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(11/14/00 SKSDave) As we are well aware, the SKS was an extremely common fighting weapon in Vietnam. It is commonly believed that the dampness and insects of the jungles in Vietnam caused the poorly maintained, wooden SKS stock to rot away. In order to combat this phenomenon, it is believed that the Chinese replaced the wooden stocks with the durable, water-resistant fiberglass stocks. I have to admit that I'm starting to believe that the conventional thinking on the topic of fiberglass stocks being used in Vietnam is nothing more than urban legend. In all my research, I have yet to see one. I have never heard one anecdote, seen one photograph, one bring-back, or one frame of film footage that shows the fiberglass stock in use. I now officially doubt the conventional wisdom on the subject. Speaking of film footage of SKS's, there was a excellent program about American pilot POW's in Hanoi on television. This was quite possibly one of the best produced documentaries I have ever seen. Because the captured pilots were prized by the VC, there was a bunch of propaganda footage shot of them. Apart from the tragedy and suffering caught on film, the tools of the enemy were also inadvertently captured on film. There were SKS's everywhere, all of which wooden stocked. I am currently in the process of getting permission to post some of this footage. I do agree that most of us were not there. I will also agree that black and white photos are not overly revealing. I also concede that the practice would make sense, but until I start getting some substantiation, I can no longer support the theory that fiberglass stocks were used in Vietnam during the conflict. |
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