and pivot screw",
          "buttplate"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "hardware": {
      "pins": 12,
      "springs": 10,
      "detents": 0,
      "basis": "counted by name in keys 1-71 of the same legend (line items). Pins: 4 handguard ferrule pin, 15 hold-open latch pin, 21 latch pin, 38 hinge pin, 43 latch stop pin, 45 disconnector hinge pin, 46 trigge"
    },
    "specialTools": [
      {
        "tool": "padded vise",
        "usedFor": "Holding the trigger guard"
      },
      {
        "tool": "metal bar",
        "usedFor": "Forcing the hammer out"
      },
      {
        "tool": "SKS front sight tool",
        "usedFor": "If the front sight is adjusted"
      }
    ],
    "fitOnRebuild": [
      {
        "check": "Firing pin moves freely (no grease)",
        "why": "There is no firing pin spring, and a stuck pin can fire as the bolt closes.",
        "source": {
          "title": "Exploded View: SKS Carbine",
          "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
          "reliability": "secondary",
          "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-sks-carbine/",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "It is important to ensure that the firing pin moves freely in the bolt when the gun is disassembled."
        }
      },
      {
        "check": "Function check (safety, trigger reset, feeding, extraction)",
        "why": "Standard after any detail strip. No single source.",
        "source": null
      },
      {
        "check": "Re-zero sights or scope",
        "why": "Sights and optics come off for coating, and point of impact must be re-confirmed. This is a standard check, so no source.",
        "source": null
      }
    ],
    "assessed": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "videos": [],
  "configurations": [],
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "Cleaning kit tool from the buttstock trap",
      "required": false,
      "usedFor": "The issued combination tool handles most disassembly needs."
    }
  ],
  "phases": [
    {
      "id": "clear",
      "title": "Clear and make safe",
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 1,
          "instruction": "Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger."
        },
        {
          "n": 2,
          "instruction": "Rotate the safety lever down to the fire position so the bolt can travel fully."
        },
        {
          "n": 3,
          "instruction": "Pull the bolt fully to the rear and lock it back on the bolt hold-open."
        },
        {
          "n": 4,
          "instruction": "Press the magazine floorplate latch at the rear of the magazine and swing the floorplate down to dump any rounds from the fixed magazine.",
          "tip": "On a detachable-magazine variant, remove the magazine instead.",
          "partsFreed": [
            "Rounds in the magazine"
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": 5,
          "instruction": "Inspect the chamber and the magazine with a light, then physically confirm the chamber is empty."
        },
        {
          "n": 6,
          "instruction": "Close the floorplate, ease the bolt forward, and remove all ammunition from the work area."
        }
      ],
      "videos": []
    },
    {
      "id": "disassemble",
      "title": "Disassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "title": "Field Strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Rotate the receiver cover retaining pin lever on the right rear of the receiver upward 90 degrees, then pull the pin out to the right.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Receiver cover retaining pin"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Pull the receiver cover rearward and lift it off.",
              "warning": "The recoil spring assembly is under compression behind it. Keep a hand over the rear of the receiver.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Receiver cover"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Withdraw the recoil spring assembly from the bolt carrier.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Recoil spring assembly"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Pull the bolt carrier and bolt fully to the rear and lift them up and out of the receiver.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Bolt carrier",
                "Bolt"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Separate the bolt from the carrier by sliding it forward and out."
            },
            {
              "n": 7,
              "instruction": "Rotate the gas tube lever on the right side of the rear sight base upward, then lift the gas tube and upper handguard up and off.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Gas tube and upper handguard"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 8,
              "instruction": "Withdraw the gas piston from the gas tube.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Gas piston"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 9,
              "instruction": "To remove the trigger group, press the trigger group latch at the rear of the trigger guard and lift the assembly out of the stock.",
              "tip": "The safety must be in the fire position.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Trigger group"
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refinish",
      "title": "Refinish",
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "Receiver cover retaining pin",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 2
        },
        {
          "name": "Receiver cover",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 3
        },
        {
          "name": "Recoil spring assembly",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 4
        },
        {
          "name": "Bolt carrier",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 5
        },
        {
          "name": "Bolt",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 5
        },
        {
          "name": "Gas tube and upper handguard",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 7
        },
        {
          "name": "Gas piston",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 8
        },
        {
          "name": "Trigger group",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 9
        },
        {
          "name": "Firing pin retaining pin",
          "procedure": "clean-firing-pin",
          "level": "maintenance",
          "step": 1
        },
        {
          "name": "Firing pin",
          "procedure": "clean-firing-pin",
          "level": "maintenance",
          "step": 2
        }
      ],
      "manufacturerPartsList": null,
      "partsDiagrams": [],
      "materials": [],
      "note": "The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks \"factory fit\" should not be swapped or reworked."
    },
    {
      "id": "reassemble",
      "title": "Reassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "reassembly",
          "title": "Reassembly",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Install the trigger group by hooking its front into the receiver and pressing the rear up until the latch engages."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Insert the gas piston into the gas tube, then set the gas tube and handguard onto the barrel and rotate the lever down to lock."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Fit the bolt into the carrier, then set the assembly into the receiver rails and slide it forward."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Insert the recoil spring assembly into the bolt carrier and seat its rear end in the receiver."
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Slide the receiver cover on from the rear, press it down, and insert the retaining pin, rotating its lever down to lock.",
              "warning": "Confirm the pin lever is rotated fully down. A loose cover can come off under recoil."
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Cycle the action several times and perform the function check."
            }
          ],
          "instruction": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "torque",
      "title": "Torque",
      "coverage": "none-recorded",
      "manufacturer": [],
      "reported": [],
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "id": "function-check",
      "title": "Function check",
      "checks": [
        "Verify the rifle is unloaded, chamber and magazine, before each step.",
        "Shake the assembled bolt before installing it — the firing pin must rattle freely.",
        "Cycle the bolt by hand and confirm it locks and returns to battery.",
        "With the safety engaged, press the trigger. Nothing should happen.",
        "Disengage the safety, cycle the bolt, and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.",
        "Confirm the bolt hold-open engages on an empty magazine.",
        "Confirm the magazine floorplate latches securely closed."
      ],
      "videos": []
    }
  ],
  "troubleshooting": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "n": 1,
      "id": null,
      "title": "7.62mm Simonov Self-Loading Carbine (SKS) Operator's Manual",
      "publisher": "USSR Ministry of Defence",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 2,
      "id": null,
      "title": "Small Arms Identification and Operation Guide — Eurasian Communist Countries",
      "publisher": "U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 3,
      "id": "tier-aa0e626e",
      "title": "Exploded View: SKS Carbine",
      "publisher": "American Rifleman (NRA)",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": "https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/exploded-view-sks-carbine/",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    },
    {
      "n": 4,
      "id": "tier-41721d1b",
      "title": "The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) — '7.62x39mm Autoloading Carbine' (SKS)",
      "publisher": "Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org)",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    }
  ]
}