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Type 56 assault rifle
The Chinese Type 56 assault rifle (manufactured by China North Industries Corporation, or Norinco) is by far the most commonly-seen AK derivative utilized in Hollywood productions, both film and television. These are frequently seen used as a substitute for Russian AKs in many films, as the Russians never sold a civilian AK model in the U.S. (or Europe) during the latter half of the 20th century. Most of the movie prop rental houses in Hollywood had dozens if not hundreds of Chinese AKs - mostly the Type 56s (7.62x39mm version) or the similar Type 84s (5.56x45mm version). These were usually semi-automatic civilian versions (commonly designated "AK47S" or "AKS47" by the importers), in many cases converted to full-auto by Class III manufacturers.
History in Cinema: Prior to 1982, importing firearms and equipment from 'communist' nations was illegal at the federal level in the United States. In 1983 the list of prohibited countries from which to receive weapons from (for the civilian market) was amended due to special trade agreements signed between the USA and China & Yugoslavia. Around the same time, Egypt managed to bypass the "commie gun ban' by offering their MISR (the ARM or the civilian version of the soviet AKM) to the west being that Egypt was a non communist nation, making the weapon under license. After 1983, the flood gates opened, with AKs and SKS variants being available to the USA until the first import ban in 1989 (a political response to the Stockton Schoolyard shooting of 1989). But the vast majority of American movie armories AKs came from this time span where Chinese weapons were easily obtainable. After the fall of the wall and the Soviet Union in 1990, the Cold War era LAW banning import of weapons from Communist nations (for the most part) was no longer relevant. Then Americans started seeing AK variants from Romanian, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and any other former warsaw pact nation that decided to sell their weapons to the US Market. The import of AK and SKS variants from Eastern European nations was later banned by then president Obama.
There are three main variants of the Type 56 - the standard Type 56, which has a fixed stock, the Type 56-1, which has an under-folding stock, and the Type 56-2, which has a side-folding stock. Most fixed-stock Type 56 rifles have an under-folding spike bayonet, known as the "pig sticker"; this rifle is often seen in movies about the Vietnam War, and is correct for NVA throughout most of the conflict. Quite a few of the Type 56s seen in movies also have AKM-style slant compensators fitted; this was a common feature on semi-auto Type 56s exported to the U.S., but NOT the full-auto military model.
The easiest way to tell when an AK-type rifle seen in a movie or TV show is a Chinese Type 56 is by looking at the front sight; Chinese AKs have a distinctive full-circle ("hooded") front sight that no other AKs (excluding the Romanian AK Draco carbines) have.
Norinco Type 56
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Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Widow | seen in arsenal | 2021 | ||
| Mosul | Adam Bessa | Kawa | Type 56-1 | 2019 |
| Rambo: Last Blood | cartel soldiers | 2019 | ||
| Sicario 2: Soldado | cartel soldiers | 2018 | ||
| American Assassin | terrorists | 2017 | ||
| The Mummy | tribal fighters | 2017 | ||
| Wolf Warriors 2 | Jing Wu | Leng Feng | Type 56 | 2017 |
| Suicide Squad | Jared Leto | The Joker | 2016 | |
| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Tina Fey | Kim Baker | 2016 | |
| Alfred Molina | Ali Massoud Sadiq | |||
| London Has Fallen | Gerard Butler | Mike Banning | Type 56-1 | 2016 |
| Karate Kill | Capital Messiah member | 2016 | ||
| Wolf Warriors | Ming Deng's troops | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 2015 | |
| Jing Wu | Leng Feng | Type 56 | ||
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe | Mark Chao | Hu Bayi | 2015 | |
| Rhydian Vaughan | Chen Dong | |||
| Yan Tang | Weiwei | |||
| Li Feng | Fat Wang Kaixuan | |||
| Group of explorers | ||||
| Soldiers | Type 56-1 | |||
| Skin Trade | Dolph Lundgren | Nick Cassidy | 2015 | |
| Dragovic's henchmen | ||||
| Zulu | Clayton Evertson | Beach thug | Type 56-1 | 2013 |
| The Berlin File | Abdul's henchmen | Type 56-2 with plastic furniture | 2013 | |
| North Korean agent | Type 56-2 with AK-74 style muzzle brake and MPi-KMS-72 style side-folding stock | |||
| Seung-beom Ryu | Dong Myung-Soo | |||
| Captain Phillips | Somali pirates | Type 56 and Type 56-1, with & without jungle-taped magazines | 2013 | |
| Witching and Bitching (Las brujas de Zugarramurdi) | Mario Casas | Antonio | Type 56-1 | 2013 |
| Osombie | 2012 | |||
| Red Dawn | Josh Hutcherson | Robert Kitner | 2012 | |
| R2B: Return to Base | North Korean soldiers | 2012 | ||
| Guardian Angel (Schutzengel) | Assailant | Type 56-1 with green handguard | 2012 | |
| Johnny English Reborn | Mozambique guard | Type 56-1 | 2011 | |
| Machine Gun Preacher | Gerard Butler | Sam Childers | Type 56-1 | 2011 |
| LRA and SPLA troops | w/ pig-sticker bayonet | |||
| LRA and SPLA troops | Type 56-1 | |||
| Killer Elite | Fighters | early variant with milled receiver | 2011 | |
| Largo Winch II | Nirut Sirichanya | General Kyaw Min | 2011 | |
| Burmese soldiers | ||||
| Memorial Day | Iraqi Security Forces | 2011 | ||
| The Guard | 2011 | |||
| Red State | Nicholas Braun | Billy-Ray | Type 56 - made to look like AKM | 2011 |
| Melissa Leo | Sara | |||
| James Parks | Mordechai | |||
| Jennifer Schwalbach Smith | Esther | |||
| Believers | Type 56-1 - made to look like AKMS | |||
| Kandahar | Taliban fighters | with and without under-folding bayonets | 2010 | |
| Green Zone | Matt Damon | Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller | Type 56-1 | 2010 |
| Iraqi gunmen | ||||
| Salt | North Korean soldiers | 2010 | ||
| Outside the Law | Vietminh | anachronistic | 2010 | |
| Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright | thugs | 2010 | ||
| Elephant White | Kevin Bacon | Jimmy | Type 56-1 modified with picatinny rails and composite grips | 2010 |
| Angel of Evil | Kim Rossi Stuart | Renato Vallanzasca | Type 56-1 | 2010 |
| Filippo Timi | Enzo | |||
| Moritz Bleibtreu | Sergio | |||
| Paolo Mazzarelli | Beppe | |||
| Big Money Rustlas | Violent J | Big Baby Chips | Type 56-1 | 2010 |
| Jumpsteady | Hack Benjamin | |||
| Monoxide | Dusty Poot | |||
| Kandahar Break | Tribesmen | Type 56, with underfolding bayonet | 2009 | |
| Taliban fighters | ||||
| Anti-Taliban fighters | ||||
| Tribesman | Type 56-1, with smooth orange magazine | |||
| Afghan National Army soldiers | Type 56-1 | |||
| 31 North 62 East | Terrorists | Type 56-1 | 2009 | |
| A Dangerous Man | Jesse Hutch | Sergey | Type 56 | 2009 |
| Steven Seagal | Shane | |||
| Vitaly Kravchenko | Vlad | |||
| Russian thugs | ||||
| Balibo | Indonesian soldiers | 2009 | ||
| War, Inc. | Turaqi militia | 2008 | ||
| Crossfire (Les Insoumis) | Gangster with a face paints | 2008 | ||
| The Kite Runner | Taliban fighters | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 2008 | |
| Soviet soldiers | ||||
| Rambo | Graham McTavish | Lewis | 2008 | |
| Body of Lies | Iraqi insurgents | Type 56-1 | 2008 | |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Soviet soldiers | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 2008 | |
| Skinwalkers | Sarah Carter | Katherine | 2007 | |
| Outlaw | Lennie James | Cedric Munroe | Type 56-1 | 2007 |
| Sean Bean | Danny Bryant | |||
| Invisible Target | Andy On | Tien Yeng-Yee | Type 56 with laser aiming device | 2007 |
| Vincent Sze | Tien Yeng Chi | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | ||
| Mei Wang Xue | Tien Yeng Yan | Type 56-1 | ||
| No Country for Old Men | Type 56 and Type 56-1, seen with dead drug dealers | 2007 | ||
| Hot Fuzz | Crackhead | Type 56-1 | 2007 | |
| Battle for Haditha | Falah Falyeh | Ahmad | Type 56-1 | 2007 |
| Oliver Bytrus | Jafar | |||
| Iraqi Army soldiers | ||||
| Iraqi civilians | ||||
| In Her Line of Fire | The rebels | 2006 | ||
| Blood Diamond | Kagiso Kuypers | Dia Vandy | Type 56-1 | 2006 |
| R.U.F. rebels | ||||
| Sierra Leone Army soldiers | ||||
| Lord of War | Weston Cage | Mechanic | Type 56-1, with AKM receiver cover | 2005 |
| Soviet soldiers | ||||
| Afghan Mujahideen | ||||
| Seen on wall, with nickel finish, AKM muzzle brake, ivory furniture, and AIMS handguard | ||||
| R.U.F. rebels | Type 56-1 | |||
| Sahara | Matthew McConaughey | Dirk Pitt | Type 56-1 | 2005 |
| Malian Soldiers | ||||
| Munich | Black September terrorists | Type 56-1 | 2005 | |
| PLO gunmen | ||||
| Israeli commandos | ||||
| Batman Begins | Chinese soldiers | Type 56-1 | 2005 | |
| Stealth | Tajikistani terrorists | Type 56-1, with lengthened barrel | 2005 | |
| A Bittersweet Life | Thugs | Type 56-1 | 2005 | |
| Typhoon | Pirates | Type 56-1 | 2005 | |
| Sky Fighters | Terrorists | 2005 | ||
| District B13 (Banlieue 13) | Guard | Type 56, with & without AKM muzzle brake | 2004 | |
| Hotel Rwanda | Tutsi rebel | 2004 | ||
| The Corsican File (L'enquête Corse) | Eric Fraticelli | Figoli "Le Piaf" | 2004 | |
| Innocent Voices | Carlos Padilla | Chava | Type 56 | 2004 |
| Salvadoran guerrillas | ||||
| Tears of the Sun | Militia fighters | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 2003 | |
| Cameroon border guards | ||||
| Refugees | Type 56, with & without pig-sticker bayonet | |||
| Belly of the Beast | Kidnappers, Abu Karaf fighers | 2003 | ||
| The Missing Gun | Jiang Wen | Ma Shan | in his memories | 2002 |
| Die Another Day | North Korean soldiers | Type 56-1 | 2002 | |
| North Korean commando | Type 56-1, made to look like AKS-74 | |||
| Outside the Law | Delgado's bodyguards, Peyton's hecnhman | Type 56-1 with black furniture | 2002 | |
| Christmas Rush | Ghost Dragons gangster | Type 56-1 | 2002 | |
| Route 666 | Russian mobster | 2001 | ||
| Black Hawk Down | Somali militiamen | Type 56 and Type 56-1, with & without pig-sticker bayonets | 2001 | |
| 24 Hours (24 chasa) | Spetznaz GRU operator, various police officiers, hitman | Type 56-1 | 2000 | |
| Big Money Hustlas | Stefan Kudek | Dr. Dinglenut | Type 56-1, nickel-plated with fake ivory furniture, Romanian AIM-style grip, AKM-style slant compensator | 2000 |
| K-911 | Vincent Castellanos | Harry Stripe | 1999 | |
| Black Dog | Gabriel Casseus | Sonny | 1998 | |
| Belly | Louie Rankin | Lennox | Type 56-1, nickel-plated with fake ivory furniture | 1998 |
| Jamaicans | With AKM-style and AK-74-style muzzle brakes and red dot sights | |||
| Air Force One | Rebel soldiers | Type 56-1 | 1997 | |
| Dangerous Ground | Elizabeth Hurley | Karen | 1997 | |
| The Devil's Own | Brad Pitt | Frankie Maguire | Type 56-1 | 1997 |
| Cat's Eye | King's soldier | 1997 | ||
| Courage Under Fire | Iraqi soldiers | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 1996 | |
| Mercenary | Martin Kove | Phoenix | 1996 | |
| Lindsey Ginter | Klinge | |||
| Patricia Skeriotis | Kurdish Woman | |||
| Olivier Gruner | 'Hawk' | |||
| John Ritter | Jonas Ambler | |||
| Nomads, Phoenix mercenary | ||||
| Heat | Danny Trejo | Trejo | Type 56-1, with AKM muzzle brake | 1995 |
| Dead Presidents | N.V.A. soldiers | 1995 | ||
| Soldier Boyz | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Vinh Moc | 1995 | |
| Jacqueline Obradors | Vasquez | With pig-sticker bayonet | ||
| Demetrius Navarro | Lopez | |||
| Vinh Moc's soldiers | With & without pig-sticker bayonets | |||
| A criminal | Type 56-1 | |||
| Top Dog | Neo Nazi terrorists | Type 56-1 with AKM-style muzzle brakes | 1995 | |
| GoldenEye | Pierce Brosnan | James Bond | Type 56-1, made to look like AKS-74 | 1995 |
| Sean Bean | Alec Trevelyan | |||
| Famke Janssen | Xenia Onatopp | |||
| Russian soldiers | Made to look like AK-74 and AKS-74 | |||
| Janus soldiers | ||||
| Steel Frontier | Stacie Foster | Sarah | 1995 | |
| Kane Hodder | Kinton | |||
| mercenaries | ||||
| Dead Weekend | TWF soldiers | Type 56-1 | 1995 | |
| In the Army Now | Lori Petty | Pvt. Christine Jones | Type 56, with AKM muzzle brake | 1994 |
| Libyan Army soldiers | ||||
| Libyan Army soldier | Type 56-1, made to look like AK-74 | |||
| Clear and Present Danger | Colombian cartel gunmen | Type 56-1 | 1994 | |
| Bad Blood | Chang's henchmen | 1994 | ||
| Enemy Gold | Julie Strain | Jewel Panther | Type 56-1, under-folding stock variant with slanted muzzle brake | 1993 |
| Ron Browning | Slash | |||
| Crime Story (1993) | Robber | with AKM muzzle brake | 1993 | |
| Martial Outlaw | Rodchenko's henchman | 1993 | ||
| Curacao | A terrorist | Type 56-1 | 1993 | |
| Freejack | Emilio Estevez | Alex Furlong | 1992 | |
| Mercenaries | ||||
| Beyond the Law | Ed Adams | Dirt | Type 56-1, with AKM muzzle brake | 1992 |
| Rapid Fire | Guards | 1992 | ||
| Hard Boiled | Johnny Wong's thugs | Type 56-1 | 1992 | |
| Boyz N The Hood | Baldwin C. Sykes | Monster | Type 56-1 | 1991 |
| In the Line of Duty 6: Forbidden Arsenal | Mobster | 1991 | ||
| Afghan Breakdown | Afghan Mujaheddin | Type 56, with pig-sticker bayonet | 1991 | |
| Bullet in the Head | Waise Lee | Little Wing | 1990 | |
| Tony Leung Chiu Wai | Ah Bee | |||
| Jacky Cheung | Fai | |||
| N.V.A. soldiers | ||||
| Viet-Cong guerrillas | ||||
| Revenge (1990) | Miguel Ferrer | Amador | Type 56-1 | 1990 |
| Enemy | Peter Fonda | Ken Andrews | 1990 | |
| Tia Carrere | Mai Chang | |||
| Felindo Obach | Sgt. Tuong | |||
| Vietcong, Vienamese soldiers | ||||
| The Hunt for Red October | Soviet Naval Infantryman | 1990 | ||
| RoboCop 2 | Thomas Rosales Jr. | Chet | Type 56, with AK-74 muzzle brake | 1990 |
| Nuke cartel thugs | Type 56, 56-1, & Type 56-2, with & without bakelite magazines and AK-74 muzzle brakes | |||
| Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection | Ramon Cota's men | Type 56, with pig-sticker bayonet | 1990 | |
| Navy SEALs | Nicholas Kadi | Ben Shaheedis | 1990 | |
| The Killer | Danny Lee | Inspector Li Ying | Type 56-1 | 1989 |
| UHF | Villain | 1989 | ||
| Born on the Fourth of July | NVA soldiers | Type 56 with pig-sticker bayonet | 1989 | |
| Casualties of War | Viet Cong guerrillas | Type 56-1 | 1989 | |
| The Iron Triangle | Liem Whatley | Ho | Type 56, with pig-sticker bayonet | 1989 |
| Viet-Cong | ||||
| Code Name Coq Rouge | Stellan Skarsgård | Carl Hamilton | Type 56, milled receiver without pig-sticker bayonet | 1989 |
| Nick Burnell | Meyer | |||
| Israeli terrorists | ||||
| PLO guard | ||||
| Boy on the beach | ||||
| L.A. Bounty | Cavanaugh´s men | 1989 | ||
| Dead Bang | Mickey Jones | Sleepy | 1989 | |
| Rambo III | Sasson Gabai | Mousa | Type 56-1 | 1988 |
| Afghan Mujahideen | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | |||
| Return of the Killer Tomatoes | "Tomato men" soldiers | Semi-auto Type 56S | 1988 | |
| Big Trouble in Little China | Wing Kong gang members | Type 56, with AKM muzzle brakes | 1986 | |
| Platoon | Charlie Sheen | Pvt. Chris Taylor | With pig-sticker bayonet | 1986 |
| Tom Berenger | SSgt. Robert Barnes | |||
| N.V.A. soldiers | ||||
| Viet-Cong | ||||
| Volunteers | People's Army soldiers | 1985 | ||
| Coordinates of Death (Koordinaty smerti) | Viet Cong guerrillas | With pig-sticker bayonets | 1985 | |
| The Park is Mine | Jong Soo Park | Tran Chan Dinh | Type 56-1 | 1985 |
| Commando Leopard | Rebels | 1985 | ||
| Latino | FSLN soldiers and villagers | 1985 | ||
| Wheels of Fire | Scourge's Men | 1985 | ||
| Water | Stefan Kalipha | Cuban | 1985 | |
| Alan Igbon | Cuban | |||
| Chris Tummings | Garfield Cooper | |||
| Michael Caine | Baxter Thwaites | |||
| Code Name: Wild Geese | General Khan's soldiers | 1984 | ||
| Octopussy | Soviet soldiers | Type 56, milled receiver without pig-sticker bayonet | 1983 | |
| Border guards | ||||
| Uncommon Valor | Kwan Hi Lim | Jiang | 1983 | |
| The Year of Living Dangerously | Indonesian soldiers | Type 56, with and without pig-sticker bayonets | 1982 | |
| Apocalypse Now | N.V.A. soldiers | 1979 | ||
| Viet-Cong | ||||
| Kurtz's men | With & without jungle-taped magazines | |||
| French colonialists | With & without pig-sticker bayonets | |||
| The Deer Hunter | Robert De Niro | Michael | 1978 | |
| Christopher Walken | Nick |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry's Game | Derek Thompson | Billy Downes | Type 56-1 | 1982 |
| The A-Team | 1983 - 1988 | |||
| Blott on the Landscape | David Suchet | Blott | 1985 | |
| East German soldiers | ||||
| MacGyver (1985) - Season 1 | - | Various characters | Type 56 with slant compensator / featured in 9 out of 22 episodes | 1985-1986 |
| Tour of Duty | Vit Cng | 1987 - 1989 | ||
| Tour of Duty | NVA soldiers | 1987 - 1989 | ||
| Seven Days | Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 1998 - 2001 | ||
| The Sopranos | Bokeem Woodbine | Massive Genius | Nickel plated Type 56-1; "A Hit is a Hit" (S1E10) | 1999 - 2007 |
| Ultimate Force | Ross Kemp | SSgt. Henry 'Henno' Garvie | Type 56-1 | 2002 - 2006 |
| Jamie Draven | Cpl. Jamie Dow | |||
| Tony Curran | Sgt. Pete Twamley | |||
| Miles Anderson | Col. Aidan Dempsey | |||
| Louis Decosta Johnson | Cpl. Dave Woolston | |||
| Heather Peace | Tpr. Becca Gallagher | |||
| Conor Mullen | Omega | |||
| Various terrorists and soldiers | ||||
| Tremors: The Series | Victor Browne | Tyler Reed | "Shriek & Destroy" | 2003 |
| Doctor Who (New Series) - Season 2 | Andrew Hayden-Smith | Jake Simmonds | Type 56-1 in episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" | 2006 |
| Criminal Minds | Somali militiamen | "Distress" (S2E17) | 2007 | |
| The Kill Point | Leo Fitzpatrick | "Mr. Mouse" | Type 56-1, with AKM slant compensator | 2007 |
| The Kill Point | Adam Cantor | Rocko | Type 56-1, with AKM slant compensator | 2007 |
| The Kill Point | Frank Grillo | Albert "Mr. Pig" Roman | Type 56-1, with AKM slant compensator | 2007 |
| The Kill Point | One of Deke Quinlan's men | Type 56-1, with AKM slant compensator | 2007 | |
| Sea Patrol | Various rebels and mercenaries | 2007 - 2010 | ||
| Sanctuary | 2007 - | |||
| Iris - Season 1 | North Korean terrorists and IRIS mercenaries | Type 56-1 | 2009 | |
| Iris - Season 1 | Lee Byung-hun | Kim Hyun-jun | Type 56-1 | 2009 |
| Iris - Season 1 | So-yeon Kim | Kim Seon-hwa | Type 56-1 | 2009 |
| Falling Skies | Noah Wyle | Tom Mason | Type 56-1 | 2011 - |
| Falling Skies | Resistance fighters | Type 56 | 2011 - | |
| Jon Benjamin Has a Van | Guatemalan troops | Type 56, "Border" (S01E01) | 2011 | |
| Longmire | Lobo Sebastian | Octavio Muara | Type 56-1, "The Cancer" (S01E04), plastic magazine, muzzle brake | 2012 |
| The Walking Dead - Season 3 | Travis Love | Shumpert the Bowman | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Made to Suffer" (S3E08), "The Suicide King" (S3E09), "Home" (S3E10) | 2012-2013 |
| various | Woodbury Soldiers | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Made to Suffer" (S3E08), "The Suicide King" (S3E09), "Home" (S3E10), "Prey" (S3E14), "This Sorrowful Life" (S3E15), "Welcome to the Tombs" (S3E16) | ||
| Melissa Ponzio | Karen | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Home" (S3E10) | ||
| Sonequa Martin-Green | Sasha | Type 56-1 fitted with a R.I.S. & AKM-style slanted compensator; "Prey" (S3E14) | ||
| Daniel Thomas Ray | Allen | Type 56-1 fitted with a R.I.S & AKM-Style slanted compensator; "This Sorrowful Life" (S3E15), "Welcome to the Tombs" (S3E16) | ||
| Continuum - Season 2 | "Second Chances" (E01) | 2013 | ||
| The Walking Dead - Season 4 | Alanna Masterson | Tara Chambler | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slant compensator; "Too Far Gone" (S4E08) | 2013-2014 |
| various | Governor's Militia Soldiers | Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Too Far Gone" (S4E08) | ||
| various | Terminus Inhabitants | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "A" (S4E16) | ||
| The Walking Dead - Season 5 | various | Terminus Inhabitants | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "No Sanctuary" (S5E01), "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | 2014-2015 |
| various | Terminus Inhabitants | Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "No Sanctuary" (S5E01) | ||
| Andrew Lincoln | Rick Grimes | Type 56 fitted with Dark Plum Polymer Furniture & AKM-style slanted compensator | ||
| Michael Cudlitz | Sgt. Abraham Ford | Dark Plum Polymer Furniture & AKM-style slanted compensator; "No Sanctuary" (S5E01) | ||
| Andrew J. West | Gareth | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | ||
| Chris Coy | Martin | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | ||
| April Billingsley | Theresa | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | ||
| Benjamin Papac | Albert | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | ||
| Chris Burns | Mike | Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Four Walls and a Roof" (S5E03) | ||
| Norman Reedus | Daryl Dixon | Type 56 fitted with a Dark Plum Polymer Furniture & AKM-style slanted compensator; "Crossed" (S5E07), "Them" (S5E10) | ||
| Jason Douglas | Tobin | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Spend" (S5E14) | ||
| Steven Yeun | Glenn Rhee | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Spend" (S5E14) | ||
| Banshee - Season 2 | Rabbit's men | Episode 10; Type 56 and Type 56-1 | 2014 | |
| Tyrant | Abbudinian soldiers | Episode 1; Type 56 | 2014 | |
| The Walking Dead - Season 6 | Andrew Lincoln | Rick Grimes | Type 56 fitted with Dark Plum Polymer Furniture & AKM-style slanted compensator | 2015-2016 |
| Jason Douglas | Tobin | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "First Time Again" (S6E01) | ||
| Unknown | Savior Member | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Always Accountable" (S6E06) | ||
| Austin Nichols | Spencer Monroe | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Heads Up" (S6E07) | ||
| various | At least 2 unnamed Savior Members | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator in an after credits scene; "Start to Finish" (S6E08), "No Way Out" (S6E09) | ||
| Unknown | Savior Member | Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Start to Finish" (S6E08), "No Way Out" (S6E09) | ||
| G-Rod | Savior Member | Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Not Tomorrow Yet" (S6E12) | ||
| various | Savior Member | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Twice As Far" (S6E14) | ||
| Norman Reedus | Daryl Dixon | Type 56 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Twice As Far" (S6E14) | ||
| various | Savior Members | Type 56 & Type 56-1 fitted with a AKM-style slanted compensator; "Last Day on Earth" (S6E16) | ||
| The Walking Dead - Season 7 | Norman Reedus | Daryl Dixon | Type 56 fitted with wood furniture, AIM Handguard & AKM-style slant compensator; ”The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | 2017 |
| Andrew Lincoln | Rick Grimes | Type 56 fitted with wood furniture & slant compensator; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Cooper Andrews | Jerry | Type 56 fitted with dark plum polymer furniture & slant compensator; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives (S7E16) | ||
| Unknown | Savior Member | Type 56 fitted with dark plum polymer furniture & slant compensator; " The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Christian Serratos | Rosita Espinosa | Type 56-1 fitted with slant compensator & folding stock removed; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Alanna Masterson | Tara Chambler | Type 56-1 fitted with R.I.S. & slant compensator; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Sabrina Gennarino | Tamiel | Type 56-1 fitted with slant compensator; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Thomas Francis Murphy | Brion | Type 56-1 fitted with dark plum polymer furniture, slant compensator, & folding stock removed; "The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives" (S7E16) | ||
| Wynonna Earp | Revenant thug | Type 56-2 side-folding stock variant; "The Blade" (S1E04) | 2016 | |
| The Man in the High Castle | Joel de la Fuente | Chief Inspector Kido | 2019 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunslinger Girl | Padania Terrorists | 2003 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rising Storm 2: Vietnam | Type 56; with under-folding bayonet | 2017 | ||
| Type 56-1 | ||||
| Rainbow Six Siege | Unusable | 2015 | ||
| Grand Theft Auto V | "Assault Rifle" | Type 56-2 | 2013 | |
| Godfather II, The (VG) | 2009 | |||
| Delta Force: Xtreme 2 | "AK47" | 2009 | ||
| 7.62 High Calibre | "Type 56" | w/ various attachments | 2008 | |
| Tomb Raider: Underworld | not usable | 2008 | ||
| Battlefield: Vietnam | "AK-47" | w/ underfolding "pig sticker" bayonet | 2004 | |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | "AK47" | 2004 | ||
| Project IGI 2: Covert Strike | "AK-47" | 2003 | ||
| Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | "Kalashnikov" | 2003 | ||
| Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror | "AK47" | 2002 | ||
| Project IGI: I'm Going In | "AK-47" | 2000 | ||
| Global Operations | "AK-47" | 2000 | ||
| Jurassic Park: Trespasser | "Kalashnikov" | 1998 |
Norinco Type 84S
The Type 84 rifle is nearly identical to the Chinese Type 56 (seen above), but it is chambered in 5.56x45mm /.223 Remington and manufactured entirely for export. The civilian variants are known as Type 84S, and are semi-automatic only (full auto Type 84s are far rarer than the Type 84S though). It is often seen impersonating the AK-74 in movies and TV shows (particularly Stargate: SG1, where it is carried by Russian SG teams).
The Type 84 was exported and sold with an AK birdcage flash hider and had a deep polished factory blue. Several other variants of the 84S Rifle (that are mostly unfamiliar to American Gun Owners) were victims of the 1989 Import Ban that barred most new 'assault rifles' from entering the United States. These rifles were thus mostly exported to Canada and Australia, and as a result, appeared in television shows or movies that were filmed in those countries. Listed here are two of the variants seen in Canadian or Australian television (the Target and the Match versions). If it were not for Canadian or Australian movie armorers, most Americans would never have known these variants existed.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Interview | North Korean soldier | Type 84S-1 | 2014 | |
| A Dangerous Man | Byron Lawson | Mao | . | 2009 |
| Zombieland | Stylish Secret Agent | . | 2009 | |
| Underworld: Evolution | Hungarian police officers | . | 2006 | |
| The Sum of All Fears | Ukrainian soldiers | Type 84S-2, fitted with custom muzzle brakes to pass for AKS-74 | 2003 | |
| Reindeer Games | . | Seen in the weapons storage compartment of Gabriel's (Gary Sinise) truck | 2000 | |
| Bravo Two Zero | Iraqi soldiers | . | 1999 | |
| Hollow Point | Mobsters | w/ Type 56-style bayonets | 1996 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sliders | Russian soldiers | 1995-2000 | ||
| Millennium | Found in cult warehouse / "Gehenna" | 1996-1999 | ||
| The X-Files | Russian gulag guards/soldiers | Type 84s (standard variant), 84S-1 'Target' (underfolder stock) / "Terma" (S4E09), "Patient X" (S5E13) | 1996-1998 | |
| Stargate SG-1 | Seth's followers | (S03E02) | 1997 - 2007 | |
| Jen Halley | Lieutenant Tolinev | mocked up as AKS-74U / "The Tomb" (S05E08) | ||
| The X-Files - Season 5 | Brian Markinson | Gary Lambert | 84S-1 'Target' (underfolder stock) / "Folie à Deux" (S5E19) | 1998 |
| Seven Days | Various military personnel and terrorists | "Peackeepers", "The Fire Last Time" | 1998-2001 | |
| Harsh Realm | A bounty hunter and Cherokee nationalists | (Ep. 2 "Leviathan", Ep. 8 "Cincinnati") | 1999 | |
| The Sopranos | James Gandolfini | Tony | "Two Tonys" (5.01) | 1999-2007 |
| Max Casella | Benny Fazio | |||
| Carl Capotorto | Little Paulie Germani | |||
| Battlestar Galactica | Resistance fighters | Season 2, "Lay Down Your Burdens" | 2004-2009 | |
| Battlestar Galactica | Ryan Robbins | Charlie Connor | Season 3, "Exodus" | 2004-2009 |
| Chris Ryan's Strike Back | Fenar Mohammed-Ali | As'ad | Ep. 1, 2 | 2010 |
| Chris Ryan's Strike Back | Iraqi insurgents | Ep. 1, 2 | 2010 | |
| Wynonna Earp | Revenant thug | "The Blade" (S1E04), Type 84S-1 "Match" rifle | 2016 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG | Dejima refugee sniper | Type 84S Target with scope | 2004-2005 |
Norinco MAK-90
"Post-ban" version of the Norinco Type 56, made for import for use as a civilian sporting rifle. As such, the MAK-1990 was manufactured in semi-automatic mode only, the rear sight was ground down and the bayonet lugs were ground off. Most rifles are fitted with a 'thumbhole' stock and were manufactured with both milled and stamped receivers. Originally, these rifles were sold for around $180 and were looked down on as "cheap" rifles, but have since been regarded as fine rifles and have gone up in price greatly.
Specifications
(1990 - 1994)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Weight: 8.3 lbs (3.7 kg)
- Length: 35.1 in (89.2 cm)
- Barrel length: 16.3 in (41.5 cm)
- Feed System: 10, 30-round box magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnosaur 3: Primal Species | Terrorist | 1996 | ||
| Soldier | Arcadia 234 inhabitant | With 10-round magazine | 1998 | |
| God Bless America | Tara Lynne Barr | Roxy | thumbhole stock removed | 2012 |
| Joel Murray | Frank Murdock | |||
| Mike Tristano | Shady gun dealer |