So... What happened to the 'cheap' 91/30?

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RP88

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Hey all,

I've been out of the gun community for awhile due to life and waning focus and passion for firearms. I came back to learn what I've missed out on, and the first thing I noticed, much to my dismay...

...Mosin Nagants are going for a good $180-200ish now! And hex-receiver variants are commanding nearly $300 from what I've seen.

I remember the $125 round receiver and the $145 hex receiver prices like it was maybe just a year ago.

Wut happun? :uhoh:

I've been thinking about grabbing a Finnish capture, but that looks like a pipe dream now. Who currently has the best deal on our faithful Sovietproof rifles that have stood the test (if not the price...) of time?
 
You must be a relative newcomer--you'd be sick if you were resurfacing from the times where they were $69 all day, every day.
 
I bought a 1943 round receiver Ishy for about $150 out the door. And I know that was a hosing price compared to a few years ago. Figured I would get one and sporterize it eventually before it went up in price too much more.
 
You must be a relative newcomer--you'd be sick if you were resurfacing from the times where they were $69 all day, every day.

Not too new. $120 would buy you a pretty much spotless, laminated, no-CB rifle. The ones I see now, some of which are mixed bag on the quality/condition perks, would have sold for $80-100 after shipping in "my day".

WASRs were only $319.99 and shot fairly straight back then, too... and Yugo M70AB2's were $379... :(

Ah, the days of being only 19...so little money, so many missed opportunities.

I also remember when my Bavarian LGKNO-marked M1 Carbine was snubbed at. Now, it's worth nearly triple its original cost.

Times have changed in the last four years for me.
 
Milsurps went up, but modern production prices have falled a lot. NOW is the hayday that you will one day soon be reminiscing about "remember when" a nice AR was only $700, and you could get nice pistols for $400 all day long...
 
^ I've noticed that. Building mine was such a fun experience. Now, it looks like it isn't worth the inconvenience or patience to budget a mil-spec AR; they literally get tripped over by the employees at the shops around me.

It's ironic how a decent AR (something like a $600 Del-Ton or a Spike's) is cheaper than your average AK. Never would I'd thunk.

But is there a good, reliable Mosin source floating around nowadays?
 
Wut happun?

The Great Banic of 2013 - 2014 during which folks brought up about any firearm, especially low cost ones, they could regardless of whether ammunition was available for them. Look at what happen to the Nagant revolver.

The MN 91/30 really isn't suitable for much other than fun. I know it has plenty of power for hunting big game but it is a big, heavy gun to lug around in the field.
 
Just like many other things, they are affected by inflation and the law of supply and demand.

I'm not that new to the firearms community, but even I was not lucky to be around when Mosin's and SKS rifles were both under $100. I did remember when AK47 rifles where still $300-350
 
The 91/30 is no less useful in the field than any other WWII rifle. Having lugged one about, the weight isn't bad. Indeed, the weight is only marginally different than a Remington 700.

They lack the refinement of modern sporters and the purpose to which many bought them in the past - that of cheap survival rifle - has now become less desirable. Back when they were sub $100 rifles, 91/30's made excellent rifles to get for just-in-case scenarios. They are powerful, shoot readily available ammo, rugged, and simple to operate. Oh, and they are interesting pieces of history. Refurbs exhibit WWII and Cold War history.

At current prices, they remain just as suitable for basic survival rifles in addition to interesting pieces of history. However, they have become the same price as a nice basic lever gun and as such, they compare less favorably with, say a Marlin 336.

I have an M91/59 that I got back in my 20's for $50. That little carbine did everything a $300 lever gun did except slower. I bought it to take to the farm - the literal homestead - and in that role it was an outstanding carbine. I still have it, but it sits in the safe now as my finances improved. It remains just as effective today as when I bought it, but those carbines are now priced higher than said lever gun and as such, they get compared to other rifles very suited to the job.

Even so, at that homestead, which is 5 hours away, in the shadowy corner of one of the work buildings, behind a door, sits a 91/30 with a sealed plastic box of surplus ammo. It's there just in case it is needed. At the "new" place I am working, however, sits a Ruger Mini 14 and a Savage 720 shotgun.

The prices went up on Mosins for a multitude of reasons. However, people pay those prices because they are a simple, powerful, rugged rifle with easy access to ammo. There are better rifles these days for the price, but the Mosin remains as effective today as they were a decade ago.
 
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0bama's executive order banning importation of Russian rifles after their Ukraine incursion. No more will be imported. Basic Economics 101, supply vs demand.
 
I bought them

in the 80's (FFL) for $49 each. It's a classic case of supply and demand plus the fact that they could be used to drive fence posts if you ran out of ammo.
 
About 5 years ago as I was leaving a gun show with a 91/30 that I had just bought an older dealer who is about 75 who I am acquainted with remarked that when first offered here in the US he bought them for $12. He said this was in the early / middle 1960's.
 
I'm afraid those days are gone friend. Under $100 for Mosin, SKS, Carcano, Arisaka. $129 for Schmidt- Rubin. The Mosins are still a deal compared to the others above, not like a year or two ago.
 
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