Imagine a rifle that combines the best features of the SKS and the AK-47. Well, it happened. The Chinese made the Type 63 Rifle, often called the Type 68 Rifle in the West. The Chinese call it the Type 63, since it was first issued in 1963. The rifle used the Warsaw Pact standard 7.62x39 mm cartridge.
Outwardly, it resembles a SKS, but the inner workings are a rotating bolt, like the AK, rather then the tilting bolt of the SKS. Plus, this weapon is selective fire, like the AK, while the SKS is a semi-auto weapon, and had a 750 round cyclic rate of fire as well as the ability to fire semi-auto. The bayonet is a folding spike style like the SKS. The gun also incorporates an adjustable gas system, for grenade launching. The standard box magazine holds 20 rounds (though some sources quote 15 round capacity) but many were modified to accept standard AK magazines.
The weapon was used in China and Albania with minor amounts being sent to Cambodia, North Vietnam and various African countries. Some were also sent to Afghanistan, oddly enough, to help the "freedom fighters" fight the Soviets. Manufactured only for a few years, it was doomed by poor manufacturing techniques and the widespread availability of AK and SKS rifles which were already in inventory and being made in ENORMOUS quantities.
The reliability of an AK with the accuracy of the SKS. Good idea.
