Unissued Numbers Matching SKS?

Funny thing with these so called un-issued SKS's is that they are coming out of the same crates also holding the ones that are clearly issued/refurbished. I think a better term is issued but lightly used/refurbished. The crates that I unpacked also had Russian language Arsenal inspection, inventory paper work listing each SKS by serial number and were signed and dated in the 1980's.
 
Unless you worked for the Soviet military during the cold war, I don't think anyone can claim their SKS is unissued. Even then its a stretch. Non refurbished is easy enough to figure out, but claiming unissued status is a huge leap from there.
 
Agreed, no proof of whether or not they were unissued. But in my experience, there is always a small percentage of --likely inspected-- but --untouched-- originals (ie. non-refurbished). At least up to last year. I am surprized there are so many doubters of the existence of non-refurbished and or unfired SKS`s. My doors are always open if you want to inspect and handle some pristine non-refurbished examples.
 
The Kurgan said:
If you were to ask this question about 1 year ago, the answer would have been "yes". Now, I am fairly certain the latest imports are all refurbs. Nothing wrong with refurbs, especially as shooters.

I purchased 4 non-refurbished SKS's from weimajack over the past 4 years. Two were literally "brand new" condition (a '51 and a '55). Definitely unfired. The other two non-refurbished specimens looked nearly new as well. I can tell use by examining the bolt head, carrier, etc.

I also have an non-refurbished, unfired, and likely unissued '53 Izhevsk from a CGN member. The jewel of my collection. You would be hard pressed to find one of these for sale, but there are a few owned by CGN members.

So, they exisit, via EE.
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You have a very nice 53 izzy sks ;)
 
They exist. There were some coming in in the last few years, but there will be none now in the batches that have recently come in. The unissued are already in collections now.
 
The Kurgan said:
Agreed, no proof of whether or not they were unissued. But in my experience, there is always a small percentage of --likely inspected-- but --untouched-- originals (ie. non-refurbished). At least up to last year. I am surprized there are so many doubters of the existence of non-refurbished and or unfired SKS`s. My doors are always open if you want to inspect and handle some pristine non-refurbished examples.
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Throw some pics up of the inspector markings, bolts, carriers, etc
 
Check out any good collector site like yooperj and you will see the marks in question.

I've got quite a few SKSs that I have no problem calling non refurbs, and a few look like they were never touched, aside from test firing at arsenal and having the mag pinned. I hand picked them out of hundreds of examples and they are as close to pristine as you can get. But I would not claim unissued status for any of them. There's no way I can definitively say that they went straight from storage at Tula arsenal to deep storage in a mine without ever being sent to a base in the Soviet Union. I don't have a lot compared to some more serious collectors, and I'm no papered expert, but I've handled enough to know my way around them.

Issued to a unit and held in reserve? OK. Reserved for parade and ceremonial guard duty? OK. A staff officer's weapon that never got handled beyond inspections? OK. Any other number of light use or un-used scenarios? OK. Unissued? No way.
 
Hitzy said:
Throw some pics up of the inspector markings, bolts, carriers, etc
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I used to take numerous pictures of my nicer rifles, now I can't be bothered unless they're really photo worthy. There are a few photos in the link under my signature. Navigate around and you will find many angles of my 1951, as that was my first non-refurbished SKS.

I don't have a large collection anymore, but I have handled hundreds of SKS's over the past 4 or 5 years. I have seen just about every example of a refurb.
 
RMXC51 said:
Check out any good collector site like yooperj and you will see the marks in question.

I've got quite a few SKSs that I have no problem calling non refurbs, and a few look like they were never touched, aside from test firing at arsenal and having the mag pinned. I hand picked them out of hundreds of examples and they are as close to pristine as you can get. But I would not claim unissued status for any of them. There's no way I can definitively say that they went straight from storage at Tula arsenal to deep storage in a mine without ever being sent to a base in the Soviet Union. I don't have a lot compared to some more serious collectors, and I'm no papered expert, but I've handled enough to know my way around them.

Issued to a unit and held in reserve? OK. Reserved for parade and ceremonial guard duty? OK. A staff officer's weapon that never got handled beyond inspections? OK. Any other number of light use or un-used scenarios? OK. Unissued? No way.
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Your collection is pretty big! :)

I agree with your comments around "issued" vs "unissued".
 
It may sound crazy to not want to sell a '53 Izzy for $1000, but I'd bet if that rifle hit a major US auction site, it would fetch multiples of that amount already.
My SKS pride-n-joy is a '49 that for all the world appears to not have a hint of refurbishing anywhere on it. It rests beside on of those curious shallow stock laminate
'49s that Westrifle sold off a little while ago. I'm assuming those stocks were made post-1949, but I've always thought it was interesting that on most refurbs they enlarged the bayo cut
to fit the spike, yet some of these laminate stocks were obviously custom cut for the '49 rifle. If anyone has an explanation, I'd be interested to hear it.
 
Your '49, like mine, was refurbed. Refurbishment was probably limited to a replacement laminate stock only. Only so many laminate stocks were made for the 1949 (for refurbishment). Some got them, others got hardwood stocks made for 1949's (even less common), others got hardwood stocks made for 1950's "cut to fit" (common).
 
GD7 said:
It may sound crazy to not want to sell a '53 Izzy for $1000, but I'd bet if that rifle hit a major US auction site, it would fetch multiples of that amount already.
My SKS pride-n-joy is a '49 that for all the world appears to not have a hint of refurbishing anywhere on it. It rests beside on of those curious shallow stock laminate
'49s that Westrifle sold off a little while ago. I'm assuming those stocks were made post-1949, but I've always thought it was interesting that on most refurbs they enlarged the bayo cut
to fit the spike, yet some of these laminate stocks were obviously custom cut for the '49 rifle. If anyone has an explanation, I'd be interested to hear it.
Click to expand...

A 54 Izzy just sold down there at auction for $3,775.00... WOW!!!

h ttp://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=432812843
 
Supply and demand... that is why I am confident that one day our surviving non-refurbished specimens will command a premium... though I doubt we'll ever see prices north of $1000.
 
I did pick up an unnissued, non refurbiushed 1954 Russian SKS a few years back.
You can tell if it's been used with any regularity aside from the obvious test firing.
Look for handling marks from taking the rifle apart to clean it, check the wear on the guide rails of the receiver, finish wear at the muzzle etc etc

I picked mine up locally in a private sale for $200! But that was a couple years back. It shoots great.
I shoot the hell out of it though, it's still an SKS at the end of the day and I'm going to use as Comrade Stalin intended :rockOn:
 
This would be the first thing I would look for if the unissued word was being tossed around...
5159417357_b82309e5de.jpg
 
Yeah first thing, not only thing.... Lol
Those are usually the first to disappear from the stock with use or sanding.
 
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