Do you guys think the price is right for this converted SKS?

[joeschmoe]

Look at it this way too, what else can you get for a grand, even at todays prices?

2 Garands from CMP

 

[The-Reaver]

No.

 

[wally]

The D model is full length but uses AK magazines while the M model is the short barrel and uses AK magazines.

Thanks! That's pretty good news as I've two of the M and one of the D stashed up in the attic. These are from the days of $80 Norinco SKSes, should have bought more

 

[Pointshoot]

All I can say is WOW! $1000 !?

I'd wanted an SKS for some time. Never got around to getting one since I have other better rifles and thought I 'can always pick up an SKS'. Well a few months ago I bought a super clean SKS on consignment from a local gunshop for $350. At the time, I thought I might have paid too much for it - but I was able to inspect it closely and didnt want to take any more time shopping for one.
Little did I imagine the situation would be as it is now.

I agree with others here. All the 'tacti-cool' stuff looks dumb and only interferes with the function of a well designed, tough military rifle.

 

[KTXdm9]

I don't think that most here understand that the landscape has changed and the days of inexpensive semi-autos is over. Just be thankful that you got yours before the prices have gone through the roof. And understand that they will not be coming down for quite a while. If you don't believe that, then just go to your local gun store and look around. Cabela's has even STOPPED taking orders on ANY future deliveries.

Jim

Please lay off the O'Panic kool-aid. A quick check of gunbroker shows quite a few sks available for well under $1000. Yeesh, no wonder why everything is triple pre-panic prices and nothing is in stock. :banghead:

 

[steveo452]

My SKS is my go to rifle If the shtf, I've owned It for 25 years now and we know each other well. In that time I've bought many AR's they come and go. but my SKS will never go. And I only paid $89.00 for It.

 

[TIMC]

Posting the price you paid 25 years ago really has nothing to do with what the OP asked.

I happen to like the looks, (each to his own) and putting together one pretty close to the one the OP is asking about.

I did get a good deal on a Norinco SKS that has a mismatched stock and mag for $350. The Tapco mag, gas piston and stock were almost $200. I am going with optics just cuz I want to so I bought a Chaote drill/tap mount $55. Williams Firestights .$35 with shipping just in case I want to use the irons. I have rings but still need a scope; thinking about the Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36mm which is $400 at optics planet.
The rifle total will be right about $1000.

This is probably more money spent than I should on a rifle that is far less accurate than my AR's but it is something I want which means if you want it and have the disposable cash then go for it. If it comes with decent optics then it is really not as bad a deal as some here would make you think.
Those who hollar how bad a deal can just go pound sand IMHO.

 

[Cee Zee]

Those that think prices won't go back down may want to look back at what happened in 2009. Prices for a Norinco got up to $600. Yugos were about the same price. 2 years later I bought a Yugo still packed in cosmoline (which means that it's in the best condition available anywhere) for $250. The SKS is NOT listed on the new AWB. That actually might make prices go up some but not like the price of AR's. At any rate the chances are the prices will go back down. I bought my Yugo for a "just in case" scenario where I can have one even if my Norinco breaks down. And it may be that I could sell it some day for a profit but I'm not one to jack up the prices on something to make a killing. I bought ammo before 2008 for any "just in case" situations.

A person really needs to think ahead on these things.

BTW those "peasant rifles" beat us in Vietnam. Yes they had the AK's later in the war but the VC used a lot of those peasant rifles we call the SKS. They were very effective too. They are extremely reliable in the worst of conditions and they are powerful enough to get the job done. And they are plenty accurate enough to kill on almost any battlefield. Only the most open terrain will leave you wishing you had better accuracy. I can shoot my SKS accurate enough to hit a person at 300 yards and that's shooting off hand. That's plenty good enough for us peasants.

 

[jim243]

Interesting, gunbroker has a nice Yugo with matching serial numbers starting at a min bid of $450.00, it would be interesting to see what it finally sells for. I checked Midway and there were no Tapco or ATI stocks available for the SKS. Now that is strange, they always had them in stock.

Jim

 

[steveo452]

TIMC, It's taken 25 years for the SKS to go from $90-$100 to $300-$350 and 2 months for It to jump from $350.00 to $1000.00, thats my point. If you choose to pay over a thousand dollars for a mismatched SKS that is certainly your business. Have fun with it

 

[TIMC]

I checked Midway and there were no Tapco or ATI stocks available for the SKS. Now that is strange, they always had them in stock.

I had a hard time finding mine and when I did I had to pay almost double for it. I guess more folks like them than are telling here!

 

[dirtengineer]

My guess is that most companies that make magazines are only making magazines right now.

 

[Ignition Override]

Even if there are no more imports, or few, the lack of visibility in Hollywood movies/tv etc and small magazines compared to ARs, AKs, VZs seem to limit the appeal to huge numbers of sport shooters. Right now, about $350 for a nice SKS is not hard to find.

Maybe there won't be any more imported, but the huge numbers in the US will probably dilute any sharp price increases, as seems to be the case with many list/bid prices on Gunbroker.
There seems to be little chance that FeinSchwein will be able to pass her dream bill before she retires in the the CA sunset's marijuana haze.

 

[murphys_law]

O good god. That's ridiculous.

 

[Cee Zee]

There's a lot of these rifles in the US but many of them are long past worn out. All that cheap ammo over the years led to a lot of them being abused especially the Norincos. I expect we'll continue to see them around quite a while but the supply of "fresh out of the cosmoline" models is dwindling. That's ok though. When the SKS was super cheap there were no alternatives. Now there are many. I just saw where Bud's has Bushmaster AR's in the $700 range. And that's a good brand in crazy times. There are the Saigas etc. around that are very close to the price of the current SKS models and they are brand new rifles. Of course if the gun grabber bill does pass the SKS could become highly sought after. But you may not be able to get ammo for them at anything near the old prices. It was a great combination deal for many, many years. I see the Mosin Nagants at the range filling that role now. Cheap rifles and cheap ammo all over the place. And man those things are noisy. I'm glad I got the new Yugo when I did. I hope we continue to see new models (as new as they get anyway) pop up for another 20 years. But things have already changed a lot since the early days. It was one of those things that was never going to last anyway. There is always a limited supply of milsurp stuff. But there will be rifles that do the same job for about the same money from now on as long as the gubmit stays out of it.

 

[Ash]

I very seriously doubt that even 10% are long past worn out. These things were made for round counts that the vast majority of shooters never, ever reach. The only worn out SKS's I've seen came out of Yugoslavia and they were worn out before they got here. Virtually new condition Norinco rifles have a long way to go before they can be long past worn out.

Bubba'd to the point of no return perhaps, but long past worn out I haven't seen in the large number I have examined.

 

[Roadking Rider]

I would not trade my 1969 Yugo for that AK wannabee. If you want a good reliable SKS for SHTF situations where you can drag it throught the mud and blood leave them alone.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Thank god I checked with you guys first. I declined on this buy and ended up getting a factory new never fired Norinco for $425. Yes, I paid a little too much but it is what it is. I plan on holding on to it for at least 20 years. I'm sure I'll make my money back by then.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cee Zee]

$425 is NOT too much for a never fired Norinco at this point in time. This time last year that rifle would have cost $400. They are extremely hard to find now and people like them a lot because they don't have the grenade launcher stuff the Yugos have. I like the Yugos too but I would have paid more for a never fired Norinco. I still would so if you know where any more are drop me a PM.

I very seriously doubt that even 10% are long past worn out.

Have you actually looked at Norinco samples in gun shops? Because I have. I started to buy one in fact. I picked it up and the bolt wouldn't even slide back because there was so much crud buildup in the chamber. I looked at several more after that and they all had serious crud issues. Then I saw some of the latest Norinco imports that lots of dealers were selling last year. They all had major crud buildup too.

I suspect those rifles might be saved but it would take way more effort than it's worth when I can (and did) buy a Yugo that had almost never been fired for the same amount of money.

Before you make assumptions about what someone says maybe you should ask them why they said it. I know what I have "seen". It's not what I'm guessing at.

BTW you do know the reason for shying away from gummed up SKS rifles, right? You've heard of slam fires no doubt? You know. When the firing pin gets stuck and your semi-auto suddenly turns into a full auto that won't stop shooting until the mag is empty. That's a pretty good reason to avoid severely crud filled SKS rifles. If that firing pin doesn't slide back and forth easily or if it doesn't have a spring kit installed with a modified firing pin then you're really, really asking for trouble. Not only can you possibly shoot up a lot of ammo without being ready to do it (and possibly killing someone) but you could also end up in prison for owning an unlicensed machine gun. Of course maybe the people I've seen say they were arrested for having a machine gun were lying about what happened but I can't figure why they would want to. Maybe you can tell me. You can use your special powers to figure it out.

 

[Ash]

Cee Zee, I know arms. If you can't clean up a gummed up SKS you don't know much about cleaning - and that is not a flame. I've cleaned up many an SKS bolt - cosmo is not that hard to get out.

You also don't know much about military arms if you think they are worn out. Even these Albanians in the country now are not worn out - they have rough finishes and stocks but many of these are mechanically in good shape.

Military arms are built for use, long hard use, and most of these have much life left. Only Yugo's ridden hard and put away wet are troublesome - and even then that is because of abuse and neglect.

 

[MCgunner]

To me, the most effective SKS is one that is left in original condition. Simplicity has a value all its own.

TO YOU, that might be true. But, the chino SKSs I've bought all had amazingly short lengths of pull for me. I bought an aftermarket sporter stock for my rifle, the folder just to play with the paratrooper.

The rifle I actually have uses for, even killed a deer with it this year since the ammo for everything else, my hunting rifles, was in storage waiting to close on my house that didn't happen until December. Wasn't expecting to be in the trailer that long. I handload ALL my serious hunting rifles and din't wanna mess with buying some inferior, expensive store bought crap to hunt with and having to go sight the rifle in for that. We put our travel trailer in a park near my land and I hunted with the two rifles I had ammo for, the SKS and the Rossi 92 carbine. Just so happened a nice 9 point ran out of the brush in front of me when I had the SKS. Second kill in 20 years for that rifle not including hogs.

It's a truck gun. The stock gets me the length of pull I need. I put an ambidextrous safety (18 bucks at the time) on it and my carbine because I shoot lefty. I put a 5 round magazine in it because the 10 rounder protrudes below the stock right at the balance point and I like to carry the gun one handed when I can. I cut the useless bayonet lug off it because it kept grabbing brush when I was still hunting (involves walking very slowly through the cover), making noise, not a good thing.

I had a scope on it for a while, even a spotlight for night hog hunting. Was a pretty good gun for that, but I let my trap do the night hunting now days.

You see, what I might need I can personalize for with the gun. That's one of the things I liked about the SKS when I bought it, but then, it was less than 1/10th the price of the OPs prospect at the time. Makes for a good, cheap truck gun that's pretty rugged being a military gun. But, I improved it for ME. What I did might not suit YOU. that's up to you to decide. Everything I did except cut the bayonet lug off it is reversible, just add ons. But, it's a much better rifle as it is for ME.

But, before I spend a grand on a Norinco SKS, I'd get a Ruger Mini 30 or ranch rifle or something. I mean, seriously, that kinda money can buy a real rifle.

 

[Robert]

The op has been addressed and then some. We are starting to wander off so let's call it done.