Why do sniper rifles...?

[Kalashnikov]

Why do sniper rifles, or at least milsurp sniper rifles, cost so much more than their regular counter parts? Sure I can see more for the scope and mount, especially if it's all original, but comparing a $100 m91/30 to a $1000 91/30 sniper? The differances are staggering at times and While I personally like sniper rifles, I dont see why they cost so much? Why are they so highly sought after as well?

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Tighter tolerances, better barrel, not as many around as the standard model. Also a lot of people think the word sniper in a gun's description is just as cool as the word tactical. All of this equals a high demand with a relatively low supply. $1000 fir a M/N sniper sounds a little high, unless it is a bona fide Finn capture with all original parts that shoots MOA. I know a sniper setup on a regular 91/30 goes for around 475 around here.

 

[Ash]

Finn captures are going to fetch a whole lot more than $1,000.00. It's all about rarity. There were millions of standard rifles made, far fewer sniper rifles. Of those sniper rifles made, a large percentage were converted back to standard infantry rifles.

As a general rule, sniper rifles are far rarer and in better overall condition than infantry rifles. Plus, they carry with them the mystique that they were designed for a better trained soldier than the average conscript. The man who carried a sniper's rifle was a far better, more capable shot than the general soldier, especially in the Soviet peasant army.

Ash

 

[Ash]

That sniper setup that's $475 is a fake, by the way.

Ash

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Probably the attached history. If you can find a sniper rifle, and have it traced back to the person who used it, even if they weren't Vasilly Zaitsev, will usually fetch a higher price then just your run of the mill sniper.

I also wonder about the "gore" factor. "Wow, it's a sniper rifle, can you imagine how many (Insert enemy) soldiers it took down?"

 

[ROMAK IV]

The fact that they are rarer, usually in better condition, historic, and collectable, makes them fetch a higher price. The more modern the sniper rifle, the more it will have been worked on to produce better results, and of course, modern sniper rifles are often dedicated model of rifle. It's simply supply and demand.

 

[MCgunner]

Cause you ain't gonna hit Mustafa or his boyfriend Osama at 600 yards with a 6moa Kalashnikov.

Accuracy takes bedding, premium barrels, tight actions, free floating, match triggers, yadda, yadda, yadda.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I know it's a "fake", but it functions the exact same way as an original, has the same parts, and is very accurate. An original Mosin sniper is nothing more than one thats shoots good, has a bent bolt, and had a scope mounted to it. That's why I said sniper setup on a regular 91/30 instead of a Mosin sniper rifle

 

[Cannonball888]

Even sniper rifle clones bring a higher price but not because of deception but because of the parts it takes to bring them to a high degree of duplication are often expensive. An original Springfield USMC 1903A1 w/Unertl sniper costs $14,000 dollars, but a good clone is still $2,500-4,000 mainly because of the cost of the NM parts and the scope.

 

[GarandOwner]

Thats an easy question to answer simply: They cost more because an original is a rarity. The less of something there is, the more expensive it is.

 

[Cosmoline]

As far as the Mosin-Nagant 91/30 snipers, their price has more to do with Sillywood than rarity. There were actually a great many Mosin PU snipers cranked out. Certainly hundreds of thousands. They are hard to find intact because many were de-sniperized to scavange their PU scopes for other rifles, but mostly because the demand for them has been high since "Enemy at the Gates" came out. In sheer rarity, any number of Finnish or East European subtypes that run $250 to $350 are far more rare than the authentic 91/30 snipers. But very few people know what those even are, so they don't generate the same demand.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

It's simple Supply & Demand. For every Sniper Rifle assembled there were/are thousands of Standard Issue Rifles made, so...SUPPLY is always down. Given the choice, most shooters would prefer a rifle with a "Sniper" designation so...DEMAND is always up. All products that are rare AND in high demand are expensive when compared to their more common, less-desirable counterparts. Sniper Rifles are just another example.

 

[Frog48]

Because mall ninjas think they're cool.

 

[GRIZ22]

Many of the WWII "sniper rifles" had nothing done to them except have scope mounted. No accurizing, select parts, bedding etc. Just a service rifle with a scope.

 

[Cannonball888]

Many of the WWII "sniper rifles" had nothing done to them except have scope mounted. No accurizing, select parts, bedding etc. Just a service rifle with a scope.

Not the USMC 1903A1 with Unertl. These were not just "service rifles with a scope." They were Springfield Armory 1903 National Match rifles which were further modified by the USMC armory in Philadelphia, PA.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Have to agree with Cannonball,
The Allied sniper rifles of WWII weren't modified as much as they were selected from much larger sample "lots". For instance...125-150 Springfield 1903 NM Rifles would be drawn from stores (or, more often, received in shipment from the manufacturer). The 20-25 that shot best would then be selected & forwarded to the USMC Armory in Philadelphia to be; mounted with Unertl scopes, action & trigger refinements, etc. It was essentually the same process of selection that, before the war, had been used to determine the rifles best suited for issue to the Competition Marksmanship Teams of the Armed Forces. They determined the "pick of the litter" well-before any additions and/or modifications were performed on the rifle.

Or that's at least the way it was told to me by a retired USMC Sgt. Major who coached the Naval Acadamy Rifle Team & ran the USNA Armory.

 

[taliv]

a: it's what the market will bear
b: same reason you can label your product "gun scrubber" and charge 4x as much as when you label it "break cleaner"

 

[Mark_from_Iowa]

Because mall ninjas think they're cool.

Somehow I don't see a 91/30 with a PU scope being the "ideal" weapon to equip your assault wheelbarrow with. It's just too long...

 

[erict]

Same reason a 69 Camaro originally equipped with a big block is worth 10x more than one that came with an inline 6...... availability (maybe a little more fun too ).

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Somehow I don't see a 91/30 with a PU scope being the "ideal" weapon to equip your assault wheelbarrow with. It's just too long...

While the original 91/30 may be too long, don't forget about the Tacticool Mosin that was made

 

[Mark_from_Iowa]

...don't forget about the Tacticool Mosin that was made

Looks like the ideal weapon for clearing a room...as long as the room holds one person.