Getting NORINCO to make a 223 SKS

421SuperDuty

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I just had the craziest idea. It's a long, long shot, but hear me out.

The SKS is the cheapest NR semi-auto we can get for reason that they're made/were made in the millions in russian and chinese factories, and we don't have the silly import restrictions the americans have over chinese guns. The issue we have with 5.56 guns is that the AR-15 is the staple of that caliber, and it's got all those stupid restrictions which make it useless and unavailable but to a small elite; we still have access to some good 5.56 guns but the problem is that most of them who aren't prohib or restricted are EXPENSIVE, no other manufacturer will ever make them in the quantity or with the low production cost usual to China, and that means there are few .223 guns available on the market at an affordable price. The real beauty of the SKS is that it enables anyone, even the least financially privileged, to own a semi-auto and that makes any eventual ban of semi-autos that much more difficult to consider.

So with all these things in mind, someone should find a way to contact Norinco and/or Polytech and try to convince them that it would be a good commercial decision. An SKS in .223 that takes AR mags (think that hical SKS-AR adapter but stock) would fly off the shelves in Canada, and probably a few other locations with strict gun laws. They would cost more than the stock SKS that's just made from cold war production tooling, but even if they cost $600 they would change the game.

Yeah, it's a long shot, but who cares? Do any of our importers have enough clout with Norinco to discuss them with this? Anyone know enough mandarin or google translate to fire up Wechat and try and talk to someone? I know there's their Wechat contact information on their website

Edit: realized this should probably be in Red Rifles
 
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They did produce a limited run of SKS rifles chambered in .223, but they never worked very well. Norinco .223 conversions in general have a bad track record, their type 81 prototypes in .223 barely work.
 
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Ok so they would have to rechamber however many SKS rifles, then make new barrels, headspace them and then modify the receiver and magazine to take .223 or 5.56. This is a terrible idea lmao.
 
back in the 80's they could build a decent firearm now its just mass produced crap machined with wood chippers. a turkish manufacturer is now the go to for a cheap quality gun
 
The SKS is cheap because it was made with communist state money. To make it again today would likely cost many many times more.

A WK180 might even be cheaper due to AR parts compatibility like the barrel, stock tubes and grips etc.
 
I think the OP had a great idea. " IF NORINCO" could build a Proper working rifle.!
Lots of people would buy for sure that like a smaller cal.
I like the SKS for its Stout Round. Making it 223 would be going backwards IMHO

the Chinese made the "tokarev" in 762x25 9mm 22cal and 38 , so they defiantly like messing around with other calibures
 
A few importers have stated previously in the past, for Norinco to start a production run on a firearm that is not part of their current product line up, they will need a minimum order commitment of 1000 units or 5000 units if you want it at a good price.
 
The reason the sks is so cheap is they were made a long time ago in communist bankroll. As someone already stated manufacturing new sks would cost a lot more than 600. And there is no gurantee of reliability either.
 
The reason the sks is so cheap is they were made a long time ago in communist bankroll......
Yeap, the fixed magazine Type 56 SKS were PLA surplus rifles that was made in 60's and 70's they were intended for Communist friendly countries, they have be replaced by the Type 81 rifles and the D model with the detachable magazines were produced in the 80's meant for the US civilian market until the US introduced the Chinese firearm import ban, Canadian got lucky and became the dumping grounds for those unsold SKS's.
 
A newly made 223 SKS wouldn't cost much less than a Mini 14, and unless its 3-400$ cheaper I think most people would feel safer owning a Mini
 
A Mini-14 is $1300
a VZ-58 is $1300
a Type-81 is $1000 for now, and the only way for that price to go is up
a WK180, same story as the T81, i wouldn't be surprised if the price went up to 1500-2000 in a few years.
a Type-97 is more reasonable at $800, $1000 for gen-2, but yeah, it's not exactly a proven design.
I'm thinking about something half those prices, at least. What we need is a .223 STANAG rifle that costs under $500.

and AFAIK, Norinco does still make the SKS, you can get brand new commercial versions sometimes here for dirt cheap, they're not all military surplus. I wasn't thinking about surplus army stocks. The tooling used to make them is vintage, however.

back in the 80's they could build a decent firearm now its just mass produced crap machined with wood chippers. a turkish manufacturer is now the go to for a cheap quality gun
That's another idea, if we can convince them to not just copy a prohib design.
 
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