What hapenned to the racks upon racks of $99 SKS's i used to see not that long ago

[Hammerhead6814]

Russia and China can no longer export to the US. Look at Canadian SKS owners on sksboards.com. They have stacks of $100 SKS's (package deals). The average price of a NIB Chinese is like $140-150.

 

[-dW]

you'd have to smuggle it into the country in your ass though..

 

[Hatterasguy]

As he said in Lord of War we need more of those wonderfull "gray" transactions so we can have $100 SKS's too!

 

[husker]

$89.00 /new Russian in the box from a pawn shop hear in Omaha in 1993
wish i still had it

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I've got 10 of them a few Russians, the rest are Chinese...and I gave $85 each for them, new in the box (private transaction at a gun show several years back)

 

[Al LaVodka]

I remember thinkin' "China has become the 'arsenal of democracy'." $200 OTD got me a greasy chrome-chamber/barreled Norinco SKS and a case of 1,200 rounds of ammo at a gun show. $259 for AK's but they were a joke to real gun enthusiasts. Those were the days; the days before CLINTON's ban for most favored nation trading with communist, anti-human-rights, China. My brother-in-law, probably lieing, said he had to dump a ship's container of ChiCom ammo in Europe that was en-route when they initiated the ban...
Al

 

[A and O]

Have not checked in over 1 wk but J&G Sales had the 1260 Rd. cases of Yugo ammo for sale at $200.00.

Not like the ol' days but retro 2000ish.

 

[Snowdog]

Yeah, also gone are the days of $1.25 20/round "yellow" or "silver" boxes of Norinco 7.62x39.

I bought my Norinco "type 56" commercial SKS new from a local department store for $89 in '94 or so. At the same time, I remember seeing SVT-40 rifles on the same rack for $129. These demand much more money these days.

 

[DustyVermonter]

Its just sickening-On a different note though I am however quite impressed with Russian American Armory's $350-$400 newly manufatured AK's, better get movin though at the gunshop where I bought mine 8 months ago I paid $399 and now I have seen them as high as $500. You'd be better off gettin the shop to do a transfer for ya and go through your choice distributor. Man, I love those saigas.

 

[leadcounsel]

Inflation, supply and demand, buying panic....

I've been collecting for probably 9 years and I've never seen an SKS for less than $150.

Those $99 SKS's were pre-2000. I remember in 1998 my friends looked back fondly at crates of SKS's for $60 each rifle.

Using a relative worth calculator, that $100 in 1995 is about $150 today, so that explains some of the increase. The other is drying up supply and the increased demand.

 

[saturno_v]

Yugo Mausers used to be $79-89 at Big 5, around here in WA, up to 3 years ago.

Nowdays they are much more rare and usually not less than $199.

Mosins were more common and they could go as little as $59 up to 2 years ago....nowdays it is rarer and rarer when Big 5 runs them at not less than $99 for sale (regular price $179)

M-38 are gone.

The days of sub-100 dollar Mosins are rapidly coming to an end.

 

[T2K]

Yeah, I just want to repeat that "not that long ago" is pretty long ago! Chinese SKS's were 80's, I remember them in the Shotgun News for $89/ea I think, brand new. I've not seen any from any source for <$100 in many years.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

Accept and adjust. Times have changed. Forget about yesterday's bargains. They're gone. Look for today's

In ten years someone will be asking whatever happened to all those $320 Saigas. New ones will be going for a grand...along with anything else that's shootable.

 

[Al LaVodka]

I wouldn't make predictions on this stuff, or anything, for ten-years out...
Al

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Mausers are starting to go that way, and K31's are not to far behind.

Mosin's probably have a way to go since the Russians made so freaken many of them.

Interestingly enough, I was reading an article on the Mauser (American Rifleman or Shotgun News) and they put the Mauser Kar.98k production at 10 million.

Mosin 91/30 production was something like 14 million. Sure, it's more, but not that much more. Remember how many guns Americans bought last year?

Makes me sad because I usually like the surplus rifles better than the new ones - more character I guess.

 

[twogunwilly]

ahh, if if's and buts were fruits and nuts

 

[Hatterasguy]

Tell me about it.

I feel like I got a fair deal at the last gunshow. An Argentinian Fn49 in really good shape with a mag, and a Mosin 91/30 re-arsenaled for $950 cash.


In a couple of years I'll probably be able to get $900 for the Fn49, and $150 for the Mosin. Not going to sell them though.

I still feel that these old rifles are a pretty fair "investment". I simply can't see losing money on them; far better than spending say $950 on a computer thats worthless in 3 years.

 

[Jbabbler]

I don't think SKS's will be $500 until the AK's dry up. Many people only buy the SS because the AK's have been so high. The latest batch of WASR-10s is selling for $350.

 

[DustyVermonter]

Well... I seem to remember "not that long ago" was really not that long ago. Definitely wasn't pre-clinton, I'm only 21 now and I remember seeing a rack of about 8-10 for $99/each. I remember because I was looking forward to my 18th birthday that was coming up so I could buy 1 or 2.....or 5 or 10. So I guesse that was only a couple-few years ago. Definitely not pre-clinton,16 yrs ago I was only six and I don't think I was in the market for an SKS quite then.

 

[JTH]

Remember when Gold was $35 an oz., if we could see in the future we'd all be rich.

I'm glad I got what I needed back in the '90s. Fortunately my best friend from high school is a Dentist who make big bucks and also a Weapon enthusiast. I was given a Norinco MAK 90 and then later a Remington 870 Police issue(he swapped off some dental work for these). That pretty much with my NIB Norinco SKS($125 in '92 and a NIB Norinco 9mm Tokarev in '95 for $110) add a ****load of 7.62 and 9mm ammo, i'm in good shape. I have several other weapons. Regret selling my Norinco SKS Paratroper that took extended round duckbill clips but I just turned that $300 into more ammo. I hope I never have to use them in a SHTF scenario!

 

[W L Johnson]

$99 ?
What ever happened to the racks of $40 SKS's and they were better quality too.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Remember when Gold was $35 an oz.,

As a matter of fact I do. And $35 Mausers and $25 Carcanos and on and on....The cheapest SKS I can remember were Chinese for $69 per in 1980s.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Guns have a way of going up in price.

 

[jglcolosprgs]

Seems like only a few years ago there was like a wave of $99 SKS's and now I can't find one for under $350 if they're even is one in the store. I guess the days of $100 guns are gone and its just time to accept it.

This is one of those flashbacks that they promised you in the late 70s early 80s....

 

[nathan]

$ 99 for an SKS is back 18 yr old prices. We are now in 2010. If you were 18 yrs old at the time, you are would now be 36 yrs old today. The current market price of $ 350 for a new in box CHicom SKS is what ---250 percent increase? Still cheap in today's standards considering it s a 7.62 x 39 semi auto rifle.