Mine is one of the Chinese imports reblued over small pits! I bought it in the mid 90's for about $400. The barrel has at least one groove of refiling all the way down the barrel, just not the same grove. The junk/bamboo wood shoulder stock/holster fits pretty loose. In spite of all that is wrong, I got 4" groups (8shot) @ 100 yards with ChiCom ammo!

I have some of the Chinese ammo, which is pretty mild. I made 200 7.62x25 brass for it even though many said it wouldn't work, the extractor groove was wrong, blah, blah, blah. 1) FL size military brass in 223 die, 2) remove primer crimp, 3) FL size (No lube necessary this time) in 7.62x25 die with decapping rod removed, 4a)Trim to length 4b) ream inside of neck to .308. I use a Forrester case trimmer (with drill attachment) with .308 ream as the pilot and took most of the excess neck off with a band saw, but that isn't a necessity, just quicker! It took about 1 hour to make 200 reloadable brass. WSP primer, WW231 powder & 87 cast RN bullet = good cheap ammo!

Several old gun guys had a "Show and Tell" lunch at my F-I-L's one Sunday, I was the young & dumb kid at 62. They had Flint locks of great historical significance and value, or proto-type cartridge rifles from many countries. I stole the show with a "Beater" C-96 and all the ammo they wanted to shoot!

I haven't found any 8 round strippers I was willing to pay the asking price for! I use the M-16 10 round strip clips with only 8 rounds in them, they have worked just fine. When the tabs break off or get lost, it really is no big deal!

Ivan