Finally getting around to getting all the cosmoline off of the group buy SKS (yeah, yeah, I know) and I started trying to figure out the numbers and markings. Now I have a headache and I'm really confused. And half blind.
The only time you can tell by serial number is if it was made at the #26 arsenal - you will see a triangle with a stylized 26 in it /26 THen the first digits after the 3 chinese characters represent the number of years from 1956. As China was the single largest supplier of the SKS to North Vietnam, and as the serial numbering sequence of serial-only guns followed only too conveniently into the /26 marked guns as in the link below, it is pretty much a lock for Chinese manufacture. For Romanian SKS Rifles: The Romanian SKS rifles check the end of the serial number, there is a dash followed by four numbers, this is the year produced. For Chinese SKS Rifles: To get the year of manufacture, add the first digit in the serial number to 1956. Is there a non destructive method for recovering a ground off serial number from a receiver? SKS, SKS serial numbers, SKS prices, Russian, Chinese, Korean, German, Albanian, Romanian, Polish, 7.62x39 caliber, rifle, Gun Collections Online.
How many numbers are there on an SKS and where are they located?The SKS has a conventional layout, with a wooden stock and rifle grip. It is a gas-operated rifle that has a spring-loaded bolt carrier and a gas piston rod that work to unlock and cycle the action via gas pressure exerting pressure against them. This rifle only has a five-digit serial number. The LGS said it was a Norinco, but everything I've found has shown that is not possible. As I've said the ONLY markings on the rifle are the 5-digit serial numbers in the places listed below. Here's what I know about the rifle I now own:-Serial number is low. It's five numbers only, with the first two being zeros, so it is one of the first thousand.-Serial number is located on the left side of the stock, perpendicular to the barrel.
I have one that has the same number on the magazine bottom, trigger guard, reciever, & bolt carrier, but has a different marking on the rear housing and a different number on the stock. The other one is even more random. IIRC, the group buy was for Chinese Model 56 SKS's, but these seem to be rather 'multi-national'.I'm completely unconcerned about having a 'matching number' gun, but I am interested in where all the different parts might have come from and the age of the pieces.
Rifle Serial Number Lookup
There are lots of internet spots that help with deciphering numbers, but I can't find one that tells me everywhere the numbers/symbols might be located.Anybody that can help me out or point me to a website that can?
Sks Rifle Serial Number Location
So today I picked up an SKS from one of my local LGS. I'm not too knowledgeable about them, admittedly, but upon research once I got home, this rifle seems to be part of the 'unknown.' All research I've done in the past few hours shows that all SKS' made have a serial number along with a manufacturer, or a factory they were made in (signified by a shape and a number usually), etc.. This rifle only has a five-digit serial number. The LGS said it was a Norinco, but everything I've found has shown that is not possible. As I've said the ONLY markings on the rifle are the 5-digit serial numbers in the places listed below.
Here's what I know about the rifle I now own:
-Serial number is low. It's five numbers only, with the first two being zeros, so it is one of the first thousand.
-Serial number is located on the left side of the stock, perpendicular to the barrel. It is also on the back of the receiver, on the left side towards the rear of the receiver, on the top of the bolt, on the bottom of the magazine (attached, not a detachable type), and on the bottom of the trigger guard.
-The bayonet is the spiked type, not a blade, and it is a quick release type
-Rear sight release is of the early type, as seen below:
-Rear sight leaf has the '3' at the bottom, as seen below:
-Trigger group is milled, indicating an early-mid production.
-Wood stock has the sling swivel on the bottom, and then the front part of the sling mounts at the end where the gas tube and barrel meet.
Any thoughts or ideas?
To those who respond, if you have any links to info you find that specifically shows instances where guns like this have been identified, that'd be appreciated.