NVN SKS on Gunbroker

[owenj492]

Very interesting.....

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/845507884

[running-man]

Mislabeled and misleading auction.  Should be titled "1958 Chinese type 56 with inconclusive receiver stamp and a cracked, possibly, force matched stock with an NVA star 1 stamp".

$2k starting bid for that gun is crazy talk.  It may deserve a slight premium, but it is not worth a trinity rifle valuation. 

[Phosphorus32]

Yeah, this one was discussed over on Gunboards, post #12 and below. I'm highly skeptical, to say the least  He's selling both of the SKSs shown in his thread, the letter gun he's starting at the bargain price of $1K 

https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?1119825-Chinese-Letter-J-series

[Boris Badinov]

He's a scammer.

My guess is that both the J series gun and the 3rd year gun are the products of his (or one of his compatriot's) handiwork.

[Boris Badinov]

Mislabeled and misleading auction.  Should be titled "1958 Chinese type 56 with inconclusive receiver stamp

I think this is the 3rd NVA/56 I've seen. (Possibly four)

Why is that whenever one of these "Star-1 /26\" carbines pops up, the metal stamps are always extremely partial to virtually indistinguishable? And the intact stock stamps are different on each example in size, style and font and placement?

[running-man]

I wouldn't go so far as to call him a scammer, there's no need for such silly unfounded accusations.  Let's debate the gun, not the seller. 

I don't doubt that the stampings *could* have been stamped at some NVA refurb.  There is some precedence for star 1 markings on obviously non-NVA produced weapons.  I guess I simply don't have the knowledge to be able to say for certain one way or the other what this beastie actually is.  My criticism of the prices is based on the fact that the gun is a Chinese type 56, not an NVA SKS.  NVA marks, in my opinion, are not something that greatly improves the collectability of a firearm, they are too rare and too iffy to move the needle into trinity gun range.  Sometimes you just have to say "I don't know"; it makes you a more knowledgeable collector in the long run because it forces you to search for an answer and learn...

No idea why the receiver stamps are light.  Perhaps the steel is too hard for the type of stamping they are trying to perform at the refurb facility.  The fact that it is not in the same spot as a typical NVA star 1 and also not as deep says to me that it was not done in a jig and also not not done with the same specialized equipment that produces the mark on NVA SKSs.  Why that is runs the gambit from "It's a different stamp / performed at a different facility / stamped with a different process" to "It was a poorly done stamp done intentionally lightly stateside."

[Boris Badinov]

RM- It's not as if the seller just found out this week that there were doubts about the alleged history of the carbine. He discovered years ago that there were issues regarding the the veracity of the NVA claims on the gun. He stated this very clearly in the thread on Gunboards.

Yet, even with this knowledge,  he still listed it as an authentic NVAstamped, VN bring back gun without a single mention of the many question and possible contradictions to the claim.

At the very least, that is dishonest dealing.