For those who wish to engage in commercial hunting, a weapon such as a Simonov self-loading carbine (SCS) is the best option. This model found its buyer both among professionals and among amateur beginners. Any hunt must necessarily end with a trophy. To ensure this, the optical sight for the SKS carbine will help.
By correctly adjusting this device, even a novice hunter can achieve good results.
What is a device like?
This device is a complex system. It has:
- Lens.
- Eyepiece. This element of the optical sight adjusts visibility in accordance with the sight of the shooter.
- Inverting system. Located between the eyepiece and lens. Her task is to form an image from an inverted position to a straight line.
- The reticle in the form of a pattern (stencil), which is applied to the lens glass. Today, buyers are provided with various optical sights equipped with four types of reticle. Their choice depends on the tasks that the optical device performs.
- A special mechanism by which amendments are made if necessary. Shooting adjustment is performed primarily in rapidly changing conditions.
The modern optical sight for the SKS carbine, as for other similar models of hunting weapons, contains a special coating. It is an antireflection layer that is applied to the lens and provides good visibility in low light conditions.
Caliber
Traditionally, hunting in Russia takes place using a caliber of 7, 62 x 39 mm. These bullets, in comparison with combat ones, have a weak stopping effect, which often causes many hunter stories about the unprecedented survivability of the beast. As a result of inaccurate entry into vital organs, hunting may be ineffective. For caliber 7, 62 x 39 mm, a distance of not more than one hundred meters is provided. At such a distance, the desired effect is likely. From a hundred meters you can hit the target exactly if you have optics. Therefore, many hunters very often ask the question, how to install an optical sight on a carbine?
About installing an aiming device
An optical sight for the SKS 7 62 x39 carbine is mounted using special side mounts. They are equipped with many Russian-made carbines. Foreign-made weapons are equipped with an aiming system that is performed by a dovetail. It has the form of a bar, which is located in the upper part of the housing. It is structurally impossible to install optics on SCS in its pure form. It is recommended for this purpose to use a side bar attached to the receiver of the carbine. Additionally, monoblock brackets and rings can also be used.
They are sold in shops for hunting and fishing. According to gunsmiths, such tools for installation are not very effective. The best option for Simonov’s carbine is the installation of optics using a quick-detachable bracket. The place for its installation is the left side of the receiver in the SCS. It can also be equipped with a laser pointer, which allows you to shoot at dusk. If necessary, to shoot from an open sight, the bracket does not interfere at all.
About the problems of self-improvement of the device
Simonov’s self-loading weapon was not originally intended for sniper shooting. Sighting optics in the Soviet Union was carried out on other models. For this reason, the carabiner device itself did not provide for the use of optical sighting devices on it. Such a weapon design was a problem for those hunters who wanted to equip their SCS (carbine) with an optical system. Owner reviews indicate that after installing a makeshift bracket, there were two drawbacks:
- The extracted shot cartridges hit the bracket.
- Weak mounting of the bracket with the base of the carabiner, as a result of which there was a shift in the optical sighting system. This adversely affected the accuracy of the shooting.
What determines successful shooting with an eye?
Using the optical sight for the SKS carbine, the shooter must take into account the following factors:
- bullet trajectory;
- the strength of the wind.
The firing quality is affected by the stiffness of the connection between the optical sight and the weapon. To achieve the required reliability of the fastenings of the rings or the bracket, use the grinding procedure.
What do you need for work?
Before starting work, the wizard needs to acquire the following tools:
- Abrasive paste.
- Lapping rod. Its diameter should correspond to the diameter of the channel of the optical sight.
- Rod to control the alignment of the rings.
- Torque wrenches equipped with a scale.
- Torque screwdriver.
The main task of grinding is to achieve alignment of the brackets: the centers of their rings should be located on the same axis.
How to choose an optical sight?
- A device with a cross-shaped reticle is ideal for the SKS carbine. The shape of the cross differs from other types in simplicity and convenience for quick aiming of weapons at the target. Optical systems with a cross-shaped grid are mainly used in hunting. This system is effective when shooting at a distance of 30 meters.
- You can also purchase an optical sight equipped with a “Penek” type reticle. It was used by German troops during the Great Patriotic War. This reticle allows the shooter to quickly aim the weapon at the target. A rangefinder scale is attached to the device.
- The Mil-Dot reticle allows you to determine the size of the target.
The grid type “PSO-1” shows the distance to the target. This type, despite its spectacular appearance, is not in great demand among hunters. This is explained by the fact that it is difficult for people who have not served in the army to make corrections using the “PSO-1” grid scale.
Popular hunting model
In Russia, one of the most common types of weapons among hunters is the product of designer Simonov - SKS - carbine. Responses of owners testify to its simplicity and unpretentiousness in operation. Another advantage of the carbine is its ease of maintenance. Comparing SKS with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, carbine owners note the reliability of his system, which is provided not by stamped parts, as in AK, but by forged milling spare parts.
How to choose an optical sight for a carbine?
In order to equip their weapons with a high-quality sight, experienced hunters are advised to adhere to the following recommendations:
- The choice of optical sight for a carbine should be carried out in accordance with the time of day when it will be operated. Hunters engaged in night fishing or dusk, it is recommended to buy optical systems with a lens diameter of at least 5 cm. Those who hunt in the afternoon, suitable sights, lenses which do not exceed 4 cm.
- Before buying a sight, you must determine its magnification. This is a very important characteristic that optical devices for carbines possess, since the aiming speed and accuracy of hits will depend on this indicator. Some systems can have magnifications up to twenty times. It is variable and constant. For hunting small game, the maximally increased multiplicity that the rifle scope can have is used. The reviews of hunters and owners of such systems indicate that when buying optics for weapons, it is not always worth relying on the multiplicity parameters and the size of the lens.
- Of great importance is the material from which the device itself is made. It is advisable that those carbines that are operated primarily under extreme conditions or that have very strong returns, are equipped with sights in the manufacture of which aluminum alloys are used. Such products are characterized by a high level of tightness due to internal filling with nitrogen.
- The firing efficiency also depends on the quality of the purchased model and on how the shooting of the optical sight on the SKS carbine was carried out.
Beginning of work
This procedure is performed in two stages. At the first stage, “rough”, or rough, binding of the weapon to the target is carried out. Shots are fired on a square with dimensions of 250x350 mm using an open sight. The distance should not exceed one hundred meters. A good result can be considered such hits in which bullets lie in the center of the square on the sight icon from a distance of one hundred meters. For sighting from a distance of three hundred meters, the division of an open sight must be set to III.
The distance between the holes in the target should not exceed 20-30 mm. It is advisable to make a sighting of a Simonov carbine in a standing position, since such a position is considered standard when hunting. If the bullets continue to lie in the center, it means that the draft sighting is done correctly.
