$50 - $500 depending on model and condition. There is no data on SKS serial numbers available, so it is not a useful piece of information. The Romanian SKS rifles check the end of the serial number, there is a dash followed by four numbers, this is the year produced. To get the year of manufacture, add the first digit in the serial number to 1956. Check the two numbers at the beginning of a German SKS serial number, it is the date of manufacture. The rule of thumb for chinese SKS is that if the serial number is 7 digits, the first digit is the amount of years since 1956, in your case 2, so your chinese SKS should be a 1958 production. Obviously there is more to it but that is the basic gst of it that works on a large number of chinese SKS. Here is a thread that does into much greater detail. Your rifle is a type 56 carbine (thats what the 3 Chinese symbols say) made at factory 26 (number inside triangle) in the year 1967. The 'P' stamp after the serial number stands for 'Pakistan', as that is the country this rifle was originally built for.
Possible for some makers and not for others.
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Serial number is located on the left side of the stock, perpendicular to the barrel. It is also on the back of the receiver, on the left side towards the rear of the receiver, on the top of the bolt, on the bottom of the magazine (attached, not a detachable type), and on the bottom of the trigger guard.
There are plenty of other characteristics by which to identifythe manufacturer of an SKS rifle.
The easiest way to identify the model is to identify the countryof origin. The simplest way of doing this is to look for theimporter's mark. In some cases, it may be on the side of thereceiver. In others, it'll be on the bottom of the barrel, andyou'll need to unfold the bayonet and possibly remove the cleaningrod to see it. If you do not have any such markings on your rifle,it may possibly be a war trophy which had been brought into thecountry by a soldier returning home from Korea, Vietnam, etc, andcould be worth some serious money.
Here's some more identifying features to help you:
- Soviet models have two distinct arsenal markings - Izhevsk orTula. Izhevsk rifles will have a marking with an arrow inside of atriangle, along with year of manufacture, on top of the receivercover. Tula rifles are marked the same way, except their arsenalmark is an arrow inside of a star. Many of the Russian riflesimported into the US actually came from Poland, and wererefurbished with a laminate stock, and, in some cases, areplacement bolt (these will usually be blued) replaced theoriginal, and the numbers were force matched to the receiver.
- Chinese rifles will have Chinese lettering on the side of thereceiver, in front of the serial number. They're also commonlyknown for having a spike bayonet, although earlier rifles did use asword bayonet. There are MANY variations of the Chinese SKS, whichmay feature thumbhole stocks, differentbarrel lengths, and some were manufactured to accept detachable AKmagazines.
- Rifles from the former Yugoslavia tend to be built a bit morerobust, with thicker receiver walls. They also typically lackchrome lined barrels, although some of the very latest productionrifles did have this feature. The M59 was more or less a directcopy of the Russian SKS, while the M59/66 featured an attachedgrenade launcher (which was actually NATO spec, and not Warsaw Pactspec), a gas cutoff valve, a grenade launcher sight above the gastube which flips up, and also flip-up tritium night sights. Theonly markings from Zastava (the manufacturer) are the serialnumber.
- Albanian rifles are very distinctly different from other typesof SKS. They have a different magazine design, they have anAK-styled charging handle on the bolt carrier, and they have aspike bayonet similar to the Chinese rifles, as well as furnitureuncommon to any other manufacturer of the SKS, which extends allthe way to the gas block. There is also a sling swivel, positionedto the side, on the buttstock.
- North Korean rifles are extremely rare, and were known as theType 63. On the top of the receiver cover, they will be denoted bya star inside of a circle. Underneath this, the number '63',followed by a Hangul character.
- East German rifles are also extremely rare. They accept a slingwhich actually goes through the buttstock, similar to the Mausersling.
- Romanian SKS rifles will have the arsenal marks on the side ofthe receiver, underneath the opening for the bolt carrier.
Vietnamese SKS rifles are also extremely rare, and you wouldneed to get in touch with someone who knows more about them toidentify if yours is one.
If you bought it from a gun store, it's most likely from eitherChina or the former Yugoslavia, with a still somewhat fair chancethat it could be Soviet, a reduced chance of it being Romanian orAlbanian, and a very low chance of it being North Korean,Vietnamese, or East German, unless you paid enough for it to buythree or four SKS rifles of any other nationality.
Sks Serial Numbers Database
Norinco Sks Serial
Trying to find date of manufacture of Norinco SKS.
Norinco Sks Serial Number Identification
Hello all. Ive done a bit of searching online but that has probably left me confused more than anything. My SKS is a commercial Norinco one which I understand means its next to impossible to date, but I have heard you can date ones made in factory 26. My receiver says factory 0136 which I read is another number for factory 26. I know you add the first 2 digits of the serial to 56 to get the year, but that is only for serial numbers with 7 numbers. The problem is mine has 8 numbers and after the serial there is an M but I don't think it is part of the serial. Going by the 7 digit strategy, the first 2 numbers is 24, which means my rifle was made in 1980. I also heard 1980 was the last year factory 26 made the sks but I can't confirm or deny it. A big reason why I'm not sure it was really made in 1980 is that it was purchased brand new in 1993, but it could have been sitting in a warehouse for all I know. Anyway if anybody knows of any tricks to date my rifle, that would be great. Thanks
