Every so often I tend to be in the right place at the right time. A couple years back I was in one of our local gun shops when the owner, who I knew, was trying to work out a deal with a man who was considering selling his father's rifle, a Type 56. But this was no ordinary Type 56. The man was an Asian studies professor at our local college. The gun was his father's, when he was in the Chinese military. His father, mother and a couple siblings emigrated here to the US back sometime in the 1970's, and he became a US citizen sometime later, as did the wife and kids when they got older. His father worked where he could and eventually passed away, somehow when he came to the US, I didn't ask how, the gun came with him.
The Type 56 was in good condition but the stock was beat up more than most. It also had Chinese characters stamped in a few places, never seen those on any other Type 56 before. They were large and in different places. From what the son could tell us, they were part of some unit recognition. In the end the professor ended up deciding to keep the gun and just hold onto it, but it was nice to see a gun come in that had a connection to it. How many of the SKS's and Type 56 military issue rifles we see have none, other than being imported here to the US. I wish I knew how to get a hold of the professor, I don't believe he teaches anymore, just to get some photos of the gun if he would allow it. Would be a really nice gun just to research or talk to someone who has.
