Guns International #: 102903961
Seller's Inventory #: CM22-977

Category - SKS Rifles - Military Rifles - Non-US

Category
SKS Rifles
Military Rifles - Non-US

UNFIRED All-Original & Non-Rebuilt 1954 Russian Army Tula SKS Rifle in 7.62x39mm w/ Sling ** Spectacular RARE All-Matching & MINTY SKS! **

Description:
If you have been looking for an all-original, non-rebuild 1950's Russian SKS for your collection then you are more than likely well-aware of how incredibly hard they are to find.  From what we have seen in our store, these totally factory-original guns exist of-course, but they apparently exist at a ratio of approx. 1 original SKS for every 850 to 1000 Russian arsenal-rebuilt SKS carbines here in the United States.  You are also probably aware, that out of the rare all-original guns you are lucky enough to find, it seems that 999 out of 1000 of them are import-marked.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of those import-marked originals have big, ugly high-visible import-stamps on the receiver, which detracts a lot from the overall clean look of the gun.  There is however, a small portion of them with only the barrel import-marked with a small and very hard-to-see stamp.   
     With that information in mind, take a look at this 1954 Russian Tula-made beauty we are listing here.  THIS SKS HAS ALL OF THE MOST DESIRABLE FEATURES COMBINED ON ONE GUN!  This Sergei Simonov-designed masterpiece appears TOTALLY UNTOUCHED SINCE LEAVING THE TULA FACTORY 70 YEARS AGO IN 1954!  It is 100% factory original and matching in every way, it appears totally UN-FIRED since being factory test-fired, and it has the smallest and most un-obtrusive type of import-stamp you will see on these, which only C.A.I. used.  The import-stamp with the importer's name, address, the model of the rifle, the country of origin, and the caliber it is chambered in, was all applied on the barrel in very small font, in such a way that the gas tube hides most of it from sight.  You really have to look for it to find it which is the BEST case scenario.  The only other additional marks added to this carbine by the importer are the English letters "L" and "A" above the 2 Cyrillic-letter prefix on the serial number located on the left side of the receiver.  The best view of these letters is in picture #11 of this listing.  While the Cyrillic "A" looks the same as an English "A", the Cyrillic "L" looks like an English lower-case "n".  The importer had to do this in order to keep the original serial number on it for import purposes, otherwise it would have had a totally new serial number applied somewhere on the receiver.  All of the other importers outsiude of C.A.I. have these newly made-up serial numbers applied to their receivers in addition to the factory serial number, along with the importers name and address, the country of origin, and the caliber, ALL NEWLY-STAMPED or ENGRAVED ON THE RECEIVER where they are VERY visible.  While some people might not mind that as much, I MUCH PREFER the way this SKS is stamped and would not own one with the highly-visible and ugly import stamps all over the receiver.
     As you can see from the pictures of this 1954 Tula SKS, this example is truly beautiful and as pristine as they get.  All of the metal parts are finished with a bright and glossy blue finish over nicely-polished metal, giving the gun a very handsome blue finish that looks like a commercial-quality blue on a high-quality vintage hunting rifle, or a Smith & Wesson Model 29 from the 1970's, rather than a Russian Military-issue weapon.  This Tula SKS shows that they were capable of applying a superb polish to the metal parts and a very handsome, even-toned, gloss-blue when directed to do so.  The only metal parts of the gun that are not blued are the bolt/bolt carrier, and the blade portion of the bayonet assembly.  The bolt and carrier were left "in-the-white" and polished, sometimes referred to as "armory bright", and the bayonet blade was also left bare, but was given a bead-blasted matte finish to reduce any unwanted glare or shine it might give off in combat.  Both of these two parts are in perfect condition, as the bolt and bolt carrier are still bright and perfectly-clean, and the bayonet blade is in like-new condition as-well, showing no damage whatsoever or wear.  You can see a yellow tint on the blade from the dried-out protective oil it was coated with, which now serves as a protective barrier from rust or stains.  It can be removed easily if the new owner so-chooses with just a little oil and a toothbrush.  If you look at picture # 12, specifically the picture looking down into the action with the bolt open, you will notice that it STILL HAS THE ANTI-RUST PAPER ON TOP OF THE MAGAZINE FOLLOWER!  This piece of anti-rust paper has almost certainly been there since it was put into the gun by someone at the Tula factory in 1954.  This is just one of the many clues that tells us it is very likely unfired.  The bolt face is immaculate, the action is pristine with no visible carbon, powder, or residue of any kind present, and the gas piston assembly itself is just as pristine with ZERO powder or carbon residue on the piston, or in the gas tube the piston is housed-in.  The chrome-lined bore is immaculate, with sharp and strong rifling from the chamber to the crown of the muzzle.  The lands and grooves are shiny and clean with zero pitting, wear, defects, bulges, or damage of ANY kind visible.  There are two pictures in this listing that show the crown of the muzzle on this SKS.  The dark "splotches" visible on the crown of the barrel in these pictures are not rust or pitting, it is dried oil and cosmoline that can be cleaned-off just like the bayonet blade.  The factory markings on this SKS are perfect, with sharp borders and a consistent depth to them.  The top cover has the Tula arrow-within-the-star factory mark stamped above the date, and it is serial numbered to match the gun on the rear flat facing the operator.  All of the metal parts that are supposed to be stamped with the serial number are stamped, including the top cover, the receiver, the bolt carrier, the triggerguard bow, and the bottom of the magazine assembly.  All of the serial numbers that are supposed to be electro-penciled are present and correct as well, including the buttplate, the gas tube, and the bayonet assembly.  Of note is the appearance of the blue finish on the top cover, you will see a clearly defined line where the blue finish goes from dark to light in color.  This is one way you can tell a non-rebuild SKS from a distance.  Only the original factory blue finish will show this line, caused by the heat-treatment of the metal being different at the front 1/5 or 1/4 of the cover than the rear 3/4.  
     Moving on to the stock-set on this SKS, you can see that it is made from solid Arctic Birch hardwood instead of a laminated wood.  This is the ORIGINAL and correct factory stock set for this SKS, and is much more attractive IMO than the laminate style you see on 98% of the rebuilds.  It is finished with a dark stain and glossy clear-lacquer to seal and protect the wood from moisture and the severe weather encountered in Russia and the region in general.  The buttstock is stamped on the left side with the Tula factory mark of an arrow within the Communist Star, the date of manufacture "1954r", and the serial number of the rifle itself "LA5782" (the prefix letters in Cyrillic).  There are NO LINED-OUT or scrubbed markings of any kind.  This IS THE ORIGINAL STOCK, and it is not a renumbered replacement, nor is it the original that has been refinished.  The right side of the buttstock is stamped with a circle containing a "T" with a horizontal elongated-oval "O" bisecting it.  This is the final inspection mark of the Tula arsenal indicating a complete functional rifle, and this mark is typically seen only on all-original guns that have NOT been rebuilt like this one.   Moving forward towards the muzzle, you will find more factory and military inspection stamps, particularly of-note are the 4 around the recoil/reinforcement crossbolt head on the left side of the stock.  There you will see 4 small diamond-shaped stamps, each containing a number, letter, or symbol.  These are almost always long-gone on rebuilds or well-used guns, having been scrubbed off or worn away.  The 4 inspection marks around the lug on this piece are still both sharp and completely intact.  There are several more stamps on the inside face of the semi-pistol grip of the stock, a square with the number "10" inside it, an empty triangle, and a circle with a "T" and something else beside it that I cannot determine.  These are another great indicator of the gun being original and used VERY little, if at all.  These little proofs are usually missing altogether on rebuilds, and even on original guns are often worn-away due to their locations on the carbine.  Just as you would anticipate, this stock set is just as like-new and minty as the rest of the gun, and is free from any major damage or repairs from top to bottom.  All of the original factory stock hardware is in like-new condition, and everything is nice and tight with no loose or rattling parts.  This Tula still has it's original sling in-place, the factory cleaning rod is secured under the barrel, and the factory cleaning kit is in the butt behind the spring-loaded door in the buttplate.
      All in all, this is likely AS FINE OF A RUSSIAN SKS AS YOU WILL EVER SEE!!!  We get a good number of super-clean Russian rebuilds thru the shop regularly, but examples like this one with every single sought-after feature you could ask for are extremely rare.  While it is certainly possible to find another Russian SKS for a lot less money that has gone thru maybe one or two rebuilds, but still looks very original, due to only having 1 or 2 parts replaced, or maybe just it's original stock was refinished during the arsenal rebuild and reinstalled on the SKS, IT WILL NEVER BE 100% ORIGINAL AND MATCHING like this one is.  If described honestly for what it actually is, a rebuild, no matter how good it is, will simply never have the collectible/investment value that this one has.  It's very much like a woman telling you "I'm sorta / kinda pregnant".  That is not possible, she either IS pregnant, OR, she is NOT pregnant, there is not an in-between!  With real INVESTMENT/COLLECTOR-grade vintage military weapons, it is the same way.  They are either in exactly the same configuration they were in when they left the factory as new, or they are not.  It does not matter if just one little part has ben changed-out of the gun, or if fifteen replacement parts have been swapped into the gun, either way it is NOT all-original and it never will be.  It is also true that these Russian SKS's will almost certainly NEVER be cheaper than they are today.  They have continued to appreciate in value every single year and there are no indications that this upward climb is going to slow-down or stop in the future.  Not only will they continue to appreciate in value, but the number of examples like this one available to purchase will get smaller and smaller at the same time due to a number of reasons.  Priced at $2650.00, this Tula is slotted into the same price range as several all-original Russian SKS's that have sold in the last 2 months on GB s that were not unfired, nor were they as pristine as this one is. 
                                                                                                                                                      This 1954 Russian Tula SKS is PRE-BAN of course, as well as C&R eligible.    

Price: $2,650.00

Curio/Relic: Yes
Rifle Caliber: 7.62x39mm
Manufacturer: Tula (Russia)
Model: SKS ( SKS-45 )
Serial Number: LA5782 (L&A are in Russian Cyrillic)
Barrel Length: 20" Inches
Bore Info: Rifled & Chrome-Lined
Condition: Minty
Metal Condition: Minty
Wood Condition: Minty
Bore Condition: Mint
Action: Semi-Auto Carbine
Triggers: Two-Stage Combat Trigger
Stock: Original Arctic Birch (solid wood)
Butt Pad: Recoil Plate with Trap Door for Cleaning Kit
Finish: Gloss Blue / Polished In-The-White
Sights: Adjustable Iron Battle Sights
Manufacture Date: 1954
Extras: Original Russian Army-IssueSling & Cleaning Kit (in buttstock trap)