[b][blue]I noticed there wasnt any real discussion of this on this board and I found that the pics are very helpful. All of this came from the [url]http://www.simonov.net[/url] website.[/b][/blue]
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[size=5][red][b][u]Russian[/size=5][/red][/b][/u]

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/49tula/refurb.jpg[/img]
This marking signifies
the Russian SKS was
refurbished.

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/tula.jpg[/img]
TULA
(1949 - 1955)

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/izh.jpg[/img]
IZHEVSK
(1953 - 1954)

[i]"Look on the top of the receiver cover.  If the cover has no markings, it's not likely to be Russian.  The pictured symbols are present on Russian receiver covers.

Suppose the original receiver cover has been lost at one time in the past.  It is still possible to identify Russian SKS's as they have a communist star on the left side of the receiver and usually have one or two Cyrillic letters in the serial number.  Sometimes "RUSSIA SKS-45" is prominently stamped on the receiver by the importer.  Furthermore, it is a common trait of Russian SKS's to have black bolt carriers and/or bayonets.  All Russians Simonovs have blade bayonets except the earliest Tulas.  One will commonly see a square with a diagonal line through it on the receiver cover."[/i]




[size=5][Orange][b][u]CHINA[/size=5][/orange][/b][/u]

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/china.jpg[/img]
CHINA (1956 - 1980's)
The Chinese characters
roughly translate to
"Type 56 Carbine"

[blue]Click the link below to see comprehensive printable charts of Chinese factory codes.[/blue]  

[url=http://www.simonov.net/codechart.htm]SKS CHRONICLE'S CHINESE FACTORY CODES PAGE[/url]



[size=5][yellow][b][u]Romania[/size=5][/yellow][/b][/u]


[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/romania.jpg[/img]
ROMANIA
(1957 - 1962)

[i]"I was once believed that Romania did not manufacture the SKS carbine.  If a rifle were discovered in the past with the Romanian stamp, it was assumed the rifle was Chinese because the firing pin on the two rifles look very similar.  Mr. Poyer, co-author of The SKS Carbine, writes in the recently published Guns and Ammo Surplus Firearms #7 annual magazine about his surprise when he eventually did confirm Romania's involvement in SKS manufacture.  Both he and his co-author were told by the Romainan embassy in Washington D.C. that NO SKS carbines were EVER manufactured in that country.  Since these rifles are rather new on the U.S. SKS market, not much else is known about them at this time.  The most interesting aspect of Romanian SKS's is the year it started production.  One year after the Chinese began manufacturing SKS's, the Romanians started their production.  Now I'm curious to know the start date of Yugoslavian production.  Did the Russian technicians do a "road tour" of newly emerging communist countries starting SKS production plants to shore up the governments of these new allies?"[/i]

[size=5][green][b][u]YUGOSLAVIA[/size=5][/green][/b][/u]

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/YugoM66.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/yugoid.JPG[/img]
Yugoslavian M59/66 with night sights.

[i]"These can be the easiest to identify.  Does it have a grenade launcher and ladder sight on the muzzle?  If so, it is a M59/66.  Yugoslavia is the only country that produced these weapons with the grenade adapter starting in 1966.  Mind you, there are Yugoslavian SKS's made from 1959-1965, which are identical to Romanian SKS, that do not have a grenade launcher.  There are no factory codes or identifying stamps for Yugos."[/i]



[size=5][brown][b][u]ALBANIA[/size=5][/b][/u][/brown]
[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/albanian.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/Albanian_ad.jpg[/img]

[i]"These rifles are so new to the U.S. that nobody knows much about them.  It's not even 100% certain the Albanians were even the ones who manufactured them, although they may have used them and are exporting them today.

These rifles are another unique variant of the basic Simonov design.  The stock and hand guard on the gas tube is longer, going all the way to the gas block.  Also, the charging handle is more like that of an AK-47 than an SKS.  Also, there are two holes in the butt plate, not one.  That's all we really know for now."[/i]



[size=5][blue][b][u]OTHER COUNTRIES:[/size=5][/b][/u]

[b][blue]
[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/viet.jpg[/img]
Vietnam

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/korean.jpg[/img]
N.Korea

[img]http://www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/german.jpg[/img]
Germany[/b][/blue]

Cool,thanks for tacking whoever you are.

[sniper2]

Thank you! I've always wanted to know what those symbols meant... Now I know i have a 1953 Tula.

- MainFrame

Hey your welcome!!
Its also great to know that you made your first post in one of my threads!!

Welcome to AR15.com!! [beer]

Yea thanks, for the posting. This was the third place I found the same info on markings. Now I no for sure the the sks my dad brought back in 65 was made in north vietnam!!!

Ric u da man,thanks for signing me up,im not a lurker anymore.the pics you put up are great,cant wait to get my SKS and my AK.

Ric another question for you ,if the SKS has a non detachable mag hoew is it that everyone attaches a high cap,explain it slow,im only a toe doc./

Quoted: Ric another question for you ,if the SKS has a non detachable mag hoew is it that everyone attaches a high cap,explain it slow,im only a toe doc./

Ok,
I'll tell you how. But you may want me to do it when you get your SKS.

Field strip the SKS

Take a 1/4 punch and press the button behind the trigger guard.
You really have to press hard and maybe have another person hold the SKS really tight!!!

One you have the trigger assembly out you can remove the 10round box mag.

Put the SKS all back together (without the 10 round mag) and then you can attach and Detach detachable SKS mags.

Well, I have a Chinese T-56.  Does anyone else have any problems with the detachable mags jamming or falling out when fired?

Quoted: Well, I have a Chinese T-56.  Does anyone else have any problems with the detachable mags jamming or falling out when fired?

Are they detachable SKS mags or AK47 mags?

Detachable SKS, but I'm gonna fix that with a fixed mag.

you need NO TOOLS to disemble any SKS. for the piece behind the trigger guard, use the rod found under your barrel, you should be able to do this all in 30 seconds. (my best time)

What about an unmarked Norinco? I have one with "M21" on the left hand side of the receiver, but no other triangle marks or what have you. Any ideas?

Quoted: What about an unmarked Norinco? I have one with "M21" on the left hand side of the receiver, but no other triangle marks or what have you. Any ideas?

From what I understand, the "M21" SKS is supposedly a "sterile" export version.  No ChiCom arsenal markings=deniability for them when M21 carbines show up in trouble spots.

ok i have a norinco chinese sks with these markings
what are the numbers for
SKS 7.62x39mm
CSI ONT CA
Made in China by Norinco
what is this
91 34 915
no other markings available on the rifle

is this a date code possibly
when was this made etc
it was sold to me as new and unfired
completely mint shape and pristine wood
$300 bucks but not bayonet

Take a look at my web site for 20 pages of SKS related information.  I'm sure you will like it.  Go to the Guns section and then to the SKS pages.  Finally ENJOY!!

YooperJ

www.yooperj.com

Regarding markings on the receiver cover on Russian SKS's.....

Tula-built SKS's at the end of their production (1955-56) had unmarked receiver covers with the serial number on the rear of the cover.  The arsenal mark was the Tula star on the left receiver rail.  Stocks were generally laminated although I've seen a solid wood stock that was not renumbered.  

Quoted: you need NO TOOLS to disemble any SKS. for the piece behind the trigger guard, use the rod found under your barrel a live round, you should be able to do this all in 30 seconds. (my best time)

Fixed it

Thanks for the info. I have had my SKS for some time. I knew it was Russian but did not know much more than that. Interesting.
I have a Russian -Tula 1950.

I just picked up Tula model 1954r. Thanks for the post to ID it.

My stock also has the star and SN number on it. Too bad the PO painted it, that would have been cool to have a bone stock numbers matching.

I there one that is preferred over another?
I see them layed out at gun shows but i have no idea what to look for in terms of picking on out.

ALBANIA
www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/albanian.jpg
www.simonov.net/images/FAQ/identify/Albanian_ad.jpg

"These rifles are so new to the U.S. that nobody knows much about them.  It's not even 100% certain the Albanians were even the ones who manufactured them, although they may have used them and are exporting them today.

an albanian guy told me for another unusual ak47 product, few of these specimens were made, with a longer barrel for two point suppressor use, scope place, and the most important thing a little system gas block  turning the ak into a bolt action rifle for eliminating the bolt action noise and gas escape from the piston tube for more eficent usage with subsonic amo. i'm waiting for some pics, i'll post them.

I had my wife take a look at the markings on my Chinese SKS, and she said they read "5 6 made".  I asked if "made" could be "model", she said it could be.  So there's a reading from someone that lived in China until she was 14.

Markings on Norinco SKS M




JR

These are the markings on my Chinese SKS. Most lists that I have looked at do not show factory 136. I couldn't get a clear enough photo so I drew them.
http://www.kilroy-was-here.org/sks%20markings.bmp

WOW thanks for doing all that the research for lazy guys like me! I'm still having a hard time identifying mine. It says "sks sporter 7.62x39 made in china by norinco   labanu. ronkonkoma. ny.   93    23335". It has a thumbhole stock and takes AK mags, (I believe it was made to take AK mags because it looks factory finished.)
Also it is a milled reciever. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Quoted:Quoted: you need NO TOOLS to disemble any SKS. for the piece behind the trigger guard, use the rod found under your barrel a live round the punch thats in the cleaning kit, you should be able to do this all in 30 seconds. (my best time)<hr height=1px color=black noshade> Fixed it

My Chinese New Unfired I payed $225 for it.  It's an all matching numbers factory /26\ 10 Million serial # with a capital A after that.

Here are the Markings on my Factory 0406 Norinco SKS.

http://gallery.digitaldeviation.com/d/5977-3/serial.jpg
http://gallery.digitaldeviation.com/d/5975-3/modeltag.jpg

height=8

Quoted: Here are the Markings on my Factory 0406 Norinco SKS. gallery.digitaldeviation.com/d/5977-3/serial.jpg gallery.digitaldeviation.com/d/5975-3/modeltag.jpg

Per http://www.simonov.net/codechart.htm, your's looks to be from factory 0406, seemingly one of the more common chinamade sks rifles that made it into the US

Wow, excellent thread. Can't believe it took me this long to run across it. I now know that I have an un-refurbished 1953 Tula. All I knew previously was that it was a '53 Russian, nothing about which plant and certainly nothing about refurb marks.

How can you tell year of manufacture on a Chinese SKS?

Nevermind, found it.

i'm getting ready to buy one with the 636 code in the triangle.  all numbers match and it doesn't say norinco on it anywhere.  what does it mean if it doesn't have the norinco stamp on it?

Hi guys, I just ended up with my first SKS. I currently has a triangular bayonet that someone has shortened and ground to a wedge point. It also has had the original wooden stock removed and replaced with a black synthetic folding stock. It has had the fixed magazine removed and replaced with a 30 round removable. I am interested in replacing the original magazine, stock, and getting the correct bayonet for it. How do I remove the stock? I have looked it over and cannot locate any screws that hold it on. I am interested in removing the stock to find any other numbers or markings that might help me identify what it is. This is the start of my research and when I get home from work today I will post what markings I can see on the gun.
Where is my best chance to pick up the parts I need? I need a fixed magazine, stock, and the proper bayonet....Thnaks....<><....:)

try here
SKS dissassembly
sks parts
also try: Numrich

Thanks, that's a great help. I got home from work and checked my SKS. The serial number (all matching) is 76XXX and the only markings I can saee on the gun are the small stamped letters "GBE H.B. CA." on the left side of the reciever. I cannot locate any definitive info on these markings. Anyone have any info on them?...Thanks again for the help guys....<><....:)

simonov.net site is down for me is it gone forever?

it is down for me as well. I don't know if it is gone forever or just down,

I have determined the last letters of the upper reciever markings on my SKS indicate H.B. CA. indicates Huntington Beach, California. Now can anyone help to shed some light or knowledge on what the first three letters "GBE"  indicate? What company imported this SKS? And perhaps during what years?...Thanks....<><....:)

Try this site:  http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-1.htm

Looks like simonov is kaputski!

This is a dead Sticky.  We need to remove this thread from sticky status.

Or at "least" a major update,pics?