New Acquisition: ChiCom Type 53

[Cyrano]

This is the one I've been mentioning that kept whispering in my ear every time I went to the gun shop. I finally gave in and bought it. It's a Chinese Type 53 Mosin carbine made in 1955 that someone Bubba'd by removing the cleaning rod, sanding down the finish on the barrel between the forearm and the front sight and adding a ChiCom bipod. I hope the pictures I took upload properly.

As you can see, it's been through the mill. There is rust under the buttplate and it looks like someone at some point had to use it like a halberd, there are so many deep dents and gouges in it. The stock had a lot of stamped cartouches on it, but what they mean is a mystery to me. There is what I think is an import stamp on the trigger guard that says, "Type 53 7.62x54R (line break) Made in China" on it, but it does not look anywhere near new and is a stamp, not electro-pencil. Do the ChiComs stamp rifles they are exporting?

Supposedly the guy who sold this abused little carbine to the gun shop cleaned it up. All I can say is he did a poor job of getting the cosmoline out. The wood is loaded with it and it took more than a little time with mineral spirits to get it all out of the action and the barrel, including working on the trigger group with dental floss (I didn't want to take it completely to pieces, you see).

I've begun the rehabilitation process. The dents have been raised as far as I can using the wet rag and steam iron method. I got a lot of them out and pulled out some more cosmoline with it; but I'm going to have to remove the existing shellac and work on it some more, then tung oil it.

The bolt has been hand-polished with Simichrome and jeweler's rouge and is now not only cleaner-looking but works smoothly now that it's been teflon-oiled. I also used Simichrome in the receiver to polish it up before greasing. As a result, the action is fast and light. Very light trigger pull, too.

There seems to be some kind of silvery gunk in the grooves that I can't remove with a bronze bore brush and Hoppe's. I think I'm going to have to go to the store, get some lead & copper fouling cleaner and see what that does to clean things up. This carbine's been shot a lot. The lands are not as sharp as one would like but they do run all the way to the muzzle. My snapshooter camera isn't good enough to get a viewable picture of them; sorry about that.

These pictures are all Before pics. When I get the rehabilitation finished in a week or two, I'll put up the Afters.

Total cost OTD was $95. I think it was a little high even allowing for the bipod, but you never see Type 53 carbines around here, even Bubba'd ones. I expect it's going to be a real shoulder-kicker, given the barrel and chamber just barely qualify under New York State regulations.

So? Did I pay too much for a poor little carbine that I kinda felt sorry for? Or is this about the going rate for Type 53s?

[FS00008]

How do the Barrel and Chamber barely qualify under NYS regs? What are the regs?

[R5CYA]

nice! looks like it's seen some serious action!

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by FS00008

How do the Barrel and Chamber barely qualify under NYS regs? What are the regs?

The rule on longarm barrel length here is 16 inches from the rear of the chamber to the muzzle. The Type 53 is just 16 inches.

I might be okay because it's definitely a curio & relic in any event, but if the BATFE wanted to be fussy, I think a lot would depend on the eyesight of the agent with the measuring stick.

[FS00008]

OH I didn't understand what you were talking about lol... Must have missed that one...

[SwedeSteve]

She looks good to me !! Put her on the Roll Call thread please !!

[Cyrano]

I'll do that, along with the other three I have, now that I have a working camera.

[gandog56]

Interesting. I don't know of anybody else here having a Chicomm. But in another forum I did hear bad things about the wood the Chinese guns used. Have to show us a target so we can see if the action is good.

[Geo M44]

If you consider who might have been on the receiving end of the ChiCom M53 it might not be as appealing.

In fact their name(s) might be inscribed on one of two memorials in our nations capitol.

Nazis are one thing...

... How soon we forget.

[R5CYA]

unfortunately, just about any one of our mosins may have been used against us in war. i just like to think they only killed germans.

[Mike82]

mine only killed germans in north africa....and maybe the random camel-fluffer

[Mike82]

Also, your front barrel band is upside down

[lunchbox99]

Originally Posted by Mike82

Also, your front barrel band is upside down

how did you spot that good eye

[Zephri]

Originally Posted by Geo M44

If you consider who might have been on the receiving end of the ChiCom M53 it might not be as appealing.

In fact their name(s) might be inscribed on one of two memorials in our nations capitol.

Nazis are one thing...

... How soon we forget.

I would assume you don't collect German mausers.

[Geo M44]

Originally Posted by Zephri

I would assume you don't collect German mausers.

You would assume absolutely correctly.

[jimkim]

I have an Israeli Mauser with a 43 BNZ NAZI receiver. If THEY don't mind using NAZI weapons, I don't see a problem with owning a Chi Com.

[Geo M44]

Originally Posted by R5CYA

unfortunately, just about any one of our mosins may have been used against us in war. i just like to think they only killed germans.

Possible, but not likely, since there are no recorded shooting conflicts between Soviet and American troops during WWII... And while Soviet MN's were supplied to "revolutionary" fighters around the world, Asia was the domain of Communist China.

In the case of the ChiCom M53 we know absolutely that they were used in Korea and Viet Nam, as by the early 50's China was already moving to the SKS and AK47 with the M53 being the mass produced export weapon to poorer evolving communist nations like North Korea and later North Viet Nam.

But hey... if you didn't loose a high-school classmate or brother, or a father, in either of those conflicts, then what the hey, it's just another MilSurp.

[Geo M44]

Originally Posted by jimkim

I have an Israeli Mauser with a 43 BNZ NAZI receiver. If THEY don't mind using NAZI weapons, I don't see a problem with owning a Chi Com.

That, my freind is what we call fuzzy logic. The Isreali's used the captured weapons againt their enemies... In the case of the ChiCom 53 (and SKS's and AK's) WE were the enemy. Our guys didn't mind using ChiCom captures against the CNK and NVA troops either.

Again if you guys can live with the thought...

[Mike82]

here's what sense that makes to me....all ak-47's are bad, along with any other widely used guns used in gang warfare.... How long has it taken to beat that belief down....it's the handler, not the gun's fault....that's similar to the nazi/viet-cong situation....they were just bigger gangs no offense, i lost a couple relatives, 1 in vietnam, another to the disease caused by the herbicides....just making a connection between the 2 is all.

[TinCan Assasin]

Al I have to say is........................











I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Envious.

TCA