Hello, From SE Michigan

[KCCO_SHADE]

New to the SKS universe and know next to nothing about them...

I acquired the new addition from a friend who was a POW in Vietnam. The story as I was told is that this particular rifle was used over there by someone in his unit that didn't make it home. The rifle came home w/ another member of his unit and a few years ago when he passed, his wife contacted my friend. Well, my friend has 2 messed up shoulders that prevent him from shooting anything other than a handgun. On top of the shoulders, he has more than enough memories and "souvenirs" to last him and kinda wanted to get the rifle out of his house...

I'm not 100% sure of the accuracy of the rifle's origin, but after shooting it, I know I want to shoot it more. lol. There are a few things I would like to do w/ it. stock, optics, bipod, etc. The rifle's new primary purpose will be a deer rifle (Never needed to take a shot longer than 100yds)

any info on how I can find the rifle's actual history would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[gregsthe1]

Greetings from SW Michigan! You will have to provide pics for anyone to give you any kind of info on it.

And I assume if it is even remotely possible that it is a legit bring-back, most here will tell you to leave it alone and to not swap stocks, add optics, or do/add anything else to it. But it is yours, so if you really want to then have at it!

Welcome aboard!!

[Phosphorus32]

Welcome from WA!  Glad to have you.

Yes, please post pictures of the full rifle and the markings and please don't do anything to it until we've had a chance to look it over. If it's a non import marked SKS you are on to something much more interesting than your run of the mill Chinese.

[running-man]

Greetings from NM, glad to have you on the boards! 

Most certainly listen to P32 on this one.  You might have one of the "big three" trinity rifles there (North Korean, East German, or NVA).  If so, it may be worth anywhere from $1000 to $3000+ depending on condition.  Even if it is a more common Chinese/Russian/Romanian SKS, it will still command a bit of a premium over a std. imported SKS of the same flavor.  If you can get a bit of history of how the firearm was acquired from your friend written down in a notarized document, you would have a nice memento and be able to sell it for a fair price instead of the oft repeated but hardly ever believed "A friend of a friend got this from Vietnam!" lottery that hardly anyone ever wins.

Photos are the best way to start, there are many experts here like P32 who will be able to dissect it quickly and tell you exactly what you have, who made it, and when it was approximately made.

See How to post photos

Once again, welcome to SKS-Files!

[carls sks]

hi and welcome. good to have you here. 

[Loose}{Cannon]

Welcome to the files...

Now please put down the tactical crap and slowly step away from the rifle! 

Pics of all receiver marking please... and are you able to find an importers mark?

[KCCO_SHADE]

Guess I should have included in the OP that there is already an aftermarket folding stock and red-dot scope on the rifle that I don't care for. It is more "tactical" than I would like it to be.

[KCCO_SHADE]

This is the only pic I have at the moment. I will get some more when I get home from work tonight

[Phosphorus32]

Oh, got it.  Thanks for the pic.  No worries about messing with it then, the original potential added value is gone, unless it came with all of the original metal and wood parts and that muzzle brake is just attached with a set screw or something instead of threading the barrel. 

We would still certainly be interested in pictures of the left receiver rail to tell you what you have. Looks like you'll have to pop it out of the stock to get a shot of the markings. You could post it over in the Altered SKS Rifles, General Discussion section for input on stocks and accessories.

[running-man]

No worries. We get excited when there's a possibility of an undocumented trinity rifle showing up in the wild. Based on the trigger group and the bayo lug (if they are original to the gun) you've probably got a 10+ mil Chinese type 56 there.  Nice enough gun, nothing terribly collectible or particularly valuable in its current chopped state. Since it's already modded beyond the point of no return, more mods aren't going to hurt anything.

Photos of the markings on the side of the receiver will narrow things down exactly. 


Edit. Just saw P32's reply. Good advice. 

[KCCO_SHADE]

Ok. Here are the pics I could get without takimg the scope mount off or removing the stock.

[Phosphorus32]

Well, it looks like the story was just a story. That was made in '78 and the last American out flew off the roof of the embassy in '75. Are there any import marks, perhaps at the muzzle end.

Still a good SKS that ought to give a lot of shooting enjoyment.

[KCCO_SHADE]

Not noticing any markings near the end of the muzzle.  I'll be sure to take pics of every marking I find when i disassemble it though

[running-man]

I agree with P32, you're likely going to find an import stamp somewhere on this one, perhaps on the receiver somewhere hidden by the scope mount.  [0141]'s have never been documented as having been used in Vietnam. There could always be a first time but that 23 year of production code likely means this one isn't going to be the one that proves it!

There are many neat afternarket accessories you can go with on this one. Did you have any particular stock or and scope/mount in mind?  What does it currently have on it?

[KCCO_SHADE]

As far as the stock goes, I really like the original, wooden stocks, but was told by a friend who's an armorer that it would need to be bedded. As opposed to a synthetic stock that's been lazer cut. The "Monte Carlo" style has peaked my interest. Haven't really looked into any other scope mounts yet.

[KCCO_SHADE]

Well, I stripped her down in order to clean her up and giver her a new outfit and got some more pics of numbers/markings.

[Phosphorus32]

There's your import stamp: CJA, Southfield, MI.

The bluing appears to be in good condition  I just noticed the mismatched bolt carrier. The last four digits are so close that I glossed over it. Any luck finding a replacement wooden stock yet?

[KCCO_SHADE]

Everything was in pretty rough shape and there were quite a few spots where surface rust was popping up. I found a spray called "Gunzilla" and when teamed with a soft, nylon wheel at about 1/2 speed from my dremel, the metal all came back to life! Don't get me wrong, it's not in "showroom new" condition, but it sure as hell doesn't look like its almost 40 years old or that it's been sitting, unprotected, in a basement for at least a decade...

I decided/was forced to go a different route w/ the stock... I noticed that I needed a new gas tube and couldn't find an original for under $70, used. I ended up finding a pretty good deal locally on a brand new, tapco intrafuse stock  w/ the matching hand guard/gas tube, so I went that route. Planned on having it back together last night and at the range today, but per my luck, ran into an issue... talked to a local gunsmith this afternoon and will try to get it to him tomorrow. My fingers are crossed rather tightly!