Standard Catalog of Military Firearms. Phillip Peterson
5-round integral magazine. Weight is about 9.5 lbs. China purchased about 70,000 of these rifles.
FN M24 and 30 Short Rifles
M21 Short Rifle
A Chinese copy of the FN Model 30 Short Rifle. Pistol grip stock with upper handguard from receiver to upper band. Chambered for the 7.92x57mm cartridge and fitted with a 23.6" barrel. Tangent rear sight to 2,000 meters. Weight is about 8.5 lbs. Chinese characters marked on the receiver ring.
Chiang Kai-shek Short Rifle
Chambered for the 7.92x57mm cartridge. Fitted with a 23.6" barrel. Tangent rear sight to 2,000 meters. Magazine capacity is 5 rounds in a flush mounted box magazine. Weight is approximately 8.75 lbs. Chinese markings on the receiver ring. Manufactured between 1936 and 1949, this rifle became the standard issue for Chinese troops.
VZ24 Short Rifle
This is the Czech Model 24 short rifle purchased from Czechoslovakia in the mid-1930s. Approximately 100,000 were purchased and all have a “P” prefix in the serial number. All are dated 1937. Many of these rifles were captured by the Japanese during World War II and issued to Japanese troops. After the war these rifles were reissued to Chinese troops.
M1933 Standard Model Short Rifle
Chambered for the 7.92x57mm cartridge and fitted with a 23.6" barrel. Magazine capacity is 5 rounds in a flush-mounted box magazine. Tangent rear sight to 2,000 meters. Mauser banner trademark is marked on the receiver ring. Weight is about 8.75 lbs. Stock has a pistol grip and upper handguard. Straight bolt handle.
M1933 Standard Model Carbine
As above but with turned down bolt handle and sling swivels mounted on left side of stock. Chambered for the 7.92x57mm cartridge but also offered in 7.65x53mm and 7x57mm. Mauser trademark on receiver ring. Weight is about 8.5 lbs.
Bayonets for Chinese Mausers
China aquired bayonets along with the rifles they purchased from foreign makers. Look in the appropriate nations’ listings for bayonet specifics. Janzens Notebook mentions they made some domestically but none could be documented at the time of this writing.
VZ24 with Japanese Folding Bayonet (Chinese copy)
A copy of the VZ24 and fitted with a Japanese Model 44 folding bayonet. Pistol grip stock and straight bolt handle. Barrel length is 23". Chambered for the 7.92x57mm cartridge. Rear tangent sight to 2,000 meters. Chinese markings on the receiver. Weight is about 9 lbs.
Manchurian Mauser Rifle (Mukden Arsenal)
See Japan, Rifles.
ARISAKA
In 1946 the Chinese obtained large numbers of Japanese Type 99 rifles. These rifles were altered to 7.92x57mm, 8x57mm, or 7.62x39mm calibers. Original Type 99 barrels were cut and re-chambered. Most parts were refinished.
Type 53
This is a Chinese copy of the Soviet Model 1944 Mosin-Nagant carbine. Production began in 1953. Early models up to 1959 have Chinese characters for the model designation stamped on the receiver. Rifles made after 1959 do not have these characters. Chinese rifles have the bolt, magazine, floorplate, and buttplate serial-numbered to the rifle. Production ended sometime in the early 1960s.
Type 53 Rifle • Courtesy West Point Museum, Paul Goodwin photo
Type 56 Carbine (SKS)
A 7.62x39mm semi-automatic rifle with a 20.5" barrel and 10-shot fixed magazine. Blued with oil finished stock. The early Chinese military issue Type 56 rifles came with a blade bayonet. Later models had the spike bayonet. Price listed is for used Type 56 made for the Chinese military. Some were brought back from Viet Nam, others were imported in the late 1980s.
Norinco SKS
Same as above, but made for export sales to the U.S. Will have “Norinco” or other importer’s name on the receiver. They have a orange colored wood stock. At first they were imported with a spike bayonet, then the U.S. government ruled that the attached bayonet violated the “Sporting use” definition in federal law. Later importation had no mounting bracket for the bayonet.
Bayonets for Type 56 SKS
After the U.S. government prohibited importation of SKS rifles with bayonets installed, the importers simply brought them in separately. Value for blade or spike is the same. Price range 25 – 10.
Norinco SKS with detachable magazine
This version was made to accept AK-47 type detachable magazines. There are three variants. The first was a standard pattern SKS, with or without the bayonet.
After the ban on importation of “assault rifles” they were made in a “sporter” configuration. One variation has a monte carlo stock, the other has a thumbhole stock.
North Korean Type 56 Carbine (SKS)
Same overall design as the Chinese version but with high quality fit and finish. Has a gas shut off valve on the gas block. This was to allow use of a grenade launcher. Reddish-brown laminated stock. Rare.
SKS Carbine • Paul Goodwin photo
Chinese Type 56-1 • Paul Goodwin photo
Chinese