by Michael Keleher
Okay, so all you sharp eyed gun enthusiasts have probably seen this gun propped up against the fence in Florida earlier this month. Well photos emerged via the New York Post and like I said in an earlier article it is an SKS rifle, not an AK-47 like all the world news organizations initially ran.
In fact, upon a closer look, this is a SKS OMG Variant Poors Model. Whew. It is a doozy. Can’t believe the potential shooter Ryan Wesley Routh brought this gun to a gunfight!
He is charged with possession of firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number. He really should have saved up a few more Happy Meal dollars to buy even a cheap rifle! This makes Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle look like a Weatherby!
Now SKS rifles have been around since 1949 in 7.62x39mm format with between 5 and 15 million of them having been built (Commie record keeping is a bit spotty on those numbers in the last 75 years.) Dollars to donuts this one is Chinese made…just saying, as the Russian models might actually cost money!
Drilling down on this crap-fest of a rifle, I could understand a fiberglass stock over the original crummy wooden stocks made from suspect trees and lacquer which are too short for most grown ups. But when you get a closer look at this beauty the detail work really begins to shine!
An original SKS has an internal magazine that holds 10 rounds. This Florida seized gun has been modified with a magazine adapter, which can hold up to 30 rounds, a significant upgrade in number of bullets. Yet our bright boy, Monsieur Routh’s gun was found to contain…yes, you guessed it, 10 rounds and one in the chamber. Maybe he couldn’t afford to fill up the whole magazine! However, a single round in the picture reveals it to be a steel cased, lacquer covered FMJ, the cheapest round currently found in the imported ammo market, somewhere around ten dollars a box of 20! Again, shouldn’t any self respecting rifleman have saved up to get a full box?
This guy de-evolved this dependable Korean War era battle rifle into something way below Hi-Point pistol value price! (To be fair to Hi-Point, they do seem to shoot an awful lot of poor people.)
Next up is my favorite piece, the telescopic sight. It looks like it has been beaten and drugged repeatedly, and then…oh be still my basement gunsmithing heart…yes it is strapped on to the gun with “tactical black” electrician’s tape! Obviously he did not go with metal hose clamps or zip ties to secure it. You can understand how hard it would be to get it to look “just right” with those half-assed items and not nearly “tactical” enough like electrician’s tape.
Who knows if the gun was ever zeroed, but taping it on to the receiver and stock is sheer folly! How proud that crazy man must have been to see the scope sitting on it – briefly! That combo would not have stayed accurate with the slightest bump or touch and may have had a MOA somewhere between three and nine feet at distances of oh say…three to nine feet! A plain old iron sight SKS could go to 400 meters effective range prior to felonious tampering.
But we are not through with the scope just yet. Yes squint down at the rear eyepiece, and there is a cardboard roll with a Rexall brand logo (maybe from his prescription meds) attached to the eye piece. Once again, he forwent the standard 40mm toilet paper tube (Yes, you know I measured dammit and luckily Adventure Wife did not catch me in the bathroom with a ruler measuring toilet paper rolls) or a 37mm Orange push-up pop paper roll, in favor of the rolled up Rexall cardboard. Brand imaging can be important in any film or photo I guess. Maybe he was hoping to get an endorsement deal.
I think Brainiac may have put the tube on the back of the scope to help him find the eye relief distance with that particular scope. Any other reason might be…well…just crazy.
Looking at the photo, it appears the bolt may actually be able to strike the front of the taped on scope. Ah ballistic bliss achieved!
Routh or someone else (imagine some back alley deal “Man I got a rifle for you”) has removed the bayonet which comes factory installed. I think this is a good thing, because with a bayonet still on it, Routh might have actually hurt someone with this rifle. Quite possibly himself.
Some local and expert commentators have spoken to me about this gun (in my own mind): One Guns Save Life writer who lives at my house, was overheard saying, ”Damn. You will go down in history as the dumbest potential assassin with the absolute worst weapon, and you are going to federal prison for the rest of your life over this piece of crap!”
Community organizer Karen Vander-Karen, of Birds of Integrated Team Community Health (B.I.T.C.H) said when I may have asked, ”Well, we hate all assault weapons, but we aren’t even going to fight this one.”
A lesser known Hamas/Hezbollah veteran said, “I wouldn’t even shoot a hostage with that thing.”
A Southside Chicago unlicensed pharmaceutical distributor and fraternal organization member related, ”Damn. Just Damn. I hate when murderers can’t even save up enough money to buy a Glock or even a PSA Dagger with a fully automatic sear in it. Makes you sad you know? What is happening to the dream?”
From far off Afghanistan, one of their political/religious/military soldiers may have commented, “Ugh. If it’s not an M4 we don’t even go there. Biden left us 978,000 M4s and M16s. You’d think an American could do better what with their streets awash with easy to buy illegal guns!”
….and don’t get me started on the fact Routh brought ceramic plates – in a reusable grocery sack. That punk kid in Pennsylvania had far better gear and planning than Routh the Wanna be Ukrainian Commando! (Yes kids even the Ukrainian Army wouldn’t take Routh!)
Hmmmm, what to do with the rest of this roll of tape ???
Ooooh – bolt handle !!!
This is what “operators” call a “Tear One” rifle.
Ugh….. he probably did buy a whole box of ammo but he used the other nine for practice and to sight the thing in.
Funny… the fragrant paper- wrapped 20 round boxes of the stuff. I have a couple thou of the Russian ” hollow-point” cartridges – (can hardly smash pulled bullets in an 8 inch shop vise) that will still bring tears to your eyes when you open the giant “sardine cans” of the stuff. It must contain the same preservatives as fallout shelter Government Cheese.
IIRC it was about 6 cents per round shipped – Oh jeeze, more tears to my eyes !!
I really hope that someone actually shoots this thing as equipped and publishes the results. I’m sure it will be impressive…
twitter.com/TheAKGuy
Contact Brandon Herera. He loves to do this sort of thing on his YouTube channel.
As per usual TTAG is late to the bash the crazy guy’s rifle post. I was moderated for zero reason yesterday for an extremely innocuous post. If I comment at all it’ll be at fakebook! 11 years here means nadda🙄
There was a thread a few days ago on this rifle.
My comment was “Bubba meets Florida Man”.
This makes Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle look like a Weatherby!
Keleher misses the obvious point. Even a POS can get the job done.
Caracanos get a bad rap. They are perfectly fine rifles. 6.5×52 rimless is the problem.
It worked perfectly well. It was not a problem.
Because Internet gun “journalists” gonna “journalism.” Typical sub-basement level of TTAG “content ” lately.
Except he was clearly shot from the front. Jackie was scooping his brains off the back of that car. It’s plain as day.
I mean, sure, but I was more referring to the M-C being more widely adopted by US shooters rather than the Kennedy shooting. And it’s slow. 162 grains at like 2200 FPS. Which obviously didn’t matter at 80 yards, Oswald could have used a .22.
Saw a vid from Forgotten rifles about the Carcano some time back. He said the problem isn’t the rifle or the Italian ammo. The problem is that most Americans were shooting it with US made ammo, that used a little bit different bullet and that was what gave the Carcano its rep for being inaccurate
There’s 6.5 and 6.5. US spec is .264″ diameter bullet but I think the Italians used a .268″ diameter bullet.
I know some people who used .268″ bullets with good results in Carcanos.
Nah…… It still doesn’t look like a Weatherby.
If he could make a hit with this rifle I would say that he fully deserves a pardon and a medal. of some sort.
The putting green for that hole was 75 feet from the fenceline where Rauth was hiding. Had DJT made it all the way there before anyone discovered the assassin he could have almost thrown the rifle at the target and hit him. He could have simply pointed and shot from the hip with a rifle at that range.
It is impossible to tell from a photograph how well that scope was zeroed and we won’t know until the FBI releases testing data on that. The scope had proper rings fastened to the dust cover and then the whole thing was cinched with hose clamps covered by vinyl electrical tape over that. This COULD have done an adequate job of preserving zero if it were done adequately although it is an ugly and dirty way of doing things. To say otherwise belies an unfamiliarity with basic shooting and bubba gunplumbing principles. Syle points don’t mean squat in the field. Only results matter.
IMHO the powers that be have an extreme interest in devaluing the actual threat that DJT was exposed to that fateful day. I question the motives of anyone who does the same.
“I think Brainiac may have put the tube on the back of the scope to help him find the eye relief distance with that particular scope.”
Nope. He put that cardboard tube on the back of the scope so that his eyebrow could help stabilize the scope and minimize how much the scope shifts point-of-aim due to recoil on each shot!
I have no issue with the sks as a platform. They really are a serviceable rifle.
Seeing other pics the stock markings lead me to believe that was the stock it was imported with. the 30 round mag is stupid with only 10 though.
the scope situation is horrid though. total meth head job, not even a bubba job.
The stock is aftermarket probably by Choate and came with a handguard that most people tossed and opted for the perforated metal version. I purchased a Choate made for the Chinese SKS that used AK mags. It took work and match mods to make everything fit and function the best it could. Sad part is don’t expect technicalities to come from bozos who do not know at first glance the difference between an SKS and AK.
no Deb. its not a Choate stock.
look at the close up of the stock in the other article a few days ago. very clearly on it says ‘Combat Exchange’
Its got a older first model original ‘Combat Exchange’ Monte Carlo stock on it, maybe used. They haven’t made that particular model stock for a while now, maybe 10 years or longer. The second rendition of the stock had some more info on it and under the ‘Combat Exchange’ name with a phone number ‘919-259-7300’ and a pat pend stamp above that and the name ‘Leo W. Livingston’ above the phone number, and the original first model just had ‘Combat Exchange’ like the one in the close up picture.
Leo W. Livingston got very rich off that stock, Advanced Technologies incorporated later bought ‘Combat Exchange’ and the newer versions of the stock after that were stamped ‘MIDWEST ORDNANCE DET, MI PAT PEND’
So the stock on the rifle is a very first version of the Combat Exchange’ Monte Carlo stock.
That’s the name I was looking for. I thought that at least some of those rifles were imported that way. I could see something like that especially if you had actions with bad wood.
Nah, there weren’t any imported that way. There may have been some imported then the stock swapped, but when they came here they were with what ever stock was on them from the factory (usually wood). ‘Combat Exchange’ only supplied after-market, they didn’t supply OEM.
I’m thinking this particular SKS is China military surplus manufactured in China in the 1961 – 1966 time frame – and here’s why I think that right now (based upon the SKS pictures)…
Just a spit ball guess for origin of the original SKS before it was modified: Judging from where the serial number was obliterated and the space taken up in doing that … The serial number on the china military surplus model had extra Chinese characters that took up more space and was located in that spot, so obliterating the serial number would have obliterated a longer space like in the pic and the space is at the place a china military model would occupy for serial number on the original military surplus models that were imported from China. So i’m guessing this was possibly imported into the U.S. either by China Jin An, an importer that was in the Southfield suburb of Detroit or maybe an importer called Import Arms Company (IACO) in Sacramento, California – both of those were the main importers of the Chinese military surplus model SKS that China dumped on the market.
The extra Chinese characters were Chinese ideograph markings. They indicate the rifle was built completely with china manufacture parts from 1961 on-wards and they have various meanings, 1961 is when the Chinese ideograph markings were first placed on the SKS. But the one in the pic has a bayonet lug (bayonet is obviously removed) design that China stopped using in 1966 on the military models and didn’t do any more of that particular bayonet lug so I’m guessing this SKS was made in the 1961 – 1966 time frame. The Sino-Soviet split had happened and they could not get Russian parts any longer so in 1961 they started using parts made in China and from 1961 on-wards the China SKS was completely made of all China made parts and fully Chinese built. The China SKS before 1961 were Soviet Sino Guns.
Of course I’m just guessing on the origin manufacture of the original SKS before modification with the stock, maybe we will know more in the future.
The SKS is a good carbine. It’s just that some idiot screwed this one up trying to make it into something it was never meant to be. Not the first time I’ve seen it. A deputy I worked with wanted a rifle, but didn’t want to spend any money. He bought an SKS. Okay, give me one with a few reloads and I’ll go to war. Then he started asking me about after market stocks 30 rd magazines. My advice was to leave it as is. Then a gun show came to town. Next thing I know he has a synthetic folding stock on it and a thirty rd magazine. He was very proud and was bragging about how “bad” it looked. I asked if he had shot it. He said he hadn’t. I just smiled and went back to my report. Fast forward a few days and he asked if I could look at his rifle. Me, “Malfunctioning, isn’t it?” Him, “Yeah! It jams every other shot.” Me, “I don’t need to look at it, I can tell you how to fix it. Put it back like it was.” Many years ago I decided that I wanted something chambered in 7.62X39 in my firearms battery. Back then that meant an AK or SKS. I choose the SKS. I have found them to be as reliable as an AK, more accurate and I don’t have to keep up with a bunch of spare magazines. I zeroed, laid in 1000 rds of Yugo ammunition loaded in stripper clips and never looked back.
I’m from the “anything worth killin’s worth overkillin’ school. Start with a Soviet milled SKS, bed it in a Boyd laminated thumbhole stock, cut back the barrel 3 1/4 inches and throw away the front sight, firelap it to even out the chrome bore finish, bed it w/ MarineTex from the rear to mag opening and front 2 inches of stock, adapt an 870 drill and tap reciever side scope mount, and work up a handload it likes – early lots of Lil’gun were the winner. Bonus points if you can find an original 20 round integral mag… it makes a good rest off of the bench – forget about barrel mt. bipods or using the spike bayonet as a monopod. 1 1/2 to 2 MOA groups become commonplace, although things go to shit much past 200 yards, same as with 30-30 or 303 Brit. Cheap cast bullets can still achieve 2 to 2 1/2 MOA out past 150 yards. Still won’t outshoot even a rough Mini MarkX or CZ bolt gun in the same caliber though, hard as I’ve tried.
Wow Peanut Butter… did you start with a $1000 beater 4WD pickup, jack it up, put $5500 worth of tires, wheels, exhaust, roll bars, and a winch to pull your ass out of the mudhole on it – that rational people drove AROUND ?
Lemme guess, you sold it for the same $1000 and consider it a solid investment ?
… cuz that’s what Id’ve done 😁
…. guilty as charged.
Although, your sister certainly enjoyed being stuck in that mudhole for hours on end.
…. Skyrockets in Flight, Afternoon Delight….
My dear sister Jennifer…. I miss when we were kids and used to go fishing in that ole’ mudhole.
Back when “she” was known as Jeff….
Ouch
I got a chuckle out of it.
I believe the obviously democRat assassin was a convicted felon so for him when it comes to sniper rifles beggers cannot be chosers. As for rifle quality it depends on the whether the barrel was pinned, screwed, manufacturer, etc. If the ugly ducking has an acceptable barrel and bolt it could have got the job done on a 100yd. clear day using the opening in the fence that led to Routh’s capture for barrel support.
And the apple didn’t fall far from the tree when the assassin’s son was discovered with kiddieporn and arrested, connect the h…
h ttps://youtube.com/watch?v=7J6d1XGA-U4&feature=shared
Stupid. Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle worked. What else can you ask for?
If you wanted me to read anything after that, you achieved the opposite. Your article didn’t work as well as Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle.
Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle could have easily been the equal Clown Gun that this one is…. you do realize that a shot from his open sight Carcano was not what took Kennedy’s head apart
don’t you… three elevated shots on a moving motorcade from 80 plus yards away from a “rapidly deteriorating former expert rifleman with vision problems” with a WW2 third string relic – does anyone even consider this remotely possible knowing what we know now?
… and when I say “WW2 relic”, that’s when it was retired. It was developed somewhere in th 1890s FFS.
No, I don’t realize that.
Carcano was fairly popular thru the 80s as an economical deer/hog rifle. Like the SKS, they were cheap, and worked.
I do believe Oswald shot Kennedy. You can argue about “why” but the “if” is pretty clear.
The magazine even though a 30rnd may have been modified to only accept 10 as many were so done to comply with some States restrictions.
Some foreign sniper rifles are equipped with rubber eye pieces. I would assume that may be the reason for this rexall roll.
Were not there two involved with this latest assasination attempt?
If you bothered to actually look at the photo it is obvious that there are hose clamps under the tape. The tape is to keep the hose clamps from biting. It’s obvious that there are rings on the scope as well so the hose clamps and tape are just a precaution to help hold zero by keeping the dust cover from shifting too much
If the author of this “journalism” can’t even get these details right then there isn’t any point wasting time reading any further into this “journalism.”
As a certifiable gun snob, I’m just as contemptuous of an SKS as just about any actual gun owner who actually knows anything about guns. However; I have even greater contempt for the jackbooted thugs of the FBI, BATFE and perhaps US Secret Service. We all know that these alleged law enforcement officers serve their Democrat/Socialist/Communist masters who pull the strings of our Senile Sock Puppet President Joe Biden. For this reason I will not exclude the possibility that they dressed this rifle up in cardboard and duct tape to diminish the potential threat to President Trump. They might have even fired off twenty rounds to verify that the rifle is operational as well as further diminish the apparent threat.
If you magnify the image and look closely, you will notice that the scope is mounted in actual scope rings! The duct tape effectively obscures any possible scope mount that these scope rings might have been mounted to on this POS rifle.
If you think that Federal law enforcement can be trusted to not tamper with evidence to diminish the potential threat, ask yourself why an FBI agent was photographed on the dangerously sloped roof of the building washing away any and all forensic evidence from the crime scene. Ask yourselves why the would be assassin’s carcass has already been incinerated.
My final thought is that the Democrats seem to be intent on provoking a civil war. If this assassin along with President Obama’s bastard sons is typical of their foot soldiers, then they are in deep feces.
Thinking the guy received this firearm as a gift from a poor uncle, or something.
Everyone is missing the obvious. This looks like something disposable. Like something laying around an evidence locker…
“Like something laying around an evidence locker… “
Yep, it’s the archetypical ‘throw-down’ gun.
Good news for Trump, even with a clear line of sight low chance you hit a 400 yard shot with this set up. Thank God liberal men are low T
The walkup on thehole would have brought Trump within48 yards… youwere saying ?
Yup. Some people are desperate to minimize the actual risk to DJT that day. He could have shot from the hip and easily hit a man-sized target at that range…he practically could have thrown the rifle that far. Dickens shot the food court mall shooter with his Glock at that range and the shooter was moving and firing at him at the time with tables and chairs and running panicking people in the way.
Amazing how so much information is coming out so very soon. About the assassin’s rifle.
And yet we are still waiting. Years later. On a Forensic and ballistic report. On all the guns the Las Vegas shooter used.
“Forensic and ballistic report“
While I haven’t seen a ballistics report on the weapons, I don’t think that’s the sort of thing we normally see released to the public. You could try FOIA request.
They have released a detailed list of what firearms were there and published reports on how he acquired the various weapons:
“LIST: Guns and evidence from Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock
LVMPD releases evidence list, photos in report
Full video from the January 19 press conference with LVMPD Sheriff Joe Lombardo on the 1 October shooting investigative report
By: KTNV Staff
Posted 6:38 PM, Jan 19, 2018 and last updated 10:46 AM, Jan 20, 2018”
“The Las Vegas shooter’s road to 47 guns
By Dakin Andone, CNN
Updated 6:03 PM EDT, Fri October 06, 2017”
I’ve yet to see any information on whether the rifle was zeroed or how well it functioned. It is extremely odd that there was only 10 rounds in a 30-round magazine. Was there a problem with the aftermarket magazine? Was that all the ammunition Rauth had? It’s not like 7.62x39mm is all that hard to find or very expensive. Rumor has it that it was cheapest russian steel-cased FMJ. It’s not difficult to buy although not as super-cheap as it used to be back in the day. Any Academy or other big-box chain would have something on its shelves.
There are questions -but people are dwelling on the silly stuff and making fun of bubba mods that could have been perfectly adequate to the job. I question the reasons why folks are fixating on that and perhaps minimizing the actual risk to DJT presented by this massive failure of the SS that day.
If there’s a trial, we could hear about this particular rifle’s capabilities. Given the guy’s obvious need for attention, a trial seems likely – that said, anyone who posits that a long range shot was part of this dude’s thinking is wrong.
I do agree with those who say Routh could be the stooge in an FBI sting, and the feds supplied a rifle guaranteed to hurt no one – sorta like the fake explosives they give to wannabe terrorists.
The SS fires into the ground, the clown tries to shoot back, realizes he has a dud gun, bolts, everyone on the course collapses in laughter and plays thru – that is how I would write it for max entertainment.
Anybody see where I put my rose-colored glasses? Oh, they are on my head, never mind…
“I do agree with those who say Routh could be the stooge in an FBI sting“
Right, the FBI knew that an ‘attack’ on Trump would really stir up the base and increase campaign contributions to handle trumps increasing legal bill and judgment liabilities.
After all, the first ‘assassination attempt’ raised millions, and was the set-piece to kick off his VP pick excitement:
“Trump Fundraising Off Assassination Attempt As GOP Convention Kicks Off With VP Pick Expected To Be Unveiled
Dominic Patten
July 15, 2024 11:44AM PDT“
One of the most ignorant tirades masquerading as journalism on TTag yet. So many feelsies trying to be facts. What’s wrong with Chinese built SKS? I’ve taken dozens of mule deer at 100+ with a Chinese built SKS using steel cased, laquerd surplus ammo that doesn’t cost $0.50 a round.All with a single shot by the way, and no tracking involved. Learn your weapon, as long as the barrel wasn’t incompetently forged, a real shooter can compensate. Now this joker was obviously just a mental incompetent. So.ething I suspect the other is as well
A lesser known Hamas/Hezbollah veteran said, “I wouldn’t even shoot a hostage with that thing. Hold on a sec, I’m getting a call.”
Fixed it for you.
Kamala Harris Fought The Supreme Court To Prevent Citizens From Owning Handguns.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko-wg5dOt-U
BREAKING: Missiles smuggled across open border to intended to shoot Trump’s airplane down.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMV6dBuHU6c
Gun Controllers ATTEMPTING To Hide How BAD THEIR “Movement” Is Struggling… This Is TELLING.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBvPKwW9ouU
Bruen Keeps Crushing Gun Control! (one gun a month defeated in California, for now at least.).
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0jh0UhkATI
Ya’ll in Charleston County in South Carolina have a problem with your County Sheriff Kristin Graziano. (House Oversight Committee hearing 25 Sept 2024).
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzSBkyc4SDs
According to the prosecutor Mark Dispoto; Routh had a clear line of sight shot from his hiding spot just 100 feet (33.3. yards) away from the 6th hole. Trump was maybe around 12 to 15 minutes away from arriving at the 6th hole.
The SKS may not be a great rifle in stock factory condition to make 300 – 400 yard shots but 30 – 40 yards is well within the capability of the SKS. At 33 yards he didn’t need the crosshairs on the scope, he had one big ‘ghost ring’ sight and a long as the scope was aligned in horizontal alignment and reasonably level with the rifle barrel a man sized target centered in the ‘ghost ring’ at that distance would have most likely been hit at least someplace on the body and its possible a head shot could have been made too.
I practice the ‘ghost ring’ technique with red dots turned off (to simulate failure) with my rifles, I can do 30 yards and farther for hits on man sized targets reliably, maybe not always a head shot for farther shots – but at 30 yards maybe not always movie-style center forehead but some place in the head on the silhouette. So I’m guessing its possible that Routh would have had a good chance of hitting Trump for a body or head shot at least one time (or first shot) at 33 yards even if the scope wasn’t zero’d or mounted properly, or heck at 33 yards if ya have a decent sense of rifle orientation without aiming specifically its still possible to put rounds someplace on a man sized target especially with multiple rounds.
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