Perhaps a Vietnam war trophy

[likemeasks]

I originally posted this question on the C&R forum but it is suggested to re-post it here. I found this /26\ Chinese SKS at a local pawn shop. I make it a practice to visit all of these shops every few months looking for a firearm that screams "YOU SHOULD BUY ME"! Based on the dating formula accepted here it is a 1967 built all numbers matching military issue unit. The stock may be the exception as it is not serial numbered at all. Further there are no importers markings anywhere that I can find. The pawn story is a guy about 30 yrs old came in to sell it saying he had no use for it. When the sales person saw my interest in it he decided the price he was asking was too low. I didn't move on it at first cause I wanted to do research and posted questions in the C&R forum. Went back a few days later and the price had jumped x2. I talked with the manager and reminded him I helped him on a collectible '75 AR15. He thought it was a Bubba put together and when I researched it turned out to be a Colt Collectible that Colt valued at $2500+ (he was asking $500). So after a little arm twisting I got the SKS for $350 out the door.
So here is Yang Child in all its glory.
































So that's Yang Child, wish I could get the pawn shop to give me a lead on the guy that sold it to them. Would be nice to know for sure how it got here without an importers' mark. Because of the cold/rainy season down here in South Louisiana a visit out to the range has not been possible. But with a little luck I may get a break tomorrow. If it happens I'll follow up with a shooting report.

Charlie

[echo1]

Nice git. Although non-import marked rifles aren't that common, they're not that rare either. I've had/have several, with only one being claimed to be an unpapered bring back mismatched mongrel dog. I believe it was, the vets widow said: "He brought it back from over there". Looked the part, and she just wanted it gone, for dirt, so I was more than happy to oblige her. It was cheap, beat, shot poorly, and I used it for trade fodder. PAX

[carls sks]

nice one, you did good Charlie. 

[Stoned_Oli]

Pretty sweet deal in this day and age. The stock should be bottom swivel on a 12 mil.

[Loose}{Cannon]

My opinion....  Oh boy, here goes. 

Papers are crap.        how many people have a printer?

Seriously, I would be more concerned if it DID have papers.  Think about it... Papers bring big coin right?  Then papers would be motivation for faking.... All there is to it.   

My second point is this.  To date, not a single NON /26\ has been verified with no import mark that hasn't been suspect of grinding, paint, missing rear cover etc.  I mention the cover because century had an early import mark that was on the cover which can easily be swapped out, so stay away from one with a mismatch or blank cover.  That being said, if what people claim to be true is accurate, that 'guns missed the import stamp all the time' were true.  Then why are they ONLY /26\ guns!?!?   /26\ represents MAYBE 10% of the guns imported, so where are all the NON /26\ guns with no import stamp?!?!  Think about it...  If this were true, we should be seeing MANY times more non /26\ guns not having a stamp.  But nooooooo   not a single darn one!   

You add all that to the simple fact we DO NOT have any verified non /26\ gun to have come out of Nam.....   Do the math. 

Keep in mind, nobody pays big coin for one.  Maybe 100 to 150 over current standard value.

[likemeasks]

WOA! , kinda sounds like things are getting a little heated here. I'll be the first to say that the stock does not seem correct for the build time of this rifle, does not have numbers, sling swivel in in wrong place, and from what I can tell it seems to be for a long barrel nut and this is a short nut unit. Look close and the hand guard wood is slightly off color and finish does not match the stock. I have looked all over this unit and do not find an importer's marking anywhere nor do I find signs of it being ground off. The key to this rifle would be if I could track the guy that sold it to the pawn shop but they won't give any details because of his rights to privacy. I respect that and am happy with the purchase I made. I just wish the damn weather down here could match up with my off shift times so I could get to the range and find out how it throws metal.
I thank all of you guys for your input and respect all the opinions expressed. Years ago I sold off my Yugo because bubba had fukayed the barrel all up taking the launcher tube off. I put a lot of work in trying to return that rifle to what it should have been but never could get the frt. sight right or make it to shoot worth a crap. From what I can tell all Yang Child needs is a trip out to the range a few times a year for exercise and rest its pretty self in the gun case with the rest of my uncommon fire sticks.

Charlie

[Loose}{Cannon]

No heat.   

The years found having came back as 'bringbacks' also include short barrel lug rifles.  The stock could have been replaced here, or there.  Many had very rough stocks, so this would not be uncommon.

[likemeasks]

Well Guys For sure today Yang Child proved he is worth every cent I spent and more. Went to the rifle range (weather finally gave me a break) at 50 yards this weapon shoots better than I can see. Hopefully my attempt to post a picture works.



high res image hosting
This was after sighting in to my vision and style. I was using Tula 122gr. jhp for ammo. The target is a standard 8 inch with a 3 inch sticky on the center. Some of the practice shots grouped a little tighter but this is a good "average"example. As I said the rifle shoots better than the shooter. I'm not even going to think about fukaying things up by attempting to add a scope. "This is my rifle, there are many like it, but this one is mine!"

Charlie

[firstchoice]

You're making me jealous likemeasks!    We're sitting at 0 degrees w/o wind chill and there's 6 inches of "weather" on my truck. In my time, I have discovered that I am NOT a cold weather person.      Still trying to figure out how to make the Ozarks a tropical climate, dang it.

That's decent shooting, for sure. I thought about mounting a scope on one of mine, a long time ago. No need for 'em on these rifles, IMO. They're good for the range that they were designed for and not much good ballistically at long ranges. I have a complete "Cowboy Companion" setup, but have never fired it, myself. I don't know exactly how accurate the Navy Arms offerings actually were. I need to check that out some day, using various ammo types. Just need to get some of that balmy weather back this way now.    Even some 30-40 degree weather would feel balmy right now. 

firstchoice

[likemeasks]

Thanks for the complements, open sights 50 yrds is about the furthest I can see well enough to shoot and not just waste ammo. I'm cursed with being far sighted in my left eye and near sighted in my dominate (right) eye. The two of them fight for who will spot the target and who will focus the front post. It's sooo much easier with a scope. I have an attachment from a company (I think) call Ghost Sights that I tried to use on a fukayed up Yugo SKS but even that could not make up for the bubba'd barrel. You remove the rear sight ramp and install this alum. base and use a scout scope . It really does lock the scope down well but the ejected cartridges strike the rear eye piece of the scope. This shoot trip was using the cheap Tula steel case ammo. I have a reload worked up using the Hornady 7.62 SST bullet I shoot in my CZ 527 bolt action. With an average Nikon 3-9x40 at 100 yds it makes pretty little 1" rosettes. We'll see how well this rifle can do with that load.

Hope Old Man Winter backs off of you guys up there. He's been a pain down here lately. In the teens w/ snow & sleet at night and upper 20/low 30s in the day. Being only 40 mls off the Gulf the humidity averages 80+%. Cold goes through any clothes and down to the bone.

Charlie   

[sagesbrush]

You could have the pawn store call the seller of the SKS and leave your phone number. Have the pawn store say your a collector and are interested in any history that might go with the rifle. I did that one time. The seller called me and I ended up buying a second bring back that they had.

[likemeasks]

It would be worth a try. Even though I'm on a friendly basis with the Pawn Shop I won't put to much hope in them giving me any further details.

Charlie

[Tvchance]

This bolt does not have the lightening cut. It was my understanding (And I could be absolutely wrong on this) that bolts made without the lightening cuts were made just for commercial export. Does anyone know if this is accurate?

[firstchoice]

  I don't recall exactly what year the Chinese Bolt Carriers went from using the lightening cut to the later smooth-sided BC. RM could probably throw that date at ya'.

Apparently, there were at least some of the '67's that had the lightening cut BC as this one is all-matching 12 mil w/the cut.

Correction: I was looking at Tvchance's rifle in another post and transposed that into my comment here, somehow.    Apologies! As RM and Power Surge said, the lightening cuts ended in '66.

  Hopefully,the data mining experts can shed more light on that for you.

  firstchoice

[running-man]

  I don't recall exactly what year the Chinese Bolt Carriers went from using the lightening cut to the later smooth-sided BC. RM could probably throw that date at ya'. Apparently, there were at least some of the '67's that had the lightening cut BC as this one is all-matching 12 mil w/the cut. Hopefully,the data mining experts can shed more light on that for you.

  firstchoice

I've never heard that non-lightening cut carriers were somehow tied to commercial export, that's a brand new one to me.   
I wouldn't put much stock in that TV, we know that the lightening cut changed in the middle of the 11 mil /26\s (1966), somewhere between S/N 11107197 & 11123563. 

Late scrubbed & reworked guns (a small portion of the std. type 56 commercial imports) could have any combination of parts running the gambit from original parts with original S/N's to mismatching replacement parts to replacement parts from any era with scrubbed and restamped S/N's

[Matchka]

Looks like the 'cousin' of my 11million in almost every way! (Recent post) Nize!