Flea Market Norinco SKS

[walnut red]

Stopped by a small flea market this morning and among other things found a Norinco SKS laying on a vendors table. This SKS has the darkish red stock rather than the bright orange or jungle wood stock I used to see pretty regularly. Metal is clean and all visible numbers match, it's missing the bayonet though. I asked the man the price and he replied: I've been trying to get $150 for it but I'd take $125. As much as it goes against my nature I didn't try and negotiate, just handed over the cash. There is so much grease in the action I don't think it's been fired since it crossed the ocean.

Has the triangle 26 factory stamp, as expected. Serial number is in the 2 million range which depending on who you read puts it as late '57 or '58 production. I have a spare spike bayonet but this SKS is set up for a blade bayonet, narrower and shorter channel in the stock. However I think that the blade bayonet would be correct for a late 50's Norinco SKS so the search begins. The rifle is also missing a sling, which I have but the cleaning kit is in the buttstock. I wasn't really in the market for a SKS but a rifle at this price made me feel like I was back in the 20th century.

[ffuries]

Good deal. As you'll see SA1911A1 has been having issues finding a SKS blade bayonet.

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[Junk Yard Dog]

Nice find, the Chinese flooded the market with these back before the ban. They sold dirt cheap and people were buying them for no better reason than they were so cheap. Now they are coming out of the woodwork. I remember seeing tables piled with Chinese SKS and AK's during the late 80's selling for next to nothing.

[walnut red]

Thanks, I'm in no hurry and frankly enjoy the looking as much as the finding. The bayonet is not critical to the function after all. took the rifle down and cleaned it, gobs of grease in the bore and everywhere. Serial numbers match everywhere EXCEPT the bolt and I think that is a typo. Last 5 numbers of the serial number everywhere else is 786324. The number on the bolt is 768324. As these number look hand stamped I think someone just transposed the 8 and 6, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[SA1911a1]

For the price you paid for the rifle, you can afford a gold plated bayonet and still come out ahead. Congrats! That rifle would bring in excess of $400.00 in my digs.

[steelbuttplate]

You say Norinco, I say Chi-Com. Norinco was established 1980. Yours is Factory 26. There is a blade on GB. Is the stock a little rough ? Got pictures ?

[SA1911a1]

Norinco was probably the exporter.

[walnut red]

You may be correct about Norinco being the exporter. In my opinion the stock is not rough, missing some finish in a few spots but no gouges or splits. Also does not appear to have been refinished, at least not in this century.

[RazorBurn]

That's a damn nice score even without the bayonet. Well done for slapping the cash down before he changed his mind! They're bringing $350.00 in my neck of the woods.

[walnut red]

Did find a bayonet, it was in a box of parts which included the blade bayonet and hardware, two slings and a sight adjustment tool. $65 was more than I hoped to pay for the lot but based on what I see on the online auctions not too bad a price. Odd thing was the seller kept referring to the bayonet as a SKS monopod. I've had a few Arisakas with monopods and I'm not sure how you can confuse a blade bayonet for a monopod.

[Robere]

Hi walnut,
I've seen my BIL put the spike bayonet in the ground and use it for a rest. hth
Best,
Rob

[SA1911a1]

My son and I went to Georgia yesterday hitting gun and pawn shops. I swapped a pistol that I had $125.00 in for one of the nicest SKS rifles I have ever seen, A PLA Norinco export. Beautiful wood and blue, and it showed no signs of being used. As we were driving off I told my son he owed me $125.00, He asked, "For what?" I replied, "That is your rifle in the back seat." We plan to shoot on Sunday and I will try to get some pics. (If he will let me near it!)

[walnut red]

Great find at the pawn shop. I have ammo on hand but with my schedule will probably not get to the range for a couple weeks. Some SKS shoot better than others but I've only run into two that I couldn't get to function. One was a late Chinese export parts gun and the other was a Yugo that someone had seriously buggered the chamber trying to remove a stuck casing.

[ksbanker]

Great deal! My dad bought a Norinco SKS in the late 80's from one of his friends who bought several crates of them. It's a great shooter!

[silverado1999]

Really nice finds guys. I have a Norinco I bought at a local flea market years ago. It has nice wood, great blue and matching numbers. But I didn't get it for a price like that, congrats guys.

[Lavitias]

Their bringing well over $350 even here in Ohio so my question Walnut what Flea Market did you hit up I might have to stop by and see what other goodies are about.

[Miami Cossack]

In 1992 I bought an unused SKS from a hardware store in Arizona for $80. Before that one, I had a very worn out one, still I have. $80 SKS is one of the best gun buys I ever make. Took a while to get the grease out. Back then, you could buy enough ammo to shoot all day for about $75-$100

[Junk Yard Dog]

Chinese AK's and SKS were common flea market fodder back in the late 1980's and early 90's before Bush 1 decided to crawfish on promises he made to gun owners and cut off the flow from China. Not that I like anything from China, especially now, however Bush did it for political reasons after a well publicized shooting in California using an AK. He wanted to pacify the leftists. That decision hit him in the nuts come the 1992 presidential election, one of the reasons anyway. Chinese military surplus SKS impressed me, Norinco not so much, no history in them like the military used models. $80 in 1992 is $148 in todays money, still cheap. I picked up two back then, one a Vietnam bringhome, the other was a gift from a dealer I did a lot of business with. Before anyone pipes up with " sweet deal" the stock had rotted off it, and nobody would give him money for it. China is not known for it's hardwoods, the metal was good, no rust, just signs of normal use, the wood had disintegrated. I put it in a cheap plastic stock with a folding butt, and gave it to a friend. Later when the internet, and eBay came along I picked up a correct wood stock for it and swapped the plastic shit out.

I would see entire tables covered with these rifles, here they were $70-$75 for a new made Norinco, the older issued milsurp rifles were much cheaper. Dealers had trouble getting rid of them, the thought being why should I pay $25- $40 for a used looking rifle with nasty looking wood when I can get a brand new one in the box for $75. The AK's didn't impress me at all, they worked like pretty much all AK's do, but the fit and finish, especially the wood, sucked.

[SA1911a1]

Really nice finds guys. I have a Norinco I bought at a local flea market years ago. It has nice wood, great blue and matching numbers. But I didn't get it for a price like that, congrats guys.

The BATF came in and shut gun sales down at flea markets in this area a few years ago. They did a sting and busted a bunch of gun sellers that were there week after week. They must have thrown the fear of God into the flea market owner, as she now has big signs all over the place saying NO GUNs.

[awalker1829]

One thing on my "to get" list is a Russian SKS. But I'll only buy if the price is right.