Browsing through other sites' discussions of North Korean honor guard SKS rifles, I just realized that I've missed the obvious anomaly in the photos that most of us have seen with the chrome-plated rifles. What's up with the bayonets / bayonet attachment-swivel-thing on these?!
(https://i.ibb.co/9sq0Hbh/IMG-0702.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hDKNFBc)
I guess I never really paid attention since I always assumed I'd never get my mits on one of these...
Good catch. Definitely a different front sight base-bayonet lug. No handle-muzzle ring for the bayonet. The bayonet has a shortened and modified tang that appears to be riveted or bolted to the bayonet lug in the permanently deployed position.
Shadetree mechanic work at it's best there! They took that FSB down to the bare minimum too, looks like what's used on an 18" SKS to be honest:
(http://chinesesks.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/2/2/29221347/799559590.jpg)
There must be something underneath the FSB taking the place of the cleaning rod nipples that still allows attachment of the bayos using that clamp-like fixture. Bayo shank is pretty much gone too. It's a wild mod that doesn't really seem to serve much purpose. Why not just use stock hardware and leave it in the extended position?