SKS Dating

[Snowman1510]

Hi guys, I am new to SKS I just purchased a Chicom SKS and needed helping dating the rifle. I was using this list: How to Find the Manufacture Date of An SKS by Serial Number | Gone Outdoors | Your Adventure Awaits . However I can barely read my rifle's electropenciled markings for two reasons. 1. Being thery are electropenciled and 2. there is some frosting that was on them and defaced them to a degree. What is left of them I cannot decipher, and was wondering if an expert could help. Thanks again. Below are photos.

Information

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[WarPig1976]

I’m pretty sure those are fake. They didn’t electopencil them, did they? They stamped them.
Are you sure you don’t have a 90’s commercial import somebody tried to spice up?

[Snowman1510]

No clue, it was only being sold as "Chinese SKS". I only noticed the markings by chance. Other than that it is all matching and all the metal except these tiny micro pits here is almost perfect. I would still be satisfied with it anyways. The guy actually did a nice deep cleaning on it before he sold it too. Fellow is a Garand/M1 Carbine/SKS seller that frequently has tables at this show.

Only downside is the stock has been sanded, but that is life.

[WarPig1976]

If the import mark says made in China by Norinco it’s a Commercial gun not a Milsurp and the dating formula doesn’t work on those.
There’s a Sticky up top of this forum with lots of info.

[Boris Badinov]

The link you provide for dating is incorrect regarding the dates of manufacture for the Chinese variants.

For the current chinese dating formulae go here instead:
Dating The Chinese SKS

Can you post a full legnth photo of the left side receiver? And photos of any other serial numbers on the rifle?

Some of the late date Chinese guns have electrostencil receiver serials. Though these are uncommon, they are not by any means rare or highly sought after by collectors.

It is not a "commercial" gun-- as the only true commercial guns are the modified variants-- and was manufactured to military specifications like the vast majority of the Chinese sks.

[WarPig1976]

It is not a "commercial" gun-- as the only true commercial guns are the modified variants-- and was manufactured to military specifications like the vast majority of the Chinese sks.

Quit playing semantics. Commercial as in NO military provenance, not sold onto the surplus market. Imported by Norinco or Polytech for the express purpose of being sold on the civilian markets. Imported by the tens of thousands into the U.S and Canada, brand new in the box.

[Boris Badinov]

It is semantics. Because there are specific negative implications that apply the to term 'commercial'.

The only guns known to have been made specifically for the commercial market are the modified variants (ak mags, scopes, short barrel, etc), and the post 1987, standard configuration guns (serial prefixed 88-94). But all of these guns were cobbled together from leftover parts produced for military/security purposes over nearly thirty years of type56 production in China.

The fact that the op rifle bears a triangular military arsenal stamp as well as the 56type designation are more than enough indication that it is a military rifle (issued or not) that ended up on the commercial market.

Made by Norinco is a misnomer. As the only guns Norinco might have had a part in "making" are the modified guns and post 1987 standard configuration guns, which, as already stated, were assembled from leftover mil-spec parts.

I stressed the "not commercial" notion, not to be confrontational or contrary, but because of the negative implications that the term 'commercial' has regarding quality of build, function, and overall reliability.

Many claim unjustifiably that all of the Chinese sks's are of poor quality and unreliable. But it is not true.

However, there is a nugget of truth to the claim, because the truly commercial guns -- i.e. the modified ak mag variants-- have a documented history of unreliability in feeding and function and overall magazine fit and compatibility.
Despite the fact that this reputation only applies to a limited population of the truly "commercial" guns, it has also been mistakenly assumed by many that it applies to the standard configuration guns. Which is patently false.

Without seeing the op's entire rifle, it may seem difficult to tell what kind of rifle he has -- commercial or mil-spec. But the fact that the rifle still bears the triangle arsenal stamp and the "56type" (五六式) designation indicates that it was manufactured as a mil-spec rifle. As most commercial guns have had the arsenal stamps scrubbed, and the "56type" designation was omitted on every gun assembled after 1984.

[WarPig1976]

All I see in the photos are Electopencil marks that we don't even know are real. OP says the thing is almost perfect except for the pitting we see. Which leads me to lean toward a 80's/90's Commercial import. Type 56's usually show the been there done that look.
Yup, more pics are in order.

[Boris Badinov]

It looks like an /816\ arsenal stamp.

Compiled serial data I have seen for this arsenal is sparse, but indicates that it was a very low yearly output factory, with known production dates from the 15th-21st years (1970-1976) of chinese sks production.

As far as when it was imported...I have no idea as I live in the US. But weren't there a few large shipments of chinese sks's to Canada in the past year or so?

[EDIT:] Oops. The op is in Texas. So, this is likely an 80's/90's import. Either that or a Canadian border jumper.

[Snowman1510]

Sorry I have been busy for a few days, I will upload some photos, one moment.