Hi guys! Long time no see... :)
I just saw an odd duck that made me curious... a fella over at the AK Files has an M for sale that has both the SKS-M marking and a /416\ arsenal mark.
I know I've never seen that before, how rare is it?
(https://i.ibb.co/TKqbT7z/20240317-115610.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dbJLcVn)
Some SKS M from Birklee imports had the /416\ stamp still intact.
See here: http://chinesesks.weebly.com/m.html
I wonder if the arsenal stamp was left intact when it was so far to the forward end of the receiver.
They are odd ducks for certain. You typically hardly ever see Chinese type 56s with dual markings like that.
Seems like from Hi/Low S/N's I have in my files, there was a fair run of at least 14000 (that is assuming that rifles in the middle of these two below were also all /416\ marked)
9428959:
(https://i.ibb.co/V9bBLwn/9428595-receiver.jpg)
9442663:
(https://i.ibb.co/ynDrPLC/9442663-receiver.jpg)
By 9454474 this arsenal stamp was gone:
(https://i.ibb.co/ZKdm79S/9454474-import-stamp.jpg)
I'm way late to this thread but thought I'd mention that all the /416\-marked, BTC-imported "M"s that I've seen, including mine, have the /416\ arsenal marking etched onto the receiver rather than "stamped" like the rest of the receiver markings and serial number. I don't know when the /416\ was applied but I doubt it was at the same time as the rest of the stamped markings.
firstchoice