Sweet looking carbine. Nice catch!
It doesn't look like a commercially modified gun. But I'm pretty certain it was assembled for commercial export/sale.
It would have been assembled from leftover mil-spec parts, which once assembled were stamped (or possibly scrubbed, then stamped) to match. Technically speaking, a new production Type56 but without the type56 designating stamp (五六式).
The 88 at the end of the serial is curious, as it might be mis-placed year designator.
In the late 80's (1988 iirc) the Chinese began "producing" commercial exports that were assembled from large caches of leftover parts. Once assembled, many of the "new" carbines were scrubbed of Arsenal and serial stamps and then re-stamped with two digit year designators (i.e. 88, 89, 90 etc.).
But the double digit year designators usually appear at the beginning of the serial numbers. (i.e. 88 01114). Additionally, 111,488 is a very high production number and I don't think the yearly production numbers ever got that high after 1980. (But I could be wrong about that).
Are there any export or importer stamps?
It doesn't look like a commercially modified gun. But I'm pretty certain it was assembled for commercial export/sale.
It would have been assembled from leftover mil-spec parts, which once assembled were stamped (or possibly scrubbed, then stamped) to match. Technically speaking, a new production Type56 but without the type56 designating stamp (五六式).
The 88 at the end of the serial is curious, as it might be mis-placed year designator.
In the late 80's (1988 iirc) the Chinese began "producing" commercial exports that were assembled from large caches of leftover parts. Once assembled, many of the "new" carbines were scrubbed of Arsenal and serial stamps and then re-stamped with two digit year designators (i.e. 88, 89, 90 etc.).
But the double digit year designators usually appear at the beginning of the serial numbers. (i.e. 88 01114). Additionally, 111,488 is a very high production number and I don't think the yearly production numbers ever got that high after 1980. (But I could be wrong about that).
Are there any export or importer stamps?
