May also wanna read what I put up here. http://chinesesks.weebly.com/1970-15mil.html
Would love to hear the old 'millionths place dating' BS explain that one!
Is there any research to 'the thinking'? Or is it just thinking?
I've read that before, at the time, I think we had corresponded about the crate & rifle photos when Marstar had posted them on FB. I had a large number of these 256 and 306 rifles go through my hands back then, and I had carefully documented the differences between the guns here in photos at the time and was posting those pics on Gunboards before they were widely circulated stateside.
The findings are interesting observational conclusions and are very possibly right, but I would not call it more than a well supported theory. I've never even seen anything I would consider proof that the Factory 26 serial scheme is accurate.
It's likely correct, but I've not heard of the Chinese confirming anything (?)
So you personally hand picked these non arsenal marked guns fresh from a crate of /256\ marked guns?
Hey guys, the Chinese have been using a year designator at the beginning of the serial for a long time and across many platforms and arsenals.... JUST LOOK AT THE 2017 starting the serial on all the T81s you just imported.
This thread isnt here to argue over what China has not released. If you dont bother to read our data and do your research, then how can you even begin to argue against it. Dont believe it? Perhaps this is not the thread for you.
No, a person I know who worked at Marstar (but not any longer) told me. I wasn't there personally, but I took his word for it. I had examples of 256 and the un-marked guns side by side on my bench and they were identical except for the missing roll stamps. Same mix of cast and milled parts.
So after all this discussion, I just want to know if my SKS (no factory markings) was and is an unissued, unscrubbed SKS type 56 as it was purchased from Marstar. From the comments I take it as a "probable YES".
I see.
So its basically a story? 'If' true, how do we not know the exporter in China did not fill the order by randomly inserting scrubbed guns into the crates?
Never have we seen or heard of guns that 'just happen to miss the arsenal mark'. All guns (minis the Soviet-Sino and ghost guns) observed thus far not having an arsenal mark or t56 markings showed signs of being scrubbed, and these indicators are not easily seen... especially when soaked in cosmo.
Its not just the arsenal stamp you are presuming was 'missed".... they also do not have the t56 characters. So the thought here is that these guns missed BOTH separate processes? Then where are all the guns that 'missed' one stamp but not the other? These stamps are not applied together in one stamp.
So after all this discussion, I just want to know if my SKS (no factory markings) was and is an unissued, unscrubbed SKS type 56 as it was purchased from Marstar. From the comments I take it as a "probable YES".
Also, how do we know the distributor did not receive these guns all in one or more crates together? 'Mixed in with' can easily be a crate of scrubbed guns mixed in with crates of 256.
We don't know for certain, I don't claim it's irrefutable fact - only that they shipped together and share characteristics of manufacture. It's observational evidence. Take it for whatever you like, I really don't care if anyone agrees with my conclusions or not.
The crates didn't come to Canada. Marstar had the guns wiped down to remove exterior cosmolene and moved into cardboard sipping boxes in China before they were shipped to Canada, as the labour costs were cheaper than to do that themselves here. Marstar sent an employee to oversee the process (Frank, who no longer works there).
The pics they posted are at the arms depot in China - not at Marstar's facility in Hawkesbury, Ontario.
But what do I know, I only spoke directly to the people involved and helped retail them at a stocking dealer.
Good to know.... didn't ship in crates. So a box could have been filled with literally anything.