StephenT,
Congratulations on finding a Norinco Mak! I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but there are at least three - count 'em - THREE different varieties of Chinese Maks. Okay, you've got your first, but now that you have a taste for them, the REAL challenge begins! HaHa, your hooked now!
But seriously.......I've been collecting Maks for a couple of years now. Here is an excerpt from a post on one of the Mak forums that will answer your question about the Norinco Maks:
The Norinco
Makarov's were about the 1st Maks to be imported into the USA by
distributors (circa 1988-89). Many of the articles concerning Russian
military weapons that appeared around that time in pubs such as Guns & Ammo
and American Rifleman featured pictures of Maks that were not Russian, but
in fact Chinese Norinco imports! (you can tell by the "ZZ"serial number
prefix's). The 1st batch of Chinese Maks appear to have been imported
by"CSI" of Los Angeles. These are extremely fine weapon which are on par
with the best finished East German Maks. The trigger pull on the ones I have
surpasses my Thalmann DDR model Maks. The earlyM59's had red bakelite
military grips. Around 1992 a funky" thumb rest" was added to the grips in
order to comply with ever evolving BATF criteria. Sometime after 1992, "Beta
Arms" of Los Angeles also began importing the M59. Many of these featured a
"56" inside a triangle on the right side, with a letter prefix to the serial
# (not "ZZ"). This triangle apparently indicates manufacture by a military
factory in China. The Beta Arms Maks show machining marks under a heavy
blued finish that are not found on ZZ prefix M59's.
Around 1995 all importation of Chinese Maks came to a halt. This certainly
adds to their desirability among collectors. The prices currently range
between $160.- $250, depending on whether or not the seller realizes their
steady appreciation.
HTH, and good hunting!
Regards - Pussball