As-Issued SKS Value

Status
Not open for further replies.
JackofallTrades said:
I've been doing research and I believe I may have a rare "as issued" rifle, meaning it wasn't re-arsenalled by the Russians. I have poured over every guide I can find and am as sure as I can be. I keep seeing that they're more valuable but not how much more. Does anybody here have some SKS expertise or know someone who does? Just looking for what would be a reasonable price to ask on this thing.
Click to expand...

@JackofallTrades

Full disclosure. I'm an SKS nut.

I took a look at your photos. I would classify your carbine as a "strait-to-storage" piece. Particularly with crossbolt stamps on BOTH sides (which is very uncommon). The stock is a bit rough, but 30-40 years in a storage crate in the fluctuating heat and humidity and brutal winters of Russia can have that effect on lacquer finish over hardwood.

SKS prices are absolutely bonkers lately-- in a good way IF you are selling. In the past few months I've seen several heavily refurbed guns sell for north of $1,200...on Gunbroker. If you've got gumption enough to list it on gb, you're likely sitting on a at least as much as the crazy prices of those refurbs I mentioned. Especially if you can get better quality photos.

You might consider joining up over at sks-files.com or gunboards.com (which has a legit top notch ak and sks subforum). If you post your rifle over there you'll get a lot of opinions but some of them are the most knowledgeable in the sks world. I'm horrible at giving photography advice, but there are some members on those forums who can tell you how best to photograph your rifle to MAXIMIZE the final bid--- that is, IF you are interested in selling on gunbroker.

Sold locally, you might still get good money for your rifle. But it may require some patience as your audience will be significantly smaller.


My handle on those forums is "Boris Badinov".

Nice rifle, btw.

Good luck.
 
JackofallTrades said:
As far as I can tell there are no arsenal refurb marks that I have seen, no BBQ paint anywhere, no signs of forced number matching, original birch stock. The only thing that has me wondering is that the bluing on the buttstock is in very good condition and there's no electro penciled serial number on it and that seems very uncommon so I'm wondering if it may have been replaced.
Click to expand...

Contrary to what some say. there is no evidence that EP serials on the stock butt plate are a trait of original manufacture. The years of evidence I've seen suggest that butt plate EP's were applied during regular inspection and maintenance during storage when the plates were removed while stocks were being refinished. There were many storage depots-- and they did not follow the same protocols when removing butt plates to touch up flaking stock finishes.

Unmarked buttplates are not any concern and have no bearing at all on the value of the rifle.
 
Even considering the effects of time passing and inflation, its hard for me to accept that these guns that were $75 in the early 90's have gone up X 10+. They were a poor man's deer rifle/something to bang away with for cheap back then. Yes, they are fun to shoot- but not worth more than a decent AR in any universe to me, regardless of the pedigree.
 
That’s because you are looking at this with a practical use perspective and not a collector perspective. We have legal tender pennies worth $400K and 1 cent stamps going for $3M. Clearly neither of those have a practical value anywhere near that, yet people still pay it.

FL-NC said:
Even considering the effects of time passing and inflation, its hard for me to accept that these guns that were $75 in the early 90's have gone up X 10+. They were a poor man's deer rifle/something to bang away with for cheap back then. Yes, they are fun to shoot- but not worth more than a decent AR in any universe to me, regardless of the pedigree.
Click to expand...
 
ColoradoMinuteMan said:
That’s because you are looking at this with a practical use perspective and not a collector perspective. We have legal tender pennies worth $400K and 1 cent stamps going for $3M. Clearly neither of those have a practical value anywhere near that, yet people still pay it.
Click to expand...

Exactly, Same thing happened before our day with the 1903. Was the poor mans dear hunting rifle. they dried up and boom, so did the prices, I paid less then 300 for both of my unissued yugu 59/66's. I would have no issue paying 500 for one in todays market. They are rock solid rifles.
 
FL-NC said:
Even considering the effects of time passing and inflation, its hard for me to accept that these guns that were $75 in the early 90's have gone up X 10+. They were a poor man's deer rifle/something to bang away with for cheap back then. Yes, they are fun to shoot- but not worth more than a decent AR in any universe to me, regardless of the pedigree.
Click to expand...
Kinda like the Mosin Nagant. Back in my day (boy I'm getting old), average price at a gunshow was $50 bucks.
Now a days, average is $400-700 bucks.
 
Ignition Override said:
denton: You mentioned the high cost of Lapua ammo in an SKS, that you can't afford to shoot it.

Instead of Lapua at $1.50/rd, (before add. costs). can you not afford to shoot imported ammo at 35-36 cents / round before the standard added costs?

The Vympel etc has not been imported for a while due to various sanctions etc (you're already aware of that). All of the money we spend on it nowadays goes to US distributors/retailers.

7.62x39mm Ammo | Best 7.62x39mm Ammunition - AmmoSeek.com 2022
Click to expand...

I suppose that I really could afford to shoot it, and I have plenty of reloading supplies for it. But when I bought it, ammo was $.08 per round, and I thought of it as sort of an adult 10/22. I just have not fully mentally adjusted to the new reality.
 
MosinT53Hunter said:
Kinda like the Mosin Nagant. Back in my day (boy I'm getting old), average price at a gunshow was $50 bucks.
Now a days, average is $400-700 bucks.
Click to expand...
Back in your day? Dang it those sub $100 SKS was mostly 1985 to 1996. The dried up along with their dirt cheap stinky brown ammo when China played dumb. There were plenty of $50 91/30s around in 2008 if you browsed a little, $75 felt like getting hosed. Prices didn't really move until 2010 when AIM jumped to $79 and people started piling on the bubba smithing bandwagon. Those ammo crates doubled, then doubled again just a couple years later. Sad times watching another bargain disappear, but fun watching the metamorphosis from ugly boat oars to period collector pieces for them both while much teeth gnashing & garment rending coming from us old(er) dudes.
 
MosinT53Hunter said:
Kinda like the Mosin Nagant. Back in my day (boy I'm getting old), average price at a gunshow was $50 bucks.
Now a days, average is $400-700 bucks.
Click to expand...

i remember my dad telling me about going to surplus stores in the 1950s with his dad and them having a big barrel full of Mausers rifles and another full or mismatched Springfield 1903 for $19 original surplus condition or fancy “sporterized” 1903 Springfield for $39 in a cardboard box. My grandpa bought my dad a wooden Springfield “toy” Training rifle, a Winchester 1906 pump action .22 and himself a mismatched Springfield 1903 and a M1897 Winchester Trench shotgun. I have all of them to this day.
 
An SKS for $700? Shoot. They were $400 pre-Rona, and I thought that was fair skewing high. I am all the way out of the SKS ballgame at $700-$800.
 
I remember dump tables of $8 Italian Carcano's and barrels of $11 Australian Martini Cadets.

Paid $75 for a very nice M-1 Carbine, so I can't complain too much.
 
I’m curious, for those that think SKS is way overpriced for practical use, what are the non-AR, higher-achieving, semi-auto rifles that are a better price point?
 
Gun1.JPG
Sistema1927 said:
I wonder whatd my Yugo SKS (w/grenade launcher) would bring today. I paid about $150 for it, cleaned out a ton of cosmoline, ran a magazine of ammo through it, and put it away.
Click to expand...
A Gun Show regular told me I was pricing an excellent Yugoslavian SKS way too low at $550.00. He suggested at leas$100.00 more. He wasn't buying or selling SKS's either, just giving me a friendly tip.
 
GunBroker.com - Advanced Search Sign in the way I did.

Click "Completed Items" in the upper area.

In "Search words", type "Romanian SKS" , or even "Gun show 'random parts' Luger owned by a guaranteed (he told me so ! ) captured SS Totenkopf Colonel" etc.

In Search Category it's also very simple.

Hit "Search" at the Bottom of that page.

A bright Green diagonal band should appear on the image of the item with "Sold", again, If it actually was sold to whomever.

Sidenote: the generic Russian SKS' arctic birch furniture is the Most attractive wood I've Ever seen on guns. Period. Usually a very warm alternating blend of browns and subtle reds.
 
Last edited:
Ignition Override said:
Sidenote: the generic Russian SKS' arctic birch furniture is the Most attractive wood I've Ever seen on guns. Period. Usually a very warm alternating blend of browns and subtle reds.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more, love that arctic birch. Mostly on Russian rifles, but have seen a few Swedes with it too.

Unfortunately, not the two Swedes I had or I'd probably still have them.
 
Speedo66:

The Finnish M39 is also quite appealing.

Kick me for not buying a very attractive example seven years ago at a local pawn shop.
Just kick me- never saw another around Memphis, including our - then - pretty lousy gun shows (now shrunken to Truly Puny: zero milsurps).
 
Last edited:
I bought a Norinco SKS a few months back from a Pawn Shop. It was the ONLY SKS in my town. I tried every other Pawn Shop/Gun store around and this one was IT. It was in excellent condition but did not have a cleaning rod or kit and no bayonet. I paid $600 out the door for it. It had a crappy 30 round duckbill magazine which I discarded and installed a 10 duck bill that looked and worked much better (it is now non-removable). I had a cleaning rod and spike bayonet that I put on it. Even after reading the posts above, I still think I paid too much for it.
 
jimmyraythomason said:
I bought a Norinco SKS a few months back from a Pawn Shop. It was the ONLY SKS in my town. I tried every other Pawn Shop/Gun store around and this one was IT. It was in excellent condition but did not have a cleaning rod or kit and no bayonet. I paid $600 out the door for it. It had a crappy 30 round duckbill magazine which I discarded and installed a 10 duck bill that looked and worked much better (it is now non-removable). I had a cleaning rod and spike bayonet that I put on it. Even after reading the posts above, I still think I paid too much for it.
Click to expand...
 
Whoa! Sorry but I'll try again.
Back in the late 90s I picked up two SKS rifles complete with bayonet and the care products for close to nothing. One was the shorter "paratrooper" model and the other a full size rifle. They looked like surplus rather than looking previously fired. I only fired them a few times just to sight them in. I really had no need for them and only bought them because the government doesn't want us to have them. About 5 years ago I needed to sell them as we were moving. I sold them for a good bit more than I paid for them but it now seems they got a deal. Really?
 
jimmyraythomason said:
I bought a Norinco SKS a few months back from a Pawn Shop. It was the ONLY SKS in my town. I tried every other Pawn Shop/Gun store around and this one was IT. It was in excellent condition but did not have a cleaning rod or kit and no bayonet. I paid $600 out the door for it. It had a crappy 30 round duckbill magazine which I discarded and installed a 10 duck bill that looked and worked much better (it is now non-removable). I had a cleaning rod and spike bayonet that I put on it. Even after reading the posts above, I still think I paid too much for it.
Click to expand...

Well, weather you think it was too high or not, facts being that they are not going down in price. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
For me, I am very glad I picked up mine when I did, nearly 10 years ago. I have had in the past the paratrooper model, the long barreled scoped with bi-pod kind, the yugo with with grenade launcher etc.

I wouldn't trade my worn and weary ol Chinese T56 for any of them.
 
Hanshi said:
Whoa! Sorry but I'll try again.
Back in the late 90s I picked up two SKS rifles complete with bayonet and the care products for close to nothing. One was the shorter "paratrooper" model and the other a full size rifle. They looked like surplus rather than looking previously fired. I only fired them a few times just to sight them in. I really had no need for them and only bought them because the government doesn't want us to have them. About 5 years ago I needed to sell them as we were moving. I sold them for a good bit more than I paid for them but it now seems they got a deal. Really?
Click to expand...
I think I have had most every version of the SKS readily available except for the ultra rare versions. The Russians were by far the best but the Norincos were the better bargain. I first started buying them in the 1980s when they were less than a saw buck and ammo was around a $100 or less for a 1000 round case. The only reason I bought this last one was because I had a case o ammo and nothing to shoot it in.
 
FL-NC said:
Even considering the effects of time passing and inflation, its hard for me to accept that these guns that were $75 in the early 90's have gone up X 10+. They were a poor man's deer rifle/something to bang away with for cheap back then. Yes, they are fun to shoot- but not worth more than a decent AR in any universe to me, regardless of the pedigree.
Click to expand...
Price is driven by "supply" and "demand".

Nowhere in that equation is there a variable for "usefulness".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Sell my Russian SKS?
Replies
10
Views
746
bratch
B
F
  • Locked
Norinco SKS value?
Replies
14
Views
1K
funkeecowboy
F
S
  • Locked
Russian sks with gold bayo
Replies
1
Views
422
mr.trooper
M
Snowdog
  • Locked
Have I missed something (Norinco SKS prices)?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Kawamax
K
H
  • Locked
Russian SKS value?
Replies
7
Views
630
monsternav
M
Back
Top