COIC Type 63 Rifle
COIC (China Ordnance Industries Consortium) TYPE 63 STORY: Basing themselves on the experience of manufacture of the TYPE 56 semi-automatic carbine (chinese SKS) and TYPE 56 Assault Weapons System (Chinese AKM weapons cache), the China Ordnance Industries Consortium (now incorporated and known as the NORINCO, North China Industries Corporation) began to develop a new indigenous rifle in the 1960s. According to the PLA requirements, the new rifle had to be capable of semi-automatic or fully-automatic fire, and overcome the Type 56 AKM-style rifle drawback of low accuracy. After three years of development, the new rifle was classified in 1963 and designated as the TYPE 63. Soon the PLA decided to use the TYPE 63 to replace the TYPE 56 SKS-style semi-automatic carbine in widespread infantry units service at that time. Over 1000000 TYPE 63 rifles were delivered to the PLA between 1963 and 1969. The PLA was enthusiast to have this rifle filling the big gap that at the time divided the PLA from all the other great armies in the world, this gap being the lack of firepower due to the fact that many armies at the time had already equipped every single infantryman with a selective-fire weapon while the PLA still kept semi-automatic rifles. However, due to the impact of the "Great Cultural Revolution", the mass production of the TYPE 63 suffered from serious quality problems. The PLA users blamed the TYPE 63 for poor reliability and accuracy, having in fact the rifle the very same defects it was purpoted to resolve. In addition, the outdated design principles of the TYPE 63 emphasized heavily on the long-distance single shots accuracy, but gave little consideration on short distahce burst fire. Because of these serious disadvantages, the TYPE 63 was whitdrawn from service in 1978. DESIGN FEATURES: Under the influence of the "People's War" strategy, the PLA believed that the infantry should have an accurate weapon for long-distance engagements, and close battles would eventually end up in bayonet fights! Bearing this principle in mind, the TYPE 63 designers came out with an hybrid of the TYPE 56 SKS-style semi-automatic rifle and the TYPE 56 AKM-style assault weapons system, featuring an underbarrel spike-folding bayonet. The layout of the TYPE 63 is very similar to that of the TYPE 56 SKS-style semiautomatic rifle, with a gas-operated burst fire bechanism and Kalashnikov-style magazine. The TYPE 63 uses a wooden stock, and fires the standard .7'62x39mm ammunition, with a 20-rounds capacity. --- TECHNICAL SPECS: CALIBER: .7'62x39mm CAPACITY: 20 rounds TOTAL LENGHT: 1033 Millimeters MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE RANGE: 400 Meters MUZZLE VELOCITY: 735 Meters Per Second RATE OF FIRE: From 40 to 60 Rounds Per Minute
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