Chinese SKS Dating Thread

1971

The website you looked at don't know what they don't know.

This is a 16th year of the T56. Your serial starts with a 16
Thank you. I read on a few websites that the pattern you are using with the first two digit serial numbers only works for factory 26. which has caused some confusion in dating the other factories. Any truth to that?
 
Why would it apply to only /26\?

That notion was conceived based on a millionths placeholder within the serial and the creators assumption the year and decimal were somehow related. It has nothing to do with how many digits are within the serial, and everything to do with its leading year designator.

Just look at T54 pistols which the year is stamped directly onto the receiver itself.
 
Why would it apply to only /26\?

That notion was conceived based on a millionths placeholder within the serial and the creators assumption the year and decimal were somehow related. It has nothing to do with how many digits are within the serial, and everything to do with its leading year designator.

Just look at T54 pistols which the year is stamped directly onto the receiver itself.
Makes sense.
 
Why would it apply to only /26\?

That notion was conceived based on a millionths placeholder within the serial and the creators assumption the year and decimal were somehow related. It has nothing to do with how many digits are within the serial, and everything to do with its leading year designator.

Just look at T54 pistols which the year is stamped directly onto the receiver itself.

Ok thanks. It makes sense. I was just going off of this website. According to this it may not work for some factories?
https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=26665
 
Non sks dedicated site posted 2010 information.

Or... Latest up to date information via sksfiles community obsessed with data.
 
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Thank you. I read on a few websites that the pattern you are using with the first two digit serial numbers only works for factory 26. which has caused some confusion in dating the other factories. Any truth to that?

Regarding the "only works for factory /26\ " argument-- what the majority of its proponents seem to overlook is the fact that the 五六式 (56type) stamp is a military designation for a military battle rifle.

With 100+ arsenals producing the Type56 over a 40 year period, it makes absolutely no sense to have 100+ different serial-number-dating formulas for one type of rifle. Consider the M1 Garand-- produced at multiple unconnected facilities but with a system of serialization that followed strict military guidelines. For the Garand, the systematic order was in the specific serial number ranges contracted for each facility. For the Type56, the order is built into the serial formula itself-- which, IMHO, is a better system and conducive to more robust production. Multiple guns made in the same year may have the same serial number, but they are easily distinguished by the individual arsenal stamps.

The way I think of it-- the first year of production is right there on the gun (19)56Type. The 2nd-year(1957) thru 25th-year(1980) serials follow suit according to a specific formula.(Allowing some exceptions for the M21's, Letter Rifles, the limited run of DP/DB stamped guns, and the handful of low output arsenals that used the numerical year prefixes 70-76 for guns produced between 1970 and 1976.)

But, even with these exceptions, the Nth year serial formula applies to well over 95% of the Type56 stamped guns. Though not immediately obvious to outsiders, the information in the Nth year formula is very explicit yet equally simplistic: Year of production + quantitative, chronological number of each gun produced.
 
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Serial 16066XX, looks like 979 for arsenal.

image.jpg
 
Very nice and thank you very much. Congratulations on having the only known specimen from that arsenal. Lol

Based on your serial its number 6,6xx that year at that arsenal. Is this a threaded barrel?

Would love to see a full picture spread of this rifle if you ever get the chance... For documentation purposes. We are pretty anal about data on sksfiles..... More info the better.
 
Very nice and thank you very much. Congratulations on having the only known specimen from that arsenal. Lol

Based on your serial its number 6,6xx that year at that arsenal. Is this a threaded barrel?

Would love to see a full picture spread of this rifle if you ever get the chance... For documentation purposes. We are pretty anal about data on sksfiles..... More info the better.
Looks like a pinned barrel, mismatched except for trigger mech, which is the stamped variation. Came with a fiberglass stock, was seeing if it would fit a spare wood stock i had in the first picture.
IMG_4812.jpg

IMG_4816.jpg
 
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