I have no doubt that this rifle is a Vietnam bring back. Please be gentle in cleaning it. Soak the metal parts in solvent and wipe it down with an oily rag. That's all you need to do. Congrats! Nice piece. I like it.
Would you please be so kind as to detail why you believe this? I'm trying to learn!
I also forgot to mention that the only markings I found in a thorough search of the rifle were:
*
The "triangle 26"/3 Chinese Characters/SN#
*
What appears to be a "Copyright" symbol
*
A "N" or "Z" and a "dot" on front end of rec. in same pic
*
A "6" (or "9"?) near a "stake" or "chisel" mark(?)
That's it - other than the other serial-number markings on
Stock,
Mag,
bolt & carrier, &
the FCG.
Note also
the "ding" in the stock... I think it looks like a bullet-strike, will test with a .223 bullet next time I drag it out...
It also seems like it's been burned some... note the missing, burnt-looking wood on both ends of the stock - at
the nose and butt-plate...
Basically... I soaked it in diesel and scrubbed with a nylon brush or (where necessary) with a soft brass/bronze fine-bristled one. SOME spots I had no choice but to use some "gumout" carb cleaner to get the funk out of spots even bamboo skewer-points couldn't reach, but afterward I soaked in diesel to get some oil back into the steel... I then saturated it with silicone spray ("Pro-long") as a rust-preventive, let it soak then wiped dry with blue "shop rag" paper towels.
I think my next steps will be to cut off the bayonet lug, front sight and a couple of inches of barrel. I can then thread it for a fake can, and drill and tap it for a scope before I do a tiger-stripe gun-coat job on it. Probably use bedliner paint on the stock until my shernic bullpup kit is ready-then I'll use my dremel-tool to hack out the receiver so it can use AK mags.
....
I kid, I kid...
DON'T HAVE A COW, MAN!
I really DO want to do a shernic conversion, including milling off the bolt "ears" so the mags will drop free, but will sacrifice either a Yugo or Norinco (both run-o-the-mill junkers) to the project... Why? I LOVE the SKS for what it is - a surprisingly accurate, dead-nuts reliable, cheap firearm - but would LOVE to be able to do a good job of modernizing one to see what it's really capable of doing!
Plus - as a side-not o
As previously noted, I think this is a piece of history that deserves preservation. I'm going to TRY to have the stock repaired by a guy I know who considers such work a labor of love - and can usually make the repair invisible... If he won't volunteer to do it, I'll most likely leave it as-is...
I'm also going to TRY to find out the rifle's history, and document it as much as I can... I live in a VERY rural area, and the auction-house is right down the road from me... I'm pretty sure if they won't tell me who the seller was, they'll at least contact them for me and pass along my message asking them to contact ME.
I'm betting the rifle belonged to someone's Dad and they just saw it as something old and stinky (it sure was!) and not worth anything to them... Hopefully I'll be able to make them understand why I care, and if nothing else I'll get a letter saying "It was my Dad's rifle he brought home from VN" or similar...
Wish me luck!
