Russian SKS - electro penciled parts - laminate = refurb?

BeaverMeat

BeaverMeat

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If this has already been covered, please direct me to the proper thread.

I have read the Russian SKS FAQ sticky about signs of refurbishment. But what is with the electro pencil on parts like the butt plate, underside of the gas tube, gas piston, leaf sight, extractor... etc.

Is this due to the preparation process of long term storage? Where every rifle, be it issued and unissued were dismantled and inspected. Then those that required a overhaul where sent to be refurbished. While unissued examples just received new serials on various parts. Dipped in cosmo and put into crates.

A question about stocks comes to mind. Why is it that you see just a laminate stock replacement and the rest of the rifle is a match? Also where do all these crossed out hardwood stocks come from on some refurbs? To my logic there seems to be a correlation between the two. Is it correct to believe that at some point, there were no laminate stocks available. So the arsenals used the stocks from rifles in storage, sanded or crossed out the serials and forced them to match. Then replaced the missing stocks from the stored rifles with new laminate ones when available?

So is it even possible to find an SKS with no electro-pencil at all?
 
I have a Yugo, two Chinese and three Russian SKS rifles. All have the electro-penciling on the underside of the gas tube, gas piston, leaf sight and extractor. Only one of my Russians, a no-date Tula, has electro-penciling on the buttplate and it doesn't match the rifle. I never knew they put penciling there until I got that rifle. So, to try to answer the question "So is it even possible to find an SKS with no electro-pencil at all?" I would (tentatively) say that no, probably not. It seems to be how at least three countries marked their rifles, refurbs or not. But with SKS's, you never can tell.

My guess as to why you see laminate stocks on an otherwise matching rifle would be because the original hardwood stock got beat to hell in Army use. The crossed out hardwood stocks I can't speak much about as I don't own one. I have a non-refurb with original hardwood, a refurb with the original hardwood, and a refurb with a laminate stock. As far as I know, there really isn't too many ways to tell why they did this for sure, best we can do is speculate. My guess would be that the Russian armorers used whatever they had. Maybe my refurb with the original hardwood stock still has that stock because it was in pretty good shape so the Vladimir the armorer decided to leave it on to make his day easier? Or maybe not.

I love threads like this, these rifles are so interesting.
 
Birch stock got beat up they'd replace it with a good birch stock from a un-fixable rifle and cross out the old serial number and add force match the proper serial number during the refurb. Or they'd put a new laminate stock on and stamp the serial number in, no ###XX needed.
 
BeaverMeat said:
If this has already been covered, please direct me to the proper thread.

I have read the Russian SKS FAQ sticky about signs of refurbishment. But what is with the electro pencil on parts like the butt plate, underside of the gas tube, gas piston, leaf sight, extractor... etc.

Is this due to the preparation process of long term storage? Where every rifle, be it issued and unissued were dismantled and inspected. Then those that required a overhaul where sent to be refurbished. While unissued examples just received new serials on various parts. Dipped in cosmo and put into crates.

A question about stocks comes to mind. Why is it that you see just a laminate stock replacement and the rest of the rifle is a match? Also where do all these crossed out hardwood stocks come from on some refurbs? To my logic there seems to be a correlation between the two. Is it correct to believe that at some point, there were no laminate stocks available. So the arsenals used the stocks from rifles in storage, sanded or crossed out the serials and forced them to match. Then replaced the missing stocks from the stored rifles with new laminate ones when available?

So is it even possible to find an SKS with no electro-pencil at all?
Click to expand...
The electro-pencilig of the gas tube,piston,extractor,rear sight and buttplate is made because thoses parts are too small or too thin to stamp.
Joce
 
BeaverMeat said:
Is it correct to believe that at some point, there were no laminate stocks available. So the arsenals used the stocks from rifles in storage, sanded or crossed out the serials and forced them to match. Then replaced the missing stocks from the stored rifles with new laminate ones when available?
Click to expand...

I came to this conclusion because I have a '53 Izzy that appears to have all the original parts. It looks to be unfired as everything looks new. There are no refurb marks anywhere except for the stock. Which is a laminate piece and the gas tube is still the original birch. So why would a unfired rifle require a new stock? Poor quality wood?

We think we have it cased, then the Russians throw us another curve ball.
 
BeaverMeat said:
I came to this conclusion because I have a '53 Izzy that appears to have all the original parts. It looks to be unfired as everything looks new. There are no refurb marks anywhere except for the stock. Which is a laminate piece and the gas tube is still the original birch. So why would a unfired rifle require a new stock? Poor quality wood?

We think we have it cased, then the Russians throw us another curve ball.
Click to expand...
With SKS anything is possible. That izzy 1953 maybe a refurb but the russian sometimes didnt put the refurb stamp on refurb rifles for whatever reasons. Another possibilty is that during an inpection, the rifle have handling marks on stock then got a laminate as replacement before returning in storage. I guess that's the way things worked at the time.....
Joce
 
Basil1959 said:
I care less about electro pencils those rifles are awesome with or without
Click to expand...

Some of us, who collect and study these rifles as a hobby, care about this.

Awesome? Absolutely, but the history and what we can find out about how these were put together, refurbished, and how they were marked is equally awesome.
 
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