SKS for $450, really?

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kmcintosh78

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Ok, so 2 years ago I bought a SKS in UT for $175. Now they are going for $450? Really!
How many others are seeing this in their areas?
ARs went down but SKSs went up, how is that?
 
Only an idiot would pay that price and just because someone is "asking" that for one doesn't mean anyone is gonna buy it.

I always get a kick out of guys looking on Gun Broker......seeing the prices those "dealers" are asking and thinking their rifle is worth that....

Those same dealers have the same rifles listed month after month after month.

It's called "fishing for fools" every once in awhile one bites.

Look at what one sells for at a "true auction" where there's no reserve and you'll find out what it's really worth.

Dealers at the gunshows here been complaining for a few years that "no one is buying". My response to them has been "because none of you guys wants to sell anything or you wouldn't have used guns priced at or above what new ones can be had for"

Shuts em up real quick.
 
Not too long ago I saw them moving for $400. Prices are now coming down - I've seen some really nice ones for $275-$300 and missed a sweet Russian one for just over that. I wouldn't pay $450 for one. Keep shopping.
 
Depending on what variant SKS, values have indeed been climbing. You can't really compare price trends of AR's... they aren't making any more SKS's.
 
I saw 3 Yugos at the funshow last month, they were asking $320.

Would I like to have seen $300 or maybe even a bit less? Sure. But it's probably a decent price in today's market. At least not patently unreasonable.

I would consider $450 unreasonable for anything but a collector grade Russian or some extra rare variant.


Prices in general seem to be on the downswing. If you can hold out, do so and keep looking. You'll probably be glad you did in 6 months.
 
They got up near that high.

When WASR's were $750


Even then I saw them occasionally for under $200.

Pretty easy to find under $300... well under
 
I wouldn't let my Russian go for less than $450.00. It all depends on who made them, just like the others have pointed out. I have had a few different SKS's and when you have shot a few different ones, you know when you have a $450.00+ SKS. Russians are nice.
 
It depends on what kind of SKS it is. If it was an E. German or N. Korean, or one of those Vietnam bring-backs, $450 would be a steal. If it's an Albanian, then for $450 you should buy it and sell it for $800, you'll get it on Gun Broker. Russian SKS's are usually found to be in the $400-$500 range, more than $500 for excellent condition.

Yugo's, Chinese, and some Romanian's usually sell between $200-$350 ($350 for a nice condition Romanian). Chinese M or D's will hit $400+, due to being rare and accepting AK magazines. Para's sell for $400+ in good condition. The two most common SKS's for under $300 are Yugo's and Chinese, because you can find them at almost any corner drugstore in some states.

If you REALLY want an SKS for under $200, move to Canada. They can still buy Chinese and Russian made SKS's. Being that the Chinese are still making them for export, you can get them for $189 new. Then again, you can get new in box M1A's for $400.

The Canucks really have it good up there.
 
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They dont make the sks any more.
I wonder how long the world supply of sks rifles will last?
 
Oh, but I CAN compare AR prices, because the sks is patently inferior. It's of real value only in states that ban detachable mag autorifles. There's lots more SKS'S than people in such states than want one. So guys are foolish to pay AK prices for an internal mag rifle.
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Same here... AKs can be had for 450 and I'm not talking MAKs or the Romanian crap either.

A Russian SKS down here brings about 300 bucks, anything else is 150-200.
 
If its a Russian, it can sell for that. They are all gone, and if you really want one, you will have to pony up for it... $450 is the going rate in my area.
 
SKS over $500? Absolutely. Unrefurbed Russians, Albanian, E.German, Vietnam bringbacks...
As others have said, they are not making them anymore.
You can't compare AR's, they are a commodity, you can just go out and buy one. If you sell it, you can go out and buy another one.
 
Ditto to what you said Kaferhaus. I went to a show today in Bossier City, Louisiana and some of the used gun prices are really crazy and I'm not talking about the "rare great finds". There were tables and tables with the same models not even trying to compete.

A while back I picked up a Russian sks for $400 at a pawn shop. But I didn't buy it until I came to this forum and asked about it and a few of ya'll clued me in on what it was. But today I saw some that looked like they had been used as clubs priced at $375 to $475 and they were mostly Chinese made.
 
i couldnt bring myself to pay that much. There was a place in dublin, ga offering a deal of buy 3 for 99 bucks and get one free. they were norinco's though. i have seen russians at the local gun shop for 350-400.
 
Nothing that there's millions of is a collector's item
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Amen brother, same with M1 Carbines and garands... there are millions of them in circulation in this country.

Guys are hoarding them (including me) because of the profit motive. But "rare" they are not.

In my opinion the SKS is a very good weapon function wise, but other than that it's very mediocre.

BTW the Norinco SKS was tested as one of the best ever made (not the one with the pinned barrel)
 
People knock the Chinese SKS but the ones I have are my most accurate shooters. My Albanian will bring 500 bucks easy. I have not seen an SKS under 300 bucks for several years now......chris3
 
i put up $300 for a sino-soviet and $200 for a never fired, pinned barrel norinco, got lucky on that purchase. more like how bad you want it and how much you willing to spend.
 
Especially now that the .30 rds are no longer any cheaper than anything else.
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Really? Huh, I guess I'm shopping at the wrong place, I buy my 7.62x39 for $4.97/box of 20. Where can I buy other centerfire ammo at that price?

I would rather pay $450.00 for a Russian SKS than pay $1000.00 for a plastic AR.
 
Same here... AKs can be had for 450 and I'm not talking MAKs or the Romanian crap either.
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A little OT but straight cut Mak90's command a premium. Their 1.6mm receiver, double-hooked trigger, vented gas tube and chrome lined barrel makes the Mak90 one of, if not the best, AK variants on the market. I would take a Mak90 over any other variant any day if I was looking for an AK to actually use.
 
VEPRs are the best AKs on the market, although there weren't many of them imported - I'm talking the ones imported by Robinson Arms made at 612900 Vjatskiye Poljany, Kirov Region, Russia.

The end.

p.s. - I would never pay more than $275 for an SKS, and that would have to be a best of breed. My .02
 
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Romanian crap? Hardly. In terms of quality I would put them right up there just behind the Russians. Rarity? No, but the quality is at the upper end for the SKS.

Just noticed that the poster was referring to Romanian AK's as opposed to the SKS. Romanian AK crap? It depends. Heck, it's an AK.
 
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Agree on the VEPR's - they were really high quality but very muzzle-heavy. If mine had handled better I'd have kept it for sure... and the stack of Bulgarian 30 round 5.56 mags I had that worked perfectly in it.

For the time being I'm seeing SKS's come down in price. With AK prices climbing, I think an SKS is an attractive option, especially considering I've always shot them better. I'm not sure how high I'd go on a Russian SKS at this point, but I'd definitely get close to $400.
For AK's, they're getting overpriced now. Some of the "better" ones are going for close to $1,000. For that price, I'd save a couple hundred more and look for a used M1A or buy a FAL or PTR-91.
 
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