How much would mismatched numbers on a Yugo M59/66 hurt the value?

On average around here I see people pay between $300 and $400 for a SKS be it Yugo, Chinese or a few bucks more on a Russian. Most are bought as shooters and not highly sought after collectables. I don't see a mismatch hurting much of anything. Decide what you want for it and list it, heck, you could list it on these forums and give members a shot at it. Any rifle on any given day is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no more and no less.

Ron

I guessing around $300.00 tops. Bore condition is the biggest factor with the Yugo's. Must of the gun market has fallen flat but you should still come out ahead. Am unissued all matched sells for $350-$375 around here.

Since you're selling it as a shooter, I don't think non-matching parts would affect its value at all. You could probably get $300 for it pretty quickly.

Seized up gas valves are common on Yugos. I would try a little heat to free it up. That certainly isn't a deal breaker though as it can be fixed.

Are pressing down on valve button before trying to move it?

I bet your valve is rusty/corroded; dropping some penetrating oil around the plunger and letting it soak should free it up enough to get it moving but I would definitely remove the valve itself and check for rust/clean it up. I ended up replacing the valve on my own 59/66 with a stainless version from Murray's even though the old one wasn't pitted bad enough to cause problems.

I doubt the non-matching numbers will make any difference to the value of an SKS. I think often the numbers were added to the other parts by the importer anyway, so even if they are all matching it doesn't necessarily mean they were original to the rifle but I could be wrong. You didn't say where you were at but $300 would be a good price these days for a complete SKS rifle around here in good condition. Both of my boys bought SKS' in the past year or so and paid that or more.

If you can remedy the valve issue, I'd say $300 is a very good selling price that should make the rifle sell pretty quickly.

Start with $350 (with the valve fixed) and go from there. Buyers will always haggle anyway but if you find a buyer for $350, then you're ahead.

Good luck in your situation by the way. Its not uncommon for gun owners to sell firearms to get out of certain financial issues.

For a frozen gas valve, I just soak it with some oil overnight. A few light taps with a non marring hammer/drift and they always free up.

As to selling, the vast majority of the firearms I own are on the potential sell list. I have sold to garner money for all sorts of things from new guns to a camper to an engagement ring to a new/old house. That is what makes firearms nice to own, they are commodities that are good hedges against inflation.