This Chinese Type 56 SKS was produced at Factory 26 in 1962 and is chambered in
7.62x39mm. All numbers match. It is complete with its blade bayonet and retains an
original sling and cleaning kit. The bore is mirror bright and mechanical condition is
excellent. The rifle wears a red phenolic stock, the bakelite type known among
collectors as a jungle stock.
The Type 56 carbine is the Chinese-produced version of the Soviet SKS, a self-loading
carbine designed by Sergei Simonov and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 for the
7.62x39mm M1943 cartridge. Counting all variants and national production, more than 15
million SKS carbines were built. Standard Type 56 rifles were stocked in wood, and the
red and orange-brown phenolic stocks turn up far less often than the issue wood
furniture. Collectors date Factory 26 rifles by the millions digit of the serial number,
which advances by one for each year of production counting from 1956, placing 1962 in
the seven million series, 1963 in the eight million series and 1964 in the nine million
series. Reference compilers note this scheme is an interpretation drawn from observed
serial patterns rather than from Chinese factory records.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Factory 26
Country of origin: China
Year: 1963
Model: Type 56 SKS
Caliber: 7.62x39mm
Matching: All numbers matching
Bayonet: Blade bayonet present
Stock: Red phenolic jungle stock, bakelite type
Bore: Mirror
Included: Original sling and cleaning kit
Mechanical condition: Excellent
$745
