Just made my first purchase... ever.

[Fatheroffive]

I joined this forum yesterday and wanted to get some feedback on Classic Arms out of Charlotte, NC. After talking to my local FFL and getting some feedback from this forum I decided to purchase 2 of the 91/30 Mosin Nagant rifles (i have 2 sons and would like these to eventually go to them) and 1 Yugo SKS. I also bought 440rds of the 54r ammo for the MN.

The MN's were $99 each (and supposedly excellent condition) so I will know once they come in and I paid $209 for the SKS (I paid the extra $10 for a hand selected one. The lady on the phone said that the SKS hand picked one she saw in the warehouse was "very nice"... so I ended up spending $500 for 3 rifles, ammo, shipping and handling. Plus my FFL is charging me $55 for transfer of 3 rifles.

I just hope I did good.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

You'll know when they arrive.

I've only ordered one gun through the mail, just because I wanted to be able to say I had. It was an 1894 Steyr 1888 Commission rifle, from SOG. Advertised as a non-shooter, it came with a brand new barrel and bolt head, and was complete and sound. Yeah, it was filthy and beat to hell by the Ecuadorans, but it was a fun restoration project. I eventually sold it, not for much profit, but just because loading for it was a little more than I wanted to bother about.

Other than that, I've never ordered an unseen, unhandled gun. I'm just too fussy. If it has a scratch, it needs to be where I want it, and not where I don't want it. The wear has to be to the parts I don't mind showing wear. The importer's stamp has to be done just so, in the right place. The shade of the finish has to be just the way I like it for that type of gun. You could put three rifles priced and valued identically side by side, and I'd jump on one and reject the others as unacceptable at any price. But that's me.

 

[expvideo]

It sounds like you did very well indeed! Duke is right though, you aren't going to know until you see them.

 

[jbauch357]

I've only ordered two rifles online (Saiga 12 and Hungarian AK), and while I did save some money in doing so - I would have rather picked them up locally for two reasons:

1) I like supporting local business and small shop owners, and when financially feasable I will do so - in these two cases I either saved hundreds of dollars or ordered a rifle that wasn't available locally.

2) I like to personally feel and have a nice "get to know you" session with each gun before I buy it. Identical models may have different wear/assembly/operation characteristics from one specific unit to another - and buying in person lets you weed out the bad ones. The ones I got weren't horrid, but if given the choice between a lot of the same rifles - I bet a better one could have been found in both cases...


I guess the moral of the story is the same as what's already been stated - you'll see when they arrive...

 

[expvideo]

I would have supported local shops with my AR-15 purchase, but they were trying to price-gouge and feed me a line of crap about how they only had these two rifles on the shelf. No matter how many rifles they sold, they always seemed to only have two left. My guess is that they had a stack of 6920s in the back room, and it made for better sales to just put one or two out at a time. I decided I would save myself a few hundred dollars and get the same thing from the manufacturer.

I did buy the receiver from the local shop, because they didn't gouge the price too much on those. A little, but not a lot.

 

[creekerdoug]

Classic is a reputable vendor. I've purchased 1 rifle from them, a K31. It was exactly as advertised and shipped promptly. I can't say that about every vendor I've dealt with over the years.

Good luck with your rifles. I hope they work out as well as mine did.

 

[Rugby3]

I have been lurking on this forum for about 5 months and finally joined as well. I also live in NC and will be ordering from Classic Arms next week. I haven't heard of anyone having issues with their service or supply. They seem to be fairly priced all things considered. The other nice thing is they have a local FFL so you can pretty much pick up locally.

 

[yosarian]

Classic arms is gtg.

 

[chris in va]

That's not too shabby for an SKS. I bought AND sold mine for $250, apparently they'll keep going up in price.

BTW get ALL the cosmo out of the guns. It took me over four hours on my SKS with a steam wand and paper towels. Concentrate on the firing pin channel. Take off the smaller bits and boil them in water.

 

[Fatheroffive]

Chris...

Really? Boil them in water... Is there a book or manual that discussed how to properly care for these very old firearms? I want to do everything right. Thanks for the input.

 

[Geno]

Birchwood spray degreaser melts it right off. Spray it on; wipe if off/out with a paper towel.

 

[Bozo]

Easy Off oven cleaner works also. I usually just use really hot water. Sometimes depending on the condition it may require more than one cleaning session.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Don't boil the wooden furniture.

 

[Fatheroffive]

Duke,

Thanks for the heads up... I wasn't going to, but I can see how my response may have been interpreted that way. I thought I would ask my FFL when I pick them up and see what his ideas are...

 

[AllAmerican]

Um where is this Classic Arms of which you speak? I shall drive there this weekend and buy something....

Im about an hour and a half from downtown.

 

[longdayjake]

Best part about getting milsurp rifles is cleaning off the cosmoline. Kind of makes you feel like an archaeologist.

 

[CU74]

Some links to answer questions:

Classic Arms: http://www.classicarms.us/ I have not bought from them, but note that they have a good reputation on forums such as Surplus rifle Forum ( http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/index.php?sid=db6e134d9d99e632a3bb1b6698d8441f)

The C&R Riflestock Cleaning and Preservation Forum: http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/forum/view/id/101 Lots of good info on old rifle furniture cleaning.

Cosmoline Removal - the CMP Forum has lots of good information, specific to Garands and M1 Carbines but applicable to all rifles http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/forum/view/id/101

 

[Fatheroffive]

The lady at Classic was very helpful, especially with a virgin like myself ... She shared with me that they had secured a number of committments during the Shot Show and that in the next few weeks their in-stock offerings will be replenished significantly. I asked if she had SKS ammo and she commented that this was something they would have, but are out right now.

They do not have a store front operation, but are located in Indian Mound which is SE of Charlotte near Monroe. They do have a local FFL who can process the paperwork and you can pick up your order from him, and he only charges $15 per transfer.

 

[Kind of Blued]

It looks like the guys here have covered most of what you need to know.

Classic Arm? Check.

Cosmoline? Check.

Mandatory safety issue: You seem like a smart guy, but the risk of insulting your intelligence is better than the risk of exploding your face. Your guns both fire a 7.62mm projectile, but the cartridges are extremely different. You probably get it by now...

Ammo? I'd suggest getting a big ol' case of 7.62x39mm and stripper clips for the SKS whenever you can. 1000 rounds will go as fast or faster than the 440 you bought for the 91/30s. SKSs are fun.

Lastly? CONGRATULATIONS! Being a gun owner is a big responsibility with a big payoff, just like freedom.

 

[MikePGS]

Even though the SKS actually uses clips, you can have a good deal of fun by going out of your way to refer to them as "magazines" to other people.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

But if you call the stripper the magazine, what do you call the magazine?

Nothing like a stripper on the cover of a magazine.

 

[Sam Boca]

Instead of boiling use Simple Green and warm water. It cuts cosmoline better than anything I have ever seen and it's not toxic like a lot of the petroleum products. Also does good double duty as a general houshold cleaner.

Reoil with BreakFree CLP and you're good to go.

The wood needs to refinished in a different way. There is a whole DVD from American Gunsmithing Institute on how to refinish stocks. I highly recommend it.

They also have an Armorers course for the SKS on DVD that goes through the whole disassembly and reassembly of the gun.

 

[jws527]

I've actually purchased all of my firearms online, with the exception of my pistol (because the grip and point on those is a very personal thing and it was a comparatively expensive purchase; it's a Sig P229). Most of these were C&R type rifles which are nearly impossible to find locally, and ridiculously expensive when they are around. All of them exceeded my expectations.

 

[North of 49th]

I have never purchased a gun (pistol or rifle) that I have not held in my hands first. Like some others I am very particular about what dings the gun can have and what not. Plus it helps the community gun shops to stay local.

 

[hso]

Sounds like you did fine.

The only thing you need to be aware of is that a lot of surplus 54R is corrosive. If you don't know that the ammunition you purchased is not corrosive treat it like it is. That's relatively easy since you can use ammonia Windex on a patch to clean the bore and prevent corrosion of your new rifles.

Look at SurplusRifles.com for excellent information on your Mosins and SKS.