Dangerous automatic SKS used in crime

At least according to the Washington Post.




The thing is, they had four reporters contribute to this story. You think one of them could have looked up SKS on Wikipedia. At a minimum, reporters by now should know to ask "are you sure it is an automatic weapon?"


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101602705.html?sub=AR

...the Chinese Type 81 SKS had a three-shot burst option, but that's it. They went straight back to semi-auto with the Type 84 model, although it could now accept AK magazines.

by the Chinese, and not actually an SKS, though it used a short-stroke floating gas piston like the SKS.

The Type 81 was a derivative of the Type 63 (sometimes called Type 68), which looked externally like an SKS but was, again, a selective-fire, rotating-bolt design. There is a lot of cosmetic similarity, but the internals are quite different.


Chinese SKS (copy of the Russian SKS45, semiauto only, tilting bolt):


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS


Type 63 (selective-fire, rotating bolt):


http://world.guns.ru/assault/as48-e.htm


Type 81 (selective-fire, rotating bolt):


http://world.guns.ru/assault/as71-e.htm

actually a scaled-down version of a very high caliber anti-tank rifle and the archaic bolt mechanism is not suitable for full auto fire. It would not be a comfortabble weapon to shoot full auto, even if it could do that.
What it is is a 10 shot auto loading - one trigger pull=one shot-compact rifle using a mid range rifle cartridge very similar in performance to the over 100 year old .30-30 deer rifle. Many people use them for hunting,especially out west where many were sold as "cowboy rifles".
They are rugged, somewhat accurate and possibly the most reliable autoloading rifle made, and used to be inexpensive before the various gun "bans" doubled their price.
I have one in the coat closet in my living room.

mark

THIS is what banana clips look like:


Banana clips


This is what an SKS extended magazine looks like:


Magazine


When used in reference to firearms, a clip is a device used to load ammunition into a magazine, and has nothing to do with bananas...

Maybe they're afraid that if they actually bother to learn a thing or two about guns, it'll rapidly hamper their ability to crank out breathlessly sensationalistic copy concerning firearm incidents.

to remain ignorant of popular culture. Being ignorant about firearms and firearms law makes you one of the Untainted Ones.

The newspaper biz isn't exactly a glamorous profession anymore. The cost cutting they're doing in news rooms doesn't attract top talent in most cases. The magic of the marketplace is gutting the newspaper industry and we're seeing the inevitable result.

It doesn't excuse the confusion over this. Assault weapons have been discussed since the 90s and they still can't get it right. Don't papers have style guides anymore?

Unless he was actually using clips which is a real possibility with an SKS.