Hello from Eastern NC. I was a member here many years ago. I owned several SKS rifles including a Chinese type 56 SKS bring-back from Vietnam. According to several so-called experts it had a blood trail along the bolt carrier and receiver cover. I loved that rifle but never felt right owning it. I sold it to a collector whose Uncle fought in Vietnam. I ended up selling most of my AK and SKS rifles due to financial demands.
I?m 74 and I don?t shoot rifles much anymore. Recently. my BIL gave me my only SKS in gratitude for a personal favor. I hadn?t seen it before but knew it was a Russian 1951. When I took it out of the case I was disappointed to see it was a well knocked around refurb and had a bubba stock with 30 round mag. He had the bayonet , minus the spring, magazine box and the stock that it had when he bought it in original configuration, the sling, cleaning rod, and the little hard case belt pouch all in a grocery bag.
I struggled to remove the stock and reinstalled the original as well as bought what I needed from Sarco to make it all right again. I had to buy some stripper clips from midway, iirc. I don?t have the original wooden heat shield. I couldn?t get the bubba heat shield off the gas tube
I sent the barrel/receiver and bolt to Ben Murray (another story altogether) to have the throat reamed so it would safely fire modern brass casings and I had him install his spring loaded firing pin. I did this so that one of my sons would inherit a safe rifle after I go to be with the Lord.
That?s my story.
