Chinese SKS type 56 ID FAQ.... feb 19, 2013

Paging Curttain!
I just got another one, this time from Canada Ammo, and its a 7 digit with no factory code like a few others have mentioned they got from both Marstar and CanAm. Short lug, spike bayo, no lightening cut on bolt, catalpa stock is lighter, smoother, much more nicely cut and finished a bit better than other Chinese Military SKS', upper HG is darker then the stock, machined trigger group. But the first 2 digits of the serial # are 01. There is no factory code anywhere. Possibly a refurb?
 
My new to me Chinese SKS arrived today, and I have been studying the markings to try to identify when and where it was manufactured, but I am a bit confused.

First of all, there are no Chinese markings of any kind on the rifle. In fact the only markings are the serial numbers, which are consistent throughout: 12108. The only exception to this was the hand written label on the end of the box: 0112108. To my eye, the stock was a bit rough, but the action did fit quite snugly into it.

Other identifying qualities:

-- short-lug threaded barrel
-- stamped trigger group
-- Cyrillic N on the rear sight
-- no lightening cut on the bolt carrier, bayonet lug, or anywhere else
-- shape of bolt carrier suggests mid-1960's construction
-- shape of socket at the back/underside of bolt carrier where spring fits in suggests mid-1960's construction
-- spike bayonet

So I throw this out to the folks that know more than me. Let me know what you think.

Here are some pics:




























Thanks in advance!
 
Follow Up to My post Above:

-- Like Supernova, in his post just before mine, this one is from Canada Ammo

Thanks!
 
kparr64 said:
The Norinco SKS from canadaammo.com. Is it Chineese or Russian? and which is better?
Click to expand...

Canada ammo are Chinese currently. As to which is better, that is an almost daily debate around here. Read this and the russian sticky and the million threads on them. If you are just looking for a shooter either will do you fine. The rest is all personal preference.
 
The information below us paraphrased from the book "The SKS Carbine" by Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer, 4th edition, North Cape Publications.

***************************************

Factory 26 = state owned and the oldest arsenal in china being established before ww2. Located in the city of chongqing. The civilian name of the factory is jianshe machine tool factory. Factory 26 is believed to have produced as much as 60% of all Chinese SKS.

Factory 316 = located in yurhe, zhejang province and established in 1965 primarily for SKS production. The factory was moved to wukang in 1995.

Factory 36 = located near longyan! the factory covers 20 acres and 30 buildings. The factory director claimed to have shipped 250,000 in 1993/94 to the US. The factory closed in 2002.

Factory 66 = located in Bei'an. Started production in the 60s. Was still producing arms until 2008 when the factory was heavily damaged in a quake.

Factory 96 = located at Xiangfan, it's stamp was 416 in a triangle unlike the others above which used their actual number. The factory opened in 65/66. In 1987 the factory was still manufacturing the sks for export and the PLA which contradicts the notion that SKS production in china for the military ceased in 1980. Witnessed by Poyer/Kehaya.
 
Thought I might add this for reference.... The Chinese SKS Type 56 FRT numbers... Factory is listed under so e entries, others not. Makes for an interesting list of Factories that may have examples in Canada.

Top line is FRT#, make! model, arsenal (done spe Indic, some generic). These are the non restricted listings in 7.62x39.

142679 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0129

141924 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0134

142871 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0141

33820 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 906

37364 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenals

2387 Norinco Type 56 SKS D Chinese State Arsenals

44224 Norinco Type 56 SKS MC-5D Chinese State Arsenals

142873 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0129

141922 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0134

138950 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0138

139059 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0141

129657 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 26

126083 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 296

128197 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 306

133279 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 316

2389 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 56

146370 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 625

129746 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 636

73931 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 66

138968 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 6616

142872 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 906

139951 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 9696

139062 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, XZ

73932 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenals

129471 Simonov Type 56 SKS M21 Chinese State Arsenals

And some other interesting SKS "types" with their FRT numbers... All noted as non-restricted in 7.62x39.

66444 Chinese Service Rifle Type 63 Chinese State Arsenals

66408 Chinese Service Rifle Type 68 Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 0101

135876 Norinco Type 63 SKS D Chinese State Arsenals

And the restricted a Type 56 versions with shorter barrels...

121185 Navy Arms Type 56 SKS Cowboys Companion Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 26

121186 Navy Arms Type 56 SKS Para Carbine Chinese State Arsenals

37364 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenals

2387 Norinco Type 56 SKS D Chinese State Arsenals

127793 Norinco Type 56 SKS NR Chinese State Arsenals

73931 Simonov Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenal, Factory 66

Non restricted and restricted Type 56 FRT (barrel length) in 223...

37364 Norinco Type 56 SKS Chinese State Arsenals
 
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Decent writeup

Having the sksguide.com and a co-owner of an sks specific forum, I believe there has been alot of recent information obtained regarding the chinese sks you guys may be interested in.

Dating of ALL arsenal codes minus the early m21 and perhaps 1 or two others.
Evidence to support a 1 year shift in year allocation
Proper order of the early Jianshe variations.
Israeli capture guns imported early by CAI (believe Canada received a batch of these)

Too much to list really.... is posting links allowed here?
 
Loose-Cannon said:
Decent writeup

Having the sksguide.com and a co-owner of an sks specific forum, I believe there has been alot of recent information obtained regarding the chinese sks you guys may be interested in.

Dating of ALL arsenal codes minus the early m21 and perhaps 1 or two others.
Evidence to support a 1 year shift in year allocation
Proper order of the early Jianshe variations.
Israeli capture guns imported early by CAI (believe Canada received a batch of these)

Too much to list really.... is posting links allowed here?
Click to expand...

Hey dude. Welcome to the Canadian side.

Dsiwy, it's SKS-files dot com forum. Lots of interesting info and theories.
 
Thanks Dsiwy...

Fenceline, how you doin?

The original build date of all Chinese sks rifles minus the early m21 and the DB marked guns (those two have a strange assigned serial block we have yet to figure out) can be found using one simple rule of thumb. The millionths place is irrelevant. Regardless to how many actual digits are within the serial, the first 1-2 digits are the 'year into production' designator. Jianshe arsenal 26 was a centralized powerhouse before the production was split up in the late 60s to smaller facilities. Jianshe only utilized the millionths place as the year designator because they produced rifles in the hundred thousandths each year. Smaller facilities in later years produce much less and therefore eliminated irrelevant digits within the serial itself.

The 1 year shift comes in due to the fact Jianshe received its /26\ stamp after the 'ghost' guns on the 6 digit rifles when the arsenal became state owned in April 1957. The 2m jianshe guns have a rolling sequencing serial carried over from the 6 digit guns proving they are also in fact 1957 guns. The 3m 1958 was the first year the serial number was reset to zero after the year designator. This 'year into production' serialization practice is a mirror image of the T53 and also the T54 which just happen to be directly marked with the year.

If you have a 2m 1957 designated by the 2 'second year of production', then your /016\ serial # 16227xx is the '16th year of production' making it a 1971.

More info below

http://chinesesks.weebly.com/dating-the-chinese-sks.html
 
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The letter prefix guns previously thought to be be "1956 sino soviet" are actually 1959/60 rifles... evidence supporting this can be found here. Please note, I need to update this page to include the 1 year shift evidence and the rolling serials as described above. This information pertains to the Jianshe /26\ production and the evidence supporting a proper year allocation to the early variations.

http://chinesesks.weebly.com/26-progression.html
 
The carbines commonly referred to as "Egyptian Contract" guns.... I do believe Canada received atleast one batch of these prior to the 5 round pinning law and it also included Russian guns. I would love to see some examples of these guns here on CGN!

There is actually zero evidence supporting the Egyptian connection. In fact, all evidence points to these being rifles captured by Israel from Syria and Palestine.

More info

http://chinesesks.weebly.com/israeli-capture-info.html
 
If its of any interest, I have a post detailing the direct relationship of the T56 chinese sks and the T63 including when, how, ans why it started/stopped and how it affected production of the sks at jianshe from 1970 to 1978. Not sure of exactly where this should go, but seeing it involves an explanation to the lack of Jianshe guns for 8 years and the history, I guess it fits here? Hope this link is ok as its the only current location of the information?

Thread also includes a VERY intimate pictorial of the T63 not found anywhere else online. Also a very in-depth translated article from chinese interweb pertaining to the history of the T63

http://sks-files.com/chinese-sks-military/17/the-chinese-t63-and-its-role-in-jianshe-t56-production/713/
 
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