DP SKS

[echo1]

Hi Guys,

So I've run across a DP marked rifle. Looks as new, excellent condition, is it something I should get?. PAX

[Loose}{Cannon]

I find them to be somewhat low quality build, however I'm sure they function just fine and they ARE and interesting variant critter.  I guess this really depends on how interested YOU are in them/it.    I say go for it.... 

[armedhippie]

Definitely an interesting variant to collect and with all the different DP+( city code)....easy to rationalize collecting  Also they will have the "bulbous" style gas block so....another reason you "just have to have 1" 

Most do seem to be on the rushed/lower end of the 1's I've handled and seen but I lucked out on my DP as it's on the high end of build quality. A lot of cast parts but finished well.

If the price is right, I say go for it  Then again....If your looking to be talked out of a SKS purchase....well... 

[running-man]

Hippie has a way with words doesn't he?!  Almost as bad as the enabler, but he makes you think the decision is all your own when in reality we all know that this was decided long before you posted the question! 

I'll throw this out there for you:  Out of 1149 Chinese type 56s that changed hands on gunbroker last year, only 13 were DP varieties...

If you do decide to make a play at it, make sure you look it over well, the build quality on these is nothing to write home about.  Good luck! 

[echo1]

Thanks fellow SKS junkies. At first glance it had the spiker bayo on up side down, and the spring sling keepers, also on backwards, and I didn't check if the cleaning kit was in there.

I'll have to go back this week and give it the once over. I'm on the fence about it's rarity, but as an SKS in general, seems like the off shore supply is reaching finality. PAX

[Power Surge]

Thanks fellow SKS junkies. At first glance it had the spiker bayo on up side down, and the spring sling keepers, also on backwards, and I didn't check if the cleaning kit was in there.

I'll have to go back this week and give it the once over. I'm on the fence about it's rarity, but as an SKS in general, seems like the off shore supply is reaching finality. PAX

You'll find bayos upside down on a lot of SKSs, because they were either often taken off during importation, came in the box off the rifle, or didn't come with the rifle at all during the ban days and was added on later.

[Justin Hell]

As far as build quality, they seem to be all over the map, from very rushed sloppy work to the nice quality of the later builds.

My DB lacks the bulbous gas block but my 0226 has it....and is of similar build as the DB in quality. Personally, I would jump on it, they are pretty hard to come by and have a unique purpose that has yet to be discovered. It would be pretty cool to see a collection with the entire set of cities they were made for. At the very least, they always start a conversation. I find them to be about as uncommon as PS marked guns...and a little more interesting since they usually are kind of oddballs in one regard or another.  The DPs seem to be more likely to be of better quality from what I have seen.

Based on the quality, and quantity of them...I suspect they were for local civilian militias or perhaps regional training facilities. They seem almost like factory seconds that functioned fine, but for one reason or another didn't get into the big leagues.

Check to see if it has the finned barrel...I am curious. Both my DB and the 0226 have it...  It also wouldn't hurt, if you can take it apart, to see if it actually HAS a locking lug for the bolt. My DB does not, and instead uses the receiver, and utilizes a small window akin to the ones on trigger groups, to view where the rear of the bolt is.  I think they were experimenting with making them cheaper to build on some of these.

As far as price goes, unless they are SKS weirdos like us, it shouldn't command any more than a typical Chinese. In my case...I got mine for $200 for the combo of bad bubbisms and the shoddy build quality. This was only a couple years ago...when any Chinese in my area was $400, oft more with bubba's enhancements.  If it exhibits any lackluster features, I would use it as a bargaining point...or say you are looking for a truck gun for your little sister.    I am curious what they are asking for it...and what the end price would be after Kalifornia takes it's pound of flesh.

[echo1]

jh,

I just came back from the LGS and taking a closer look at it. I didn't see your comments about what to look for before I checked it over. In particular, the bolt hold open variation.

It has the finned barrel and the finish is mostly decent, the receiver is a little rough, but the cover, TG, and mag are smoother, bulbous gas block. Poorly and sloppy struck serial, with the first number catching the top lip of the receiver, then the numbers angle down. The "DB" strike is deeper towards the top, and only partially showing the bottom of the "B", which is why I thought it was an "R" at first. There is also a very lightly struck "AR" in a different size, low and near the middle of the receiver, also not level with other strikes, but level with each other..

The LGS isn't really an SKS, C&R, or milsurp guy. He's got it listed at $550 with no takers in 3 months. No one even asking about it. I'm trying to be patient, but it's too spendy at that price. For whatever reason, SKSs have mostly flattened out at around $400-$450 in Kali.

I think the LGS thought it would jump off the shelf when the latest Kali AW regs took effect. He had 2 SKS sitting for over a year before he took me up on an offer I made. If I can beat him down, I'll go after it. Appears as new, never fired, still has cosmoline in many areas. PAX

[Justin Hell]

jh,

I just came back from the LGS and taking a closer look at it. I didn't see your comments about what to look for before I checked it over. In particular, the bolt hold open variation.

It has the finned barrel and the finish is mostly decent, the receiver is a little rough, but the cover, TG, and mag are smoother, bulbous gas block. Poorly and sloppy struck serial, with the first number catching the top lip of the receiver, then the numbers angle down. The "DB" strike is deeper towards the top, and only partially showing the bottom of the "B", which is why I thought it was an "R" at first. There is also a very lightly struck "AR" in a different size, low and near the middle of the receiver, also not level with other strikes, but level with each other..

The LGS isn't really an SKS, C&R, or milsurp guy. He's got it listed at $550 with no takers in 3 months. No one even asking about it. I'm trying to be patient, but it's too spendy at that price. For whatever reason, SKSs have mostly flattened out at around $400-$450 in Kali.

I think the LGS thought it would jump off the shelf when the latest Kali AW regs took effect. He had 2 SKS sitting for over a year before he took me up on an offer I made. If I can beat him down, I'll go after it. Appears as new, never fired, still has cosmoline in many areas. PAX

I am referring to the bolt locking lug, normal pictured first....and what my DB has instead second. The square piece of hardened keystock is what I meant...that the bolt locks onto when in battery. The DB uses part of the receiver instead...with the window there, to see where the bolt is in relation to it.





Come to think of it though, and going through the pics of this...it actually does have a different type of BHO than I have seen on any other SKS



also, this is the sight ladder, serialed to the gun...an AK type I haven't found on occasional searches. Notice how the gradients are staggered rather than being on both sides, one side will lock in, the other won't...it really is very lame, as is the large V cut rather than the normal notch.



here is my serial and city code...although I have seen a number of variations on the DBs for stamping...fonts and strike depth vary a lot. The B P in this seem to match the serial, but not the DB which is a tad smaller...not as obvious in the pic though...they don't appear to be importer added suffix letters like you see often on other Chinese SKSs.



I would say he is pretty high considering local rates. If you notice any of these features....they would make for a bartering point, especially the bolt lug issue. I have only around 60 rounds down the pipe with this one, but somebody rode her hard before me. It wasn't a feature they must have done for long...possibly due to catastrophic failure?  It sounds as if yours might be one of the nicer ones, but in like new condition....mine might have been in a previous life.  You might also check for indications of the receiver being cast...and not the typical way you can tell, with the vertical pins...as mine I am 99% sure it was cast and machined....look at this trainwreck underneath:



It does not have any of the tell tale signs of other cast receiver SKSs though. I think I have seen two variations with the reinforcement pins...this lacks both. A lot of the parts on it were cast, including the BHO and RSB. But does not have the cast bulbous gas block, or cast FSB....both of which appear on the 0226 in the first pic. Instead those parts were milled on the DB...so they can be all over the place component wise.   

If the dealer is cool about it, it would be good to take it apart and look it over out of the stock. Pics would be awesome too, but less likely to happen I suppose.