Rifle used in Dallas Ambush was a common SKS; not Assault Rifle or “Assault Weapon”

By Dean Weingarten

By Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-

The rifle used by the Dallas sniper was an antique East Block rifle designed in the 1940’s, an SKS. The SKS was considered obsolete by the Soviet military in 1956, 60 years ago. It is a simple semi-automatic design that does not use detachable magazines and holds 10 rounds of ammunition. It uses the intermediate powered 7.62 x 39 cartridge, about as powerful as the .30-30, a common deer cartridge in the United States for a hundred and twenty years. From nbcnews.com:

Dallas police said Friday that detectives found bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and “a personal journal of combat tactics” in Johnson’s home. Johnson used a SKS rifle and a handgun in the attack, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News.

The SKS was imported to the U.S. by the millions as surplus from Russia, China, and other former East Block countries. Billions of rounds of ammunition were imported.

When relations with first China, then the former East Block countries were normalized, trade deals were struck. U.S. consumers got sturdy and simple utility rifles and inexpensive ammunition. China and the former …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand