The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I can finally be part of the SKS world picked this up from a guy and I have found my new addiction.. All i know is that its a Norinco I am a total noob when it comes to sks.

congrats..

Sks's are terribly addictive. Looks like you have a nice one. I like the reddish colored stock.

I was noticing the arsenal number on your sks, and I thought it looked familiar. I have one from that arsenal also. I find it interesting that the arsenal number is electropenciled on yours, where mine is stamped. Also, the serial on yours is 7 digit, and mine is 6 with a totally different font. You would think that guns from the same arsenal would have the same markings.

It was one I bought in a ridiculous black folding stock with no bayonet or factory style box magazine. I have since found a stock (that doesn't match #'s, of course), and a bayo. I had a more yellow colored handguard on it, but that switched homes when I got the M style thumbhole I posted here the other day. Have yet to replace it. The bayo I found has a different size screw thread, so I need to find the correct screw.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your post.

The OP's rifle Arsenal mark is not an EP. It is stamped. We have seen this type of uneven rectangle and crude numbers from other arsenals also. For an example arsenal 0223. I have had one of both of the 0223 rifles.

Uncommon yes, but not unknown of. I doubt they always had their stamps made in a precision factory. We have seen some pretty crude looking stamps on a few. Some theorize the uneven rectangle may have a meaning. Personally I don't. I think at times they had to make a new stamp on the fly in house. Just a WAG at this time.

Looks good...how's it shoot?

Nice "Finally", Matt72601. I got curious about the 138 arsenal and found the following thread about a similar 138 SKS:
http://www.ar15.com/mobile/topic.html?b=4&f=83&t=152835

Also it should be of interest to Funtowin since he has posted on your thread. Fun-to-compare!
If we follow the Yooper method of manuf. age, it would appear you have an '81; the other features shown in your pictures also support this later manuf. date.

Maybe more questions created about your SKS? That's part of the fun as you get ready to go to the range!

grasslander wrote:Nice "Finally", Matt72601. I got curious about the 138 arsenal and found the following thread about a similar 138 SKS:
http://www.ar15.com/mobile/topic.html?b=4&f=83&t=152835

Also it should be of interest to Funtowin since he has posted on your thread. Fun-to-compare!
If we follow the Yooper method of manuf. age, it would appear you have an '81; the other features shown in your pictures also support this later manuf. date.

Maybe more questions created about your SKS? That's part of the fun as you get ready to go to the range!

Totally not true on your dating statement. Please note Yooper nor anyone else has any system for dating except we think we do on the /26\ guns only. System is only applicable to the /26\ guns as far as is known now.

Sorry, Old Outlaw, if I stepped out of bound on Matt's SKS. I am a willing student. To keep his thread positive, what information can you give, or questions can you ask, that would help him find out more about his new rifle?

grasslander wrote:Sorry, Old Outlaw, if I stepped out of bound on Matt's SKS. I am a willing student. To keep his thread positive, what information can you give, or questions can you ask, that would help him find out more about his new rifle?

There is a list as long as your arm with different Chinese Arsenal stamps we have observed here. But, the Chinese Government would not release any information on them. This is perhaps the main reason all imports of them were stopped from coming to the US. So, there is really nothing we can tell anyone about these many arsenals. Just accept them as they are if not an /26\ and enjoy them. We know nothing basically.

grasslander wrote:Sorry, Old Outlaw, if I stepped out of bound on Matt's SKS. I am a willing student. To keep his thread positive, what information can you give, or questions can you ask, that would help him find out more about his new rifle?

There is a list as long as your arm with different Chinese Arsenal stamps we have observed here. But, the Chinese Government would not release any information on them. This is perhaps the main reason all imports of them were stopped from coming to the US. So, there is really nothing we can tell anyone about these many arsenals. Just accept them as they are if not an /26\ and enjoy them. We know nothing basically.

I like the simplicity of the SKS. Once you strip and clean one, you understand a lot about how more complicated semi-auto's work. Where else can you get a battle carbine for anywhere from 300 to 500 bucks that wasn't assembled by CAI!

I have had 2 Norincos but traded both because of the orange stock and pigsticker. Just couldnt get past them and not into changing out parts. Looked for a Yugo for a long time with no luck. Looks like you got a nice one though.

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grasslander wrote:Sorry, Old Outlaw, if I stepped out of bound on Matt's SKS. I am a willing student. To keep his thread positive, what information can you give, or questions can you ask, that would help him find out more about his new rifle?

An often crude method in getting a ball park date on a non /26\ rifle are it's features, "BUT" and I stress the but, even this is not an exact science. Both of those rifles shown here are short lug rifles, so that feature falls between long lug and pressed fit barrels, a mid production if you will. Compare that feature and other features with the /26\ rifles and it could give a rough idea on date. But like OO stated, it's all truly unknown what the Chinese had going on, it's all speculation, even the dating system is at best, more or less a guess based off years of study. Without hard core official Chinese paper documentation, it will all remain a mystery.

With the number of factories they had and with as many years as production ran, not every factory changed it's manufacturing methods when the rest did. And to add to all that, who is to say the Chinese even know whats out there, it may not be a big secret, it could be they just don't know because maybe they didn't track or document anything. They had more than enough weapons for their military, plus back in the day, they were getting paid for the surplus weapons. To them it was a win-win situation

Have not shot it yet.... Bummer i know.. been stocking up on ammo I have stripped it and done detailed cleaning.. Will do a range report when i can get her out!

Make sure the firing pin rattles when you shake the bolt. Otherwise you could be in for a wild ten round ride.

My first milsurp was a Norinco SKS bought back in 1988 or 1989. $99. Actually, I think that although it's a military rifle, it was probably made for the American market, and I am likely the first and only owner/user.

It also provided me with my first-ever experience with cosmoline.

I still have it. It's a sweet little shooter, and I have kept it just as it came out of the box, "orange" stock and all.