North Korean Type 63

[Phosphorus32]

This is one that popped up on Gunboards back in May. Another fine member there beat me to it by a minute  The owner of the gun shop was on the phone with the buyer when I called the other line. He posted a few pics when he picked it up and it was clear that at some point the stock had been stripped of shellac. Nevertheless, it's just number 32 in our serial number database.

Roll forward about 6-7 weeks, the owner contacted me and said, things had come up, he needed to move it, and asked if I wanted it for what he had into it; a collector-to-collector price Took me a few nanoseconds to consider before saying yes, and a few weeks to free up the funds but it arrived on Monday, ensconced in a hard case and in good shape.

It has plenty of signs of use and storage in a humid climate, the famous "jungle patina". The chrome-lined bore is excellent. The gas block lever was frozen when I received it but a bit of an oil soak and some gentle torque and it came free. Everything functions as it should. The design of the gas block for the grenade launcher (not included) seems quite crude, especially compared to the well engineered Yugoslavian M59/66. A star nut holds it on and the lever on mine I imagine could easily flop into the closed position under firing. Rather inconvenient in a firefight.

When I'm excited I take a lot of pictures, so here they are 





































DRAIN HOLE?






OPEN


CLOSED

[Bob_The_Student]

Awesome P32!  ... Glad it worked out after just missing out earlier in the year. Is it sleeping in your bed with you tonight?? 

[Phosphorus32]

Awesome P32!  ... Glad it worked out after just missing out earlier in the year. Is it sleeping in your bed with you tonight?? 

Thanks!

No, my wife’s at home. Besides, if I did, I might have bad dreams about the three Kims 

[Loose}{Cannon]

Congrats man!

If you take away the crude gas shut-off, I think they have the best build quality of any country.... Just my opinion. 

Drain hole?  Don't think mine or any of the others have that hole.... Hope it wasn't done by the guy who stripped is as a means of hanging it on a wire or coat hanger when stripping.   

[Phosphorus32]

Yeah, who knows. I’ve never seen a hole there in any SKS but I’ve only held one North Korean and have never seen a pic of the bayonet groove on one.

[carls sks]

very neat, has to be rare (never seen one). thanks for sharing.  -----> going to put some shellac (or something) on the stock?

[Phosphorus32]

very neat, has to be rare (never seen one). thanks for sharing.  -----> going to put some shellac (or something) on the stock?

Quite rare. 32 of them in our serial number data. They only came into the US as bringbacks from Vietnam.

I’ll leave the stock alone. If the veteran who brought it back did it, so be it. If some later owner stripped it, shame on them.

[Bob_The_Student]

Although, someone thought they had a great idea "improving" that stock... I say this, you have an SKS that, as you stated, that only 31 others are known to have in the US. With that I wouldn't care or dwell on the stock. Be proud, as I'm sure you are, to have what many of us will never see in person, let alone own. As stated above, I'm glad it ended up with you after reading you just missed it on the forums awhile back. Enjoy it and I won't be mad if you post more photos of it from different angles and showing anything else that is "uncommon" on that variant etc......

[Phosphorus32]

Although, someone thought they had a great idea "improving" that stock... I say this, you have an SKS that, as you stated, that only 31 others are known to have in the US. With that I wouldn't care or dwell on the stock. Be proud, as I'm sure you are, to have what many of us will never see in person, let alone own. As stated above, I'm glad it ended up with you after reading you just missed it on the forums awhile back. Enjoy it and I won't be mad if you post more photos of it from different angles and showing anything else that is "uncommon" on that variant etc......

Yeah, I'm a bit more tolerant with Vietnam bringback finishes. If the vet did it I really have no right to judge, he earned it. If some later owner did it, I'm far less generous in my feelings  Regardless it's a rare piece that I'm proud to have.

I think most of the unique features are shown. The gas cut-off, the stock pins/cross bolts, solid wood handguard on the Type 63, some differences in the bayonet knurling, length of bluing on the blade, lack of lightening cuts on the bayonet lug, and of course the markings. Everything else is as Simonov intended 

I've added a few more comparison pics with a Russian below to illustrate those points. I'm juxtaposing the Type 63 with an as-issued 1958 Tula SKS-45 (this one lost its shellac through honest use in Albania. Numbers all match and teh bayonet is staked).

Type 63


SKS-45



In all of the following, Type 63 on top, SKS-45 on bottom

[jmaurer]

Phosphorus, congratulations! Just a thought on the stock: if it doesn't look like it's been sanded, and depending upon the care with which the shellac was originally applied, it may well be as it was found. My East German Karabiner S was at an intermediary stage when I found it: some large patches of shellac missing on the exterior surfaces of the stock, and when the rifle was disassembled, shellac on interior surfaces flaking off in large bits. I didn't touch a thing and put it all back together without touching any of the shellac flakes. I always imagined it was somewhat like a "freeze/thaw" or frost-heaving effect: a bit of jungle moisture gets through the shellac, the wood expands, and the shellac flakes off with repeated cycles as the rifle is captured and removed from crappy cache storage, brought to the States and dries out, and then is variably stored afterward. Just a thought. But again, glad that you got it!

[Loose}{Cannon]

Sheeeeeelacka lacka lacka.   

[martin08]

Congrats, P32, and a big one.

Drain hole?  Yep.  There would be no other reason for it.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Wow..  yours has the hole also?

I'll have to look at mine when I get home in two days.

[Phosphorus32]

Congrats, P32, and a big one.

Drain hole?  Yep.  There would be no other reason for it.

Thanks very much M08!

[Direct Connection]

That's a serious contender Phos. How did your other sksz react when they heard theres a new sheriff in town😁👍

[Larry D.]

Thanks for posting that.
I've never seen one.

[firstchoice]

Congratulations on the North Korean Type 63 aquisition, P32!  I've seen only a few here online, I've held none in my hands, and chances that I will own one are very slim. So, it's sure good to see you get one so nice and even priced "reasonable", as much as that word applies to one of the Trinity rifles.    Our board has a strong showing of NK Type 63 owners for the 32 known pieces in private hands. 

Thanks for showing it and the great pics you supplied for the post. Photography is something I need to improve on so that I can someday take proper photos of pieces that I'm also proud of.

Just a quick question, was the gas shut off used on these rifles soley for a Grenade Launching device of some type? Or is there another purpose in mind? 

firstchoice

[Phosphorus32]

Congratulations on the North Korean Type 63 aquisition, P32!  I've seen only a few here online, I've held none in my hands, and chances that I will own one are very slim. So, it's sure good to see you get one so nice and even priced "reasonable", as much as that word applies to one of the Trinity rifles.    Our board has a strong showing of NK Type 63 owners for the 32 known pieces in private hands. 

Thanks for showing it and the great pics you supplied for the post. Photography is something I need to improve on so that I can someday take proper photos of pieces that I'm also proud of.

Just a quick question, was the gas shut off used on these rifles soley for a Grenade Launching device of some type? Or is there another purpose in mind? 

firstchoice

Thanks! They definitely don't come cheap. I appreciate the compliment on my photos.  The only purpose of the cutoff lever is for grenade launching, as far as I know.

[Phosphorus32]

That's a serious contender Phos. How did your other sksz react when they heard theres a new sheriff in town😁👍

  I think they're okay. They were all members of the Communist Bloc, at least in ideology...if an inanimate object can have an ideology 

[Phosphorus32]

Thanks for posting that.
I've never seen one.

You're welcome! Thanks.