1963 Vietnamese SKS

[Snafusnatcher]

I'm new here so be gentle with me. So I'm at my local FFL, which turns out to be a pawn shop... and I'm there to pick up a World War II riot shotgun. As I walk in the door, the guy says I've got a rifle you should buy! And I said I'm sure you do. What is it. He goes in the back and comes out and says it's an SKS. I was like thank you but no thank you. He said this one's special though you need it. It was made in North Vietnam in 1963. I looked at it... Took some pictures... And told him I would get back with him. After doing a little research apparently it's a really rare rifle and in very good shape. It's all numbers matching, and it even has the original cleaning kit in the butt stock!

Apparently, they bought a lot of about 20 different guns from a 95-year-old Army veteran (here at Fort Rucker, Alabama) who served in Vietnam and brought the rifle back. He told the quick story of how he got it back and now I just have to track him down and get him to memorialize it for me.

[jmaurer]

That's awesome! If you didn't grab it already, you should be waiting for the door to open at the shop this morning!!

[running-man]

Very neat find. This number is not in the database. Very plausible story by your FFL guy.

Since he knew it was an NVA and 'special', I'd assume his price corresponded to a typical NVA in this condition? 

[Snafusnatcher]

I actually got it for right at $1000. I think he was just used to selling SKS's for around $500 so he thought he was making out big!

[Snafusnatcher]

Here is the quick reader's digest story. This guy was a Huey pilot and was resupplying troops forward with ammo. As the troops were offloading the crates, a guy yelled at him that there was what looked like an NVA soldier trying to surrender about 200 yards (and he pointed in front of the aircraft) that way. They said they were afraid to go get him because they thought it might be an ambush and I think he was afraid to come forward thinking he would be shot. So the pilot said he'd check look on his way out.

He flew over and then around the guy as he was waving a white flag on the end of his rifle at the helicopter as it flew around him. It looked like he was the only guy there so he landed about 50 yards away and the crew chief pointed his rifle at him and motion for him to come forward. He said he held his rifle up with one hand and his hand over his head with the other. (Hands up) they took his rifle and put it in the aircraft, secured him in the aircraft, and flew back to the rear. As the NVA soldier was taken away the crew chief yelled at the pilot and told him he left his rifle here. He told him that's OK and they flew back to parking. The chief gave the pilot of the rifle and he did the paperwork and brought it back when he came.

That's what he told the guy at the pawn shop and so now I'm going to try to have to track him down and memorialize the story and see if he has any of the paperwork with it!

[Phosphorus32]

Excellent deal! Cool story!

Hopefully he's willing to recount the story to you with more details about dates, unit, location etc., so you can write down all the info first hand. Bonus if you can get him to sign the written account.

[running-man]

Very neat!