Type 63: China Makes an AK/SKS Hybrid
Forgotten Weapons
•
18m
Starting in 1960, China ran a program to develop an infantry rifle that would combine the accuracy of the SKS with the firepower of the AK. The result was the Type 63, which used the general layout of the SKS along with its short stroke gas piston and an SKS-like fire control system (with fully automatic capability) in combination with an AK-like rotating bolt and a detachable AK-style magazine. The rifle performed well in trials, and as best as I can tell about a million were produced. Mass production quality control was sub=par, though, and rifles in the field failed to live up to the standard of the trials rifles. As a result, the Type 63 was pulled out of service and the Type 56 AK and SKS went back into use until the adoption of the Type 81 year later.
The Type 63 was made in two main variations; initially a milled receiver and later a stamped receiver. There were 3 distinct types of magazines made for them, all holding 20 rounds and with a bolt hold-open mechanism. These magazines can be used in AK rifles, but AK magazines do not function in the Type 63. A lot of Type 63s were sent to Albania after their removal from Chinese service, and others used as military aid or sales to a variety of African countries, where they are still seen today.
Up Next in Forgotten Weapons
-
Mini-Ero: The Croatian Hybrid Small Uzi
After producing the Ero, a nearly exact copy of the Israeli Uzi, the Croatia firm Arma started making some design changes. With the Mini-Ero, they picked a size in between that of the Mini-Uzi and Micro-Uzi, and also used a stock taken from the vz.61 Skorpion (Model 84 in Croatian service).
A bi...
-
How Companies Bend US Import Laws (An...
Part of the 1968 Gun Control Act in the US put restrictions on importation of small handguns. These rules intended to protect US manufacturers and prevent people from having access to particularly inexpensive and concealable firearms, and these rules remain in place today. In particular, revolver...
-
WF-54: The Swiss FG-42 Scaled up to 7...
After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and the other being a derivative of the German FG-42 at Waffenfabrik Bern. Bern, under the directio...
