Cheap Milsurps?

[redneck2]

Local sports store has some milsurps listed at "1/2 off"

Schmidt-Ruben K-31's for $99, originally $199
Yugo 59/66 for $109
M-48's for $149
#4 Enfield for $150

Good deal or hype?? Only milsurp I have is an SKS. Thinking of the K-31

Anything to watch for??? TIA

 

[Swampy]

redneck,

Judge them each individually for finish and barrel, but those "1/2 off" prices pretty well match just about every known Milsurp dealers every day prices.

If the rifles in question have good bores, finish, and wood, those prices are not bad, just not a screaming deal either. If the rifle has some obvious issues, then those are not good prices at all......

Just my thoughts,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Swampy hit it. Those are fair prices, depends on the guns.

The k31's are great guns!

 

[dfaugh]

Prices are fair enough for those guns in good condition...I you want a particular model, ask to look at ALL the ones of that type, not just what's displayed....I did this at Dunham's (before they closed all the ones in my area)...Advertised Yugo SKSs for $129...I was just looking for a decent banger...They only had one on display, and it was pretty beat up...The kid behind the counter said "I've got a couple more out back"...Then brought out 2 apparently unissued ones, still in boxes....needless to say I bought one (in hindsight, I shoulda bought both.)

 

[armoredman]

Another favorite milsurp s the Mosin Nagant, usually well under $100, usually rearsenalled to excellent condition. Ammo is also cheap, in the surplus stuff.
If not that, get the Mauser - you can never have too many Mausers.

 

[redneck2]

Yeah, these are at Dunham's in Warsaw, IN. I did a search and kinda came up with what you guys are telling me.

They had a couple of Mosins that appear unfired, at least the mag follower isn't marked up

I'm at the point now where I'm probably going to pass unless it's a super screaming deal.

If I lived in a area that I could use rifle for deer, the K-31 would be pretty neat.

They only had one on display, and it was pretty beat up...The kid behind the counter said "I've got a couple more out back"...Then brought out 2 apparently unissued ones, still in boxes....needless to say I bought one

They had 3 more k-31's in back in boxes

 

[ARperson]

That's a great price for the K-31 assuming it's in as good a shape as the ones at my local dealer. They're running roughly $129-149 depending on condition and extra goodies available.

If you go with the K-31 a few things to keep in mind: first, check to see when the gun was manufactured based on serial number (of course, check to see if matching, though 99% of the ones I've see are). The lower the serial number does NOT mean it's a "more historical" firearm. Good ones run in the 5XXXXXX range. 2XXXXX is actually starting after they run the serial numbers up into the 9XXXXXs. There's a good website for them that explains all the markings, manufacture info, etc. though I can't think of it off the top of my head. Take down is of the K-31 is probably the easiest of the milsurps since the barrel bands are screwed tight and not held by a spring-loaded spike of metal.

If you do go the K-31 route, when you get home, the first thing you should do is take off the butt plate and see if there's a surprise for you. Of course, of my 4 only one had the surprise, but hey, it's fun to look too.

The only real drawback to the K-31 is ammo price. But if you reload, problem solved.

 

[DMK]

Local sports store has some milsurps listed at "1/2 off"

Schmidt-Ruben K-31's for $99, originally $199
Yugo 59/66 for $109
M-48's for $149
#4 Enfield for $150

Good deal or hype?? Only milsurp I have is an SKS. Thinking of the K-31

Anything to watch for??? TIA

The K31 is an awesome rifle, very accurate. However ammo is a little pricy, even though the milsurp is of excellent quality and is non-corrosive.

The SKS is a great rifle. You have one so you know. Not the most accurate rifle out there, but uber reliable. Ammo used to be cheap, for right now anyway it's tough to find. Most likely that's a temporary situation. Don't even bother buying one unless it's in unissued condition. If not, check for pitting in the bore and corrosion of the gas valve.

M48s are also great rifles. Cheap to buy, cheap to shoot. Maybe not as accurate as the K31, but some are very accurate. Surplus ammo is very cheap. Just have to flush the corrosive salts out of the bore with Windex after shooting. Bring a flashlight and check the bore condition. Look for a good crown, good sharp rifling, little or no pitting, and check the condition of the throat.

The #4 Enfield is one of my favorite Milsurp rifles of all time, second only to the Garand. It's got excellent sights, fun to shoot, and it's reasonably accurate. However unfortunately, .303brit is hard to find and expensive. Cheap milsurp is pretty much dried up and gone. If you don't mind paying $10/20 for ammo or reloading though, it's a fine rifle. Check the bore as these also shot corrosive ammo in service. The hot Cordite in the issue ammo was also known to burn up the throats.

 

[carolinaman]

Hi there,

The prices you listed are pretty close to wholesale according to the SOG catalog that I recieved today.

I'd go for the K-31 Swiss as the market is starting to dry up on the wholesale end. There may not many left in the "pipeline".

I find SKS rifles all day long everywhere.

Chris

 

[LotI]

I picked up 2 k-31's at Dunhams in as many weeks. One is a beech made in '48, the other is a walnut-stocked made in '40. I've had the '48 to the range and with the Swiss GP11 ammo it amazed me. People say they are accurate and they're right. Open sights, 100 yards I was shooting 1.5" groups. From the performance of the first purchase I bought a second for $99. Oh yeah, the reloading dies showed up Wed. and the Graf brass just got here yesterday.

I already own a Mosin M44($65) that I won't reload for since the ammo is less than $.10/round.

Go to http://www.swissrifles.com to scout for information on a K-31. Best value out there right now and the guns are in great shape as a whole since the swiss never used corrosive ammo.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

The K31 is a great rifle. Well worth $99 - especially if you can pick your own.

 

[Kurush]

Looks like half off of double the regular price to me. Still, if you can rummage around you're effectively getting a free handpick.

 

[cracked butt]

The K-31s are the best milsurp deal out there for the last couple of years, period. The yugo 59/66 is a close second, especially if you score an 'excellent' or 'unissued' condition rifle for around $150.

The $150 no4 enfields are the same ones that wholesalers are selling for $100-120

 

[redneck2]

Looks like half off of double the regular price to me. Still, if you can rummage around you're effectively getting a free handpick.

Kinda looks like that's the general feeling. thanks for all the input

The K-31 that I saw had a beech stock. If you could get one with a nice walnut stock and had good metal, I'm thinking you couldn't go too far wrong. At the worst, it's the cheap end of current pricing, and the thing about the supply drying up is probably correct. You used to be able to get a Swedish Mauser for next to nothing and now they're bringing pretty big money. Maybe the K-31 is the next "Swedish"

 

[cracked butt]

Maybe the K-31 is the next "Swedish"

Probably.
quality or rarity are two things that seem to matter the most. The K-31 has a much higher quality than anything else in the $100 range, or $200 range for the most part. 10 years from now I can see K-31s selling for $250-300 while mosin nagants still selling for $75.

 

[Essex County]

There are very few True Values in life. Any K31 I've seen is an example of one...........Essex

 

[jefnvk]

Probably.
quality or rarity are two things that seem to matter the most. The K-31 has a much higher quality than anything else in the $100 range, or $200 range for the most part. 10 years from now I can see K-31s selling for $250-300 while mosin nagants still selling for $75.

+1 to that.

Even if it does have a beech stock, doesn't make it any less gun. It is a toss up between my Swede and Swiss for accuracy, but they blow everything else (including the 03, although it is #3) away.

 

[deputy tom]

Local sports store has some milsurps listed at "1/2 off"

Schmidt-Ruben K-31's for $99, originally $199
Yugo 59/66 for $109
M-48's for $149
#4 Enfield for $150

Good deal or hype?? Only milsurp I have is an SKS. Thinking of the K-31

Anything to watch for??? TIA

The K-31 is a fair deal at $99.00.They sell here for closer to $225.00.
Yugo's go for $149.00 everyday pricing so $109.00 isn't that big of a deal.
M-48's go for $75.00 everyday here so that is a rip-off.
Enfield's depending on "exact" model,#4,#4*,etc. are closer to $100.00 in this area.

With the exception of the Schmidt-Ruben,none of the firearms listed in that "sale" are really 1/2 price.Dunham's has a pattern of this even here in beautiful Penna.


These prices might differ due to region,demand,hunting resrtictions,etc. However so as they say,YMMV.tom.

 

[Roudy]

Thinking "out of the box"

Redneck.....every one of those four rifles are good, bet you could get all four for less than $500....less than the cost of one new high power hunting rifle.

 

[redneck2]

Being the godless heathen that I am...

are there aftermarket stock/sights that could be added to the K-31 to make a deer rifle??? Just a thought. If it'll shoot 1.5 moa, seems like it would be perfect

not that I need one...I've got a custom 25-06....and a 7 Rem mag....and a 300 WM. Just wondering

 

[Davo]

Get the sks for cheap plinking fun, 2 is even better than one!
Get the k31 for precision and power. Compared to the performance of modern rifles/ammo this is a fine deal, the scout scope setup makes them even sweeter.
Shoot them lots, you will not regret it.

 

[albanian]

Those are pretty good prices for Indiana retail. If you don't have a C&R, you will never beat those prices. Even with a C&R, those are pretty good prices. For example, a K-31 can be found for $89 if you do a little looking but you have at least $10 shipping on top of that and you get whatever they send you. As a rule, I will pay 10%-20% for the ability to inspect it first hand. It will save you some money in the long run if you inspect what you buy rather than taking your chances on buying sight unseen.

If you want a Yugo SKS or a K-31, I don't think you can expect to find better prices. The Enfield and Mauser can still be had for $99 at some places so they are slightly less good deals but if you know what you are looking for, you may pick a winner out of those as well. You may get a K-98 instead of a M-48 and you may get a collectable Enfield if you know your guns.

I don't know what kind of screaming deals you are looking for but I can promise you that in a year or two, you will not be able to buy either the K-31 or the Yugo for those prices.

 

[redneck2]

I don't know what kind of screaming deals you are looking for but I can promise you that in a year or two, you will not be able to buy either the K-31 or the Yugo for those prices.

I got a Marlin .22 mag NIB with 4x scope and sling for $90 OTD, an unfired Russian SKS for $120 OTD, and a custom Winchester action .25-06 with Fajen stock, Douglass barrel, Timney trigger, and 3x12 Burris Black Diamond scope for $375. Those are screaming deals.

That said, the K-31 might be it, or at least close enough. Haven't bought a gun in about 6 months and I'm going thru withdrawal

 

[jeremywills]

an unfired Russian SKS for $120 OTD

any more of those, do you mind sharing the info if there are some more? Im kinda interested in an SKS.

I just picked up a m44 Mosin for one bill. It was rearsenaled condition, like stated if you know what your looking for you can find collectable ones. I got a 43, although not really sought after, its the rarest being they only made 50k as a test run before officially adopting it in 44, so for me that was worth it to know I have one of the rarer ones of the m44's, pretty damn good deal those Mosins, although anything else already mentioned in this thread is a worthy choice too

 

[redneck2]

It was at a local pawn shop. They had a few Chicom ones that were beat up and this one was mixed in. Can't help you get another. Something about slapping off 30 rounds (relatively cheaply) is quite enticing