The North korean type 63 sks Carbine
One of the least common variants of the SKS Carbine is known as the Type-63, manufactured in North Korea. The platform for the North Korean is based on the Russian SKS-45 in design and operation, but it also shares a similar designation with the Chinese select fire variation, aslo called the Type-63 or Type-63/68. Aside from the similar model name and shared small parts design, the full-auto Chinese gun is in no way associated in function with the North Korean. So, for practical purposes in this presentation, the Type-63 designation will refer to the North Korean model only.
As the model number suggests, it was introduced in 1963, thus no North Korean SKS's were ever recovered from the Korean War where hostilities ceased in 1953. And instead, most all models found in the US would likely have come from the Vietnam War. Several Communist countries offered military aid to North Vietnam, and SKS's were provided in modest numbers by North Korea, Russia, East Germany, and Romania, and in large numbers by the Chinese.
The Type-63 is originally designed with a blade bayonet, though one bringback example has been retrofitted with a Russian Mosin Nagant M44 or Chinese T-53 spike bayonet. Most are found in laminated stocks, similar to the Russian birch, but a few are found in hardwood stocks. The laminate layers are cross-grained like the Russian stocks with the same number of layers, as opposed to the much thinner layered parallel-grained stocks of East Germany and China (rare).
As the model number suggests, it was introduced in 1963, thus no North Korean SKS's were ever recovered from the Korean War where hostilities ceased in 1953. And instead, most all models found in the US would likely have come from the Vietnam War. Several Communist countries offered military aid to North Vietnam, and SKS's were provided in modest numbers by North Korea, Russia, East Germany, and Romania, and in large numbers by the Chinese.
The Type-63 is originally designed with a blade bayonet, though one bringback example has been retrofitted with a Russian Mosin Nagant M44 or Chinese T-53 spike bayonet. Most are found in laminated stocks, similar to the Russian birch, but a few are found in hardwood stocks. The laminate layers are cross-grained like the Russian stocks with the same number of layers, as opposed to the much thinner layered parallel-grained stocks of East Germany and China (rare).
Please see the examples below
