The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Recently received a Chinese type 56 SKS, almost no markings at all but the five digit serial number and all parts match. Doing research I found it to be between 1956 and around 1965 based on photos of an extensive site showing all different variations of parts, longer barrel base, magazine, and other parts that show also all parts are milled not stamped. Another site said to take the year 1956 (type 56) and add the first number of the serial number to get the year, don't know how true this is. No triangle marks or Chinese characters on it, there is a rather large letter "C" then three numbers after it under the barrel, all other markings except maybe half a dozen hash type marks are non existent, any info on the year or way to tell ?

This is all I can find....

There is technically no true definitive way to date a Chinese, most info comes from studying the serial numbers and features through time/production. A 5 digit serial, which is a very early production with no factory /26\ stamp would be estimated to be from the 1956-57 time frame. They are commonly called the Ghost series of Chinese SKSs.

The marks you picture are standard proof marks used during the time frame, as you get later in production these marks decrease, some late variants have very few proof marks. The 20 on the left side of the barrel/left side of the receiver are pretty much taken as assembly numbers used in production.

There's nothing on the left side of receiver but the SN, will send pic later today.

Receiver pics

5 digit "Ghost" rifle, very early production. 1956 early '57 would be the time frame.

The 6 digit serial numbers are when you start to find the /26\ factory stamp. Just prior to your 5 digit serial, you can find 4 digit serials, which very few exist, and under 2000 in serial numbers, which is even rarer, you find the Tula star, which has been estimated to be the very first Chinese production built on Russian parts, known as the Soviet Sino.

Thanks for the info, guess that's about as close as I'm gonna get to finding a date...based on the first info I found by adding the first # of the SN to the year 1956 to come up with a date, I was thinking it was a 1963 at first.

Any '56 rifle with a letter prefix, either 1 or 2 letters was made the first six months of '56 by Russians training Chinese, the second half of '56 the Chinese used numbers only, 4,5,or 6 digit. Every yr. after had a 7 digit number. Yours was made second half of '56 by Chinese with Russian supervision. Add the 1st digit of a 7 digit number to '56 to get the year.........i.e. 2, 007,888 was made in '58. Great shooters, best with the bayonet on.

It has the blade type bayonet, only able to take it to a very short indoor range so far (60') but it shoots great and kept shots pretty much in one hole almost give or take 1/4" or so, and that is right outta the box.

steelbuttplate wrote:Any '56 rifle with a letter prefix, either 1 or 2 letters was made the first six months of '56 by Russians training Chinese, the second half of '56 the Chinese used numbers only, 4,5,or 6 digit. Every yr. after had a 7 digit number. Yours was made second half of '56 by Chinese with Russian supervision. Add the 1st digit of a 7 digit number to '56 to get the year.........i.e. 2, 007,8888 was made in '58. Great shooters, best with the bayonet on.

The Letter series came later in production, in the '59-'60 time frame, most notably after the 3 million, then after the Letter series came the 6 million series. This is from over 2 years of documinting hundreds of serial numbers and features on Chinese SKS.

There are many versions of dating formats, I've been involved with these studies for quite a while. Here is the variant of Chinese dating which I'm speaking of.
http://chinesesks.weebly.com/arsenal-26.html

Milsurps.com under serial numbers, section E., is where my info came from. It states exactly what I said. I don't know which one is wrong, but I didn't just make it up.

I never said you did and like I said above.. There is no way to definitively date one, China has never released production info or any factory info, nor will they ever due to their government. Dating a Chinese SKS is pretty much all speculation, open to interpretation and is at best, a best guess based off the serial ranges and features found. If you were to ask 5 serious SKS collectors to date a /26\ SKS, you could get 5 different dates based off different theories and beliefs. The Factory /26\ SKS to this day is still highly debated in collector circles as to the actual manufacturing dates.

OK witchdoc, there you have two sources of info, so you see, we both think yours was probably late '56. However, this is another question like the 91/59's reason for existing, we really just friggin don't know.
I didn't say I was an addict, I'm just outa pain meds Doctor's appt. tomorrow. Getting old ain't for sissies.

Mine is SN 60932.....488 higher than yours. Big difference in looks and condition, shows the different paths these two rifles took.

http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... 45&t=25044

Thanks everyone, I'll let it be what it is...(getting old thing I can relate to SBP) I can see differences in your stock, it's in better shape than mine, mine has no trench art just normal dings and bruises lol, I'll call it '56 !