My first firearm purchase in a while.

[SA1911a1]

I made a deal this morning for a very nice, matching, Norinco SKS. I am a big fan of the SKS, but over the years I had gotten down to just one '52 Soviet rifle, and I am glad to have somewhat rectified that situation. This rifle was purchased by a very good friend who was in fear of Y2K. After the world got by without collapsing, he decided that he didn't need it. I bought it from him for a couple of hundred bucks in maybe 2002 or 2003. I gave it to my son who has had it until today. I am going to be storing his firearms until he gets settled in his move to Tennessee, as we were loading his substantial collection of military firearms into the vault, I made a comment on that rifle; one thing led to another and the rifle now sits on my shelf again. My boy still has two Norincos and a '50 Soviet, so his collection doesn't suffer.

Just as a note of clarification, I still refer to him as my boy, but he turns 40 next week, and he is much of a man. That said, he will be my boy as long as I draw breath, and I don't think that he minds.

This is a really nice example of a rifle that came to the US as unfired. Over the years it has been fired, but probably not much more than a couple of hundred rounds, max.

[Junk Yard Dog]

[steelbuttplate]

That looks like a Chinese army Norinco, rather than one of the commercial jobs.

[Darryl]

Some of these were made using older SKS rifles with new barrels added. Your receiver doesn't look like a "new" receiver but is more like my SKS that I bought in 2000 also. Only difference is, they cut the barrel short and called it a "Paratrooper" SKS. Which was never used by the military. Like yours, it is made up of an older SKS with new barrel and other parts. This was done because Norinco could not keep up with the demand for SKS rifles in the USA. So, their "Commercial" division made up rifles for that market. They often get confused as a "military rifle" because of the markings of the rifles they were made from. After a short time, they had to make new receivers and other parts also because they ran out of "original rifles" to use. These later rifle seemed to be made much cheaper it things like "pinned barrales" instead of machined.

I may be wrong on some things because I am no SKS expert. But this is what was told to me by one who is very much so (on another forum).

Well, I would rather of had the longer version like yours is but, the short version is sure a heck of a lot of fun to fire. Just not as accurate if you reach our for a "long shot" like yours can do.

Darryl

sks1.png

sks2.png

[SA1911a1]

How did you arrive at a new barrel on an old receiver. I am not doubting you, as I certainly have no knowledge, what was the clue?

If you research Chinese SKS rifles on the web, you can find dozens of experts, none of whom agree on anything. ;)
Of course, we could just ask the Chinese, I am sure that they would be happy to help.

[Darryl]

How did you arrive at a new barrel on an old receiver. I am not doubting you, as I certainly have no knowledge, what was the clue?

If you research Chinese SKS rifles on the web, you can find dozens of experts, none of whom agree on anything. ;)
Of course, we could just ask the Chinese, I am sure that they would be happy to help.

Like I said, I am no expert. I go by "the big well know experts" (some write books on the SKS).

this is just what one of them told me that Norinco started off using older SKS riffles and rebuilding them for the commercial side of their business. There was a huge grab for anything back in 2000. It created a huge demand for SKS rifles. Norinko was mainly a arsenal for China. Then when the "boom" came, they started making commercial rifles. Starting with rebuilding. Then they had to go to full production (new). Probably they were gearing up while rebuilding older rifles. Some say (and you know how that is) that the older rifles were made "better" then the commercial rifles were.

I don't know, but SKS experts are a "dime a dozen".

I just enjoy mine but, it is the only one I own. If I were to get another, it would be a Russian SKS.

Darryl

[Tula44]

That SKS is one of the nicest Norinco rifles I've seen. I now only have one SKS in my collection, mine is a 1953 Russian one. Years ago I had a Yugo SKS and that was a great shooting rifle!