Type 53 chinese rifle?

[crites1234]

painful as it is to some collectors this rifle is a beauty to me its a hunting rifle conversion of a lee enfield

[Scout]

Thats fine. Many of these and many Mausers have been converted and put meat on the table.

I assume converted or is it still in 303?

[crites1234]

actually i just stumbled upon this on google i believe personally i would have kept it in .303

[popeye]

Yeah it hurts. But not like it used too. LOL
Nothing wrong with taking these old war horses to the field. My NRA Krag still goes out with me, so does many of my surplus military.
If you like it, an can shoot and enjoy it that is what it's all about.

[Scout]

Agreed. If they are not like some ultra-rare variety and if they are in safe working order, go shoot 'em.
Thats what they were made for after all.

[pitfighter]

I received a Chinese T53 (1955) in a bulk trade (I will hopefully find someone who wants to trade an MP40 mag for it soon), I do not collect these type of rifles -
the trader said it was a Century refurbished one and that the Mosin Nagant collectors and purists hated them - it has been cleaned up refinished and restocked - I think they did this when the rifles were more plentiful and there was less collector value associated with them, who knows, it shoots fine - not necessarily enjoyable - I do know the Mosin has a growing fan-base here in the US.
*As it is a refurbish it may not be represenative of an original condition rifle, so take the following with a pinch of salt
Out of 5.
Trigger 2
Accuracy 3
ergonomics 3
Muzzle blast 1 (loud)
Not my favorite 7.62X54mm shooter - but cheap and cheerful.


Edit - If I was in Canada, I think I would buy one of those Marstar SVT-40's - but that is me

[MarkV]

This is my Type 53 - I also have an M44. As people have said, they are basically the same rifles - in some cases you'll still find Russian parts on the Chinese T53s. The have not gone through refurbing, as the SOviet rifles have, and are generally in rough shape when you get them. Mine is actually a trials rile and the barrel is in good shape - and it is not counter-bored. The stock was water stained and the bolt handle had some pitting and light rust, but she cleaned up well. She shoots just as good as the M44.








If your intent is to use either a T53 or and M44 for hunting...I would not recommend either. These rifles were designed to be shot with the bayonet in position. In fact, they can shoot as much as 4" left at 100 yards if the bayonet is not extended. The spring loading of the bayonet tends to pull it to the right when extended. If you want a "carbine" then I'd suggest the M38 but they are going to set you back $250+.

For a hunting rifle, why not go with the standard Mosin Nagant M91/30 or a No3 or N4 Enfield. You can still find 91/30s for $100 or less (no more than $150) and Enfields will be substantially more.

[crites1234]

kinda reminds me of my grandfathers rifle to hit anything at 100 yards you had to aim 6 inches above it and 4 inches to the left :P his reasoning for setting it like that was and i quote "that way if some somb*tch steals my gun n tries to shoot me he'll miss :P "

[pitfighter]

MakV,

I wonder why Century felt the need to renovate my T53 1955?
I like the look of yours much better


Pit.

[MarkV]

MakV,

I wonder why Century felt the need to renovate my T53 1955?
I like the look of yours much better


Pit.

Pit,

That is an odd duck. To my knowledge, the T53s never went through refurbishment like the Russian rifles did. Perhaps that one found its way back into Russian hands. What are the markings on it? You can see where the bolt was scrubbed - is there a SN stamped on it?

The Type 53s being sold now are coming out of bulk storage and can be really rough - broken stocks, rust and pitting are common. When I pulled mine out of the box I was initially dismayed - it was fugly. But, with a bit of work and TLC it turned out to be a very nice. It's probably as close to being a post-war untouched example as I'll ever own.