Thanks for the help!

[loves2shootstuff]

I got what I needed, thanks for all the input Calgunners!

[Mssr. Eleganté]

That serial number stamping looks weird compared to other M59 rifles I've seen. Is your rifle from that recent batch of imports? The ones they were calling M59's but were really newly assembled with M59/66 parts and new barrels?

[Bobby Ricigliano]

By just looking at the pic I see it is a Yugo PAP M59 with Ser.# 001243. That tells me it was made in 1964.

I don't think that serial # provides an accurate dating of the rifle. It is a 59/66 with the GL and GL sights removed, gas valve still present. I had one of these briefly, they were the same bunch that Wideners sold as well as Turners. Wideners made them available as C&R to California, but the consensus was that buying these directly was not advised, even though they would send them to you.

These rifles did not follow normal SKS patterns. The one I had was serialized only on the receiver. The dust cover, trigger guard, magazine, and bolt were all either blank or scrubbed, no numbers. The guns were either brand new builds or very well re-arsenaled and preserved.

[KnowFear]

I am no expert, but FWIW, I see some sites pegging A prefix as 1964, others with A prefix as 1963, with pre-letter SN rifles as being "older" by an unspecified amount.

Yearly increments with the letter prefix.

[yellowsled]

Anyone who bought those rifles assuming it was a m57 got screwed. There is no way to date that. It's a former 59/66 that was scrubbed of its original sn and given a new one. They removed the grenade launcher in the process but left the valve there. That is not a M59 I'm sorry.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Anyone who bought those rifles assuming it was a m57 got screwed. There is no way to date that. It's a former 59/66 that was scrubbed of its original sn and given a new one. They removed the grenade launcher in the process but left the valve there. That is not a M59 I'm sorry.

They are nice looking rifles, but they are not PAP59's. I concur with Yellowsled.

THIS is a M59:

[yellowsled]

OP, Why did you remove your first post with pictures?