7.62 x 39 ammo...

I helped a guy restock his SKS this past weekend and he was sitting on several hundred rounds of Norinco 7.62x39 that he had no idea had somewhat of a collector's value to it. I would have offered to swap him some fresh new Tula for his Norinco ammo, but I wouldn't actually be able to find enough anywhere at a good price to make the deal worth doing.

Norinco is collectible? I have lots

I bought many cases of 7.62x39 in Wolf and Barnaul brands when it was 90 dollars a case. Wife thought I had gone off the deep end but glad I did. I also pick up brass cases in that size and bought some bullets as it maybe a round the administration might address.

Norinco is collectible?

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Technically, I said it "had somewhat of a collector's value". When you hang around gun forums enough, you eventually hear such things.

There is a billion tons of the stuff out there, but it is slowly getting closer to what we would eventually consider 'rare'.

Here's a good example; GunBroker auctions from September/October (before election & panic buying)...

Norinco sells for 63.53¢ per round: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=308573690
Tula sells for 25¢ per round: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=312289076

So that would supposedly be the unmolested market prices there; definitely shows some enhanced value IMHO.

Wow.

I picked up Wolf military classic.. 1000 rounds for like $215 shipped back in March.

I picked up Wolf military classic.. 1000 rounds for like $215 shipped back in March.

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March? That was several mass shootings ago...

M

Excuse me for my ignorance, LGS stands for ?

Excuse me for my ignorance, LGS stands for ?

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local gun store

Thanks

Giterboosted said:

Norinco is collectible? I have lots

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If it's steel core, there's a pretty good premium for it. Lead core, to a lesser extent, but still worth more than your average Tula/Wolf/Bear and some people collect it because A) hasn't been imported in many years B) there's so many varieties of packaging and branding that some people like to collect them all.

Pretty good ammo too, actually. I had some yellow box Norinco and blue box China Jing An Equipment (re-branded Norinco, made in the same factory as the yellow box stuff) ammo a while back that shot well, and made me a few bucks on GunBroker.

Some fools might pay high prices for steel-core ball ammo believing it to be super-powered AP ammo, but it ain't, and there is absolutely no collector value in it. None, zero, etc.

feh. It's all just shootin' ammo. (Just my opinion)

I, have some Norinco x39 at the LGS, and now I, feel even less guilty at the price I'm asking.

jonnyc said:

Some fools might pay high prices for steel-core ball ammo believing it to be super-powered AP ammo, but it ain't, and there is absolutely no collector value in it. None, zero, etc.

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I don't know if it's collected in the traditional sense of the word or with the intent to shoot; however intent is irrelevant. It is collected and people do pay a premium. That's the very definition of having collectors value.

"That's the very definition of having collectors value."

Uh....no.....that's not correct. It may have shooters' value, but it is not a "collectible", and it has no collector value.

jonnyc said:

"That's the very definition of having collectors value."

Uh....no.....that's not correct. It may have shooters' value, but it is not a "collectible", and it has no collector value.

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So uh....then...hmm.

Why do people collect it then?

I mean, if it didn't have some sort of redeeming value, wouldn't they just go down to Walter Mart and buy a box of Tula instead of paying 2-3 times the price?

I decided to sell my Saiga conversion once I realized relying on foreign ammo sources wasn't a good idea. Picked up an AR so I could reload for it.

I have never heard of anyone collecting Norinco ammo. Who does this?

Because it does have collectors value. It's like saying people who collect wine only do so because it has drinkers value. jonnyc may not value it above tula ammo, but others do thus it has collectors value.

At the gun shows here in Utah, there is someone who has a table at every show, it seems. I remember his table because he is always trying to sell his "rare" steel core Norinco ammo.

He sells them in stripper clips of 10, and I can't recall his price, but I'm confident it was more than $1/rd. I remember when they outlawed the importation of it because of the steel, I'm pretty sure it was the ATF that claimed it was AP when they made the decision.

Some of you seem to have difficulty understanding the difference between intrinsic/shooter/hoarder value and collector value. The only people who see any premium value in Chinese steel-core ball ammo are shooters/hoarders. While there are those who do collect 7.62x39 ammo and boxes, Chinese ammo has been common and cheap hear for a very long time. It was imported in such vast quantity that anything unique or interesting has already been found by collectors, or is widely available on the collector market for very low prices. People who accumulate large quantities of identical items are hoarders, not collectors. Collectors collect collectibles, items that have some scarcity, variation, and interest. Chinese steel-core ammo in box lots just ain't collectible.
If this simple economics lesson doesn't resonate, well.....God bless you.

Sure thing, bud. We're all just making this stuff up, you're right.

@ jonnyc
So why do you hoard 7.62x25 and 7.63 Mauser ammo?