Russian SKS 1955

[sagesbrush]

I'm looking at a Russian Tula SKS dated 1955 that appears to be a non-arsenal rework. The only thing is the stock. It has the matching serial number stamped on it, but no Tula star or date. Did they stop stamping the date/Tula star on these late production guns or is the stock a replacement?

[Phosphorus32]

I would think a replacement but Running Man has looked at billions of pictures of Russians so I would await his word on the missing Tula symbol on a true 1955. Is it missing the small cartouches around the crossbolt?

Do the fonts on the serialized parts match the fonts on the receiver serial number?

[sagesbrush]

The fonts appear to match. Only one faint symbol by the cross bolt.

[running-man]

I would think a replacement but Running Man has looked at billions of pictures of Russians so I would await his word on the missing Tula symbol on a true 1955.

Hey now, let's not conflate numbers.  It's way, way less than that!  Only about 5k or so Russian SKS photos that I've got saved!



I've generally assumed that they did away with the stock cartouche sometime in late '55s.  The stocks are too uniform and from too varied of sources/importers to be such a consistent refurb.

It's clear that the by the time they were producing letter Д guns, the stock cartouche was definitely gone (well unless you buy a Westrifle imported Canadian gun, they have 'original' cartouches all the way through 1958!  )

Other examples of CM prefixed '55s:

[running-man]

They did use crossbolt stamps through '58, so that's one interesting note on the stock by the OP.  Hard to say that it's not a refurb with them sanded out, but then again we know so little about the purpose of the crossbolt stamps that nobody can say with 100% certainty. 

Some CM prefix crossbolt stamps:

[sagesbrush]

Thanks for all the information.

[running-man]

No problem!  If you do decide to buy it I'd love to see some detailed pics. Not many '55's in the database.