“Letter Series” Type 56 Carbine (1959-1960)

[@FreedomsLife1776]

Chinese firearms are fascinating and some of my absolute favorites. Wish we got more norincos, especially the pistols. Thanks for these videos man!!!!

[@Raufoss211]

You give some truly fascinating insight into what most people would otherwise see as any other SKS rifle. I own a type 56 with a letter serial number and didn't realize the extreme conditions they would have been made under. Odd that its one of the most accurate SKS rifles I've seen, I would have expected the quality to suffer some. I typically get 1.5 moa groups with reloads using a red dot mounted to a rear sight pic rail. Factory ammo gives 2-3 moa depending on the brand. One thing that I would debate though, is saying that the Chinese famine is the greatest loss of life in human history. Its hard to know exact numbers for these kinds of events, but several well known events in history have killed similar or greater numbers of people, such as the World War 1 and 2, the Spanish flu, the black plague, and probably many other pandemics throughout history. Even if you consider the European theatre and the 2nd Sino-Japanese war to be two completely separate wars, there were probably more deaths caused by World War 2 in Europe alone than there were deaths caused by the Chinese famine. Likewise, the Black Plague is estimated to have killed 50-75 million in Europe. You could probably argue that the Chinese famine of 1958-1961 was the worst unintentional loss of life caused by human error. It's at least up there, along with the various famines caused by British rule in India, some of which killed tens of millions of people. Overall famines caused by British rule in India almost certainly killed more people, but the Chinese famine probably killed more than any single Indian famine.

[@stamos2222]

You are a gifted writer. Bravo!

[@Triangle26]

I really appreciate that, thank you.

[@petermonck5448]

Great commentary on Mao.

[@edwardhawkey5714]

Hi Triangle we have chatted before about my Ex Zimbawe military import to South Africa, You just do not let us down in your presentations, They are excellent and shows your passion for firearms and SKS in particular, I will be picking up my Rhodesian Military import FN in two weeks, needs a bit of work but excited. I also just grabbed an ex Israeli Mauser bolt action in 7.62 Nato.for $650, something not too common out here. Thanks once again and keep on rocking. Regards.

[@Triangle26]

Of course, always good to hear from you! Those Israeli 7.62 Mausers are extremely cool, we have a few of those in the US and they are very desirable. Great history.

[@francoistrotier7288]

You are really knowledgeable and it’s a pleasure watching your exposé…. Nice shirt too😊 Bravo Remparts!

[@josecruz4184]

Thanks for that very informative history lesson. 1959 E letter owner

[@Triangle26]

Oh nice, mines an "E" also! I wonder if they ever bumped into each other back in the day... Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for commenting!

[@Factory_Muff]

Getting my learning on now baby! ❤ 👨‍🎓

[@seanbaker9796]

Wooo yeah!! Right on time bro!

[@danschneider9921]

I have a 1966 Type 56 that came out of the ones from Albania. The top cover and trigger guard are mismatched to the rest of gun- but came from the same "letter gun" both F3505. Always wondered why this was done over the life of the rifle but neat part of its history.

[@bozo572]

H2104 is my letter rifle, thanks for the amazing history on my SKS.

[@Triangle26]

Awesome, I’m glad I got around to a video specific to your rifle. Thanks for sticking around all this time!

[@jerrylaroy2413]

Please consider doing a video on the Type 53

[@Triangle26]

Thanks for the suggestion. I can definitely make that happen, I'll put it on the list.

[@Trevor-Belmont]

Thanks Triangle!👍

[@tylerheath9914]

Just got an all numbers matching H letter today! Really cool to learn the history

[@timarnold9969]

Your videos are very informative and enlightening. Thank you.

[@Triangle26]

I really appreciate that. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@brassferret7511]

A magnificent job! Very informative and enlightening. I enjoyed this video immensely. I've subscribed. I haven't taken the time to read any of the other comments yet, but I must say that for a guy who doesn't "do" politics, you absolutely nailed the political scene in the last third of your video. If only we could get this kind of info into the public schools and universities and find students who actually cared to know of it . Meanwhile, back on topic, I feel you've confirmed that my three SKS's are Letter Series guns. I'm gratified to learn that they are, and I'm most grateful to you for making me fully appreciate them for the first time. Prior to your video, I viewed them as just fun "shooters" in 7.62x39. Thanks to you, I now see them in an entirely different perspective - a proper and fitting perspective. Keep up the stellar work.

[@Triangle26]

Thank you sir, I sincerely appreciate that. I’m glad to have been of help.

[@beezer19753]

Can I just say thank you... Not only for the interesting history on the letter series type 56 But your honest view on communism and Chinese history. 100% agree with both your balance and view. Thank you.

[@Triangle26]

I really appreciate that. I try to steer clear of the political stuff, but this one didn't seem appropriate to gloss over. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@rjinmi]

New subscriber, new SKS owner, Tokarev collector. Learned quite a bit, thanks for the information and well done video.

[@Triangle26]

Awesome. Welcome, and thank you for giving the channel a chance!

[@donjohnson5172]

Love the little history lesson man. I really hope this channel takes off. You've got a way of cutting to the heart of the matter while keeping it intriguing at the same time.

[@Triangle26]

I really appreciate that, thank you!

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Excellent.... I concur on Communism and the Great Leader. I just finished the book "Gang of One" Memoirs of a Red Guard. Very Orwellian, and very non- fiction. Historical context is one the facets most interesting in collecting.

[@Triangle26]

Oh cool, that book looks interesting. Did you enjoy it, is it worth picking up?

[@cheesenoodles8316]

@@Triangle26 Good book, but read it and pass it on type for me.

[@ntubito1]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my email and sending me the link for this awesome video Nick

[@Triangle26]

Happy to help friend, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@VincDuran]

Thank you for the deep dive into Letter Rifles and the important historical context. And thanks for helping me identify mine in your previous presentation.

[@Triangle26]

Always glad to be of help, and thank you for watching and commenting. If my memory serves, you were one of the first people to suggest a Letter rifle video!

[@Chelsea-cu1pw]

Awesome video,thank you…

[@Triangle26]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching!

[@lavida57]

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. They are just well made very cool rifles. Thanks

[@Triangle26]

Thanks for watching and commenting. They are rock solid rifles indeed, extremely well made!

[@bearly1727]

I thoroughly enjoy your videos and the history you present. Thank you!

[@Triangle26]

I sincerely appreciate that, thank you for watching and commenting!

[@NCrdwlf]

Great review and history . Unfortunately young people in school won’t hear it . Dangerous times.

[@Triangle26]

Sad, but true. Hopefully the tide turns.

[@petermonck5448]

I got my SKS from Southern Ohio Guns just as they were going out of business. Navy Arms commercial "Para ", but it came with bayonet lug. Markings were Norinco out of CA. Sent bolt off to Murray's for firing pin work and bolt face. Surprisingly, Murray's returned original firing pin and its spring.

[@HernanMoragaMmHs]

Thank you for the history lesson. Like always, I love your videos. Cheers!

[@Triangle26]

As always, thank you!

[@carllarosa7475]

Fantastic video! I love the history and appreciate the commentary at the end. The "Great Leap Forward" has a lot of parallels what we are doing with oil production and farming now, activists running things.

[@Triangle26]

Thanks for watching. I absolutely agree - the parallels are unfortunately pretty clear.

[@Brook2400]

Very informative. Thank u. I have a letter gun. (I was mistaking it for a Sino Soviet).

[@billstearns9566]

I have J letter SKS that meets all the criteria. Unfortunately it was converted to a "paratrooper" and does not have the original stock or blade bayonet.

[@michaelbenjmitchell1]

Same with me mine is Letter M and also Paratrooper conversion. I'm working on putting a original Factory 26 stock on mine after I extend the blade cut for the paratrooper blade bayonet.

[@EvilvonScary]

On point about the "Great Leap Forward" and it's consequences. As morbid as it might be I think I have a quest now for one of these letter rifles.

[@Triangle26]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I do think they make terrific collector pieces.

[@RussellMcMullen-t6w]

I have 1

[@RussellMcMullen-t6w]

​@@Triangle26I'll sell it for right price

[@louiss.w1944]

My dude. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve chatted with ya. I just got a French tickler type 56! I love it soo much. slapped on a bad ace tactical mount and now it’s got a micro red dot on it! Living in Canada it was my best choice for the price, reliability and cool factor. Thank you for inspiring me to pick one of these bad boys up. The way you organize your thoughts and make videos is extremely interesting and I’m hooked. Cheers dude

[@Triangle26]

Good to hear from you bro - I’m happy to hear you love the rifle. The French Ticklers never disappoint. Who knows, that might be the next video 🤷‍♂️

[@AKS-74U]

Came for the SKS, stayed for the glorious anti communism ted talk.

[@newedgegt7435]

Yes

[@JJW3]

I just aquired a letter series recently. A25xx with only a Triangle-26 mark being the only other marking on the receiver. It has all the usual Russian style features like a blade bayonet, lightening-cut bolt, 1-piece gas tube, long shank barrel, milled TG, and a Russian marked sight leaf. Its in a "jungle stock" but what is odd is that the stock and handguard are painted matte black. I have no idea if it came like that or was done by an importer, but it looks well done and not by a "bubba". It reminds me of the black synthetic furniture some preban Type 56 AK rifles came in with.

[@milsurprifleguy7091]

I have 3 SKS’s two with blade bayonets & one with the spike . One of them has two serial numbers on the butt stock , with one of them matching the receiver . Like you , when I acquired my two Chinese made Mauser rifles I researched the history & time frame of what was happening in China from 1931 to after , when the PRC took over . It was not a pleasant time , even under the Nationalist

[@moothemagiccow7923]

Fantastic as always. For the collectors, could you please do a video on how to determine if a Russian is refurbished or not?

[@Triangle26]

That’s a great idea, thank you. I’ll add it to my list!

[@crankygunreviews]

Dang good info - I tried getting this info from SKS forums about 6 years ago, and I only got that mine was close to 1961... Are these more appealing even in kind of worn shape? Mine is a J94xx and has a blade style bayonet. Its mostly matching numbers (Bolt SN doesn't match and I put a Russian stock on mine because it had a jungle stock, and I didn't like it). Mine does not have any type 56 markings, but does have the /26\ on it. I was going to sell mine, but now I think i want to keep it...

[@Triangle26]

I like them more in worn shape… They come from a rough chapter in history, I think it helps when they look the part.

[@crankygunreviews]

@@Triangle26 I agree, as long as they run well. With info from you, I need to revisit my SKS videos

[@isucc3817]

r/sino would like your red scare segment

[@Triangle26]

So let me get this straight: There is a subreddit dedicated to promoting the policies of a government that doesn't allow its own citizens to use reddit? Nice.

[@isucc3817]

@@Triangle26sounds conspicuously like something that could be found on reddit… i got banned on there for saying welding people into their homes isn’t good.

[@alegroman4294]

As an American of Chinese descent and a former student of Chinese history thank you for using the SKS rifle as a vehicle to disseminate post World War II life in communist China from the context of a lowly battlefield implement. If only the gun can speak, it would probably tell stories of its origin, handlers, and battle scars. After watching your video I would not look at another Chinese Sks in the same way.

[@ROBERTMORAN-mv7eq]

Hey Tri 26, Just had to let you know how much your info on this video helped me today. I came across something and came looking for this video which I remembered you put out, and when I watched it again I had the info I needed and made a move ! Ha Ha. I will let you know soon if it worked out. Thanks again . have a great day.

[@Triangle26]

Great to hear, thanks as always. Never hesitate to reach out if there is other information you are looking for!

[@ROBERTMORAN-mv7eq]

@@Triangle26 I'm sitting here watching a few of your videos, Letter guns, and Ghost guns and caught myself laughing at what you said about being a Geek for watching your videos compared to loving history of the gun. Think I'm turning into both. Thanks again.

[@00Papyrus]

@Triangle26 not sure if you've got an email for your youtube channel or not? Have an example Id like to get your take on, no arsenal markings, short lug, spike bayonet with a left side mounted sling. All matching serial numbers. No chinese characters. The reddit crowd seemed to think it could potentially be a gun produced for foreign aid yo china's allies n the 60s that had its arsenal mark scrubbed. Havent been able to locate much information on it. Thanks for all the great content!

[@Triangle26]

[e-mail] - I’d love to take a look.

[@russellmcmullen1480]

R 8109 is mine only thinv is my sling is in bottom but has all other signs stamps. 26 stamps on lug and receiver. Has check marks stamls and a c with a circle

[@setitonfire19]

Just bought an SKS today with a five number S/N but the letter looks cyrillic

[@Triangle26]

Could be Russian then. Is the first "number" of the 5 digits a "3"? If so, that would be a cyrillic "Z", which would mean it's 2 cyrillic letters followed by a four digit number, which is typical for Russians.

[@setitonfire19]

@@Triangle26 the first number is a 0, but after looking at further. It looks like an "F" but with the bottom horizontal line there is a vertical line at the end. I am starting to think it was just the stamped used. Still can't believe I bought it for $600. Shoots better than my AKs

[@bumpercoach]

much as I dislike the confiscation of my family estate (as the first sons first son) Im delighted my grandpa made it to Taiwan and his children which survived ww2 are all still living... of course my parents would never have met if my dad hadnt left CHN but he would likely have been buried there before his 30s

[@jackcardinell5885]

Mine is W2563. October 1960?

[@Triangle26]

Very likely, yes. That said, the direct correlation between letters and months is (to the best of my knowledge) still speculative. It’s extremely logical, but not proven!

[@RussellMcMullen-t6w]

I have a r 8103 triangle 26 no Chinese markings has the lightning bolt extra long lug only thing is they replace the stock about how much would u say

[@richardturk7162]

Mine has 2 Russian prefix letters and 4 digits and darker wood like the one to your right shoulder. No evidence of an import mark or re arsenal marks on the stock. Does have a plain receiver cover and a forced matched magazine and bolt. Really not sure exactly if Its Russian or not after reading lots of articles about Sino Soviet SKS rifles

[@Triangle26]

Based on that description, I would confidently say your rifle is of Russian origin!

[@frankpop9448]

My in-laws will not even talk about that time.

[@Real90sfeel]

What's up with that Corn??

[@Triangle26]

I was invited to participate in a corn harvest on Navajo land (AZ) a few years back, and a sweet grandmother sent me home with some strung corn. It is a memory I cherish, and easily the best corn I’ve ever eaten. Lol!

[@bumpercoach]

I have 2 from 1965 which are way apart the one pristine so somehow never used except a few rds before going to the ezpawn and the other very rode hard before I got it as a less-than-fair $100-off from Classic... I also got one for even less from Sprtsmans which was made in the late 60s and horrendous QC of the stock so I must assume production -- even military -- was drastically affected by the mega mass murdering Cultural Revolution ... so hard to say its purely "golden era"

[@Triangle26]

That's a fair point, it certainly wasn't a "Golden Era" from the perspective of the Chinese people. Nor would I argue that these decades clearly represented the highest production quality (although I do think quality was generally excellent throughout). I'm more trying to point to that era as being the "golden era" of cultural significance for the Type 56 Carbine. This is when the Chinese modified (improved, arguably) the design, fully embraced it as the main fighting weapon for the PLA and its proxies, and produced them in record breaking quantities.

[@ward9832]

Just got one in perfect unfired condition from a used gun store for $500.

[@Triangle26]

Nice!

[@dsnstonekilla9685]

My rifle has a 7 digit serial number and ends with a Y V stamp what does that mean?

[@Triangle26]

“YV” is probably an importer mark, although it’s hard to say without more information. I have a video on decoding serial numbers if you are interested: How to date ANY Chinese SKS kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4i4qJhsdq16esk

[@dsnstonekilla9685]

@@Triangle26 lol I just watched that video and my rifle is from 1961. I appreciate the information you give in your videos. So is my rifle a rare rifle considering how early it was made?

[@robertfoote3255]

Regarding the human cost portrayed by the letter series..... The silence is deafening. As always the content is fascinating.

[@jimmydesouza4375]

What are the things hanging off the right side of your flag. They look like rotten ears of corn, but I assume that isn't what they are.

[@isaacgielen]

Is that a Quebec Remparts shirt you're wearing? What is an American guy such as yourself doing wearing a shirt belonging to a Québécois junior hockey team?!

[@Triangle26]

It is a Remparts shirt. I grew up in a hockey family in Colorado, so Patrick Roy was one of my childhood heroes, and we all grew up wearing Nordiques jerseys. My brother played Juniors, and I believe he picked up the Remparts shirt while playing in Quebec. Regarding the earlier content of your post - I understand that people have different opinions on communism. I have my view, and I absolutely respect if people do not find my view compelling. At the end of the day, I am tremendously grateful to live in a country where people are allowed to express divergent opinions without fear of being jailed or killed.

[@isaacgielen]

@@Triangle26 Very cool. The day my beloved Canadiens let Roy go remains an absolute black mark on the team. Very glad you guys got to (and still are) enjoying success with the Avs today. Definitely hear you on the second point too. While it’s certainly not being jailed or killed, ironically, I scrubbed the first part of my post for fear of what may happen should the wrong people see my political ideology associated with my name. Thanks again for the video. Always love coming here to learn about the SKS since it’s the unofficial rifle of Canada. Cheers from Quebec.

[@崔莱]

Love your detailed info in your videos, as well as your appreciation for the historical significance of weapons. However I can't help but point out the oversimplification in attributing the cause of the Great Famine to "Communism". A simplification that is no doubt very convenient to the western media corporations and politicians who decided to spread the word. If you were familiar with the Swiss Cheese Model or have seen analyses of causes behind catastrophes such as plane crashes or forest fires etc. you'd know that for any catastrophic event to occur, a series of problems and mistakes need to happen at the same time. This certainly is the case with a disaster on such magnitude, and none of the major factors at play could be objectively labeled as the sole or primary cause. Important factors that I could remember on top of my head include: 1. Threat of nuclear annihilation from the US as well as USSR caused a huge rise in birth rates and subsequent population explosion (not gonna get into the details, it's complicated) 2. Cold war tensions + weak industrial economy = desperate need of steel, the country was facing incredibly high tensions from *both* the NATO block and Soviet block and had to arm itself and increase industrial capacity 3. Devastation to infrastructure and economy over the past century of non-stop warfare and armed conflicts. 4. Catastrophic bureaucratic failure in a very young government, which in itself deserves to be broken down into a long list of sub-factors 5. Lack of ecological understanding and agricultural sciences. Yes we know about ecological balance *now*, precisely because of many past mistakes. This is simply how science works, we make mistakes and we increase our understanding of these things. You see similar stories regarding stuff like lead poisoning and nuclear radiation, how people learned about those through immense tragedies and loss of life. Doesn't help that the country had a critical shortage of experts and scientists in every domain imaginable. 6. Radicalism. Both a blessing and a curse for that era. Without radicalism we would still be stomped under the boot of fascism and our people mass slaughtered by the Japanese. However radicalism doesn't continue to help us after relative internal peacetime was established, and over the years people have learned that radical changes on a national scale just doesn't make sense, you simply don't put all your eggs in one big experimental basket. 7. International obligations. China had obligations (at gun point, by the USSR) to export food to other soviet block countries. Even when we were facing food shortages at the time. 8. Mistaken visions of communist society. Let's face it. Marx's idea of communism failed. Lenin's vision of communism failed. Mao's vision of communism failed as well. People avoid saying these facts bluntly, because we respect all of these three leaders. But everyone knows without at doubt that their ultimate visions of communist society don't work. Which is why starting with Chairman Deng, people come to the realization that we don't in fact know what "true communism" looks like, that it only exist in theory for now and that a lot of work needs to be done before it can be brought into practice. Deng described it as "crossing the river by feeling the rocks", admitting our ignorance and taking small, manageable steps one at a time to move closer towards an ideal society. BTW this idea lead to the economic miracle of the past half century and is still the guiding principle of the government to this day. This is just a very short list of the many factors that caused the Great Famine of 1959, including internal, international, historical, and ideological elements. I dare say any one of these factors are enough to cause disaster in most countries. Many countries have collapsed over much less. To try and simplify all this into "because communism" is just blatantly wrong and misguided, but that's the picture that western politicians and media have been trying to paint for as long as communism existed. If anything goes wrong in a communist country it's "because communism", very conveniently leaving out the fact that many of the factors that cause the disasters also caused the country to turn red in the first place. Communism isn't a cause of suffering, it's a response to suffering that have happened, and would have happened anyway, with or without communism.

[@崔莱]

If I were to sum all that up I'd say the primary causes of the Great Famine are war, poverty, and ignorance. The same issues plague humanity till this day and continue to cause death and suffering.

[@jimmydesouza4375]

Except every single thing you mention either isn't true or is attributable to communism (I would love to go in to more detail but youtube deletes it when I do because youtube has some funny biases). For example you mention forced exports to Russia, only around 2% of the Chinese food production was exported to Russia during the period which certainly didn't help but was not a causal factor.

[@victorracel4140]

Short and sweet... just like your imaginary girlfriend

[@ROBERTMORAN-mv7eq]

Hey Tri 26, Hope your doing well. If you find the time , I'm wondering if you could answer a question ? I was lucky yesterday to pick up a early Letter series Chinese SKS still soaked in cosmo. The stock is Dark in color , imported by I.O.INC, N.C. the wood is scared up pretty good, 1 or 2 gouges by the rear serial number, and the finish is a little shiny in some places and very dull in others. The question is do I leave it alone or does it matter if I try and bring the finish back . I'm sure you've seen the video where a guy does a beautiful job on his Chinese type 56 , Wood , Steel, BOLT, AND MAGAZINE. What would you do, Does it hurt the Value. Appreciate any info you can give. Thanks a lot. Bob. M

[@Triangle26]

Personally, I really like to work on my guns. Restoring a stock is a great way to get to know and enjoy your rifle. A letter series rifle is a great collector piece, but they aren't so exceptionally rare or valuable that I would worry about hurting the value, at least as long as you are refurbishing it tastefully. I'd put it this way: As long as your goal is to restore and highlight the natural characteristics of the rifle, I say go for it. You really just want to avoid destroying markings or otherwise changing the basic "essence" of the rifle.

[@ward9832]

How rare are the serial numbers with a number before the letter? mine is "2J3XXX".

[@Triangle26]

Fairly rare. Not necessarily rare in the sense that collectors seek them out separate from other "letter series" (although I am sure some do). Definitely not a ton of them out there though, I'm not actually sure I've ever seen one in person now that I think about it. Super cool.

[@dustintremain3963]

It’s a lottery, where 99.99% of the tickets are winners. But you can’t be a winner until you get yourself a 🎟