SKS value?

[coosbaycreep]

I just got a Norinco SKS in trade a few days ago, and was wondering what they're going for in private party transactions nowadays. I sold one last year for $180, and then seen most of the dealers at gunshops selling them for over $200. One of my local gunshops don't have any for less than $299, which is ridiculous to me, since they're also selling AKs still for under $500. I remember when my dad bought my original SKS brand new for $75.

Mine's in Ok condition, and has a synthetic stock and the cheap spike bayonet. It also came with the original wood stock.

I thought I'd like another one since I kinda regretted selling mine (and the fact that I just bought a case of ammo for my AK), but after hassling with loading it and the crappy sights (and only 10 shots), I remembered why I got rid of it in the first place.

Thanks.

 

[alemonkey]

I don't know about private party, but I bought one a couple months ago for $195 at my local shop. One of the other shops here in town tries to sell ones identical to mine for $400 No wonder they have the same rifles in stock every time I go in there.

 

[Bruenor]

Great timing...I just came back from the gun store with my new SKS. The place had their Yugo SKS rifles priced between $239.99 and $269.99. They also had two Chinese ones for $279.99. The price difference was largely due to the condition of the stock. The more little scratches, the less the price.

Well, as I was hunting through the stack, I found one with very dark wood, only a couple of small scratches, and covered in cosmoline for $199.99. Nothing wrong with it that some TLC won't cure. I went in there expecting to pay $240 to $260, so I think I ended up doing pretty well.

I'm going to a gun show next weekend, but I already know that I won't find an SKS for under $279 there, if that. If you can still find one for around $200, I'd grab it.

 

[Bartkowski]

Anything under $200 is a fair price now.

 

[Shade00]

Indeed, I was ecstatic to pick up my cosmetically-challenged Norinco SKS for $150 a couple of months ago. Haven't seen anything approaching that cheap since - the local pawn shop has a Norinco in decent shape for $200, but all of their Yugo milsurps are $270+. Been thinking about picking up that other Norinco.

 

[Ignition Override]

Do regular retail gun stores get their Yugos from the same distributors which also sell to anybody (via an FFL), for example from 'AIM', 'Classicarms Inc.' etc?

If they do, were many of the lower-priced Yugos used in combat or do the suppliers continue to import them, and possibly huge numbers were bought by just a few companies?
People have claimed that no more SKS will be imported, whether Yugos or others.

Since the fall of eastern European govts in '89 (with the desire to join NATO and/or the Euro. Union), tens of thousands of suplus mil. rifles were destroyed. Romania was required (...or did they comply?) to severely limit their massive exports of AKs.
Just curious and puzzled, having one SKS but two MN 44s .

 

[ColinthePilot]

I sold one a few months ago that I got in a private package deal. All I wanted was the 1200rds of 7.62 the guy had, but he was liquidating all of his 7.62X39 stuff. It was a Yugo that had been stripped of all its naughty bits, totally sported out, and painted green. I carried it around at the next gun show and a dealer bought it because he had never seen one like it before. only got $125 for it, which I immediately turned into a M38 Mosin and some ammo.