I have no idea how it happened. I used to joke with friends about the SKS being bubba's "inna woods" gun, now look at me. I have three of them and could do with three or four more :D
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tral3plo-1.jpg
Gun #1 is my Model 59/66 Yugo. Bought this one last year as my one and only semi-auto... well that really worked out. Also my first experience with cosmoline. Came with the log book and everything. It's a bit worn but just the right amount IMO, to look like it went there and did that without being trashed. Fairly accurate but the trigger is awful, I don't like the glare off the unfinished rear sight, and the grenade launcher ruins the balance off hand. I also have some practice grenades for it and parade blanks to try them with but have yet to find real grenade cartridges or a place to fire them off.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...obepimsx-1.jpg
Number 2 is this one, a Chinese Type 56. I picked it up to be my main SKS shooter. Guy I know bought it in the 80s and never shot it. All matching gun, clean as can be. Better trigger but needs a trigger job as the hammer actually moves slightly forward on a pull, not good. I went back and forth on shooting this one as it's so clean but without a box it really is just another SKS. It appears to be a military gun that was pulled and cleaned up for commercial sale. Unusually high fit and finish on it, mix of newer and older parts.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...efgyx9bv-1.jpg
The final is a professional bubba. A Type 56 "paratrooper", a cut down rifle to make it more interesting for sale when these flooded the market. This one was in the original box and too good to pass up. Note the cut out in the box suggests it never came with a bayonet, and the rubber butt pad. Most likely immediately post ban. Also has two import marks. Some got various scope mounts, bigger mags, and even AK mag adapters. Comes with a hilariously poorly translated manual for an "SKSS Self-Loaded Rifle" among other goodies. I suspect this may have been a military gun as well with a scrubbed receiver but the cosmo is a dry on this one so it's hard to get to check. I don't buy guns as wall hangars real often but to get something like this with the box, unshot was too cool. These are very handy if you've never held one, they balance well and aim easily.
Future "goals" for me would be an Albanian and possibly a Romanian. Would always love a Russian at the right price too but they are certainly becoming collectors items in the US market now where prices can run from $450 for roughshod refurbs to $700 or more for clean examples. I will say if we ever got those refurbs like the Canadians do again I'd be down for one, they look like nicely done guns.
