Should I pay $450 for this rifle?

[119er]

It looks like the bayo lug is still there. You will need the screw if it is gone, the sleeve/handle, spring, and or course the spike/cruciform bayonet. Numrich looks like they have most of the parts minus screw. Search around and you should find one.

 

[Chris-bob]

ebay is a huge source for SKS parts, as is that box under my desk...

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Do you know if it's a milsurp Norinco or is it a made for the US market model? There are a lot of different Norincos actually. If you got a milsurp you got a great deal. And I looked at every SKS I could find about 18 months ago. I'd be shocked if you could have found that for $300 back then. I saw lots of Norincos for $300 but they were shot out or one of the really cheap versions made for the US market. BTW the one you have does not appear to be one of those. The stocks looked different. The wood was lower quality. In fact I'd say there's no way you got one of those recent import jobs. They were all pretty full of crud too. They certainly weren't packed in cosmoline.

How do I find out if the one I just bought was one of the cheaper ones made for the US? What is the biggest differences between the two?

If it will give anyone a better idea as to what it is, I am going to paste the sellers description of the item below.




(This is a factory new Chinese SKS made by Norinco and sold in this country by Chinasport. The gun is unfired, and just as it came from the factory, in the original box and original factory grease. With the gun is the cleaning kit, which fits in the butt, a plastic oil bottle, a web sling, the owner’s manual, and an ammunition bandoleer, (although it is not clear to me why an ammunition bandoleer comes with a “sporting rifle”.) The bandoleer had mildew spots as received. These have been cleaned up, and it is perfectly serviceable, but there are some discolored spots where the mildew was. The gun is in perfect condition, and all numbers match. The gun will be sold, there is no reserve. I do not know all the local gun laws in this country, so please be sure this is legal where you live before bidding. Thanks for checking this out. )

 

[FireInCairo]

In this climate, a 20% premium is nothing. I would go for it. In fact, I recently purchased an SKS with an ATI stock for $400. Well worth it. They're workhorses. Considering what AK's and AR's are going for, I wouldn't quibble over $100 bucks.

 

[Cee Zee]

You can tell all you need to know by the markings on the rifle ObsceneJesster. It takes some digging but Yooper John's web page has the most information on the SKS of any web site I know of. I've seen lots of people say the same thing too.

I can see from the description you posted though that you clearly have a made for the US market rifle. That doesn't make it a bad rifle by any means. There were some corners cut on "some" of the made for the consumer market models. But you'll be able to find much more info from John's page. He is the closest thing to an expert I know of. I wouldn't lose any sleep worry about the quality of that rifle though. I'd bet it's a really good rifle no matter what model Norinco it is. They actually make lots of good firearms. I have 2 shotguns they made that are 870 clones. They actually made them so well that the same company that bought Remington also bought the factory that makes the shotguns in China. There are some slight differences but for the most part all parts will interchange. Only the barrels are different. The lug is in a different location on the Norinco models. They did that to keep from getting sued I guess. But you know how the Chinese copy things. They did a great job on those shotguns and they probably did a great job on that SKS.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Thank's Cee Zee. I was worried for a second there. In the end, I probably purchased the right kind of rifle since I will be adding a Tapco stock. I know there are a lot of different opinions regarding the altering of these rifles but I just think the Flat Dark Earth Tapco stock on a SKS looks good. Being that this SKS doesn't have a military history, I won't be deforming a rifle that a collector might want some day.

Now, if only I could find a Tapco stock for a decent price. Midway USA says they will be back in stock at the end of the month or beginning of March so I back ordered one. I'll just pray they become available because I'm not going to get ripped off on Ebay by spending $160 on one. I can't believe people are even entertaining these prices.

 

[justice06rr]

I think you did quite well with $425. That's still a heck of a lot less than what AR's and AK's are going for right now.

Congrats and have fun with it. I have been looking to buy an SKS for a while too, but I think my AK will fill that niche for now.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Now, I just can't wait to get my Tapco T6 Stock installed. I know some people hate making SKS's look Tacticool and all but I just love the way that T6 stock looks on the SKS.

Lastly, as a self proclaimed pepper, the SKS will be my number one during a SHTF situation. My AR will probably stay in my house or my car but if I for some reason need to go take a hike, the SKS is my preferred firearm to have. They are rugged, reliable and light enough after you remove all of the wood.

 

[DocCasualty]

A couple of things. First, congrats on your rifle purchase. While the price seems high to me, I've been watching the market and think you did fine on what current market value is, especially living where you do. Who knows where this market is headed?

To clarify, that is not a rifle that was made for the commercial US market. If you could show us a pic of the left side of the receiver, it would help as far as IDing the rifle better, however, that is a 100% milsurp Chinese Type 56 SKS. There were some specialty rifles the Chinese marketed to the US like the Paratrooper model, Cowboy Companion, SKS-D and SKS-M but the rest of these like yours were no different than those they distributed to military/para-military organizations and stocked in arsenals in China, and in fact that is where these came from. Norinco, ChinaSport, Polytech were simply exporting companies they formed to sell these in the US, while they could. YooperJohn, Survivor's SKS board and milsurps.com all have excellent FAQs about these and tips about IDing different eras of production, etc. FWIW I bought an identical one (same package and packaging) in May, 94 as a back up SHTF gun. Yeah, only $124 back then too, and that was with the 94 AWB looming. Nothing wrong with Chinese SKSs, they simply lack the fit and finish of some of the other ComBloc SKSs and collectibility but everything is relative.

Mine came without the bayonet too. I would caution you to familiarize yourself with 922(r) BATFE regs about semi-auto rifles imported after 1989 which this undoubtedly is. From what I can see from the pics you posted, a spike bayo with mounting hardware would be appropriate and you can buy them on eBay for $20, HOWEVER, mounting that bayonet would put you in violation of Federal law but owning it wouldn't. Also, other modifications would potentially violate 922(r) too. Apparently the chances of being prosecuted for one of these violations are slim to none but now you know and should familiarize yourself with the law.

Enjoy your new shooter and hopefully we'll all be seeing more ammo availability in the near future!

 

[Cee Zee]

I don't know where I got the idea you bought a Paratrooper model ObsceneJesster. I think I was confusing this thread with another. DocCasualty is right. You do have a Type 56 from what I see. I should have looked closer before posting. Sorry. Just to be sure there are marks that can be checked. Most likely you will have a triangle with the number 26 inside it. That signifies that the rifle was made in factory 26 which was the original SKS factory sent to China from Russia I believe. But the whole scheme of markings on the SKS is very complicated actually so you can certainly still have a Type 56 even without that triangle. There are other numbers in triangles too so look closely if you're checking.

I still say you were very lucky to find a Norinco in that condition any way you look at it. I like my Yugo but I'd like it a lot more if it was a Norinco.

 

[pat701]

No way!!! Get the KY jelly if you pay that price!!

 

[ObsceneJesster]

No way!!! Get the KY jelly if you pay that price!!

I don't know if you're going by my original post or not but I ended up getting a unfired Norinco for $425.


If you can find me a unfired Chinese SKS any cheaper in today's market I gladly will get the KY.



Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Deer_Freak]

I have had two SKS's for 25 years. Both are MILSURP Nonrinco's. Both of mine have been sporterized. I don't use either rifle any more. I have a bunch of ammo for them and I don't have to feed them. I have no intentions of selling either rifle.

I don't buy gun because of the price. I buy guns because I want them. If you buy because you want a gun you always get a bargain. Even if you overpay at the time you buy the gun if you really wanted the gun by the time you are ready to sell the gun you will at least break even.

 

[csa77]

the price you paid isn't that bad, considering the political climate.
a used norinco where I live (minus the accessories) would sell for 300-350 all day, a average yugo would bring 225-250. this is pre-sandy hook pricing.

 

[Cee Zee]

The cost of shooting any gun is all about the price of the ammo anyway. If you shoot much at all you'll likely exceed the price of the gun with what you spend on ammo often in the first year. Heck I've spent as much as $3000 in a year just on .22 ammo.

Shooting is not a cheap thing to do really. It can be if you only shoot .22 and you don't do that often. But where's the fun of that?

I have slowed down on buying ammo mostly because I'm not 100% sure when I'll be able to re-stock. I have enough to last a while but if I have to wait more than a while I'll be climbing the walls. I still shoot enough to satisfy that monkey on my back. I had the .223 out today in fact. But I'm trying to be more particular. For example I was waiting for a coyote to shoot at today. I ended up falling asleep so I don't know if any yote's came by or not. But I was readly, willing and able to shoot some. I doubt I'll be shooting up $100 worth of ammo in my .223 too often for a while simply because it's too hard to replace it now. But I've done that many times. It doesn't take too many days like that to spend more than the rifle cost and I paid $1000 for that rifle. 3 boxes of Black Hills ammo and I've spent more than $100 and it isn't hard to shoot that much at all. And I'm shooting a single shot .223. If I had an AR I'd go broke trying to buy ammo.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

I got this rifle today and my FFL couldn't believe just how good the condition was on this Chinese SKS. He said it is probably the cleanest one hes ever seen. He then asked me if I wanted to make a quick $200. He wanted to put it on his shelf with a price tag of $675. He said he's had SKS's all week selling around $500 and there condition was not nowhere close to the one I got.

I do kind of feel bad though. I don't think the 90 y/o man from Florida who sold it to me know exactly what he had and what they were now worth.

 

[Baba Louie]

Very nice rifle you got there ObsceneJ.

I do kind of feel bad though. I don't think the 90 y/o man from Florida who sold it to me know exactly what he had and what they were now worth.

Don't feel bad at all. Consider what the 90 year old paid for it when he purchased it way back in the last century He made a profit, you got a clean Chinese 56, a win/win for all.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Maybe its different in various regions in the country. I dont see them available in my neck of the woods, except for prices even higher than that. For an SKS ?


I advised various people I know to pick up an SKS and bulk ammo for it over a year ago. They didn't listen. Now they wish they had.

Agreed.

In the STL area, what was a $300 SKS is going for $450-$500, without ammo. And they are selling, and fast.

I'm waiting on 500 rounds for my Norinco, but it may take forever to get with online orders being backed up. I'm just grateful it was in stock!

 

[meanmrmustard]

No way!!! Get the KY jelly if you pay that price!!

It's not 2005 anymore. Things have changed. Even sans panic, SKS rifles are getting more scarce when I'd wager 1 out of every 3 folks i know own multiple variants of them.

Mosins of any merit are the same way now. Start lubing up.

 

[Cee Zee]

He said he's had SKS's all week selling around $500 and there condition was not nowhere close to the one I got.

Again, Norincos in excellent condition are getting to be rare these days. For one thing there hasn't been a large number of them imported in the last 15 years at least except for the ones that came in the last 2 years that were dirty as heck and had stocks that looked they were made from cross ties. The wood on the milsurp Norincos we saw in the 90's was actually very good. But the stuff I saw last year was rough and crude. And it wasn't cosmoline that was inside them. It was powder residue.

I've been looking for a Norinco like the one you have for a few years now. I saw one at a flea market but the guy selling it was acting really shady so I didn't buy it. He made me think something bad was wrong with it. I ended up buying a Yugo instead which is a fine rifle. I just don't like the extra hardware on the front.

You were blessed with that rifle friend. I'd hold onto that one for a very long time because chances are soon you won't see a lot of good, inexpensive semi-auto rifles that can be loaded quickly. I've kept mine looking like yours but most people shot them hard and put them up wet as they say.

Congrats on getting a great rifle.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Again, Norincos in excellent condition are getting to be rare these days. For one thing there hasn't been a large number of them imported in the last 15 years at least except for the ones that came in the last 2 years that were dirty as heck and had stocks that looked they were made from cross ties. The wood on the milsurp Norincos we saw in the 90's was actually very good. But the stuff I saw last year was rough and crude. And it wasn't cosmoline that was inside them. It was powder residue.

I've been looking for a Norinco like the one you have for a few years now. I saw one at a flea market but the guy selling it was acting really shady so I didn't buy it. He made me think something bad was wrong with it. I ended up buying a Yugo instead which is a fine rifle. I just don't like the extra hardware on the front.

You were blessed with that rifle friend. I'd hold onto that one for a very long time because chances are soon you won't see a lot of good, inexpensive semi-auto rifles that can be loaded quickly. I've kept mine looking like yours but most people shot them hard and put them up wet as they say.

Congrats on getting a great rifle.

Thanks man. I hope you find what your looking for one day. By the way, what does that saying mean? "Shoot them hard and put them up wet"

Ill also post some pictures of the rifle tomorrow. The ones posted previously are from the gunbroaker add and don't do it justice.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cee Zee]

It's actually "ride them hard and put them up wet" which refers to riding horses hard then putting them in the barn while they are still sweaty which can cause them to get sick. It's been adapted to cover just about everything that gets abused and not taken care of though.