Prior to 2012, large batches of Chinese Type 56 SKSs hadn't been imported in the United States since 1994. The current regulations of the United States that relates to importing firearms from China (
27 CFR §447.52) has very specific conditions that weapons imported from proscribed countries (which China most certainly is) must meet, specifically:
(e) Applications for permits to import articles that were manufactured in, or have been in, a country or area proscribed under this section may be approved where the articles are covered by Category I(a) of the Import List (other than those subject to the provisions of 27 CFR Part 479), are importable as curios or relics under the provisions of 27 CFR 478.118, and meet the following criteria:
(1) The articles were manufactured in a proscribed country or area prior to the date, as established by the Department of State, the country or area became proscribed, or, were manufactured in a non-proscribed country or area; and
(2) The articles have been stored for the five year period immediately prior to importation in a non-proscribed country or area.
So to get a Chinese SKS into the United States, it needs to be produced before China became proscribed (1994), and it also needs to be stored for a 5 year period in a non-proscribed country. Additionally the general importation of surplus military weapons (
27 §CFR 478.118) dictates that a surplus military firearm
must be curio and relic to be imported:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, a licensed importer may import all rifles and shotguns classified by the Director as curios or relics, and all handguns classified by the Director as curios or relics that are determined to be generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. The importation of such curio or relic firearms must be in accordance with the applicable importation provisions of this part and the importation provisions of 27 CFR part 447. Curios or relics which fall within the definition of “firearm” under 26 U.S.C. 5845(a) must also meet the importation provisions of 27 CFR part 479 before they may be imported.
Who knew it was so hard to import an SKS?
In 2012, things began to get exciting. We had shipments of Chinese Type 56 carbines come in after almost 20 years! The first to arrive were imported by Century Arms International (CAI). Later in mid 2013, guns bearing the Interordinance (IO Inc. Monroe NC) import stamp were seen. By late 2013, the IO import mark was IO Inc. Palm Bay FL. In early 2014, the Tennessee Guns (TGI) marked Type 56 SKSs began to trickle in. By mid 2014, a noticeable difference in the type and quality of guns available at IO was seen. Close examination of the IO import mark punctuation shows that it had actually changed, indicating a third import batch.
Century Arms, Centerfire Systems, Classic Firearms, Atlantic Firearms, AIM Surplus, J&G Sales, Allan’s Armory, Copes Distributing, SOG, and Royal Tiger Imports (RTI is the retail arm of IO) are some of the many retailers that have sold these carbines.
Q: What guns came in with the 2012 CAI batch?A: Being the first import, it appears that CAI meticulously sorted their guns to only include low S/N triangle 26 (denoted here as /26\) guns. This meticulous sorting 100% ensured their C&R status and hence, their legality to be imported. We saw the following guns come in:
Six-digit S/N /26\, six-digit “DUP” S/N /26\, 2 million S/N /26\, and 3 million S/N /26\ guns: These guns are exactly what the names imply – very low serial numbered guns with a very distinct /26\ mark to the right of the S/N. The six-digit "DUP" guns were guns that were restamped with a 'new' S/N with a "DUP" suffix due to the regulations of
27 CFR §478.92 that state that an importer must not duplicate the S/N's on any other firearm.
How must licensed manufacturers and licensed importers identify firearms, armor piercing ammunition, and large capacity ammunition feeding devices?
(a)(1) Firearms. You, as a licensed manufacturer or licensed importer of firearms, must legibly identify each firearm manufactured or imported as follows:
(i) By engraving, casting, stamping (impressing), or otherwise conspicuously placing or causing to be engraved, cast, stamped (impressed) or placed on the frame or receiver thereof an individual serial number. The serial number must be placed in a manner not susceptible of being readily obliterated, altered, or removed, and must not duplicate any serial number placed by you on any other firearm. For firearms manufactured or imported on and after January 30, 2002, the engraving, casting, or stamping (impressing) of the serial number must be to a minimum depth of .003 inch and in a print size no smaller than 1⁄16 inch; and
The original matching stocks of the six-digit, six-digit "DUP", and 2 mil guns were bottom swivel, and the original matching stocks of the 3 mil series were either bottom swivel or side swivel. Many of these guns were restocked with replacement stocks with side swivels and some had Albanian and/or Russian replacement components such as bolt carriers and receiver covers. Condition of this batch ranged from good to very poor. Most guns had at least some rust if not pitting, very beat up wood with a good portion of them having cracked stocks, and some were missing or had damaged parts.
These guns have S/N’s that look like this:
Six-Digit /26\:
Six-Digit “DUP” /26\:
2 million S/N /26\:
3 million S/N /26\:
Q: What guns came in with the new 2013 & 2014 IO/TGI batches?A: Being the second import, it appears that IO/TGI didn’t take the care that CAI did about keeping the serial numbers well sorted within an exact range. They seemed to have gotten the ‘seconds’ that CAI either was unable or unwilling to export. There are very few of the six-digit /26\ through 3 mil /26\ guns seen here. Condition of these guns is generally about the same as the CAI batch if not slightly better.
We've seen the following carbines come in with the IO/TG batches:
'Ghost' guns: These are four, five, and six digit serial numbered guns that have
no factory stamp on the receiver. They have shown up both matching and non-matching and in various conditions from rust buckets to very nice, well preserved specimens. Original matching stocks for these all have bottom swivels, though many were restocked with replacement stocks.
These guns have S/Ns that look like this:
4 Digit Ghost:
5 Digit Ghost:
6 Digit Ghost:
Chinese letter guns: These are identified by their
single modern Roman letter prefix and four or five digit numeral in the S/N along with a /26\ stamp. They are in basically the same condition as the ghosts, with some really nice ones and some real ugly ones. The original matching S/N stocks all have side swivels, though as with the ghost guns, many have been restocked. It’s interesting to note that the C’s and G’s do not look like typical block Roman letters, but instead conform to perhaps an old English Roman typeface. See the
Jianshe Arsenal /26\ Progression sticky for more info.
These guns have S/Ns that look like this:
7 million S/N /26\ guns: These guns have the
五六式 (Wǔliù shì. Translates to: "5 6 Type") Chinese lettering on them. The receiver serial number is the full 7 million number while all the piece parts have only a 5 digit number on them. These guns were extremely rare in the early IO Monroe batch, but were seen more prominently in the TGI and late IO Palm Bay batches. The original, matching stocks for these guns all have side swivels.
These guns have S/Ns that look like this:
Soviet or Russian guns (also called 'sneak Russians'): These guns are just what the name suggests, they are true Russian Type 45 SKSs manufactured in the USSR from 1949 through 1958 and sent to China sometime after their usefulness to the motherland was over. These guns are easily identified by the single or more usually encountered dual
Cyrillic letter prefix in front of the 1, 2, 3, or 4 numeral S/N. It is somewhat rare to find an all matching Russian gun in this IO/TGI batch as most seem have had the receiver covers swapped out, but all matching specimens do exist.
There have been some Russian carbines (but
far fewer than the ghost or Chinese letter carbines) in this shipment, even though they are
all marked "Type 56, China" by the importers. This led to a bit of confusion when these first came out with many inexperienced owners not understanding what they had. A true Russian will have one or two Cyrillic characters in the receiver S/N, no /26\ stamp, Russian proof markings, a Russian birch stock (if original to the carbine) with correct red shellac and sometimes a legible Tula/Izhevsk stock cartouche.
Early on in these imports, it seemed that every receiver cover that bore a Tula or Izhevsk stamp on it was replaced with a mismatched cover. Then it was noticed that certain covers from Russian guns that have no receiver cover arsenal stampings (ie. later than 1955) were left with their respective Russian guns. That led to the speculation that that the covers were removed to 'hide' the fact that these guns are indeed of Russian origin and ‘sneak’ them into the country. It is currently illegal to import Russian SKSs based on
27 CFR §447.52 so either the ATF/Importers missed these few Russians in the shipment, or they (more likely) didn't get caught with them until now, a full year after retail sales began.
I received word from RTI that all Russians sold by them from April 2014 on have been culled from this batch:
We separated the Russian SKS’s from the Chinese SKS’s, as they were sent to us in error. They were given to ATF to be destroyed, to my knowledge.
These guns have S/Ns that look like this:
Q: My S/N consists of _________, when was it made?A: This one is tricky. The correct answer is nobody truly knows. As more evidence comes in, we can narrow things down more and more. Unfortunately, the Chinese never released official production figures and dates.
Please see the
Q: When was my Chinese Type 56 SKS made? thread for a detailed analysis.
Q: Why do I keep hearing these carbines are Albanian?A: These carbines are
not Albanian manufacture. They are Chinese Type 56 SKSs fabricated in China. They were, however, exported as aid from China to eastern Europe (what we believe is Albania) during the Cold War as China was the only major ally of Albania after the Sino-Soviet split of 1961.
Q: Why do we believe these imports came from Albania?A: The trench art seen on the stock of many of the previous CAI Imports (sold during the Fall/Winter of 2012 by Century International Arms and subsequently resold by numerous other firearms shops) is pretty consistent in using Albanian names, locations, and important dates:
Century was very tight lipped about where their batch came from, offering absolutely no information when asked bout their origins. They implied that they didn't want to lose the exclusivity of this deal with their supplier that could happen if word got out. The timing of the IO and TGI imports so soon afterwards and their similarity (with subtle differences) to the CAI imports suggests a connection. The trench art that showed up on the IO import carbines looks very similar to the CAI Albanian trench art. We also have other confirmations like
this on from a guy who deals with ATF on the Mosin-Nagant boards.
Q: My stock doesn't match/doesn't have a S/N, what's the story on that?!A: Replacement stocks on these Type 56 SKSs come in three main flavors:
- Chinese/Russian origin stocks taken off of scavenged guns. These are stocks that were in good enough shape to scavenge from guns that may have been taken out of service for one reason or another. They could be original blade bayonet hardwood or laminate stocks with a bottom swivel, original blade bayonet stocks with a side swivel, or original spike bayonet stocks (with a corresponding spike bayonet groove and second reinforcing pin) with bottom or side swivels. These stocks always seem to have non-matching, Chinese or Russian S/Ns (The Albanians didn't seem to care whether a replacement stock S/N matched the carbine like the Russians did with their XXX'd or carefully sanded refurbs).
- Albanian replacement stocks modified prior to final finishing to conform to a blade configuration Chinese Type 56 configuration. These stocks appear to be made out of beech wood (they have the telltale beech wood 'fish scales'). Albanian replacement stocks were made from partially completed Albanian blanks that were originally intended to go on an Albanian model 561 (10th of July) SKS. As such, these stocks were much longer to fit the extended wood contour of the Albanian SKS. They did not, however, all have the spike bayonet groove cut, the side swivel mortice, or the dual hole cavity in the buttplate. Of all the examples I've seen, I've never seen a serial number on any of those stocks. These stocks are often identifiable by the large overhang where the stock meets the front ferrule. The original longer length means there is much more wood here and the Albanians didn't always finish these areas nicely. Notice the very distinct 'fish scale' pattern of the wood (assumed to be beech) in the second photo. This is something you won't see on Chinese or Russian hardwood stocks!
- Albanian cut down stocks taken from finished Albanian model 561 (10th of July) stocks. These stocks have the spike bayonet groove, side sling swivel mortice, and dual hole cavity in the butt. They often (but not always) will have a dual hole buttplate, but single buttplates have been seen on them. It is unknown whether these stocks were taken off decommissioned Albanian SKS carbines or whether they were almost completed, new old stock (NOS) stocks pulled from inventory and converted to fit a Chinese type 56 SKS. I suspect most were NOS, as very few, if any, exist (to my knowledge) with old S/Ns.
Sometimes you will see a mixture of features from the two types of Albanian stocks like a proper blade groove, but dual buttplate specific cavities with a dual set of trapdoors and side swivels. The Albanians used whatever they had available, nothing was ever wasted. There have been numerous examples of the wrong type of sling swivel placed on the stock. When they put the wrong kind of swivel on the stock, the result is
very noticeable.
Q: Is the Chinese Type 56 SKS a C&R rifle?A: Yes, if they are 50+ years old. Please see the
Are Chinese SKSs Classified as Curio and Relics (C&R)? post for a detailed explanation.
The vendors of the recent CAI, IO, and TG imports have been advertising them as C&R eligible. The only way they can do this is by having rock solid information confirming that the rifles are 50+ years old. What that information is, we don't know, as stated before CAI has released
no information on these imports. Perhaps additional information will come out that will clarify things for us in the future. For now, I would suggest saving all receipts, invoices, and paperwork received with the rifle and passing that on to the next buyer should you decide to sell.
I suspect that once the door opens a little bit and people start asking questions about other very similar Chinese Type 56 SKSs that are not imported by the above, the BATF will eventually have to either allow anything under a certain S/N be a C&R, or will be forced to concede that the /26\ + S/N system is a valid way of determining the age of a rifle.
Q: What import batches have been identified?A: There are several import batches identified since the first CAI imports of late 2012. These appear to be:
- CAI, imported ~4Q 2012: These were all Chinese factory /26\ guns. There were S/N with six-digits, six-digits + "DUP", 2 million, or 3 million series. Imported by CAI with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this:
C.A.I. GEORGIA VT.
CHINA SKS TYPE 56 7.62 x 39
- IO, imported ~1Q 2013 (IO #1): These guns are primarily Chinese letter guns, Chinese ‘ghosts’, & Russian ‘sneaks’. A very few 3 million /26\ guns were seen in this batch as well. Imported by IO Inc. with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this:
I.O. INC.,MONROE, NC
M 56, 7.62X39, CHINA
- IO, imported ~3Q 2013 (IO #2): (Note that IO relocated from Monroe, NC to Palm Bay, FL ~August 2013.) These guns are primarily Chinese letter guns, Chinese ‘ghosts’, & Russian ‘sneaks’. A few 2 million /26\ guns were seen in this batch and this was the first of the batches where a 7 million /26\ surfaced. Imported by IO Inc. with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this:
I.O. INC. PALM BAY FL
M.56 7.62X39,CHINA
- TGI, imported ~1Q 2014 (TGI #1): These guns are primarily Chinese letter guns, Chinese ‘ghosts’, & Russian ‘sneaks’. A few Chinese 2 & 3 million /26\ guns were seen in this batch. Imported by Tennessee Guns International with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this:
SKS 7.62x39 JIANSHE CHINA TGI KNOX TN
- IO, imported ~2Q 2014 (IO #3): These guns are primarily Chinese ‘ghosts’ & Chinese 7 million /26\ guns. The Russian ‘sneaks’ were notably absent from this import, either having been culled after or sorted before import. A few six digit, 2 million, 3 million, and letter series /26\ guns were seen in this batch. Imported by IO Inc. with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this (note the different punctuation from the IO #2 stamp):
IO INC,PALM BAY,FL
M56 7.62X39 CHINA
- TGI, imported ~4Q 2014 (TGI #2): These guns are primarily Chinese 7 million /26\ guns. A few Chinese six digit, 2 million, 3 million, and letter /26\ guns were seen in this batch. Imported by Tennessee Guns International with dot matrix style import lettering stamped on the barrel that looks like this (note the two lines vs the single line of TGI #1):
SKS 7.62X39 JIANSHE
CHINA TGI KNOX TN
The importer's stamp on all these guns for these batches are located in this general area on the barrel on the right side of the gun, in dot matrix ('billboard') style font.
The TGI is often more often beneath the barrel (where the bayonet folds stowed) and even on the left side than on the right.
The early IO Palm Bay guns have notoriously poorly struck stamps and may not be legible:
-RM
Photos from various auction sites and internet postings are used under 17 U.S. Code § 107, fair use, not for profit educational purposes. If any of the photos in this post are yours and you explicitly do not want them shown, please contact me.
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