🇦🇺😎👍In Australia back in the 1990 ( the SKS hit the market ) by the time 1997 came around they were outlawed and all crushed along with all other semi automatic rifles ,shotguns and pump action shotguns…Australia had a few types of those guns . First was the Chinese SKS 10 shot 20” barrel , the SKK 20” 30 shot with AK mags and the Paratrooper SKK 16” 30 shot AK mags.. Unfortunately I was never really in to them at the time as I was a bolt action guy. The SKS was pretty popular but I guess I missed out. What a shame. Everything eventually gets banned down here. They even outlawed ham an cheese sandwiches at the school canteens. Down here they take everything away gradually
Your knowledge of all variants of the SKS is overwhelming!!! Thanks so much for sharing your highly researched information!!! Take care and stay safe !! 😁🇺🇸😁🇺🇸
I just inherited an SKS from my late grandfather and was able to date it as a 1963 arsenal 26 because of your excellent work. Thank you for educating so many on the rich history of these rifles as well as keeping passion for them alive. Also, hope you have recovered from your illness fully and are doing well now. Godspeed man.
Sorry about your grandfather. Your SKS serial number starts with 7. Mine start with 6 and 9 so we have 1962, 1963, and 1965 models. My 62 has no serial number on the stock and the strap mount is on the bottom. Is your 63 like my 62 or do you have a serial number on the stock and a beefy strap mount on the side?
i got railed on the SKS reddit for refurbing the stock on my Albanian import '69 triangle 26 sks. All I did was bring it back to a more original condition. It felt pretty toxic. Glad to see someone else who loves these rifles wants to restore them to their former glory, yet keeping them as original as possible.
Reddit is a socially awkward hive-mind, where the primary goal is to assert moral superiority at the expense of others. They aren’t mad at you, they are mad at their parents for not showing them affection.
Great video and rifle! I'm 67, and bought my first SKS last year, /316\ 20M. I can't believe how quickly I fell in love with this rifle. I consider it the best semiautomatic rifle I have ever fired. Keep up the good work. P.s. I'm really jealous.😁
Your channel got me really interested in the SKS. Just yesterday I was able to recognize an SKS NR (AK mag) in a tapco stock on armslist. For less than any SKS go for these days. Seller wasn't too aware of what it was outside an SKS, and the original stock came with it. I feel bad for the guy but I thank this channel for helping my interest and education on the subject to be able to recognize what it was.
Thanks for watching friend. Congrats on the score. My rule is this: If I find a good deal from an elderly woman or someone who is selling the collection of a deceased relative, I won’t let them lowball themselves. If it’s anybody else… it’s fair game.
Your channel has been great in helping me know what to look for in a Chinese SKS. My daughters are half Chinese and I am buying an SKS with bayonet soon confidently thank to your videos.
back in the later 80's we had a small town sporting good shop who had super good deals on chinese SKS rifles. The more he could order the better the pricing he got and he passed it on. Without the internet like today information was limited and about all a person knew was if it was a chinese, russian, yugo, etc. and they were priced accordingly. Chinese sks's were 59.99 for a long time and the more you bought the price went down. I just didn't have enough $$ and too many hobbies.
A guy like hicock45 mentioned your channel mate. It's the best channel when it comes to the sks, you should be head of the new sks production run if it ever happens again lol 😅
26, you are a legend, thanks for the content. We have chatted before and my Triangle 26 SKS i suspect may have original Soviet parts even although the serial number tells me its 1967. The stock is a dark hardwood, the trigger guard is milled, stock sling swivel is on the bottom.etc. cheers mate.
Going to gun shows in the 80's and 90's was a great time. I remember when SKSs starting going up to $129 from $79. I thought, "naw that's too much". LOL. That's a super nice SKS and you did a great job on fixing Bubba's handy work.
Thanks friend. I must have been born in the wrong generation. The other day my uncle told me he had an old rifle “from the war” in his closet. Apparently no one else in the family wanted it, so he got “stuck with it”. He pulled out an all matching duffel cut K98a, double date stamped with bayonet. Lost 2 world wars, but still in great condition. Hard to believe there was a time when owning that was considered an inconvenience…
@@Triangle26 I hope you end up with that duffel cut k98, sounds like a gem. I've got an SKS story similar to that....from CL... Rusty AF, mounted on an old modified Mauser stock, no mag, no gas piston (single shot only), battle scars, triangle 26, '67 production, no import marks. Was sitting in some guys' basement since he brought it home from "the war". No bring back papers tho. If only I could interview that thing.
The PLA preferred the SKS as they had the doctrine of accurate fire, most would be issued one and a few assault rifles maybe a few Holt actions. Also the T56 assault rifle never had a threaded muzzle for PLA use. They realised the one thing that made the SKS less accurate was it's tilting Holt system so they did make ones with rotating bolts, 20 round mags and even select fire versions that would accept AK mags. Eventually they wanted a do it all rifle so came up with the T81 an assault rifle with a milled reciver, SKS tappet short stroke system, rotating bolt that could take AK mags and drums. They also used it as a testbed for calibers like 5.56 (they produced a decent amount) a few in 5.45x39 and then as a testbed to develop the Chinese 5.8 assault rifle cartridge now in modern use and not for export. They sold the T81 tooling to Bangladesh so maybe could be made new and imported to the US. All Chinese assault rifles use a short stroke rotating bolt even though the newest rifle looks like an iwi ace it had a short stroke piston. It would be pretty cool if a company like WBP made an AK parts kit that used the original ak46 shirt stroke piston. I think an AK could be made much more accurate if it has a SKS type tapped system and they refused as much mass from the bolt carrier as possible. Also the 7.62x39 chamber has alot of lead and is pretty loose. It could be improved alot but I think they just made it this way so it would take bad quality out of spec wartime production ammo.
Just found your channel. Very interesting. You're like the Misha of SKS's. I will be looking for info on my $135 Russian bought in the 90s and set in a corner since then.
I’ve always liked the sks since I shot it as a kid, I recently got my first. It’s a badly abused paratrooper that I’ve been working on. Happy to find a channel with similar interest to binge for more knowledge.
I was in Viet Nam in April and went on the Cu Chi tour, most of the Viet Congs used the Triangle 26 Jianshi SKS and the Mosin Nagants. I also got to handle some of the first generation M16’s caught by the Viet Congs on displayed. The tour guide stated that most of the Vietnamese people viewed American small arms as junk (M16) and preferred the ruggedness of Soviet innovation such as SKS’s, Mosin Nagants, AK’s, DP machine guns and tokarevs. I was told that in the 1950’s Ho Chi Minh asked the United States to help them achieve independence from the French, the United States denied that request because 🇺🇸 was allies with 🇫🇷 during the time. The Soviet Union and China saw this opportunity and shook hands with 🇻🇳.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. If I had a nickel for every time the US pushed a potential ally into the communist sphere of influence over weapons deals... well I'm not sure how many nickels I'd have, but definitely too many.
Congratulations for you and the other individual who had the brilliant idea to sell this special specimen. Great job refurbishing this carbine but, for the love of everything, be careful with your Rempart de Québec hockey t-shirt… another special item to love and cherish 🎉😂
Congratulations on the find!! You really scored on this one. All the evidence is there. The stock is much better as a reproduction rather than being wrong. Your channel is extremely underrated bro. What variants are next on your list? I just picked up an original import box for my 1953 izhevsk non refurbished and likely unissued carbine.
Thanks man, and congrats on your own find! A non-refurb, ‘53 Izhevsk is pretty close to the top of the pile. As for my list, I’d really like to find an early Chinese M21. I have a late one, and I think it would be cool to make a video on both types at the same time. Other than that, maybe a DP/DB marked example. Of course one of the “big 3” would be sweet, but it’s hard to imagine getting my hands on one of those anytime soon. Maybe luck will strike again though, who knows!
@@Triangle26 those would be great finds! The M21 would be sick. Can't wait for the video comparison. I really lucked into my Izzy. I think I want to find a verifiable parade carbine with chrome. That would be Interesting.
Thanks for watching! Honestly, some type of SKS event is very much on my radar. I think it’s too ambitious for me at this stage, but down the line… it’s a real possibility. I’d love to get this and other examples in as many hands as possible.
Thanks for all you do. Any info on the black bolt SKS's and the arsenal refinishing process in a video one day would be interesting. It seems that there is a large number of them around. Once again, thanks for your effort and time spent spreading your knowledge.
@Triangle26 Yes. I had a Russian in the 90s, and now I have a Chinese with a black bolt. It seems to me that Russian arsenal refinished rifles are more common. I was told my Triangle 26 SKS is one of the Chinese Albainian guns. We ordered 2 at the same time one came with original finish and the other came mostly refinished with a black paint it appears. I don't think it was ever issued after the refinishing process. The front sight post was all the way down with little to no wear on the refinished metal. I find it odd the Chinese would take the time to rearsenal them and then give them away.
Another question again. Just got an SKS & from what I can tell from the serial # is that it comes from 1969. It has the /26\ mark on it along with the Chinese writing on it. But after taking it a part, cleaning it, putting it together. I finally notice what looks like an inspection mark on the short threaded lug that looks like a circule with a line on the top and what appears to be a # 15 on the opposite side. All the serial # match. Just wondering if this could be a whole unit that was put together later on in 1969 that they had left over and what is the /6\ stamped on the stock? Maybe a loaded question.
@@alanrintala3872 Everything you are describing sounds consistent with 1969 production. While the total volume of inspection/assembly marks decreased dramatically over time - it’s still expected to see some types of marking on the barrel lug. In your case, the circle with the line on top is probably an inspection mark, and the 15 is probably an assembly mark. If you were to remove your receiver from the stock, I wouldn’t be surprised if you found another 15 stamped on the receiver underneath the wood line, next to an indexing mark between the barrel lug and receiver. As for the /6\ on the stock, I’m not positive what that is, however the most likely explanations are inspection or subcontractor marks specific to stock manufacture. The only time I have ever seen single digit triangle marks on Chinese weapons, they are always stamped in stocks. I have a few 1979 /26\ rifles, and they all have a /4\ stamp in the stock. Hope that helps!
Hello, I absolutely love your cast knowledge on SKS. I recently picked up my first SKS from an auction. I have checked out many of your videos and from what I understand it's a 1958 matching numbers. If you have 1 moment I would like your input. The serial number is : 353002. It's in ment condition and has the grenade attachment and grenade sites
Hey Triangle, I have a question for you...I got an SKS about a month ago, it was made in China, and it has a blade bayonet (not a spike) and a Triangle 26 factory mark on it...The serial number is 002...The numbers appear to be only on the receiver and top of the bolt...No numbers anywhere else...The trigger guard, receiver top cover, and magazine have no serial numbers, they are clean...The import stamp says CJA SFLD MI...The stock and hand guard are unlike arctic birch, they are made of some reddish wood, but also, without any serial number markings...Any idea if this SKS could be one of the first from China's serial production? Thanks in advance if you'd answer...
I can’t say based on the description, what you are describing is unusual. Typically - unusual means commercial refurbishment, but anything is possible. If you want to know for sure, please shoot me some pictures (my email is in the description), and I’ll be happy to give you more conclusive response.
Great video, though I have an off topic question. What parts would you recommend for the average SKS owner to have spares of? I've seen the usual being recommended online, firing pins, springs, but I've also heard that you should only have spares for catastrophic failures, which would rarely, RARELY happen. I personally have a Chinese and Russian model. The Russian is a 1954 gun and the Chinese was around 1963, if that means anything important.
@@ForniteJeffReal Great question. Forgive the long response, but SKS questions get my gears turning: As a bit of context for my answer, it’s important to understand I come from a small arms repair background. That means that I tend to evaluate firearms from the perspective of a maintainer, even more so than as an end user. I’m meticulous about making sure I have replacements on deck for consumable parts, and I keep track of service intervals that many people ignore. One of the reasons I originally fell in love with the SKS is because it has an incredibly low preventative maintenance burden. I can’t think of a better autoloading rifle from a maintenance perspective - there is basically nothing to worry about. The first part to fail on an SKS is usually the barrel, and it takes ALOT of rounds to get there. As for those extremely rare catastrophic malfunctions, unfortunately they usually require a lot more than just a spare part to fix. For example, a small number of SKS patterns fall into a death spiral caused by ruptured primers causing flame cutting of the bolt face, eroding the firing pin hole and firing pin channel, which in turn causes more ruptured primers. The only fix for this is a completely new bolt, which needs to be headspaced to the rifle. The problem is extremely rare, and the fix is a bit of a headache, so I certainly wouldn’t recommend that average SKS owners keep a spare headspaced bolt for every rifle. That’s more of a “cross that bridge when I get there” type of situation, knowing full well that very few people will ever actually have to cross that bridge. Long story short, there are no spare parts that I recommend average SKS owners keep spares of. I don’t keep spares of any parts, nor have I ever needed them. Part of the fun of being an SKS owner is not having to worry about that. Just my 2 cents, take it with a grain of salt!
@@Triangle26 Long answers are fine and ngl I was looking to see if you had a video on the topic beforehand and am glad you responded quickly. Given that you are 100x more knowledgeable than most redditors, I am glad to hear that spare parts are pretty much a nonissue, and that the ones saying rifle is fine truly do mean that, rifle is fine. Both of my guns have chrome lined barrels (at least the Russian one SHOULD) with very bright and clean bores. So that makes sense, I'll die long before those ever get worn down enough to replace. I use whatever is cheapest for ammo and tela seems to be fine and my Russian has not pierced any primers. I will have to check for my Sino-Albanian but I doubt it will. Since I have never heard of the usual factory 26 guns piercing primers. Thank you for the reply.
Before I found your channel , I thought I had a Sino-Soviet SKS due to the low serial number, However I learned from this channel that what I do have is a "letter" gun with the serial number H 21**. Still a great gun and I'm grateful for the information.
I biught one online.it was made I think btwwen 65 or 68. Shipped wrapped in the plastic bag soaked in cosmoline. I try to clean it at home. It was during the January harsh weather. I decided to take it to the car wash, turn the hot water on straight inside the barrel lol . Few minutes it was almost done. The rest of the cleaning I did it at home.
Late into owning firearms and that made me late as well for the collector stuff. My first Chinese SKS was around for u der 4 Benjamin's with a milled trigger guard. I wish I bought 3 for what the prices go for now. Thanks for the content and helping to depress me every time I see a collectible rifle video on yutube. 🤣🤣🤣😥
Great video and thank for all the effort you put into it. That origional stock, was it Chinese? If so... I need one for a restoration I am doing, should you ever decide to part with it (side sling swivel, blade cut).
Thanks for watching. It is a Chinese stock, although it has a crack which needs to be repaired. I’m probably going to make a video on the repair, and then let it go. If when that video comes out you are still interested in it, shoot me an email and maybe we can work it out?
Hey I don’t think I am actually going to make a video on the repair (I always think I will, and then I get too focused on the repair itself and turn off the camera). Anyway I am planning to sell that stock, so if you are still interested, shoot me an email and if you and I’ll give you a look before I list it.
love the information on these sks rifles you share do you know of a good place to buy sks wood stocks for type 56 have a nice old one with trench art like it and bought another at a pawn shop in a crappy plastic stock wanna restore it
My go to resources for SKS stocks are eBay and "Fun"Broker. Prices have gone up, but there are still deals to be had if you are patient. When I need a replacement stock, it usually takes me a week or two of daily checking to find what I am looking for at a good price. In case you are not already familiar, I recommend watching my video "Getting the Right Stock for your Chinese SKS". Not all stocks will fit all rifles, but if you know what to look for you can usually get it right on the first try!
@Triangle 26 I just picked up a Slovenian ceremonial guard Yugo sks. I can send you some pics or videos if you'd like. I know there's not much info out there about them so might make for good content.
Thanks for watching! That’s a hard question, it really comes down to where someone draws the line on what makes a distinct variant. I can’t think of any that are technically more rare than this one though. There are roughly ~100 known examples of each of the “big 3”, including the North Korean. That definitely makes the short list, but probably not the top. There are some other Chinese oddities like stamped receivers and laminate stocks which are in the conversation, but probably still in the three digit range, not the low 2 digits.
I just recently purchased my first sks with the mark of triangle with 306 and three Chinese marks. Is it military issued? Where can I find an original stock or parts for it as well? It has a cheap synthetic stock and would like to put to as close to original as possible. Thanks for your time!
Yes, the three Chinese marks are a military model designation - so that does mean that your rifle was built for military use and almost certainly issued. I recommend eBay and "Fun"Broker for stocks. Be patient, and deals always turn up eventually. Make sure you get a stock that is cut for your barrel type and bayonet type - I have a video called "Getting the right stock for your Chinese SKS" or something like that, may be helpful.
question triangle what kind of TULA doesnt have a date on the dust cover but also doesnt have a star on the side of the receiver? it also doesnt have A N or K at the end of the serial like a normal letter series and a laminated stock (all numbers are matching including the dust cover so it isnt mix matched its coming from box with all box items)
Probably a transitional 1955 example. Any chance your serial prefix is “CM”? That’s the only prefix I have ever seen on a Tula matching that description, and transitional ‘55 fits the evidence best. It also technically possible that during refurbishment, a virgin dust cover was marked to match an older (pre-55) rifle. Usually force matching is obvious, but not always.
@@Triangle26 its a K with a seemingly lowercase r or an F without the line in the middle i assumed it may have been a not original dust cover but the fact its with original box and mint idk what to think theres also no obvious refurb indications
New to SKS. My China SKS Type 56 has the triangle 26 stamp nut all numbers match on Bolt, Mag, Stock 229324. Receiver is stamped 3229324. Does this mean its not original and had a parts swap?
@@robmassie493 No sir, that sounds correct. The serial number on your receiver consists of two components: A date code and a production number. In this case your date code is that first “3” which indicates your rifle was made in the third year of production (1958). “229324” is your production number, indicating your rifle was the 229,324th rifle made at that factory in 1958 (which was at the very end of the year, almost certainly December). It is normal and correct for the smaller components to be marked only we the production number, without the date code - that is how they were originally marked. Congrats on the fine rifle, 1958’s tend to be of excellent quality!
I have a Russian sks but no markings on the dust cover to indicate it came from Tula. However, on the side just where the dust cover meets the receiver the words made in Russia can be seen. Are Russian sks only made in Tula or there’re other places?
Russian SKS's were made at Tula and Izhevsk. That said, Tula stopped applying dust cover markings in 1955. Does your serial number have an alphabetical prefix? For example, "AB 1234 A"? If so, that would be a good clue it is a "late model" Tula.
@@Triangle26 I just checked the serial no “TO XXXX” However, I’ve another Russian SkS with Tula markings 1953r on dust cover the serial no has alphabet prefix too. Thanks.
Hmm, good question. I don’t have a lot of experience with them, they seem to be a little more common in Canada than in the U.S. (where I am). Like most parade rifles, they seem to be refurbished rather than purpose built. Unlike Yugo parade rifles, they do chrome plate the barrel and gas tube. They will have a chrome lined bore as well from the factory, to this day I have never confirmed a single example of a non-chrome lined Chinese SKS bore.
Hey man, not sure if you would be open to, but would you mind me asking you a few questions about the SKS I just won on GunBroker? If so, I would greatly appreciate that.
I got the 26th armament version with 4 duckbill 37 round mags. Damn thing spits the rounds and stays on target no matter how hot the barrel got. Plus all my ID numbers match, and the original 10 round mag is in the box with the ammo.
Unrelated question, I recently purchased an Albanian undated SKS in the cosmoline should I leave it as is or remove it. I don't plan on shooting it, Thanks for advice on this.
If you don’t plan on shooting it, I would strongly advise leaving it in the cosmo. As long as that grease remains present, it effectively proves that it is in the same condition as when it left Albanian service. That’s a big deal from an investment perspective. If you wanted to display it, and don’t like the look of the cosmoline, you might consider wiping down the exterior. That could be a happy medium for making it look good without losing the full investment value.
@@Triangle26 thank you I'll leave it as is the previous owner wiped the exterior down so it will remain as is. Always appreciate your content articulate clear and concise keep up the good work it's very informative. Also, a big congratulations on your recent purchase/find .
Possible? Absolutely. I see no reason that the Chinese couldn’t have sent one or more to Vietnam, nor any reason why they couldn’t have been captured. That said, unless evidence to the contrary emerged, I would tend to assume it didn’t happen. The odds are just a little slim.
Mostly the same thoughts I had about the QBZ191, I honestly hadn’t heard of the 192 until reading your comment. It seems like an appropriate complement - in just the same way the U.S. supplements it’s 14.5 M4’s with 10.2s. The thing I would be curious about is how the 5.8x42 performs out of a short barrel. I assume it has similar compromises as 5.56, but I really don’t know.
@Triangle26 do you have a channel email sir? I think I stumbled across a "CCCP" marked sks for sale and need some help identifying if it looks correct. I have pictures I can share.
@@Triangle26 Found it. What I know for sure is that it's a triangle 636 with a 7-digit serial number beginning with 17. Imported by Kengs in Atlanta Ga. So, if I'm understanding correctly, which is questionable, appears to be a 1972. Whatcha think? 👍🍺
I’ve had Maby 8 sks but one I got 40$ was a short 18” Maby or 20 had a ball gas block crude machining no chrome in barrel and crude stamped # had side stock swivels wish I kept it. I assume it was a Vietnam bring back sold it for 100$ and thought I did well …. For a yr or so till I started missing it.
@@davidmullins3134 It was in Long Yan, Fu Jian Province, and is best known for making PolyTech branded AK’s in the 1980’s. If you want to see some great pictures from 386, find an article “Touring a Chinese AK47 Factory” by Garry James, Guns and Ammo dot com, June 30, 2016.
@Triangle26 just haven't seen any form 386 alot from 416 polytech, it's numbers matching, lighting bolt thread barrel, just thought strange combo with all old components seemingly from factory known for later Aks I planned on emailing pics, thanks for responding, your definitely the definitive source on sks info, and I agree I shunned them in younger years but now see there a great weapon all around
