The Type 56 is China's 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle family, adopted in 1956, built in very large numbers, and exported widely through state, surplus, and illicit channels. Its early rifles followed the Soviet AK-47 with milled receivers, later production used AKM-style stamped receivers under the same designation, and many examples are recognizable by a permanently attached folding spike bayonet. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, Small Arms Survey and Stimson reporting link Chinese Type 56 rifles to weapons seized from Boko Haram members and to materiel captured during the 2016 Bosso camp attack in Niger.
Chinese Type 56 rifles were documented among weapons seized from Boko Haram members in Niger in 2015-2016 and among materiel taken by Boko Haram during the June 2016 Bosso camp attack, showing their use as insurgent small arms in the Lake Chad basin.
The Type 56 is a Kalashnikov-pattern rifle chambered for Soviet 7.62x39mm intermediate ammunition.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Intermediate rifle cartridge | Modern Firearms lists the Type 56 assault rifle family as chambered for 7.62x39mm ammunition and fed from a 30-round magazine. Sources: Type 56 |
China adopted the Type 56 Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle in 1956, chambering it for Soviet 7.62x39mm ammunition alongside the Type 56 SKS carbine.
Sources: Type 56
The Australian War Memorial records a China-made Type 56 associated with North Vietnamese Forces, made around 1960 and later captured in Vietnam.
Sources: Type 56 Assault Rifle : North Vietnamese Forces
The PLA adopted the Type 81 in the early 1980s, gradually replacing full-size Type 56 rifles in front-line service while export production continued.
Sources: Type 56
Small Arms Survey documented Chinese Type 56 and Type 56-1 rifles among weapons seized from Boko Haram members in Niger's Diffa region.
Sources: At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts
Small Arms Survey listed Type 56 and Type 56-2 rifles among materiel taken by Boko Haram during the Bosso military-camp attack in Niger.
Sources: At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts
Modern Firearms describes the original Type 56 as an AK-47 copy with a milled receiver, followed by later rifles with AKM-type stamped receivers that kept the Type 56 designation. A common recognition feature is the folding, non-detachable spike bayonet; Australian War Memorial and Royal Museums Greenwich object records also document Chinese-marked Type 56 examples with steel magazines, wooden furniture, and 7.62 mm chambering.
The Type 56-1 used an under-folding stock, the Type 56-2 used a side-folding stock, and the compact Type 56C shortened the rifle while retaining the Type 56 family identity.
