Chinese SKS question

**Warpt762x39** · January 17th, 2010, 02:33 AM

I have a Chinese SKS. Most people would call it a Norinco model but nowhere on the rifle does it say Norinco. Every other firearm I have seen made by Norinco has the name stamped somewhere on it.

The only name stamped on mine is CGA I believe it is. From what I've read the company involved with the CGA models stopped importing them in 1989. Does anyone know if this is true?

**27hand** · January 17th, 2010, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by Warpt762x39

I have a Chinese SKS. Most people would call it a Norinco model but nowhere on the rifle does it say Norinco. Every other firearm I have seen made by Norinco has the name stamped somewhere on it.

The only name stamped on mine is CGA I believe it is. From what I've read the company involved with the CGA models stopped importing them in 1989. Does anyone know if this is true?

Go onto the other SKS thread.

A guy by the handle Fragger I think either runs the SKSforum or is part of it.

I don't think they are made by Norinco but could be wrong.

Start here. http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=18342.0

This guy seems to have quite a bit of knowledge about these rifles.

If I remember correctly, you can date your Chinese rifle based on the serial #.

Any # up to 1 million is a 1956. 1 to 2 mil is a 1957. 2 to 3 is a 58. on and on.

There is a stamping on the rifle which will indicate which factory produced it.

I'll see if i can come up with the website which explains all this info but it is probably SKSforums.com or something like that.

I'll edit when I find some info if Fragger or another SKS expert doesn't show up soon.

27

edit to quote the SKSboard site.

"Chinese civilian production SKS Carbine receivers intended for sale in the United States are stamped with the model name, number, caliber, manufacturer and importers name and address. There usually is no number on the back of the receiver cover. Often they have "M21" stamped on the receiver. Chinese rifles after serial number circa 9,000,000 use a spike instead of blade bayonet. Production began in 1956 and first year serial numbers do not include the year designation as it was "0". Each following year, the designator was increased by 1. In 1957 then, the first year designator is "1," 1958 is "2," 1959 is "3," 1961 is "5," 1966 is "10," 1982 is "26," etc. The first one or two digits are the year designator, followed by a six digit serial number, i.e. s/n 4001376 is the 1,376 carbine manufactured in 1960."

My input. I think that the spike bayo/ blade bayo info is wrong. I have 2 1957 Chineses with spike bayos.

**Fragger** · January 17th, 2010, 12:15 PM

Dating the chicom SKS is easy IF it is from factory /26\.
That was the first production facility set up by the Russians in China to produce them. Most believe incorrectly that all Chinese SKS can be dated by the serial number. ONLY those made at factory 296 or as stamped on the receiver (triangle) /26\ can use the ser. no. to date them.
In time many other production areas were set up and they have different factory code stamps on the receivers. It is from those factory's that we cannot accurately date production. There is the however that needs to be added here. It is possible to get a rough time frame for the production year of a certain Chinese SKS based on how it was built and the parts used.
Such as but not limited to the type of barrel and how it is seated into the receiver.
The type of stock if it is numbered to the receiver and hasn't been swapped out by looking at the bayo cut or the wood line on the lower forward handguard area.
If the TG is stamped or milled .. etc.

Norinco is sort of a generic term many use for ANY SKS made in China.
While some indeed are stamped Norinco we find those to be of late production as for the time frame of the SKS in China.

If you have a chicom SKS that is not made at factory 296 with a triangle /26\ stamped receiver and you want to date it some of the guys over at the web site that I help moderate are so much better then I to do that task.
Pics of course would be required.

As a side note many chicom SKS that were imported near the end of those days were required to have the bayos removed before they could be distributed. They were allowed to be sold with the SKS but not installed.
While many were sold with an SKS some blades were mixed up with spikes.
Others still were sold separately.

There is a way to tell if your chicom SKS originally took a spike or a blade bayo by looking at the notch cut on the front stock ferrule.

The notch for the blade would show up as a V while the notch cut for the spike would be more U shaped.

HTH

**Warpt762x39** · January 17th, 2010, 10:31 PM

I know what kind of bayonet it takes, it has the spike bayonet. I've never really been all that interested as to when it was made. Mostly I'm curious if the info I've read about the CGA marked rifles were no longer imported after the law changed in 1989 is accurate.

As for a number 26? I don't believe I have ever seen the number 26 anywhere on my rifle.

**Fragger** · January 17th, 2010, 11:32 PM

The info. I provided about Factory 296 or /26\ and the bayo was not directed at your post.

What was directed towards your post was the mention of Norinco in my post.

I do not know when CGA stopped marking their SKS.

Hope that clears the air.
Sorry for any confusion.

**Warpt762x39** · January 17th, 2010, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by Fragger

The info. I provided about Factory 296 or /26\ and the bayo was not directed at your post.

What was directed towards your post was the mention of Norinco in my post.

I do not know when CGA stopped marking their SKS.

Hope that clears the air.
Sorry for any confusion.

Not a problem. I'm just a bit frustrated at my inability to find this particular piece of info.

**nfafan** · January 19th, 2010, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Fragger

Dating the chicom SKS is easy IF it is from factory /26\.
That was the first production facility set up by the Russians in China to produce them. Most believe incorrectly that all Chinese SKS can be dated by the serial number. ONLY those made at factory 296 or as stamped on the receiver (triangle) /26\ can use the ser. no. to date them.

<snip>

Norinco is sort of a generic term many use for ANY SKS made in China.
While some indeed are stamped Norinco we find those to be of late production as for the time frame of the SKS in China.

<snip>

+1000.

North China Industries, PolyTech, B-West, ProChine, others, - all just Chinese-based front companies or importers themselves to facilitate the import of CHICOM guns from any variety of the gov't run arsenal factories.

Private companies in China are a recent phenomena - and as for guns; they are not even allowed to legally make the bagillion airsoft guns that they do.

Pay-Ola is alive and well in Red China.

Anyway, I've has SKSs with just the importers stamp, had others with BOTH the importer and the "Norinco" conduit company stamp, had others with both PolyTech and the Kengs Firearms importer stamp. Same story with the CHICOM AKMs.

Back in the pre-89 days, just about any legit person who could build a relationship with a Chinese-based company could use them to import CHICOM guns and ammo. Our ATF wasn't the zoning and import officers that they are today, and Klinton was still chasing trailer-court skirts around Little Rock.