Forty4Forty
Regular
- Location
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I am interested in the seeing the highest serial number of a spiked bayonet Russian SKS that has turned up. There seems some debate as to when the spike bayonet was discontinued 1949 or 1950. The highest spike I have seen is 2988, 1949. Now to confuse the issue a CGNer posted a picture of a 1949 with a blade bayonet and I thought I had at least an endpoint but the SN of this issue was 197 (maybe the Cyrillic code was left off but would be a 4 digit number then), 197 maybe be a refurb with the spike replaced, just to add to the confusion.
Extract from book below for info:
Extracts from "The SKS carbine (CKC45g) by North Cape Publications Inc."
CHAPTER 8 BAYONET ASSEMBLY
The SKS was designed to be fired with the bayonet attached to the barrel. If the bayonet is removed, the rifle will have to be resighted, as the point of aim will rise anywhere from 3 to 5 inches. A private communication, from a reliable source, states that the original Russian SKS carbines manufactured, in 1944, for field trials on the Eastern Front, were fitted with the cruciform "spike" bayonet, very similar to that used on the Mosin-Nagant Model 1944 carbine.
All Russian-produced SKS carbines, from 1949 on, were fitted with the blade-type bayonet. Chinese Military Type 56 Models were fitted with the blade bayonet, to circa serial number 9,000,000, in 1965. After, the cruciform bayonet was fitted. ……………..
Further on
Two types of cruciform bayonet were used. The Type 1 cruciform bayonet had three cutting edges and blood grooves. It was used on early Russian SKS carbines made in 1944 and again in 1949 before being replaced by the blade bayonet. The Type 1 cruciform bayonet was also used on the Albanian SKS carbine. It can be distinguished by the fact that the cutting edge faces down when the bayonet is in position.
The Type 2 cruciform bayonet was installed on late Chinese-manufactured SKS carbines intended for military use after 1965, at circa serial number 9,000,000, .........
CHAPTER 2 SERIAL NUMBERS AND PRODUCTION
Serial-numbering procedures remain somewhat of a mystery, because of the secrecy surrounding military archives in Russia, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea. The latter is, of course, closed to all outsiders while Russia and China remain reluctant to divulge information regarding their military forces. No sources the authors were able to contact were quite certain of what had become of the serial number data from production records in the former East Germany.
SERIAL NUMBERS
The serial number was stamped or etched on the left side of the receiver on all SKS carbines, no matter the country of origin, see Figure 2-1
Fig. 2-1. All serial numbers are stamped on the left side of the receiver as with this Russian SKS carbine, regardless of national origin.
Russia
The Russian system of applying serial numbers to the SKS carbine followed the fairly common European method of starting serial numbers over again on an annual basis, limiting the number of digits to five (99,999), and assigning alphabetical character(s) in sequence, as a prefix, to indicate the sixth and succeeding digits. Of course, in the case of Russian-made SKS carbines, the alphabetical characters are from the Cyrillic alphabet.
As an example, two SKS carbines in our survey were manufactured in 1950 (Tula) and 1952 (Izhevsk). The earlier was marked with serial number K, 1062 and the latter, with serial number r0367. The first transliterates to the 121,062th Carbine, manufactured in 1950 at Tula, and the second to the 40,367th Carbine, manufactured in 1952 (the height of the Korean War) at Izhevsk. "K," (pronounced "keh") is the twelfth letter in the Cyrillic alphabet and "r" (pronounced "geh") is the fourth letter. The year of manufacture was marked on the receiver cover. The Cyrillic alphabet is reproduced below.
Serial numbers on Russian SKS carbines are stamped or marked on the left side of the receiver, rear of the receiver cover, bottom of the magazine cover, magazine, bottom of the trigger guard, left side of the buttstock, top of the bolt carrier behind the cartridge guide, left side of the bolt, bottom of the gas tube, and on the piston rod.
Extract from book below for info:
Extracts from "The SKS carbine (CKC45g) by North Cape Publications Inc."
CHAPTER 8 BAYONET ASSEMBLY
The SKS was designed to be fired with the bayonet attached to the barrel. If the bayonet is removed, the rifle will have to be resighted, as the point of aim will rise anywhere from 3 to 5 inches. A private communication, from a reliable source, states that the original Russian SKS carbines manufactured, in 1944, for field trials on the Eastern Front, were fitted with the cruciform "spike" bayonet, very similar to that used on the Mosin-Nagant Model 1944 carbine.
All Russian-produced SKS carbines, from 1949 on, were fitted with the blade-type bayonet. Chinese Military Type 56 Models were fitted with the blade bayonet, to circa serial number 9,000,000, in 1965. After, the cruciform bayonet was fitted. ……………..
Further on
Two types of cruciform bayonet were used. The Type 1 cruciform bayonet had three cutting edges and blood grooves. It was used on early Russian SKS carbines made in 1944 and again in 1949 before being replaced by the blade bayonet. The Type 1 cruciform bayonet was also used on the Albanian SKS carbine. It can be distinguished by the fact that the cutting edge faces down when the bayonet is in position.
The Type 2 cruciform bayonet was installed on late Chinese-manufactured SKS carbines intended for military use after 1965, at circa serial number 9,000,000, .........
CHAPTER 2 SERIAL NUMBERS AND PRODUCTION
Serial-numbering procedures remain somewhat of a mystery, because of the secrecy surrounding military archives in Russia, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea. The latter is, of course, closed to all outsiders while Russia and China remain reluctant to divulge information regarding their military forces. No sources the authors were able to contact were quite certain of what had become of the serial number data from production records in the former East Germany.
SERIAL NUMBERS
The serial number was stamped or etched on the left side of the receiver on all SKS carbines, no matter the country of origin, see Figure 2-1
Fig. 2-1. All serial numbers are stamped on the left side of the receiver as with this Russian SKS carbine, regardless of national origin.
Russia
The Russian system of applying serial numbers to the SKS carbine followed the fairly common European method of starting serial numbers over again on an annual basis, limiting the number of digits to five (99,999), and assigning alphabetical character(s) in sequence, as a prefix, to indicate the sixth and succeeding digits. Of course, in the case of Russian-made SKS carbines, the alphabetical characters are from the Cyrillic alphabet.
As an example, two SKS carbines in our survey were manufactured in 1950 (Tula) and 1952 (Izhevsk). The earlier was marked with serial number K, 1062 and the latter, with serial number r0367. The first transliterates to the 121,062th Carbine, manufactured in 1950 at Tula, and the second to the 40,367th Carbine, manufactured in 1952 (the height of the Korean War) at Izhevsk. "K," (pronounced "keh") is the twelfth letter in the Cyrillic alphabet and "r" (pronounced "geh") is the fourth letter. The year of manufacture was marked on the receiver cover. The Cyrillic alphabet is reproduced below.
Serial numbers on Russian SKS carbines are stamped or marked on the left side of the receiver, rear of the receiver cover, bottom of the magazine cover, magazine, bottom of the trigger guard, left side of the buttstock, top of the bolt carrier behind the cartridge guide, left side of the bolt, bottom of the gas tube, and on the piston rod.
Last edited:
Everything was secret. You won't get far with serial numbers tying it to a year. Cyrilic letter were randomly given, but they kept the record. Now if you could get to that record is another question. 
