I got this beater at an auction for $215. Another one of those Charlie Brown bringing home the Christmas tree projects. It was sold as poor, non functioning. I figured it'd be worth the parts even if I couldn't get it running. Turns out, some brilliant gangbanger had left out the op rod and apparently fired it, because the gas piston was jammed hard inside the op rod spring in the channel. I cut off a piece of 1/16" steel rod, placed the muzzle end down on a piece of carpet on a concrete floor, and banged away on the rod until the gas piston dislodged. It was undamaged, so one $7 delivered op rod later and it was back to functioning.
Metal wasn't too bad. Certainly quite a bit of bluing loss and some surface rust in spots that I managed to clear up fairly well with oil, bronze wool and a brass brush. The buttplate needed some pounding with a steel rod on the clean concrete to get it back in reasonable shape. Also had to supply a spare lower swing swivel from my parts bin.
If it was an early Chinese I would have left the stock alone, but given that this is a "recent" import commercial variant and the stock looked like beat up driftwood, I decided to clean and recoat with shellac. I used a mix of garnet and amber flake shellac dissolved in denatured ethanol and applied four coats with steel wool between.
It's interesting to me just because it's a "commercial" Norinco but still in straight up Type 56 configuration. So it book ends my Chinese collection with the early Chinese from 36 years earlier. Pressed/pinned barrel, no lightening cuts, riveted spike bayonet (never installed, or removed?), only 4 serial numbers: receiver, stock, bolt and bolt carrier. CSI Import mark "# 8", last style.
BEFORE & AFTER
4 SERIAL NUMBERS
OTHER PICTURES