Never paid much attention to this wikipedia photo until today. Interestingly, rifles have the blade bayonet, but the bolt carrier is post-1965 style?
(https://i.ibb.co/hXRDs9f/1920px-PLAN-sailors.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7gJ2vC4)
From the tapered stock fore end, the blade bayonets are likely replacements.
All of those stocks look like they're post 1965 production for spike bayonets.
Possibly the blade bayonet is a Navy-specific thing?
Are there more photos from this ceremony/event?
I'm curious if there are any good shots of the barrel lugs. Would be interesting if any of those rifles had pinned barrels.
Good eye, btw.
I've seen this photo a million times and overlooked this detail every time. thumb1
The barrels look to have the short threaded lug imho.
Quote from: Bubbazinetti on October 18, 2021, 10:30:01 PM
The barrels look to have the short threaded lug imho.
+1 That's what I'm seeing, too. Some of those rifles have quite a bit of wear on the stocks and bluing. They're definitely not "Parade Rifle" grade.
firstchoice
I agree with short lug. Some of the rifles are almost in the white chuckles1. Possibly ships armory rifles. To the point of blades being Navy specific, that might bear weight. The weapons would not only be for repelling boarders, but to put down insurrections, and that extra 100mm's or so less than the spike would come in handier in the confines of ships quarters where some passageways could only be a meter wide on smaller ships. Good thread!
Definitely good observations gentlemen! thumb1
Stocks have two pins at the bayo slot, intended to be spike bayo stocks.
Late bolt carriers
Late gas tubes
Late bayonet lugs
I actually see pressed and pinned barrels with the barrels having a slight increased diameter at the press site. Here's an example:
(https://i.ibb.co/fddNRhD/710341-left-lug.jpg)
It's funny how some have the safety on and others have the safety off. You'd think they'd be all the same.
Navy, explains it all chuckles1 rofl2 wink1
This is a modern navy, and a Communist one at that.
I don't think repelling boarders and/or quelling mutinies factors into any considerations regarding drill/parade rifles.
The blade bayonets are more visible and more visually impressive than the spike bayonets.
And being short and dull, are much more manageable and less likely to cause injury than the long, pokey, pointy, spike bayonets.
It's hard to judge finish wear based on photographs, because just the reflection of ambient light/sunlight can cause shiny spots that look like wear, and if the camera is using a flash feature, even more so.
But, being drill/parade weapons, it is quite possible that they do have a degree of wear, especially in the areas where they would be handled, such as the gas tubes and barrels.
From a purely practical point, using the SKS as a drill/parade rifle makes a lot more sense than using something like an AK, which has that pistol grip sticking out to get in the way and get caught on stuff, and the smooth low-profile magazine floorplate is much better this way than a detachable AK magazine that sticks out and catches on stuff. And visually, the SKS magazine looks better than an AK would with no magazine in it.
This is why a lot of Communist militaries, like the former Polish and East Germans, and the Russians still do, use/used SKS rifles for parade/drill purposes.
So while these may or may not be fully functioning rifles, I doubt that they are ever used for shooting.
They are like the various 03/03A3 Springifield rifles our military used for drill/parade rifles. Some were functioning rifles, especially if used for firing blanks at ceremonies and funerals, some had a couple spot welds to keep the bolt from being operated, and some were welded into a solid hunk of metal that could never be restored to firing condition. And many of these totally welded up rifles had the sights removed so they would not catch on things or tear people's hands up - one of the Navy 03A3 drill rifle variations and the 03A3's that were used (I don't know if they still are) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier even had the rear sight bases ground off.
It would certainly be interesting to examine these rifles in person in China, if that were possible. Sadly, with the embargo on the import of military and military style rifles from China, we will never see them here as surplus.