Bought a Chinese Type 53

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Just showed up from UPS. 1953 with most of the blueing gone and its mixed and matched and the Bayonet is missing. Should make a decent shooter though, I haven't seen one of these in person.

Any idea if the stock is right? Looks like it has an 02 (Hungarian?) in it but I'm not sure. I'd guess the bolt is Russian with the Izhevsk symbol?

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Yep on the Russian bolt. The stock looks right as the Chinese are the only ones I know that put the wood on their M44's that have those spots in the grain. You could find a Russian bayonet fairly cheap. The cleaning rod is very short, it should extend further when in place. It might be an AK47 rod as they will fit and are much shorter and a little bit thinner. I am not sure what the 02 on the stock and bolt means.

These rifles use to be the lowest of of the M44's but are picking up in value as more people begin to collect Mosins and want one of each kind. If it does not have any import marks there is a good chance it was a Vietnam Nam vet bring back. At the beginning of that war the T53 was a very common weapon, more so than the AK and the SKS, (which of course would become the primary weapons later in the war). Good luck with it.
 
To me it looks like a mutt with a sanded Hungarian stock. It definitely looks beech. Not only does it lack a bayonet but there isn't a lug either. [hmmm] Fred (50 BMG) should be along shortly to give some more info.
 
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My two cents

It does my heart well to see yet another person with a Mosin[smile].
The bolt head is marked 02 which makes it Hungarian and the stock is Hungarian as well ( 02 mark). Check the butt plate, stock nose cap, stock bands as well for an 02 mark.

It may have been a rifle that someone placed in a synthetic stock and made it into a hunting rifle at one time. Surplus rifles .com has an article dedicated to the removal of the bayonet lug for just that purpose.

I would check the head space since the bolt is mismatched. In most cases its not an issue. If you need head space gauges let me know. I have a go and no go set.

Congratulations....be sure to let us know how it performs at the range...and the muzzle flash[wink]
 
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