Chinese SKS charging handle question...

[BucDan]

I just got my Chinese sks and I am currently cleaning it. One thing I noticed was that the charging handle is more like the AKM's charging handle,with the flat curved handle, than the usual circular charging handle i see on pictures here.

Is my model different from others? Or is it frankensteined?

[hifiguns]

The last batch of Chinese SKS came from Albania. Yours probably has an Albanian bolt carrier.



more at Yooper John's SKS site

[maxx03]

^^^ This. Or Bubba got to it.

[BucDan]

Ah . Yeah, I saw that the numbers didn't match. Oh well.

[hifiguns]

But it's evidence that your Chinese SKS came from Albania. So it's cool. From China to Vietnam to Albania to USA.

[BucDan]

Can I ask, what are the appropriate stain and finishing coatings for a Chinese sks? I was thinking of doing a more traditional refinishing for a purest, but I've had my eye on just striping it out and putting Tung oil on it, like I saw on the internet. Trying to weigh the two and decide to work on it for next weekend.

[God Bless America]

Thin coat of amber shallac.

Why refinish? Post pics.

[hifiguns]

Post some pics. Shellac is correct. Try this method if you must refinish. Use Klean-Strip Denatured alcohol in the green can.

[BrokerB]

getting the cosmoline out of that round handle sucks. rather have the tab then the tube

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Can I ask, what are the appropriate stain and finishing coatings for a Chinese sks? I was thinking of doing a more traditional refinishing for a purest, but I've had my eye on just striping it out and putting Tung oil on it, like I saw on the internet. Trying to weigh the two and decide to work on it for next weekend.

Stand by for the purist conniption fits on that one.

And P.S. it is an Albanian bolt carrier as stated above.

[BucDan]

Forgot I had this thread going. I'll take some pictures of the stock tomorrow.

Also, is it possible to remove the upper handguard from the tube?

[triplestack3]

Forgot I had this thread going. I'll take some pictures of the stock tomorrow.

Also, is it possible to remove the upper handguard from the tube?

here you go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2i2Tmgh7Fo

[Flintlock Tom]

If your SKS has two holes in the butt-plate, the AK style charging handle and an extended stock/handguard and is dated after '67 it's an Albanian SKS.
China was providing Albania with Chinese type 56 SKSs into the mid '60s. Albania started manufacturing their own style (56-1) in '67.

[BucDan]

Here's a quick crude picture right before work this morning. There's no cracks, just lots of scratches. The scratches, I don't mind much. The receiver and stock are marked in the 7 million range. So that puts it roughly 1963. The Upper handguard was already soaked in hot water to remove cosmoline from the tube, this was before I knew how to remove the tube from the wood... So I might as well refinish everything.