Type 63
China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) · Rifle · Discontinued · 1963
Also known as: Type 68, Type 63 assault rifle, CQ Type 63
Overview
The Type 63 is a Chinese gas-operated, selective-fire rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm, adopted by the People's Liberation Army in 1963 as the first domestically designed Chinese service rifle. It combined the wooden stock layout and 20-round magazine concept of the SKS-derived Type 56 carbine with the AK-pattern long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt of the Type 56 assault rifle, and fed from detachable 20-round box magazines while retaining an integral down-folding bayonet. Western sources frequently and incorrectly label it the Type 68.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3490 g (123.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1029 mm (40.51") |
| Barrel Length | 521 mm (20.51") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 735 m/s (2411 fps) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 750 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 7.62mm Soviet, 7.62x39mm M43
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Rotating Bolt, Folding Bayonet, Bolt Hold Open, Integral Bayonet, Selective Fire
Service history
Operators
- People's Liberation Army · adopted 1963
- Albanian Armed Forces
- Viet Cong
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000,000 · Production years: 1963-1978
Roughly one million produced before replacement by the Type 81 assault rifle.
Origin
Country of origin: China
Designer: People's Liberation Army state arsenals
Discontinued: 1978
Notes
Quality control problems during the Cultural Revolution era badly affected production, and the rifle was progressively withdrawn from front-line service from the late 1970s and replaced by the Type 81. Often mislabeled the 'Type 68' in the West.
Background
Developed after the Sino-Soviet split as China sought a home-grown rifle blending the controllability of the SKS-based Type 56 carbine with the firepower of the AK-based Type 56 assault rifle, the Type 63 was an early indigenous attempt to fuse the two into a single weapon.