Welcome!

The portions of the rifles shown in the pictures indicate that you picked up a couple of nice ones!

Greatguns has you covered on the years and the most likely reason for the Russian magazine.

Quote from: Greatguns on April 03, 2026, 11:12:31 AMWelcome aboard from Kansas City, MO. Lots of great info to be found here on the SKS as well as other firearms.
On your 2 SKSs sounds like the mag on your first one is a Russian mag that was probably picked up after the fact to replace the missing OEM mag. The second one I would say is a 1989 manufacture/build due to the 89 beginning of the SN. To be an actual 8M (1963) build it would have to have been a /26\ arsenal build. That late in the Chinese Type 56 line up it was possibly built from left over parts and assembled in the 416 arsenal for export to the US.

Thank you so much.  I have a lot of learning to do with these rifles!  Some of my other guns have resulted in my doing research for well over a year, which is what I think it will take for these to get the amount of knowledge I want. To start, I was basing the years off the Chinese_C+R_guide. It is the second which I am working on now and is in much better shape than the first, so thank you!!  While I have been gunsmithing for 50 years, each type takes a lot of knowledge for how and when to refurbish or restore.

So, I did not buy that stock for the Romanian. Instead I picked up a plastic stock for my bubba'd Chinese that I am setting up for hunting. I then took the OEM wood stock off of it and am using it on the Romanian. It is an unnumbered, threaded action stock with blade cutout, but the bayonet slot was filled in. I poked around at it and realized it would come out easily and clean. Fits well and I just need to find a matching HG for it, which I am hoping to work out a trade with echo1 on. Here's a quick pic of it

Welcome aboard from Kansas City, MO. Lots of great info to be found here on the SKS as well as other firearms.
On your 2 SKSs sounds like the mag on your first one is a Russian mag that was probably picked up after the fact to replace the missing OEM mag. The second one I would say is a 1989 manufacture/build due to the 89 beginning of the SN. To be an actual 8M (1963) build it would have to have been a /26\ arsenal build. That late in the Chinese Type 56 line up it was possibly built from left over parts and assembled in the 416 arsenal for export to the US.

Welcome aboard from Kali. Some nice iron, good to see/hear you jumped right down the SKS rabbit hole, enjoy. PAX

Last Saturday I failed at being fiscally responsible and came home with two Chinese SKS Type 56 rifles. Number one is a Norinco China SN 1616550 G3 Poly USA ATL GA Triangle Stamp 636B which appears is manufactured in 1971, all numbers matching except for the magazine (Tn 2314). Number two is one which has very few markings but the numbers match, SN 8912794 and a Triangle Stamp 416 and under the barrel is stamped CAI SI ALB VT SKS 7.62 CHINA this one indicates a manufacture date of 1973.

So, I am looking forward to learning everything I can here and posting or helping as much as I can.

Quote from: running-man on March 31, 2026, 10:07:13 AMYou won't hear much goodwill headed Ranger's way from this board...this whole site exists as a big middle finger to him and the bobbleheads who ran SKSboards into the ground.  Used to be such a great site way back when.  Oh well. 

Would suggest you and Ben pull the info & posts that you want from the internet archive while it's still available (Here is Murray's board):

(Ben's Board @ SKSBoards)

It will not be up forever.  The wayback machine is very limited with respect to forums in that you can't be 'logged in' to see PM's, hidden members only boards, any non-external linked photos, or do any board related things.  It's a snapshot of text and that's pretty much it, but you can copy & paste it to save it at least. 

I wish I would have known this when Calguns crashed and burned. I used my PMs like a Rolodex, now gone all gone, PAX

Quote from: ZClrh2o on March 30, 2026, 05:25:45 PMYeah, and my boss is pretty pissed at Ranger about all his lost stuff. 20 years of info and sh!t down the drain.

You won't hear much goodwill headed Ranger's way from this board...this whole site exists as a big middle finger to him and the bobbleheads who ran SKSboards into the ground.  Used to be such a great site way back when.  Oh well. 

Would suggest you and Ben pull the info & posts that you want from the internet archive while it's still available (Here is Murray's board):

(Ben's Board @ SKSBoards)

It will not be up forever.  The wayback machine is very limited with respect to forums in that you can't be 'logged in' to see PM's, hidden members only boards, any non-external linked photos, or do any board related things.  It's a snapshot of text and that's pretty much it, but you can copy & paste it to save it at least. 

Welcome from Kali and a past client of one of the best SKS trigger men around. Never hesitate to reach out to the fellas if needed and good luck. Ben, great work on the clocking verification. Be well guys, PAX