1949 Tula? (Pic Heavy)

[running-man]

It's just a WAG as of right now I think.  I had thought of it many years ago, but hadn't really looked back into it until P32 posted.


From my breaking the Russian Cyrillic Prefix Code at https://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=780.0

Cyrillic Alphabet (in alphabetical order):
:

А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З И  Й  К  Л  М  Н  О  П  Р  С  Т  У  Ф  Х  Ц  Ч  Ш  Щ  Ъ  Ы  Ь  Э  Ю  Я
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
1 2 3 4 5 6   7 8 9     10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21       22                23 24
(Letters thought not to be used highlighted)

It looks like they have 24 possible letters to use.  Why some pop up two years in a row is what has always had me scratching my head though... 

Another oddity is that certain letters such as Я are never used in prefix #1. Others like Ж are used early on in prefix #1 & 2, but then totally disappear after 1950 or so.  Still others like Х I've only ever seen in Izhevsk guns.  There's a method to their madness, just haven't been able to crack it yet.

[Phosphorus32]

Since 1955 was a low production year, my guess was that either they only produced for two months or they used the prefixes for a longer time period, half-year  due to that low production. Perhaps in 1956-58 they switched to two month periods. In any case, the first letter seems likely to be a designator for a calendar period and that has precedence in SVT-40 production, at a minimum.

I only had 12 first letters for 1952. Somehow I missed the A. 13 definitely throws a monkey wrench into the month hypothesis, unless they made a major adjustment to the Soviet calendar that year 

[Chevy Boy]

Yep, I was looking for the lack of a rivet head on the magazine, so that was replaced at some point...it's got the correct bottom pinned stock ferrule.
It is so very nice to see these in any form...especially stateside. That is a rather valuable SKS.

Yup, also scrubbed and restamped with that font having a serif on the 7, like on the receiver cover.

Chevy Boy , does it have a spring-loaded firing pin?

Well, maybe. The firing pin feels like it's under tension when I try to move it back and forth. It doesn't rattle freely in the bolt body like on the Chinese one I had last. I can't see a spring just by looking at it.

I'm in no hurry to strip the bolt and find out, I had to get a little rough the last time I stripped and reassembled the bolt on the Chinese SKS. If this rifle's as rare as y'all say I don't want to do any damage.

Late to the party on this one as usual, but definitely a keeper there Chevy!  That is a $3k to $4k gun these days.  Maybe more considering how few of them are floating around now.

I think this one is belongs firmly in the '49 slot simply due to the stock ferrule pin location.  They changed that one pretty early on in 1949 and most (if not all) the '49 blades & all the '50 transitionals I've seen have the ferrule pin on top. This one has the correct spike ferrule with the pin on bottom. 

As for prefix position #1 letters, P32 is correct, Ж is only seen (thusfar) in 1949 guns.
For 1949 we have:
А, В, Г, Е, Ж, М, Н, О, Р, Ю (10 total)
For 1950 we have:
Д, Е, З, И, Л, С, Т, У, Ф, Ш, Ю (11 total)

If P32's guesstimate of 12 total prefixes per year equalling one per month (which I too think is logical) it looks like there may still be 2 more '49 prefixes and 1 more '50 prefix yet to be found. 

1950:
Д, Е, З, И, Л, С, Т, У, Ф, Ш, Ю (11 total)

The only year which we have all prefix position #1 letters accounted for is oddly enough 1951:
А, В, Г, И, К, Л, М, Н, О, П, Р, Т (12 total)

But then I look at 1952, and I see 13 prefixes.  (The "E" has only a single bubba'd gun, but it has late features with a straight ear collar bayo.  It may have been placed into the incorrect slot)
А, В, Г, Е, З, И, К, Л, М, Н, О, С, Ю (13 total)

All the other years have less than 12 prefix position #1 letters.  Some, for example, 1955 have far less (only 2) and we are missing quite a few assuming it was a full production year.

Thanks for the input RM. That's some fascinating breakdown on those serial numbers.

And a $3-4k gun? Holy Smokes!

I don't know what I'm going to do with her, but I think her days in the woods are numbered.

[Chevy Boy]

What a beauty!
Who's the importer on that one?

I have to agree with the rest about using this one as a brush gun. Any one of us would be proud to own that little gem.

Old Century (CAI) import

Pcke is quite correct. There's an etching on the barrel that says "C.A.I ST. ALE VT."

[Bubbazinetti]

It's not  ST. ALE, it's ALB. It stands for ST. Albans,Vermont. That is where the old Century Arms Importers were located years ago.

[pcke2000]

Agree, it is a 3K-4K gun, especially in today's market. Like I mentioned on another site, less than 10 reported in the US so far.

[pcke2000]

It's just a WAG as of right now I think.  I had thought of it many years ago, but hadn't really looked back into it until P32 posted.


From my breaking the Russian Cyrillic Prefix Code at https://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=780.0

Cyrillic Alphabet (in alphabetical order):
:

А Б В Г Д Е Ё Ж З И  Й  К  Л  М  Н  О  П  Р  С  Т  У  Ф  Х  Ц  Ч  Ш  Щ  Ъ  Ы  Ь  Э  Ю  Я
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
1 2 3 4 5 6   7 8 9     10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21       22                23 24
(Letters thought not to be used highlighted)

It looks like they have 24 possible letters to use.  Why some pop up two years in a row is what has always had me scratching my head though... 

Another oddity is that certain letters such as Я are never used in prefix #1. Others like Ж are used early on in prefix #1 & 2, but then totally disappear after 1950 or so.  Still others like Х I've only ever seen in Izhevsk guns.  There's a method to their madness, just haven't been able to crack it yet.

RM, based on SVT-38/SVT-40 serials, it is possible that Ч was used as a letter prefix.

[running-man]

Certainly is; goes for any of the pink highlighted letters.  We just need a proven example to verify. 

[Larry D.]

I was just thinking how this thread would have devolved on the other site.

[Hotrod]

Wow! Great 49 you got there OP.

Hey RM, I can’t see your chart. Says I’m not allowed. Post count thing?

[running-man]

Wow! Great 49 you got there OP.

Hey RM, I can’t see your chart. Says I’m not allowed. Post count thing?

Yeah. Rifleman (100 posts) or above unfortunately. You’ll get there. 

[jaroslav]

I said the Ж has only been observed on 1949 Tula carbines. Caveat, so far. An early 1950 is the only other possibility. There are only 11 of the 12 month code letters (first letter) seen in the serial number list that is currently "released" for 1950, so it remains possible that it could be an early 1950, given the scrubbed and restamped receiver cover. If Ж was inserted into the month codes for 1950, then it would be March, so 1st quarter production. What does the hive mind say? Still possible that it could be a transitional 1950 with all of these other early features?

Maybe running-man has filled that last hole for 1950 in his latest list?
[/quote

Wouldn't  ''Ж '' be in production in May? The mag is not an early production. The bottom HAS a pin which was absent earlier.

[pcke2000]

I said the Ж has only been observed on 1949 Tula carbines. Caveat, so far. An early 1950 is the only other possibility. There are only 11 of the 12 month code letters (first letter) seen in the serial number list that is currently "released" for 1950, so it remains possible that it could be an early 1950, given the scrubbed and restamped receiver cover. If Ж was inserted into the month codes for 1950, then it would be March, so 1st quarter production. What does the hive mind say? Still possible that it could be a transitional 1950 with all of these other early features?

Maybe running-man has filled that last hole for 1950 in his latest list?
[/quote

Wouldn't  ''Ж '' be in production in May? The mag is not an early production. The bottom HAS a pin which was absent earlier.

Possible but no one knows at this moment. In addition, since it is a refurb, we don't know if the mag was original to the rifle.

If you look at SVT-38 and SVT-40 serial Cyrillic prefixes, Ж was used in April 1940 by NKV 314, April 1941 by NKV 314 and May 1941 by NKV 74 and NKV 460, April 1942, April 1943, and March 1944 by NKV 314. Seems like no clear pattern.

[Phosphorus32]

I said the Ж has only been observed on 1949 Tula carbines. Caveat, so far. An early 1950 is the only other possibility. There are only 11 of the 12 month code letters (first letter) seen in the serial number list that is currently "released" for 1950, so it remains possible that it could be an early 1950, given the scrubbed and restamped receiver cover. If Ж was inserted into the month codes for 1950, then it would be March, so 1st quarter production. What does the hive mind say? Still possible that it could be a transitional 1950 with all of these other early features?

Maybe running-man has filled that last hole for 1950 in his latest list?
[/quote

Wouldn't  ''Ж '' be in production in May? The mag is not an early production. The bottom HAS a pin which was absent earlier.

I was referring to the 1950 SKS-45s, if  Ж were to fill the final missing first letter for that year, it would be March.