My Classic SKS - What I got in pics..

[Mr Ed]

Here it is after a day of sun baking and de-cosmofying! Cosmo is a good friend and did it's job, but I thing we need some time apart.

She is a 5 digit serial number and no factory stamp. The bolt, carrier and the thingy plate that covers the recoil spring don't match (my first sks, can you tell?) Anyone with any knowledge to share, please do. I'm guessing it's a 1956 with some '56 parts? No serial number on the stock. How'd I do?

Before:


After:


I think it was used:


Import Mark:


Someone mentioned a 29 stamp, Mine has a 34 in two places.

 

[SevernBob]

They look great! Did you get those Merrells from Bass Pro? I like the rifle too. Now we have matching rifles and shoes.

 

[Docster]

The "29" stamp is actually a triangle with a 29 on the inside. It will be next to the serial number on the receiver body.

 

[Mr Ed]

They look great! Did you get those Merrells from Bass Pro? I like the rifle too. Now we have matching rifles and shoes.

Merrill outlet in Lancaster. They were full price tho since they were not the made for outlet stock. :-)

 

[Mr Ed]

The "29" stamp is actually a triangle with a 29 on the inside. It will be next to the serial number on the receiver body.

I think I meant 27. Why2kmax mentioned a stamp covered by the stock in his thread. You can see the 34s in my pic. One is on the rceiver and one is on the barrell lug. There were no factory stamps.
How was the stock on yours? Mine looks worse than my T53.

 

[why2kmax]

Originally Posted by Docster View Post
The "29" stamp is actually a triangle with a 29 on the inside. It will be next to the serial number on the receiver body.

I think I meant 27. Why2kmax mentioned a stamp covered by the stock in his thread. You can see the 34s in my pic. One is on the rceiver and one is on the barrell lug. There were no factory stamps.
How was the stock on yours? Mine looks worse than my T53.

Correct, where your 34s are on your rcvr and barrel, I have 26 and 27
No factory markings near the serial, just a 6 digit #.

 

[Machodoc]

I think that there's an outbreak of dyslexia in this thread. Aren't you thinking about a "26" stamp (not "29"), in a triangle, that indicates the Jianshe arsenal? That's where the early Chinese SKSs were made.

 

[Vile Shadow]

My Russky. A 1954 Tula...

 

[yellowsled]

I am really confused by the lack if /26\ mark on some if these new rifles.

 

[Seagrave1963]

I am really confused by the lack if /26\ mark on some if these new rifles.

Could they be parts that were included in the purchase of the machining tools and technical support from the Soviet factories?

 

[Mr Ed]

I think that there's an outbreak of dyslexia in this thread. Aren't you thinking about a "26" stamp (not "29"), in a triangle, that indicates the Jianshe arsenal? That's where the early Chinese SKSs were made.

Sorry for the confusion. As I have noted there are no factory stamps. I was referring to the 34 stamps on the receiver an barrel lug. They are in the same locations as the 26 and 27 on why2kmax's SKS.
I believe mine is a first year (5 digit serial number) so I believe it was made at Jianshe but has no factory stamping.

 

[Machodoc]

I am really confused by the lack if /26\ mark on some if these new rifles.

Me too! My most recent one came with it (and a cyrillic prefix), and I've seen some later '56s that had the Jianshe stamp ... but also cyrillic prefix and no-prefix '56s without it. This makes three that have been posted here.

Because some of the serial numbers (without /26\) indicate China '56, I don't think that the explanation of these being Russian surplus parts fits very well. They may all have been Russian surplus parts, but some 6-digits were almost certainly stamped in China. I'm tending to lean toward the explanation that these were made when the Chinese workers were just getting it together on a new mass-production line, and that step was just overlooked on some.

It's also interesting to note that the finish on most of these has been noticeably better than on the last batch brought in by CAI, and that these all seem to be very early production. It makes you wonder if some of the earliest production were sent to perhaps a higher rank of military, and were better stored and preserved than the other ones.

 

[Machodoc]

Sorry for the confusion. As I have noted there are no factory stamps. I was referring to the 34 stamps on the receiver an barrel lug. They are in the same locations as the 26 and 27 on why2kmax's SKS.
I believe mine is a first year (5 digit serial number) so I believe it was made at Jianshe but has no factory stamping.

Mr. Ed - Yours is a 1956, but it really has a mix of parts (all 1956, also, from what I can see). The "34" stamps on the receiver and barrel lug are, I'm guessing, inspector's stamps of some sort.

 

[yellowsled]

So you believe these are Chinese that are pre known sino-soviets with Cyrillic letter followed by 4-5 numbers?

 

[yellowsled]

I am not completely sold that these are from Albania. I have not seen any albanian trench art on these Io imports. I believe these came from somewhere else.

 

[Mr Ed]

Mr. Ed - Yours is a 1956, but it really has a mix of parts (all 1956, also, from what I can see). The "34" stamps on the receiver and barrel lug are, I'm guessing, inspector's stamps of some sort.

Anyone care to guess how the parts were mixed? The trigger group and magazine are stamped the same SN as the receiver. The bolt, carrier and cover don't match the matching parts or each other. Also the stock is not marked with an SN.

 

[Machodoc]

So you believe these are Chinese that are pre known sino-soviets with Cyrillic letter followed by 4-5 numbers?

No, Sled. I think they came just after the Sino-Soviet with Cyrillic prefixes were made. It's all speculation, of course, but this new batch has had Cyrillic prefix numbers both with and without the /26\, and they've had 5 and 6-digit no prefix numbers with and without the /26\.

I am not completely sold that these are from Albania. I have not seen any albanian trench art on these Io imports. I believe these came from somewhere else.

Good point! They may be from somewhere else, but I thought that I saw something early on, somewhere, that pegged them as Albanian. I think someone here, or on another board, got one with two holes drilled under the buttplate.

I've been assuming these just came out of another cave in Albania--one where the storage facilities were a bit better.

 

[Machodoc]

Anyone care to guess how the parts were mixed? The trigger group and magazine are stamped the same SN as the receiver. The bolt, carrier and cover don't match the matching parts or each other. Also the stock is not marked with an SN.

That's not uncommon, but it's not what you want to see for the maximum in collector value. If a part broke, or got lost, the resident armourer would be very likely to have a supply of "parts" rifles that could be cannibalized for replacement parts. They'd function just as well--and that's what they were looking for at the time.

Another possibility is a unit having a group cleaning party, and parts just getting swapped.

 

[Machodoc]

Sled - I see that you've also been checking out another board--one where more than a little BS is being tossed. Someone there just posted this photo, stating that it came out of this last batch of Classic's IO imports. It sure does raise some questions!

 

[why2kmax]

Wonder if they had two or more production lines going and they just failed to add in the factory stamp on the second or third line once it got up and running. How do they stamp them, could a die have broken and therefore some didnt get stamped? WIsh everyone that got one would post up, maybe it could be narrowed down to a range of numbers and set of prefixes.

Nuther question. Mine is all matching numbers, everything stamped except the gas tube; that is e-pen but number matches. Guessing thats as good as it gets for collectability barring some stray marks or history, so should I safe the gun and not shoot it? I have another coming and have a 80 norinco and a rearsenaled russian one so...