Type 63 assault rifle

Type 63
A Type 63 from a National War College file photo
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	1969–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Sino-Vietnamese War Cambodian–Vietnamese War 1997 Albanian civil unrest
Production history
Designed	1959–1963[1][2]
Produced	1969–1978[3]
No. built	6,000,000[3]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	3.49 kg (7.7 lb)[4]
Length	1.029 mm (0.0405 in) (with bayonet folded)[4]
Barrel length	521 mm (20.5 in)[4]
Cartridge	7.62×39mm[3]
Action	Gas-operated (rotating bolt)[4]
Rate of fire	750 rounds/min[4]
Muzzle velocity	730 m/s (2,400 ft/s)[4]
Effective firing range	400 m (440 yd)[4]
Feed system	15-round, 20-round, and 30-round detachable magazines[4]

The Type 63 (Chinese: 63式7.62mm自动步枪) is a Chinese 7.62×39mm assault rifle. The weapon's overall design was based on the SKS (known in Chinese service as the Type 56 carbine), but with select fire capability and a rotating bolt system adapted from the Type 56 assault rifle, a derivative of the AK-47.^[4] It was originally introduced to replace the SKS as the standard service rifle of the People's Liberation Army, but was prematurely withdrawn from service due to numerous production difficulties.^[5] The Type 63 was originally manufactured with a milled steel receiver, although later production models had pressed and riveted steel receivers.^[4]

The Type 63 is occasionally misidentified in Western literature as the Type 68.^[1]