I'm stumped? Calling the Great SKS Gods Please!

[Weldrdave]

This morning, I took the SKS out to my work shop and brought it down to parade rest.  I looked it over, called my Daughter up and asked her to come over and peek at this, 30 year old eyes are better than 60,  then the wife... No markings of "any kind" that say China or any other Country.  We combed it with a magnifying glass  , 3 sets of eyes and not so much as a stamp anywhere else.  I had the gas tube out already and nothing under there either.  Here are the pics, if anyone see's something that needs to be looked at, chime in Please.  I don 't know what else to say except this is a very "Incognito" rifle!  .   Pics below.

[echo1]

I have an as new spiker with similar features, no arsenal or made in China stamp. Mine is scrubbed of numbers except the receiver serial, and it's done twice. Once by the arsenal, then a dot matrix by the importer. PAX

[Phosphorus32]

Well covered above.

It’s a late 1980s rifle assembled for the civilian market from a mix of metal components and a new non-serialized stock.

The “762x39 CAI, St A Vt.” is definitely an early CAI import, right after their initial use of a receiver cover import marking. The absence of CHINA is odd. Light strike? New variant of import mark? A good picture of the import markings would be great.

Certainly a good buy these days!

Very good buy.  That's a nice clean SKS. 

I would say that import stamp is a new one just based on the position and the unique wording.  It's likely a multi-piece stamp where the "SKS" and "CHINA" portions were either forgotten or were not yet implemented.  Probably goes somewhere among CAI #1 to CAI #3 on the importers list.

Weldrdave, I consider RM the principal authority on these (his picture library exceeds everyone else's combined SKS collection and he composed the import mark list), so I'd say you have a new import mark. It looks like it's between CAI #2 and CAI #3 to me, based on location and the "ST. A. VT." style. Check out the hot link that RM posted. It's close to example #29 on his list but predates it.

[Weldrdave]

Well covered above.

It’s a late 1980s rifle assembled for the civilian market from a mix of metal components and a new non-serialized stock.

The “762x39 CAI, St A Vt.” is definitely an early CAI import, right after their initial use of a receiver cover import marking. The absence of CHINA is odd. Light strike? New variant of import mark? A good picture of the import markings would be great.

Certainly a good buy these days!

Very good buy.  That's a nice clean SKS. 

I would say that import stamp is a new one just based on the position and the unique wording.  It's likely a multi-piece stamp where the "SKS" and "CHINA" portions were either forgotten or were not yet implemented.  Probably goes somewhere among CAI #1 to CAI #3 on the importers list.

Weldrdave, I consider RM the principal authority on these (his picture library exceeds everyone else's combined SKS collection and he composed the import mark list), so I'd say you have a new import mark. It looks like it's between CAI #2 and CAI #3 to me, based on location and the "ST. A. VT." style. Check out the hot link that RM posted. It's close to example #29 on his list but predates it.

I guess this is quite the Odd Duck! 

[Larry D.]

Cool rifle, Dave.

And for this day and age, a pretty good deal.

[Weldrdave]

Cool rifle, Dave.

And for this day and age, a pretty good deal.

Thank you very much!  It is kinda neat that it has (No) markings, I wasn't aware it was possible.  For me, fairly new at owning the SKS rifles compared to some, it was a head scratcher.   Never seen one like this.

[Phosphorus32]

It's normal for these 1980s/1990s put together guns to have few or no process/inspection markings, since they were done commercially, not under military inspection control.

[Weldrdave]

Great Info Phosphorus32 . Now if I ever come across another, I'll know what it is!  I had no idea they did that.     What's funny is, I've been to a few gun shows over the years and really never paid attention to that.  Most of the SKS's I picked up to look at,  at the shows were, Severely over priced in my mind  and they were sitting. 

[BMont]

Great find  on a nice rifle .. good price as others have said.  Congrats.