I picked up my third SKS yesterday. It's a 1951 Tula with a chrome bore and a black bayonet. Anyone know the best way to remove the black paint off the bayonet? I know they paint it during reburbishing. Is it because the bayonet was in rough shape that they painted it? The bolt wasn't painted? Should I even bother taking the paint off.
SKS with black bayonet...
- Thread starter cbabes
- Start date
Interesting, I will have to double check now.
When they put parts from different rifle and sometimes there were a little bit of rust, factory would clean up that rust and paint it to protect it from rusting further. It is a precaution measures. Where the original ones just stored in grease and pulled out every few years just to put another coat of grease on it.
Now I am not saying that all of those rusted some of the rifles were in use where soldiers trained or walked around the base. Those that were used by soldiers when they do 2 years term and then given back to be stored were also painted. New soldier just takes off the paint.
Now I am not saying that all of those rusted some of the rifles were in use where soldiers trained or walked around the base. Those that were used by soldiers when they do 2 years term and then given back to be stored were also painted. New soldier just takes off the paint.
The bayonet blades are, I believe, chromed, so unless the chrome had gotten chipped, corrosion should not be a problem.
I suspect the paint was applied for general abrasion and corrosion resistance on the whole rifles and they just painted the bayonet too. Also, a black bayonet is less obvious when hiding from your enemies.
I suspect the paint was applied for general abrasion and corrosion resistance on the whole rifles and they just painted the bayonet too. Also, a black bayonet is less obvious when hiding from your enemies.
haretrigger
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
I have a lightly refurbed 56 Tula and it has a blued bayonet, that is done quite nicely I might add. That's the source of my question - Doesn't the steel of the bayonet need to be free from rust in order for it to be blued? I've never figured out why someone would go out of their way to blue if it didn't look that bad to begin with?
Did some research on Survivors SKS board and the black paint is very common for long term storage as well. I removed it and now the blade is as shiny my beautiful 1954 laminate Tula. Apparently the soldiers who were issued SKS rifles that had been in storage for a while removed the paint after they were issued to them. Who knows but there was definitely no rust under that paint. Frow what I read the paint is meant to seal and prevent rust.
Does yours have a refurb stamp on the reciever cover? I bought a 51 tula in MTL, Bayonet is chrome, bolt is chrome, numbers match and there is no refurb stamp on it. Yet, the mag was painted black, and some new numbers have been etched on some parts....so I would guess it has been refurbed. I thought if they were refurbed they would have a stamped marking on the cover????
Mine is just like yours. Refurbed but no mark on the cover. I do have the forced etching on the side of the mag and the gas tube. I believe they are considered unissued refurbs.
- Location
- In the Badlands of Alberta
Some get missed when they are refurbed.
