Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Type 63 assault rifle, introduced in 1963, represented China’s first attempt at designing a domestic service rifle. Combining elements from the SKS and AK-47, it aimed to create an improved weapon that retained the SKS’s familiar handling while adding select-fire capability and detachable magazines. Despite initial enthusiasm, the Type 63’s production was plagued by quality control issues. Nearly 700 unauthorized manufacturing changes were made, including problematic pressed barrels and poorly riveted receivers. The paint finish, chosen over traditional bluing, provided inadequate protection. These modifications severely compromised the rifle’s accuracy and reliability. While estimates suggest over one million were produced, the Type 63 was withdrawn from general PLA service by 1978, with units reverting to the SKS. A brief return to service during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, with modified versions accepting AK magazines, proved temporary. Though the design influenced the later Type 81 rifle, the Type 63 stands as an important lesson in how manufacturing shortcuts can doom an otherwise promising weapon system.
Type 63 assault rifle (China). (n.d.). ModernFirearms.net. photograph. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/china-assault-rifles/type-63-eng/.
