Type 56 Assault Rifle
Norinco (China North Industries Corporation) · Assault Rifle · In Production · 1956
Also known as: Type 56, Chinese AK-47, AK-47 (China), MAK-90, NHM-91, 56 Shi
Overview
The Type 56 is a Chinese-manufactured assault rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm, produced by Norinco (China North Industries Corporation) since 1956. Developed under a 1956-1957 technology transfer from the Soviet Union, the rifle is a direct copy of the AK-47 initially produced at State Factory 66 (later Factory 626). Early production used a milled receiver identical to the Soviet Type 3 AK-47; from 1962 onward Chinese factories transitioned to the stamped sheet-metal receiver of the AKM pattern. The Type 56 is distinguished from other AK-pattern rifles by three visual signatures: a pentagonal pagoda-style factory mark stamped on the receiver, an integral folding cruciform spike bayonet hinged beneath the muzzle (fitted to most infantry variants), and fully hooded front sight ears that form a solid ring. Operating on a long-stroke gas piston with a rotating bolt, the weapon feeds from curved 30-round detachable box magazines and offers select-fire capability with semi-automatic and full-automatic modes. Effective range is approximately 400 metres. With an estimated 10-15 million Chinese-produced examples and additional licensed production in Albania, Pakistan (Darra-adapted copies), Iran (KL-7.62), and elsewhere, the Type 56 is likely the second-most produced AK variant in history after the Soviet AKM.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3800 g (134.0 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4300 g (151.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 874 mm (34.41") |
| Folded Length | 645 mm (25.39") |
| Barrel Length | 415 mm (16.34") |
| Height | 195 mm (7.68") |
| Width | 60 mm (2.36") |
| Sight Radius | 378 mm (14.88") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 710 m/s (2329 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2010 J (1482 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x39mm · primary — also known as 7.62x39mm Soviet, M43, 7.62mm Kalashnikov
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Hammer Notch
- Features: Chrome Lined Barrel, Chrome Lined Chamber, Milled Receiver Early Production, Stamped Receiver Post 1962, Integral Folding Spike Bayonet, Curved Magazine, Rotating Bolt, Select Fire, Pagoda Factory Mark
Variants
- Type 56 (Milled Receiver) — Early Production
- Type 56 (Stamped Receiver) — Modernized
- Type 56-1 — Under Folding Stock
- Type 56-2 — Side Folding Stock
- Type 56-C — Carbine
- Type 84 — Different Caliber
- MAK-90 — Civilian Export
- AKM-47S (Maadi) — Export Contract
Base model
Service history
Operators
- People's Liberation Army · adopted 1956 · as Type 56
- Vietnam People's Army (NVA) · adopted 1962 · as Type 56
- Viet Cong · adopted 1962 · as Type 56
- Khmer Rouge · adopted 1970 · as Type 56
- Pathet Lao · adopted 1965 · as Type 56
- Korean People's Army · adopted 1960 · as Type 56
- FRELIMO · adopted 1968 · as Type 56
- MPLA · adopted 1975 · as Type 56
- SWAPO (People's Liberation Army of Namibia) · adopted 1966 · as Type 56
- ZANLA (Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army) · adopted 1972 · as Type 56
- Palestine Liberation Organization · adopted 1970 · as Type 56
- Mujahideen (Pakistan-supplied) · adopted 1979 · as Type 56
- Pakistan Armed Forces · adopted 1966 · as Type 56
- Bangladesh Armed Forces · adopted 1972 · as Type 56
- Sri Lanka Armed Forces · as Type 56
- Sudanese Armed Forces · as Type 56
- FARC-EP · as Type 56
- Taliban · as Type 56
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975)
- Laotian Civil War (1959-1975)
- Sino-Vietnamese War (1979-1979)
- Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)
- Mozambican War of Independence / Civil War (1964-1992)
- Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979)
- South African Border War (1966-1990)
- Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
- Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
- Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009)
- Colombian Conflict (1964-present)
- War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)
- Syrian Civil War (2011-present)
Production
Estimated total produced: 15,000,000 · Production years: 1956-present
Approximately 10-15 million Type 56 rifles produced in China, with additional licensed and unlicensed production in Albania, Pakistan (Darra-adapted), Iran (KL-7.62), and elsewhere. Likely the second-most produced AK variant after the Soviet AKM. Production continues today primarily for export markets.
Origin
Country of origin: China
Designer: State Factory 66 engineering team (Norinco), based on Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK-47 under 1956 Sino-Soviet technology transfer
Notes
The Type 56 is arguably the most widely distributed AK-pattern rifle of the Cold War's proxy conflicts. From the mid-1960s onward, China shipped Type 56s by the millions to allied states and national liberation movements, and the rifle became the defining infantry weapon of the Vietnam People's Army, the Viet Cong, the Khmer Rouge, FRELIMO, MPLA, SWAPO, ZANLA, and numerous other insurgencies. Production began at State Factory 66 in 1956 and expanded to Factory 626 and others; early milled-receiver guns remained in parallel production with later stamped guns into the 1970s. The integral folding spike bayonet was retained on Chinese infantry variants long after the Soviets deleted the bayonet lug from the AKM, making it one of the clearest identification markers of Chinese-origin AKs. Civilian semi-auto-only export variants (MAK-90, NHM-91) were sold in large numbers in the United States until 1994 import restrictions. Production continues today primarily for export.
Background
The Type 56 is the rifle most closely associated with Cold War national liberation movements - Chinese arsenals shipped it by the millions to FRELIMO in Mozambique, the Viet Cong in the Mekong Delta, the Khmer Rouge, and ZANLA guerrillas in Rhodesia. It is identifiable at a glance by its integral folding cruciform spike bayonet, retained on Chinese infantry variants long after the Soviets had deleted the bayonet lug on the AKM, and by the pentagonal 'pagoda' factory mark of State Factory 66 stamped on the receiver.