Type 56 SKS

[00Buck]

Had a gift card laying around from Christmas that I got from son. Seen palmetto had some type 56 on sale just before Labor Day. I Have a norinco in an ugly synthetic stock but these looked like they had a story to tell with the original wood stock. Purchased one as a pig in a poke. Expecting the worst as the reviews were not too good, cracked stocks, some rust ect. But claimed all functioned properly.

Well I guess I got lucky. It’s really nice all numbers matching stock, mag, bolt, carrier, receiver even the operating rod has the matching serial number on it shiny bore and chamber. It was pack with cosmoline like I had never seen before took mineral spirits and about 4 hours of elbow grease then a heat gun to stock several times. appears to be approximately 1969.

I put 20 rounds through it a couple weeks ago to test function ran fine. I decided to sight it in today was shooting left about 6” moved front sight post left and now shoots great. Shot 100 rounds of wolf and best group I have got is about 3”-4” at 75 yards on par with my norinco. Although I can hit the 8” steel at 100 yards every time. Also I noticed it holds 11 rounds in the mag and that is not forcing the last one in and it functions fine.

Thought about ordering another but don’t think I’ll press my luck any farther. Anyone purchased one of these from palmetto in the last 2 months? If so what was your experience?

 

[MrSmitty]

Just nosing in, but good for you! Alway great to get more for your money, I have an older Type 56 (1959) and like it, they are fun guns to shoot, very simple, and reliable.. If you want another, by all means buy one!

 

[Mongo59]

It looks a lot like the one I just re-did. Mine had some carving on it though. Did it look like this?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

It looks a lot like the one I just re-did. Mine had some carving on it though. Did it look like this?

View attachment 160281

And did something like this come out of the barrel?

 

[00Buck]

Yes it did look like that but no rust it looked really bad but the cosmoline did it’s job.
Haha Yes something exactly like the look of that came out of the barrel although it was a bigger pile.

 

[IUKalash429]

Have lots of love for the trusty Type 56.

Devoting time to tearing everything down, cleaning away all that cosmoline (and let's face it ... you never really get it all), and reassembling can really make an owner appreciate shooting these things just a bit more. It's also neat to realize that by doing so, you probably become the first westerner to unearth the gun's Chinese history.

Nice gun, OP.

 

[999cs]

Nice looking SKS you got there. I always wanted one, but never got around to picking one up. Wish I would have years ago when they were more reasonably priced. Now like everything else, the prices are pretty much new gun prices on them from what I have seen.