I have a Chinese type 56 with a spike bayonet. It is all matching and has some cool trench art carved on it. The upper handguard is cracked, but it doesn't affect it's reliability at all. I gave it a good, deep cleaning, so far it hasn't had any problems. I was able to buy a used surplus sling from the 1960's and even received a compliment on my restoration by the Range Safety Officer when I took it out to the rifle range. ^_^
After owning my last sks rifles. I will never understand the mutilation by tapco stocks with the folding stock built in. Ruining a perfectly good platform. I feel like you can’t beat wood.
Mine is so beat up. Bought it 2 years ago for 80 bucks. I’m sure it’s a higher round count around 5 moa steady. But I love it. Would def be my go to bush rifle. Not worrying about magazines. Sliding those rounds in one by one. Just feels amazing. I want to win a cz 527 7.62 because I love the round. But want in a bolt action with irons just for a reliable end all be all 7.62. But the sks I have (type 56) is filling that void for now. I do love my aks. ESP my romy g. But the sks just has that feel to it. No pistol grip just a rifle stock. Feels like an extension of your arm. Natural like up when you aim down the sights. Stock irons. If you needed a survival rifle. Being able to carry an sks with loose rounds in a pouch would be preferable. Having the semi auto with the one by one round loading just feels natural. I know you can use clips but I’m faster almost just one by one. You really cannot beat the sks. Even the speed loading by throwing the lever for the bottom of the mag. Throwing rounds down it fast. Closing. Makes for a fast life saving reload.
Back in ‘93, when I got my Russian SKS, I bought it for $149, compared to $99 for the Chinese models… the other difference? I took it home that day because it was legally classified as an “antique” or “relic” firearm and not subject to the CA waiting period. I was also allowed to keep the bayonet and upgrade the box magazine to a 30 round magazine. The Chinese SKS at the time was an “Assault Weapon” and had to have the bayonet removed, and it was illegal to upgrade the magazine beyond the stock 10 rounds. Despite being functionally the same gun, their origin meant different legal restrictions. So I happily paid $50 more, and the (Russian SKS was a more beautiful rifle anyway)
Both tend to be good rifles, the Chinese can have some quality control issues on the later made models but overall they are near identical in my opinion. Still hard to believe folks are willing to drop 10 bills on one down there in America!
The quality control started when the Chinese civilianized their model 56 by creating the company North Importing Company or NORINCO. That was after 1970.
Paid 700 for mine at the local gun show, paratrooper [0138] stamp followed by 0239 . Thinking between 65-80's but cant be sure. Only one at the gun show though. I do know finding a production date for these Norinco's is a real pain!
Tula made way more SKS’s by a lot compared to Izhevsk. Izhevsk only produced for 2 years, making a lot more uncommon. so you’re note at the bottom of the video is not true.
Any SKS various paired with the correct stripper clips is a formidable rifle even in 2021 I prefer the Yugoslavian BX in stripper clips they work like butter and can reduce to reload time to under three seconds
I have 25 years experience in oilfield manufacturing, and I can attest to how well made my Type 56 is. Also, I don't consider the pressed and pinned barrel to be a detriment. In fact, RU-vid channel Triangle 26 did a video which suggests the pressed version tends to have better accuracy as it heats up from firing. It wasn't a definitive test, but the outcome was significant enough to warrant further testing.
I have a Norinco, model D I believe. It has the cruciform bayonet and the magazines of the AK47, the wooden stock without dyeing without varnish and the only punch to engrave is SKS 7.62x39mm #séries, made in China by Norinco, Beta Arms INC. CA USA. I never did any research but was told it was D. It is fun to use, it sounds cracked because of the long maintenance rod, but it amuses me.
Glad I bought 3 Russian SKS's in 1994 when they first started arriving in the U.S. Bought directly from the retail dealers for $105 each. Got 1 Un-issued 1954 Tula, 1 Un-issued 1954 Izhevsk and 1 1955 refurb. with the rare Black/blued bayonet.
@@BattlefieldCurator Thanks, and I got lucky on the Izzy, since I did not know anything about the Triangle with arrow on the receiver cover or what it meant.
It sure helped me! i just subbed your channel not too long ago and i have enjoyed every video ,new and old of yours that i have seen Lots of good info and interesting content! thanks im glad i stubled onto your channel!
My pin from newyork came in . Got the sks running in 5 minutes. Too bad I sold it like a dumb ass. My buddy showed me $500 so i took it. The trigger was exactly like a accutrigger, superligjt and can feel the 1st and 2nd stage of trigger pull. Best trigger i ever had on a sks. I want to buy a russian again.
I have a beautiful Russian but might pick up a nice Chinese if I stumble across one. Along with a Yugo SKS and the WASR-10/63 bought in 2007 I'm pretty well set for 7.62x39.
I got ripped off by ebay seller. It was listed as full trigger assembly. It was missing the hammer pivot pin. I counted 6 pins and theres 7 in the trigger assembly. Owell , i ordered one. Also my russian sks has a blade bayonet. Im not too sure when it was made. Its super dark red and looks awsome. I love the sks.
I ordered 2 hammer pivot pins and also a buttstock spacer thats like an inch thick to add more length of pull, the stock is too short. It should be here this week or next week. It takes 2 or 3 weeks to get from newyork to Kamsack , Saskatchewan . I order from the site alot when i need afew parts for a rifle, they got mostly what i need.
Not sure where you gathered this information from. Please cite your source. Also, this video here may help you better understand commercial vs the military Type 56 SKS m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Hl_eBmomvyc.html
I own both of these rifles there are subtle differences between the two but both have thousands of rounds put through them both are very very accurate and reliable rifles the differences between the two are minor enough where both should be totally collectible and absolutely amazingly fun to shoot
Yes, there are some Chinese SKS rifles that are currently very collectible, such as the SKS M and PolyTech ones. I don't think majority of Chinese SKS rifles are viewed as collectible pieces just yet... but we are not far off from that.
A great summary and a few things i didn't know. One i didn't notice though: the Chinese made and exported a commercial version starting around the 80's (I'm not sure exactly). They were stamped Norinco.They were sold as new through mostly retail outlets. Some or all of these apparently gained them the reputation of being junk. I have never owned one so my opinion is based on internet opinion btw. On the other hand the Chinese also made a military version for their own armies, called the type 56. They were not stamped Norinco. These were also exported later on, generally as surplus. These guns were made to a much higher standard and are comparable in quality to the Russian ones. There were a number of different factories making these so there is plenty of variation in these. Some were considered better than others. The factory number is generally stamped on the receiver side in a triangle shape. Interestingly, these military sks's are more consistent and better in accuracy in my experience than some Russian made tulas. The Russian made izhevsk factory versions were the best Russians as far as machining, finishing etc. For example, some tulas will shoot 8-10 inch groups at 100 yds, all military chinese I've shot were 4 inches or less. The weak point in the sks design is the trigger, pulls can range from gritty, terrible, 10-12 lb-ish to long, smooth and 4-5 lbs. A trigger jobs can improve this alot, but by design, the simple sks safety relies on a stiffer pull (as the gun can go off -safety on- depending on the grind angle of the sear). So with safety on any sks can technically fail the bump test. In a nutshell...always check the trigger, never trust the safety, be cautious of commercial chinese Norincos, military chinese are always good shooters, and keep an eye out for one of the rarest russian sks's the 53 izhevsk. From what i can tell the 54 izzy was just as good btw
Interesting write up, I've never tested the Chinese Type 56 vs the Russian SKS 45. I have shot a few different types of SKS rifles over the years. Many are stamped Norinco but are not true Norinco manufactured. For instance, I have an early blade bayonet Type 56 that is import marked Norinco on the side of it. It has the /26\ which is the factory that it was produced at. Theres a huge list of different factories that the Type 56 was manufactured at. Many of the early military ones were made at Arsenal 26 (/26\). I do find those to be of better quality than some of the ones produced at other factories. Not all commercial SKS Type 56 rifles are bad, I had one that was pretty decent. I've also had one that looked crude and even though it functioned ok, the action and trigger was not as smooth as most others. Poly Tech SKS's are commercial but they are of higher quality. They are quite collectible. I'd say quality may be more based upon which factory produced them. It would be interesting to do the bump test in a controlled environment, someone's probably already got a video on it though. Might have to look into that. It would also be interesting to see if any one has a nice video on the 53 Izhevsk. Thanks for contributing your comments!
Notsofast60 I have a Norinco, model D I believe. It has the cruciform bayonet and the magazines of the AK47, the wooden stock without dyeing without varnish and the only punch to engrave is SKS 7.62x39mm #séries, made in China by Norinco, Beta Arms INC. CA USA. I never did any research but was told it was D. Can you tell me if this is the case?
@@carolfortin1457 Is it a full length SKS or carbine length? Does the stock look like an original SKS style or does it have a Monte Carlo style buttstock or a thumb hole buttstock?
@@BattlefieldCurator Sorry for the delay in my response, it has the original stock and the slide does not stay open on the last shot, which is annoying.
