Chinese SKS at gunshow, comment

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Phaetos

Phaetos

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Was perusing the gunshow that is here this week. I saw a couple of Chinese SKS's that I liked but wanted opinions. First was marked as a Norinco Chinese SKS, with a standard barrel for $225. The other was marked on the receiver as a "SKS 7.62x39 XINSHINDAI China". No mention of Norinco or anything. It had a shorter barrel than the first, like a sporter or para model, for $275. Numbers were force-matched on them and the wood was in really nice condition and looked great. Are these good prices? I want a Chinese at some point and these are the ONLY 2 in the show this time around, odd.
 
For a very nice Norinco I paid $175 about 6 months ago. With everything going up I would say that is the upper end of the price range. As for the other possibly correct price due to shorter barrel.
Perhaps someone will be along soon to give better advice.
 
I had a norinco sks 6yrs ago I had it for 3yrs prior. I traded a 870 for it. I sold it for 250 to help pay my mortgage! wish I hadnt done that. I got 250 6yrs ago!! I think its a good price, get the sporter model. Mine was long and heavy, but the wheight worked to its advantage. Get the bananna clip conversion. buy it buy it buy it!!!!!
 
thats the answer i didnt want to hear either. im looking at a norinco also. dont have the $ to spend
 
Looks like two SKS' have put out for the US civilian market.

The shorter one could be one of a number of shorten SKS' from the paratrooper model, the cowboy Companion and a number of other models done for the US market. Generally they are quite desirable for the lighter weight and shorter length, plus relative rareness and worth grabbing.

I would probrobly skip the Norinco unless it can be proved it was imported before 1989 and so is classified as a preban foreign import and free to be modified at will.
 
high price?

That price seems a little high to me. I picked up a really nice, seemingly unused Chinese SKS about a year ago for $125 at a pawn shop. The only thing that wasn't 100% on it was the bayonet mount - that was pretty much cut off. I don't know if that was cut off to get around import restrictions or what. I talked the pawn shop owner down from $165 for it - even his starting price was a good bit lower than what you've seen.

I'd probably look around a while if I were you - SKSs are all over the place, thousands of those out there.

Are the Chinese ones pretty much the only ones with the chrome-lined barrels?

HTH,
jameson
 
Are the Chinese ones pretty much the only ones with the chrome-lined barrels?
Click to expand...

IIRC, the Yugos are the only ones without a chrome lined barrel.

FWIW, I went to a gun show yesterday (Houston) where the long Norincos were $199 and the paras were $229. There was a Chinese (M Model?) with a nice Monte Carlo-style wood stock that accepted AK mags for $495.

There was also a batch of tacticooled Norincos (ATI stocks, big magazines, etc.) priced at $249/ea.
 
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Lately I've seen them go for between $109 amd $275.

So to me if you're asking $275 for an SKS, that means you're either insane or you stuck a whole lot of money into a gun that wasn't worth it and you're now trying to get it out at the buyers expense. So for different reasons, I would avoid both of these types (because either they're crazier than a s***house rat or they just think that because they owned it that it's worth more and they want to steal your hard earned money). $125 to $175 are good fair prices, I'd wait until I found one for around that price. Also, hit up the individual guys walking around the show carrying them, they'll often sell their SKS's for less.

There are also Yugo SKS's that go for between $109 and $225 (with the median price being around $150 to $175) that you can readily identify by the elongated grenade launcher attached to the muzzle that you might want to take a look at. There are alot of gun shops that specialize in former military weapons that sell a mountain of them every year. Almost every city has at least one of these shops. The one around here sells Yugo SKS's for $109 at gun shows. These SKS's are a little bit better made and are usually in better shape than the Chinese ones.

Or does it have to be a Chinese SKS for some reason?
 
While they were around at the gun shows at the start of this year, the $109 SKSs are no longer appearing. The cheapest I saw yesterday was $145 for a "good" condition Yugo, and I saw another booth with a case of shooters for $150/ea. New/unissued Yugos were $279 a pop at the only booth I saw with such. Individual rifles were scattered about, priced in the $200-300 range.

Online sellers are a different story, but not so much so. Samco lists the following:

Shooter's Grade: $119.95
Very Good Condition: $129.95
Special Select Condition: $139.95
Excellent Condition: $159.95
New Condition: $179.95
New Condition with Consecutive Serial Numbers $209.95
 
Those prices seem a tad high. Last fall I got my new/unissued Yugo SKS for $140. However, it seems like prices have been gradually creeping up the last few months.
 
My Norinco SKS is so much better, to me, than my Yugo's that I think they are worth more. The Norinco fits me better, I can shoot it better.
 
i love how some one can post a topic about NORINCO and everyone wants to tell him to get a YUGO. maybe he doesnt want a yugo. maybe hes already got a yugo. try and stay on topic :neener:
 
Hoppy is right. I do have a Yugo already :) But I don't mind the other input. Though no one seems to know about eh one marked Xishindai China.
 
"SKS 7.62x39 XINSHINDAI China"

This is a Chinese military surplus rifle. They imported a bunch of them, some in pretty rough condition, before they began importing the "for commercial market" Norinco's and Polytech's. If you can find one in good shape, they're good guns.

Regards,

Dave
 
Norinco generally has a pretty good reputation for quality. When China was importing SKSes by the zillions, a number of other companies sprang up making them. Some even had stamped metal receivers apparently. The quality was all over the place, ranging from pretty good, to really horrible. Norinco and Polytech could always be counted on though.

For gunshow prices, those seem pretty good. I see SKSes all the time in the $450 range at shows! Yeah, as if! Unfortunately, they sell. The paratrooper models always fetch a premium too. So for a Norinco and a paratrooper, those weren't bad prices.

I'm forever hearing people say the paratrooper model is lighter and handier, and have even seen folks who want to cut an SKS down. I own one and to be honest, I can't tell the difference. It's still heavy and it's still long. The shorter barrel doesn't give anything in return for the shorter sight radius, which is already too short on an SKS, and the loss of velocity, of which the 7.62x39 already lacks.

Personally, I'd grab the Norinco. That's a fair price and they're really good SKSes.
 
Hoppy590, maybe because Chinese SKS's suck in comparison to the SKS's made in some other countries.

The woods horrible and it looks like the Chinese Olympic team tried pole vaulting with them before they crated them for import, the finish comes off easily and in general they're not that great except as a truck gun that's going to get beat up anyway. They do work though and they are fairly accurate for a SKS. But the days where they were $79 a pop and where there were a ton of them are over. THE only reason to own one was because they were cheap and because they actually worked.

Now that they're more expensive than other SKS's, there's not much reason to pick a Chinese SKS. Besides, maybe the whole point is to just get an SKS, maybe he doesn't really care and he's just choosing them because he thinks that they're still cheap.
 
Not all Chinese SKS are equal

They are made by different arsenals.

26 is usually the better one. Some of these are basically Russian. I have one that has mostly Russian parts. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only Chinese part is the stock.

Some of the other ones are supposedly made by prison slave labor (I'd believe that).

I might consider paying $200 for one of the Russian Chinese (called often Sino Soviet) ones if it looked completely Russian. I paid $150 for the last one about a year and a half ago and that's what I'd pay again. Prison labor commercial import is worth about $100, maybe $125 max (To me). Even then I'd probably pass.

In theory, the SKS's value should be tied to the ammo prices. Ammo has doubled in price, so they are worth much much less to me.

The "upcoming ban" does not affect these as they are not being imported any ways.

Take what you think it is worth, subtract a little from that, offer that, see what happens. If the person gets personally offended, your probably better off not dealing with them.
 
I did go back today to see what he had to say. Asked him if he would come down on the price and he just stared at me. I was like, none at all? Head shakes. The he says "if you want a new in box i can sell ya one of those for about $400 over that price on the rack" !!!!! *** :what: :what: He said "that's a good price for those". I said "just because the sheep around here will pay it, does not a good price make." :D He walked away. :evil: :evil:
 
The Norinco for 225 was a nice rifle and was a thread in too...

The Russian unfired for $300 was EVEN BETTER!!!

I wish I had not been there for an AK Variant...
 
Welcome Skywlkr, almost welcome .. you have 5 posts. Heheh .. take you went to the same show I did today. I didn't see the unfired Russian. The guy who usually has all the SKS's didn't come to this show. Where was that Russian at?
 
It was about the second from the last row the dealer would have been facing the door talking to you and about even with book guy on the back wall.

I have never seen a cleaner SKS much less a rusky...

I am kindof kicking my self for not getting it.
 
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