Are people really getting $300-$400 for SKSs and Yugo Mausers?

[Justin]

Checking Armslist and Gunbroker lately, the prices on Yugo Mausers and SKSs seem completely insane to me.

Are people really paying $300-$400 for these things?

[beast556]

From what I can tell on the sks's the chicoms and yugos are selling in the 300-350$ range the ones listed for more are not selling unless it is some thing unique. I was looking to buy another one but at 300$ plus there not worth it to me.

[Justin]

It just blows my mind that Russian, Yugo, and Chinese tomato stakes that you used to be able to get for a C-Note are going for this much now.

[Martinjmpr]

Ha ha! I'm rich. RICH I SAY!!!!! [ROFL1]

[Martinjmpr]

Any idea when a well-used Taurus M94 .22lr revolver becomes a "highly sought-after collectible" worth $500? Asking for a friend. ;)

[Martinjmpr]

It just blows my mind that Russian, Yugo, and Chinese tomato stakes that you used to be able to get for a C-Note are going for this much now.

Mid-1990's I paid around $110 for a very nice condition ChiCom SKS at a gun show. A year later they were selling "armory grade" (i.e well used) SKS's for around $70. This was in Fayette-nam (Fayetteville, NC.)

I think I saw the prices dip down to a low of $59.00 or so if you bought 10 or more. Ditto for Mosin-Nagants.

[Martinjmpr]

I was all set on Hillary winning the election in 2016, I was going to sell half my collection and then retire to the Bahamas.

But then Trump had to go and win. Thanks Trump!!! [Rant2]

[ben4372]

Not too many milsurp bargains, or even police buy backs. Got an offer for used Glock parts that were likely from a mass rebuild. More than I thought a used gun should cost. Last Yugo SKS I bought was cheap.

[SouthPaw]

I think my dad told me Jensen's used to have SKS' on the floor for like $79 and there were racks othem. Or a crate for $300+/-? I remember buying my first WASR in 2008 and thinking I was overpaying at $429..

[ray1970]

The late 80?s/early 90?s were full of bargains.

I paid $59 for my first SKS- a clean, used, numbers matching Chinese model.

I think my second one was $79- an unissued Chinese paratrooper model.

I finally ended up selling both of them when I bought my first AK for something like $250.

There are quite a few things that I passed on back then that I wish I would have bought. Maybe a Makarov pistol for $150 or one of the Tokarev rifles for $250 ish and definitely one of the S&W US customs trade ins with the three inch barrels for whatever ridiculously low prices those things were going for when all of the agencies were transitioning to semi autos.

[Gman]

I was shopping Makarovs back in the day. Ammo was abundant and cheap. I'm kinda' glad I didn't since the ammo availability isn't what it used to be.

[Wolfshoon]

Yea all that import Russian stuff (AK SKS family, makorov, etc etc) had/has quite the following for one reason, cheap ammo that was abundant.

Fast forward 20 years and the import ban by Obama and current admin sanctions against russian imports and now you don't have cheap, abundant ammo anymore. I fail to see what the attraction is. I've got a friend who is an AK fanboy and he has been bitching for the past 7 years on the rising cost of ammo, lol. He says it's as expensive as domestic caliber ammo nowadays.

[Grant H.]

I bought a bunch of SKS/AK stuff early on in my gun days, but have since sold all but a few specimens off.

The remaining few haven't seen the range in over a decade though.

Like Wolfshoon said, ammo used to be cheap, but isn't anymore, and if I'm going to be spending money to shoot, I'd rather shoot something fun.

[Martinjmpr]

?? It?s been a while since I bought 7.63x39 but even during the post-Sandy Hook ammo panic I could always find 7.62 for less than $5 a box, often much less.

Five bucks for 20 rounds of center fire rifle ammo is pretty damn cheap these days. Sure it?s non-reloadable commie crap but it shoots just fine.

Yes, the supply of cheap rifles has gone but I?d argue that when it comes to ammo, THESE are the ?good old days.? I?m seriously surprised that Obama didn?t outlaw mail order ammo sales while he was president. I?m even more surprised we haven?t heard gun controllers shrieking about the ?ammo loophole? especially after the Las Vegas massacre.

You younger folks probably don?t remember but mail order ammo sales were outlawed from I think 1968 to 1986. You had to buy ammo in person and if it was a ?pistol caliber?(which included .22LR) you had to show an ID and your name was entered into a register that the store owner was required by law to maintain.

Now I can click a mouse and order a case of ammo to be brought to my house by UPS.


EDIT: For some reason my iPhone or Tapatalk are turning apostrophes and quotation marks into question marks.

[bczandm]

Checking Armslist and Gunbroker lately, the prices on Yugo Mausers and SKSs seem completely insane to me.

Are people really paying $300-$400 for these things?

The lowest price on Gunbroker for an SKS with original stock was $250 plus $30 freight. Lots of sales in the $350 range PLUS freight so I think your $300 -$400 number is accurate, might even be on the lower end.

In 2000 I went to a gun show with a buddy who had three Chinese SKS's he was selling, he got $50 each from a dealer. Of course I can remember gas at 50 cents a gallon too :)

[Zundfolge]

Don't forget you've got a couple more decades of the Federal Reserve debasing our currency as well.

[bryjcom]

People are realizing that they aren’t makin anymore Mausers, sks’s, enfields, M1s etc hence the increasing prices. Add the current politics of importing/exporting arms and you have your reason why prices are increasing

[clodhopper]

Don't forget you've got a couple more decades of the Federal Reserve debasing our currency as well.

$150 in 1990 is $300 today. Consider maybe the prices for SKSs aren't that far off unless you suffer from "back in my day" syndrome. [Coffee]

[ben4372]

A years back I came across a Shotgun News that my uncle gave me in 89 or 90. Man, the DEALS!!. I decided to set aside a few copies of my own in the 2000's. Quite the time capsule. I do the same with old some old Jeg's catalogs from highschool. Blowers for 1000 bucks, 80 bucks more if you want full polished. With a few exceptions, we are truly in the golden age of guns. Old guns are cool. New guns are way better tools. Clod mentioned the purchase power of the dollar. Check a 10/22 in 1990 Vs now. I've been pricing another .22 for the boy and I'm thinking he might just have to watch me shoot. Maybe I'm cheap?:)

[def90]

I'm always on the lookout for an SKS but I have yet to see one for less than $500 in a shop locally. Online guys are always saying that they get them for $150-200 all the time.. I have a feeling that was a decade ago.

[Great-Kazoo]

A years back I came across a Shotgun News that my uncle gave me in 89 or 90. Man, the DEALS!!. I decided to set aside a few copies of my own in the 2000's. Quite the time capsule. I do the same with old some old Jeg's catalogs from highschool. Blowers for 1000 bucks, 80 bucks more if you want full polished. With a few exceptions, we are truly in the golden age of guns. Old guns are cool. New guns are way better tools. Clod mentioned the purchase power of the dollar. Check a 10/22 in 1990 Vs now. I've been pricing another .22 for the boy and I'm thinking he might just have to watch me shoot. Maybe I'm cheap?:)

The basic 10/22 is still under $200 new, depending where you look on line.
Down here there's been a lot of tables at gun shows with New, still unfired in grease Russian & chicom sks'. But they want $3-450 each. 22's are running $75-200 depending on mfg. I looked at a lot of marlin, mossy and winchester lever & pump 22's for under $300. The mossberg 46B ca 1946 (in pristine condition) was $150, cash n carry

Back on track.. those cheap russian sks' were picked up in crate lots of 10 for $50 per Chicoms were running the same, but they'd throw in case lots of green laquer cased x39 for another $80-100 per

[Irving]

My buddy was showing me a Mosin he picked up in 2012 for only $100. Right during the gun scare.

[jreifsch80]

Yeah and in 1996 you could buy a new in box colt preban “ar15 tactical carbine” for $1649.99. You can get them for about half the price now so it wasn’t always good in the past (though I wish I had bought more of the cheap 8mm, .303 and .308 back in the day)

[ray1970]

Yeah and in 1996 you could buy a new in box colt preban ?ar15 tactical carbine? for $1649.99.

Yeah, but that same rifle a few years earlier was about $600.

I was fortunate enough to pick up a couple of AR?s, a FAL, and an HK91 prior to the 1994 legislation. Sold the FAL and HK and one of the AR?s after the ban for rather tidy profits.

[Will1776]

I think last time I was in the store Cabelas wanted 600 for a Yugo SKS, LOL!

[Gman]

My dad picked up an SMLE for $25 quite some time back. I have it now, but the damp Washington air didn't do it any favors.

[BREATHER]

I picked up two Mosin Nagants for $99 apiece 7 or 8 years ago they're going for $300 today.

[DavieD55]

Any idea when a well-used Taurus M94 .22lr revolver becomes a "highly sought-after collectible" worth $500? Asking for a friend. ;)


Maybe in England.

[Martinjmpr]

I picked up two Mosin Nagants for $99 apiece 7 or 8 years ago they're going for $300 today.

I don't own a Mosin but sometimes I put a 2x4 against my shoulder and ask somebody to whack the other end with a 10lb sledgehammer just so I can get the Mosin Nagant "experience." :D

[Grant H.]

I don't own a Mosin but sometimes I put a 2x4 against my shoulder and ask somebody to whack the other end with a 10lb sledgehammer just so I can get the Mosin Nagant "experience." :D

Sounds like a good plan.

Not having one also prevents the addition of yet another caliber to the forest of ammo...

[BREATHER]

Yeah, I know but they are cool to shoot. I have "tuna cans" of the ammo and I need more.