Oddity: SKS, Muzzle-loading .50 cal

via Peashooter85 on tumblr:

The SKS .50 caliber muzzleloader,

In the early 90's the Chinese arms company Norinco wanted to get into the muzzleloading market. This was highly unusual as Norico was famous for making modern firearms, especially copies of various Soviet military designs. However, the muzzleloader they created was one of the strangest muzzleloaders in muzzleloading history.

Made in .50 caliber, the Norinco muzzleloader was based off the the SKS semi automatic rifle. On the outside the muzzleloader looked just like the SKS, including a faux gas tube and magazine. The only thing that seemed weird about it was the ramrod located below the barrel and unusually large bore. In reality it was essentially an inline muzzleloader. Black powder, a patch, and a bullet were loaded by hand into the bore, and rammed home with the ramrod. To ignite the charge the action was opened, and a percussion cap was placed on a nipple inside the chamber.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton banned the importation of all "non-sporting" firearms from China. Even though the new "SKS" was nothing more than a dressed up single shot musket, it too was banned. Then in 2003 President G.W. Bush embargoed all Chinese firearms. As a result, the SKS muzzleloader never got off the ground, with only 10 being produced.

I like it. Obviously made for the California/Canada-type of market where normal firearms ownership is frowned upon. I don't like in-line muzzle loaders in general, but this would be cool if it had a folding bayonet on it.