My first SKS. Would appreciate identification help!

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:06 pm

Just picked up my first SKS today. It is an I.O. Inc import, and is marked as M56 Chinese. However, when I first looked at it some of the numbers strike me as Soviet style markings. The bolt handle particularly, and the serial number on the receiver and the trigger group also. The star reminded me of the Tula star, but I'm not for sure.

The receiver cover isn't matching, and I haven't field stripped it to check for other numbers yet either. The magazine well of the stock is roughly hewn, almost like it was hand carved internally out for it.

I'm not for sure what I have here, and I'm not finding anything concrete to make me feel confident calling it Chinese or Russian for that matter. I would appreciate any help in identifying it! Thanks in advance!

Mark AP · Post by **Mark AP** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:08 pm

Maybe a sino Soviet?? The stock looks Chinese.

ffuries · Post by **ffuries** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:24 pm

Read the star signifies a 55/56 made Tula SKS, let me see if I can find the information again.

ETA: Here's the information.

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-1.htm

ETA: Scroll down he shows Tula SKS the same style SN as your.

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-31.htm

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:39 pm

ffuries wrote:Read the star signifies a 55/56 made Tula SKS, let me see if I can find the information again.

ETA:

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-1.htm

I saw that earlier tonight, but wasn't sure if I would be interpreting it right. When I first saw the serial number and star I thought "Tula" in the back of my head, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. Thanks for the information!

ffuries · Post by **ffuries** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:46 pm

RazorBurn wrote:
ffuries wrote:Read the star signifies a 55/56 made Tula SKS, let me see if I can find the information again.

ETA:

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-1.htm
I saw that earlier tonight, but wasn't sure if I would be interpreting it right. When I first saw the serial number and star I thought "Tula" in the back of my head, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. Thanks for the information!

Look at this page same SN setup as yours on the Tula shown there.

http://www.yooperj.com/SKS-31.htm

So you have a Russian Tula made SKS. So did it end up in China or was it one of the many SKS's that China sent to Albania as aid? I believe this is what some people refer to as a sneak. Either way it's a good find and a nice rifle.

Good job!

Post by **Junk Yard Dog** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 6:34 pm

Albania didn't piss off the Soviets right away, like all the other buffer states they got Soviet aid in the years after the war. They pissed off the Soviets later on in the mid 50's I think. That stock inletting work looks Albanian to me, Chinese and Russians didn't do that kind of slovenly work.

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Mon Aug 28, 2017 6:52 pm

I'm wondering if someone hasn't replaced the stock sometime in the past due to a broken one. You're right about the stock inletting JYD, it is a rough hack job. One of my guesses when I first saw it was North Vietnamese.

Greasemonkey · Post by **Greasemonkey** » Tue Aug 29, 2017 10:18 am

It's a Russian Tula from '55-'56 with a Chinese import stamp from the recent imports of Sino-Banian SKSs, before the ATF gathered up all the sneak Russians. The stock...the finish and wood look Albanian to me, if it is, alot of finish work was done to the nose to fit it, as the Albanian stock is slightly longer and also has a spike bayonet cut. One easy way to tell, does it have the 2 holes cut in the butt plate and stock, one for the cleaning kit and one for the oiler? If the stock is Chinese made, there will be just one hole in the butt plate and stock for the cleaning kit.

The stock could have been replaced in Albania....now the question becomes, who hacked out the mag well and for what, a high cap duck bill? Dimensionally the Russian, Chinese and Albanian magazines are very close and should pretty much swap over with minimal amounts of fitting.. Which if the stock is Albanian, the hack job mag well work doesn't jive with the stock nose work..

Regardless of who made the stock or the import mark... you got a Russian for a Chinese price...

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Tue Aug 29, 2017 10:54 am

The stock does have two holes in the back of it for an oiler and cleaning kit. It did come with a metal 30 round magazine. Thanks for the information!

Mark AP · Post by **Mark AP** » Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:02 am

Greasemonkey knows his stuff! Nice job

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:08 pm

I cleaned and field stripped it tonight. I've put quite a few more pictures of it into my Imgur album for it. The bolt and the extractor are electropencil matching to the bolt carrier. The gas tube and piston are electropenciled, but don't match anything or each other. The gas tube appears to have one Russian type number scratched out too, and another number added.

Chamber and bore are cherry, and it should be a nice shooter. The bolt needed a good cleaning. I totally stripped it down, and cleaned it real good with brake cleaner. There wasn't any cosmoline remnants in the firing pin channel either which was nice. Whoever owned it previously had shot it as the piston had a decent amount of powder residue on it, as did the bolt.

I also had a spare SKS cleaning rod lying in my spare parts pile. A while back I bought a Mosin Nagant that had the wrong cleaning rod in it. Someone on one of the forums pointed out that it looked like one for an SKS so I put it away and almost forgot about it. Remembered it tonight while cleaning it, dug it out, and low and behold it fit perfectly.

Here's a link to my Imgur album on it.

ffuries · Post by **ffuries** » Tue Aug 29, 2017 10:28 pm

RazorBurn wrote:....I also had a spare SKS cleaning rod lying in my spare parts pile. A while back I bought a Mosin Nagant that had the wrong cleaning rod in it. Someone on one of the forums pointed out that it looked like one for an SKS so I put it away and almost forgot about it. Remembered it tonight while cleaning it, dug it out, and low and behold it fit perfectly.

So now you need to find the sling for it. Wonder what would be the correct sling for a SKS with an Albanian connection?

RazorBurn · Post by **RazorBurn** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:40 am

ffuries wrote:So now you need to find the sling for it. Wonder what would be the correct sling for a SKS with an Albanian connection?

That just reminded me that I think I have a spare East German sling lying around in my spare parts pile. I'll have to check for that when I get home. Thanks for the reminder.

ffuries · Post by **ffuries** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:58 am

RazorBurn wrote:
ffuries wrote:So now you need to find the sling for it. Wonder what would be the correct sling for a SKS with an Albanian connection?
That just reminded me that I think I have a spare East German sling lying around in my spare parts pile. I'll have to check for that when I get home. Thanks for the reminder.

Guess I'm good for something now and then!

Greasemonkey · Post by **Greasemonkey** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:00 am

In this case....a Russian style sling would work as would a Chinese. if you were lucky enough to stumble upon a Albanian made vintage sling, it would work. I would say it's one of those instances where any of the above would be appropriate simply due to they all were present and floating around in Albania at the time and none of the 3 would be incorrect.

But, I would look for more of a used, weathered sling, the freshy, new look of the modern reproduction sling wouldn't look quite right.

ffuries · Post by **ffuries** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:19 am

Greasemonkey wrote:In this case....a Russian style sling would work as would a Chinese. if you were lucky enough to stumble upon a Albanian made vintage sling, it would work. I would say it's one of those instances where any of the above would be appropriate simply due to they all were present and floating around in Albania at the time and none of the 3 would be incorrect.

But, I would look for more of a used, weathered sling, the freshy, new look of the modern reproduction sling wouldn't look quite right.

Does it matter if it has straps at the end, spring at the end or snap hook at the end? Or are they interchangeable?

Greasemonkey · Post by **Greasemonkey** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:43 am

If using a Chinese sling, the leather tab end version would be more age appropriate in my book, the spring ends came later in production and seemed to be more commonly used on commercial SKSs, late production SKSs or Aks. Color wise,, while Chinese slings can be found in many shades of green/almost a grey green to a tan/khaki, a weathered tan or khaki to a light greenish coloration with leather ends would fairly close.

Usually the Russian slings had the hook ends, China typically used the leather tab ends or springs.

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