Chinese Norinco Triangle ?5 from 1971?

[100Acre]

Another score from yesterday-From looking at the different charts provided here I’m determining this to be a ?5 made in 1971 although it looks like a 2012…All matching, beautiful unissued like condition and a very shiny bore. No Chinese kanji characters before the serial number. It was difficult getting a good picture of the triangle so i included a few. Another $450 score. Please let me know if i am incorrect in my findings, thanks.

[running-man]

That's a beauty 100acre!  Yes, January June 1971 is the date code and yes, we are calling that one /?5\.  A steal for $450 out the door!  Nice to see good deals can still be had.

[BP4W]

That's a beauty 100acre!  Yes, January 1971 is the date code and yes, we are calling that one /?5\.  A steal for $450 out the door!  Nice to see good deals can still be had.

My guess is ?5 would be 806.

State Factory 806 (Minghua Mechanical Works, Liannan, Guangdong) was established in 1965-66. The serial here is 6-16XXXXX and other examples such as 5-15XXXXX were observed as well. My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

There were at least 3 State Factories with the codename 806 in China. One in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, one in Duoba Township, Qinghai Province, and one in Liannan County, Guangdong Province. So it's highly likely that it's 806. The last digit being in 6 also means it produces small arms if the said factory was established by the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building.

[Greatguns]

Wouldn't a 6-1.6M SN be a June 1971 build? Asking for a friend, LOL.

[Phosphorus32]

Wouldn't a 6-1.6M SN be a June 1971 build? Asking for a friend, LOL.

Correct 

[Phosphorus32]

That's a beauty 100acre!  Yes, January 1971 is the date code and yes, we are calling that one /?5\.  A steal for $450 out the door!  Nice to see good deals can still be had.

My guess is ?5 would be 806.

State Factory 806 (Minghua Mechanical Works, Liannan, Guangdong) was established in 1965-66. The serial here is 6-16XXXXX and other examples such as 5-15XXXXX were observed as well. My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

There were at least 3 State Factories with the codename 806 in China. One in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, one in Duoba Township, Qinghai Province, and one in Liannan County, Guangdong Province. So it's highly likely that it's 806. The last digit being in 6 also means it produces small arms if the said factory was established by the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building.

That’s an interesting hypothesis, so let’s test it. I don’t understand how you get 806 from the digits 0, 4, 0, and 6.

The issue with the first number being an index for year of production at that specific factory (whatever its number) is that the serial numbers collected include the numbers 1 through 12 in the first position (never 13 or higher), and are mixed with regard to the year code immediately after the -. The month of the year is consistent with the observed data.

[Boris Badinov]

My guess is ?5 would be 806.

My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

One glaring hole in this hypothesis is the existence of 21st year serials from this arsenal.

Last year of type 56 military production is 1984, the year type56 exports began.

By your hypothesis a 21st year serial would  indicate production well after the end of type56 production.

[running-man]

Wouldn't a 6-1.6M SN be a June 1971 build? Asking for a friend, LOL.

Laugh, yes your friend would be correct.  Not sure what happened there (J months are all the same to me I guess), fixed my post! 

[Greatguns]

Wouldn't a 6-1.6M SN be a June 1971 build? Asking for a friend, LOL.

Laugh, yes your friend would be correct.  Not sure what happened there (J months are all the same to me I guess), fixed my post! 

[BP4W]

My guess is ?5 would be 806.

My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

One glaring hole in this hypothesis is the existence of 21st year serials from this arsenal.

Last year of type 56 military production is 1984, the year type56 exports began.

By your hypothesis a 21st year serial would  indicate production well after the end of type56 production.

They could've just switched back to the standard serial series later. This hypothesis is literally based on them not using the standard convention in the first place, so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that they switched it back.

[RoscoeTurner]

Congratulations, you did very well for that price and condition.

Also welcome to the club.

[Boris Badinov]

My guess is ?5 would be 806.

My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

Another glaring hole in your hypothesis is the known serial archive for this arsenal begins in 11th year. 
The 11th year is also the first production outside of jianshe. At least three factories began production in that year: 106, 116, and 416 all having examples of 11th year serials but no examples from 1st to 10th year.


Where are the 1st to  10th year examples from this
/?5\ arsenal?

[Phosphorus32]

BP, have you examined the collected serial number data for this arsenal?

https://sks-files.com/index.php?topic=393.0

[Boris Badinov]

State Factory 806 (Minghua Mechanical Works, Liannan, Guangdong) was established in 1965-66. The serial here is 6-16XXXXX and other examples such as 5-15XXXXX were observed as well. My daring hypothesis would be that, the first digit (5, 6) is the Nth year that factory had opened its doors therefore counts from 1965, and the second and third digit (15, 16) are the regular serials that counts from 1955.

I think misunderstood your hypothesis.

Using your hypothesis as i now understand it, the following rifles would have been made in the same year(6th)

6 - 151124x
6 - 161196x
6 - 171495x
6 - 181658x

...AND in the  15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th years of production.   


Using your hypothesis each the rifles above have to be manufactured twice. Whuch makes no sense st all,  unless a time machine was somehow involved.