Soviet SKS Cunundrum..

Darn, i'd love to show you the few pictures i have of said SKS but i have no clue how to link them from my ipad.

The short answer is that there's nuttin' engraved on top of the receiver but at least two other numbers appear on the stock, on the bottom of the magazine, on top of the bolt carrier and on the side of the frame. There are no provenance markings on the outside.

very confusing having two s/n on a firearm!

Missionman
 
Sounds like a letter series Tula. 1955 or 1956 made. Fill your boots and do whatever you want to it. The multiple serial numbers are possibly because it was refurbished using parts from different guns.

Sks serial numbers are usually 1 per major component. So, dust cover, receiver, bolt carrier, trigger guard, magazine. The gas tube may have one too. The bolt will also be electro penned.
 
Missionman said:
Darn, i'd love to show you the few pictures i have of said SKS but i have no clue how to link them from my ipad.

The short answer is that there's nuttin' engraved on top of the receiver but at least two other numbers appear on the stock, on the bottom of the magazine, on top of the bolt carrier and on the side of the frame. There are no provenance markings on the outside.

very confusing having two s/n on a firearm!

Missionman
Click to expand...
email them to me and I'll post em for you if you want.
 
This is an on going debate on leaving an old gun the way it is or to change it to what you like. I would never change my SKS. I bought it for what it is. A cheap 1940's design semi auto carbine. However. Our gun community has businesses that thrive on people who love to do these kind of things. Therefor, knock your socks off on doing what you want with it.
 
Missionman said:
To be honest i have no clue what year it was made. I assumed it dated back to the forties but as you suggest, it could very well be from the fifties also. Usually not a "tacticool" type of guy but in this case, it might save hours of rust fighting maintenance. My main goal is to make said SKS more durable.

Mission
Click to expand...

There isn't really much you can do to make the SKS more durable. They are a reliable and simple firearm that even when rusted to crap still function properly. It takes a lot likely a lot more than you will ever expose it too in your lifetime to truly kill one of these firearms.
 
Syphen said:
...The multiple serial numbers are possibly because it was refurbished using parts from different guns.

Sks serial numbers are usually 1 per major component. So, dust cover, receiver, bolt carrier, trigger guard, magazine. The gas tube may have one too. The bolt will also be electro penned.
Click to expand...

The bottom of the magazine has two distinct s/n. One reads "TM1729" and the other reads "BA4554". The "a" in the second s/n is a cyrillic letter looking closely like an "A". No plant markings at all like the picture posted here above. Still trying to post my images...

Missionman
 
OK folks, here they are thanks to Armored Metal who pointed me to the Noobs FAQ tutorial to post images here...


So the first image is the numbers only (w/o the 2 letters) of the serial stamped on the left side of said SKS's stock


This image features the 2 complete serials appearing at the bottom of the magazine, the BA 4554 is presented by the seller as being the official serial number.


The image below shows the stamped serial in the back of the receiver cover.


Below the same serial stamped on top of the bolt carrier. Also visible is what looks like a little "K" circled just south of the bolt knob.


Here the serial appears on the left side of the receiver just under the bolt carrier assembly.




So all in all at least 2 serials are present on this firearms and no visible traces of provenance. Keep in mind the same serial (numerals only) is stamped on the gas return assembly and partial digits are also visible on other metal parts of this firearm.

I hope this helps you guys make sense of this mess. If it looks like a refurb and feels like a refurb, it probably is a refurb. Therefore the historical value of said firearm would be much lower than say an SKS that is in same condition with a single, unique serial number AND proper provenance markings present. Is my logic correct here?


Missionman
 
Yer guess is as good as mine mate, certainly looks like my SKS was rebuilt from parts taken from the "leftover" bin! I wish I was as lucky as .30/06 FTW and had purchased a riffle bearing the Russian provenance markings. If mine is so sterile I might get it coated (Cerakote, Arma-coat and whatnot) just to prevent it rusting over time as the blueing on it looks "tired". I assume it is normal for a firearm blued in the 50's or 60's. I have even seen on the Internet images of ceremonial SKSs that were chrome plated!! Fear not, chrome plating isn't in my plans, maybe just single tone matte black tho.

EDIT: I just wanna get something strait for every member contributing to this thread, I love and respect the historical value of things. I would never deface a firearm that shows a provenance or pedigree but if my SKS turns out to be a refurbished weapons, I truly believe that the historical value of such a weapon is inexistent and therefore having it recoated does not destroy its historical value.
 
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Missionman said:
Hmmmm, i figure i would have noticed a tiny star but lemme check for real and get back to you possibly with an image. Btw, what size is this tiny star, ballpark?

M
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Like this. You would have noticed it probably, unless it is real faint. They are indicative of 55,56 SKS' although not all have them. I've seen them smaller and farther down the side of the receiver just before the stock.

http://2.bp.########.com/-eywhaL_giR4/TtoNc15nqRI/AAAAAAAAFUE/ptGMcq7GwRw/s640/IMG_1203.JPG
 
EL34/6L6 said:
Like this. You would have noticed it probably, unless it is real faint. They are indicative of 55,56 SKS' although not all have them. I've seen them smaller and farther down the side of the receiver just before the stock.

http://2.bp.########.com/-eywhaL_giR4/TtoNc15nqRI/AAAAAAAAFUE/ptGMcq7GwRw/s640/IMG_1203.JPG
Click to expand...

Omg, looked at the image and there's no such star or any other visible marking aside from the tiny "circled K" visible in the image i posted on top of the bolt carrier just south of the bolt knob. There are a few tool marks that are just as small as the K but either they are cyrillic alphabetic symbols that i do not recognize or my SKS was modified by aliens who put their own markings on it! :)
 
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