Help me ID this SKS - Page 1

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Posted: 2/10/2020 7:16:52 PM EDT

Hey guys I just picked up this SKS. It doesn't really have any markings other than the serial number. I've been researching online for info, but it doesn't look like most the common stuff. Any ideas? Thanks for any info

Posted: 2/10/2020 7:20:56 PM EDT

[#1]

Gonna guess it's a Vietnam bring back?

Posted: 2/10/2020 8:41:18 PM EDT

[#2]

Yeah maybe, would be cool if it's a war bring back.

Posted: 2/10/2020 9:10:38 PM EDT

[#3]

Every Vietnam bringback I’ve seen had a star with a ‘1’ in the center.
Could have been scrubbed by the importer, wasn’t uncommon to take all the markings off and re-stamp the serial number.
Pulling the action and verifying if it’s pinned, short collar or long collar will tell a lot.

Posted: 2/11/2020 12:11:01 AM EDT

[#4]

I think it's a long collar threaded barrel, not pinned. I'll try to get some more pics tomorrow.

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:07:11 AM EDT

[#5]

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I think it's a long collar threaded barrel, not pinned. I'll try to get some more pics tomorrow.

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It is and from the looks of it, came from Russia via China via ___. Pull the wood off of it and inspect the barrel really well. You'll probably find Russian proof marks, some of which may tell you what arsenal it was made at originally.

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:56:16 AM EDT

[#6]

That looks like a late russian rear sight.

Bare metal with black fill on the lettering and numbers and Cyrllic letter 'n'

show us a pic of the top of the cover, any markings on that.

the receiver cover latch and flat pin head pin show it to be either chinese, russian or N Vietnam

The bayonet lug ears are almost straight like a late model russian and north Vietnam

However the clincher I think is the bayonet ear on the bayonet lug fits into the bayonet cut to accept the ear with a flat point instead of a point of the ear. looks to me like it could be North Vietnam late model SKS, or late model russian maybe for export

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-4.htm

Posted: 2/11/2020 2:53:48 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Every Vietnam bringback I’ve seen had a star with a ‘1’ in the center.
Could have been scrubbed by the importer, wasn’t uncommon to take all the markings off and re-stamp the serial number.
Pulling the action and verifying if it’s pinned, short collar or long collar will tell a lot.

View Quote

I have been collecting Vietnam bringbacks for more than 40 years and I have to say that my experience differs from yours. The "star 1" marked rifles are North Vietnamese (albeit there is some dispute as to the extent of actual manufacturing in N. Vietnam) and are very uncommon. If every SKS bringback you encountered was NVA then you have unimaginably good luck or you are mistaken. I'm sorry to say that I believe it to be the latter.

Likewise in my experience it would have been a very rare event where the importer "scrubbed" the SKS rifles brought into the US. Importers were required by the ATF regulations to add identifying information, and in some cases new serial numbers or transliterated letter prefixes, but having no requirement to do so they had neither the inclination or the time to remove the original markings on these rifles.

If you know something that I don't please advise. And that is not a snarky comment because I am always open to learning.

Posted: 2/11/2020 6:05:19 PM EDT

[#8]

I did find some import markings on the barrel. It was very faint and hard to see. It says, "IO INC Palm Bay FL". I bet they did scrub the original markings I guess. It's probably Chinese I bet, or maybe Russian?

Posted: 2/11/2020 7:25:07 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
I did find some import markings on the barrel. It was very faint and hard to see. It says, "IO INC Palm Bay FL". I bet they did scrub the original markings I guess. It's probably Chinese I bet, or maybe Russian?

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From the construction, I’d say a Russian hand me down to China then regifted to the fun loving Slavic region. IO certainly did not scrub any markings off. That would have probably been done by the Chinese.

Posted: 2/11/2020 7:40:30 PM EDT

[#10]

last round of imports called sino-soviets or whatever?

Posted: 2/11/2020 8:14:06 PM EDT

[#11]

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Quoted:
last round of imports called sino-soviets or whatever?

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Yep, pretty much.

Posted: 2/11/2020 8:43:29 PM EDT

[#12]

Hooded front sight, that means Chinese for sure, right?

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:32:53 PM EDT

[#13]

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Quoted:
Hooded front sight, that means Chinese for sure, right?

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If memory serves me correctly, they’re all hooded.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:06:21 PM EDT

[#14]

Ok I got around to taking the gun apart and taking some better pics of some markings. So yes on the barrel it says, IO Inc Palm Bay FL, M.56 7.62x39 China. On the left side of that receiver I see a number 26. Looks like a different serial number on the bottom of the receiver, B8937. Some various other small markings on other parts, probably proof marks.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:15:28 PM EDT

[#15]

Looks like an early Chinese Jianshe Arsenal 26 made rifle, usually made with a majority of left-over spares provided to the Chi-Com's by the Russians circa 1958 or so. The Arsenal-code (Triangle 26) should be stamped below the wood-line, under the serial number on the left-hand side of the receiver. Probably came out of Albania a few years ago. That's a high quality, well made rifle. Good luck.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:23:20 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
If memory serves me correctly, they’re all hooded.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Hooded front sight, that means Chinese for sure, right?

If memory serves me correctly, they’re all hooded.

I had no idea.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:35:17 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Hooded front sight, that means Chinese for sure, right?

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Chinese AK's have hooded front sights distinguishing them from others. SKS 's from all over have hooded sights.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:58:54 PM EDT

[#18]

Cool old Chinese SKS, all the numbers match.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:32:39 PM EDT

[#19]

Nice, Chinese it is. Thanks for the help guys. Can't wait to take this thing out shooting. I need to get some stripper clips for it.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:53:57 PM EDT

[#20]

The dirty wood looks like everything that ever went from China to Albania.

Posted: 2/12/2020 12:13:25 AM EDT

[#21]

Also that barrel is threaded into the receiver trunnion, not pressed and pinned.

Posted: 2/12/2020 12:55:54 AM EDT

[#22]

Does the serial number on the bolt match the rest of the gun? If so you have a nice numbers matching sino soviet sks. Good score OP I bet it shoots great.

Posted: 2/12/2020 8:43:28 AM EDT

[#23]

Yeah man all the numbers match. I did find some numbers on the wood that didn't match the rest of the gun, so yeah it's probably from Albania. Yeah a co-worker gave me a box of gun parts he got from a flea market and he thought it was junk. But it was a complete SKS. Nothing missing which surprised me. Cleaned it up and assembled it and it seems to function just fine.

Posted: 2/12/2020 1:20:47 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yeah man all the numbers match. I did find some numbers on the wood that didn't match the rest of the gun, so yeah it's probably from Albania. Yeah a co-worker gave me a box of gun parts he got from a flea market and he thought it was junk. But it was a complete SKS. Nothing missing which surprised me. Cleaned it up and assembled it and it seems to function just fine.

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WUT? A free SKS you say? Around here that rifle would fetch north of 300 bux easily! Love the worn BTDT finish and patina. Yeah I'm a sks lover. OP keeping the theme of free, PM me your addy and I'll send ya a handful of strippers.

Posted: 2/12/2020 7:53:38 PM EDT

[#25]

Very cool of you, I'll hit you up in a PM, thanks

Posted: 2/18/2020 12:43:53 PM EDT

[#26]

I’d also say a sino-Soviet early sks..... I was going to call it a so called “ghost” version but you say there’s a triangle 26 on it

Hit this web site to research more yourself
Www.yooperj.com Tons of ID info there

I have a matching one letter prefix 4digit serial # !!!

These are pieces of History!!

H

Posted: 2/18/2020 8:22:31 PM EDT

[#27]

Yeah very cool piece of history for sure!! Looks like it might have even been used in a war since it has lots of wear.

Thanks again dllshoots for the stripper clips and extras for my SKS!! Very nice of you!!

Posted: 2/18/2020 9:21:06 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yeah very cool piece of history for sure!! Looks like it might have even been used in a war since it has lots of wear.

Thanks again dllshoots for the stripper clips and extras for my SKS!! Very nice of you!!
https://i.ibb.co/dkTmTnm/553-A5-B30-B3-AC-425-B-AE81-B84-ACBBE90-A7.jpg

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Glad I could throw a fellow SKS lover a peanut.

Now about that range report...

Posted: 2/29/2020 4:24:25 PM EDT

[#29]

I finally made it to the shooting range today!! Went to the outdoor range here and shot at 50 yards. Shooting some cheap Tula and Monarch steel cased ammo. Mostly FMJ's, but also some soft points. No issues at all, gun ran perfectly. My first target was a bit all over the place since I wasn't sure to cover the target with my front post or put the target on top of the front post. It was better to put the target on top of the front post. Stripper clips worked great for the most part. A few were a little difficult to load, but I marked them for future reference. Have to give the SKS credit for being a solid rifle. I enjoyed shooting it.