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Old July 18, 2011, 08:57 AM   #1
Daekar
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Recent SKS Prices

What kind of prices has everybody been seeing on the run-of-the-mill m59/66 Yugos lately? The gun shows here have been ridiculous, the prices usually run from $375 for a mediocre one to $575 (!!!) for an "unissued" Yugo. Russians are not to be had for less than $500 when they're available at all, and Chinese are$375+ too.

I got lucky this past Saturday and picked up a paperworkless Yugo for $300, but that's the best price I've seen in a long time.

I bought my first Yugo a few years ago for $160 and I thought that was high. If I had only known....
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Old July 18, 2011, 09:38 AM   #2
rdf.hack
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At J&G sales they are $269.
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Old July 18, 2011, 09:42 AM   #3
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I have seen unisued yugos go for $300-375 around here.
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Old July 18, 2011, 09:49 PM   #4
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Talked my buddy into buying an unmolested, matching Chicom for $199 at a local gun shop.
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Old July 18, 2011, 11:49 PM   #5
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Geez, I recently posted one of my Yugos on the classifieds here for a buck and a half and only had a couple of tirekickers...
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Old July 19, 2011, 11:53 AM   #6
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Maybe it's your region, the prices here aren't nearly so steep. My Norinco Type 56 SKS was $180, and even nice Russian ones here tend to be more like $350.
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Old July 19, 2011, 05:51 PM   #7
filric48
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SKS

Out the door 400.00
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Old July 26, 2011, 10:25 PM   #8
Mr. James
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I'm somewhat startled at the prices of SKS rifles these days. Not awfully long ago I bought three Yugo SKSes for a flat $100.00 each. Sheesh, as Inspector Clouseau would say, "not anymeure."
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Old July 26, 2011, 11:56 PM   #9
Dr. Strangelove
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Bought an "unissued" or at least arsenal refurbed Yugo for $120.00 four years ago, just sold it for $350.00. Actually, I bought two, but I sold one to a friend for the same price I paid for it... shoulda kept it...

Guess one reason is it's the last military semi-auto we're going to see imported, at least in any quantity anyway.
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Old July 27, 2011, 01:13 AM   #10
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People are wanting alot more than they are worth in my opinion. Back in the day when you could buy one for $100 that was about what they are worth. The prices they are wanting today is a joke.
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Old July 27, 2011, 08:44 AM   #11
chack
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Yugos are the least reliable of all the SKS varieties. I'd rather have any other SKS than a yugo, and wouldn't consider buying one that I couldn't inspect the bore and gas system on first.
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Old July 27, 2011, 08:25 PM   #12
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59/66 Yugos at the local Big5 have been going for like 370-399. I wouldn't pay that for a yugo, though.

I think that any individual seller asking for 350+ is trying to make up for their losses during the panic buy a few years ago.

They're fine rifles; keep looking.
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Old July 27, 2011, 09:42 PM   #13
JHansenAK47
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Keep edging up where I live. Some of the pristine Russians are pushing 500. Most run of the mill SKS rifles however are in the neighborhood of 300-400 depending on the accessories with some good buys to be had in the 200 dollar range if you look hard enough.
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Old July 27, 2011, 10:19 PM   #14
bustersmaster
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SKS prices

I bought my yugo earlier this year in what appeared to be unfired condition for $160. from a pawn shop in Lansing. Once I figured out where to clean all the cosmoline out from, it's been 100% reliable, a bit heavy, but still fun to shoot.
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Old July 28, 2011, 12:39 AM   #15
Rustle in the Bushes
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haha

Canada

$225 for a NICE russian sks

$175 for a nice chinese

one of the few times Ill get to say this to you guys but....

haha.

Seriously though, go online.
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Old July 28, 2011, 08:20 AM   #16
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Quote:
People are wanting alot more than they are worth in my opinion. Back in the day when you could buy one for $100 that was about what they are worth. The prices they are wanting today is a joke.
In a free-market economy, things are "worth" what buyers are willing to give and/or sellers are willing to take. Intrinsic, perceived or "ought to be" value doesn't matter.

Quote:
Yugos are the least reliable of all the SKS varieties.
First time I've ever heard that.
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Old July 28, 2011, 11:34 AM   #17
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I think a lot of people got caught up in "the sky-is-falling, the-sky-is falling" Obama panic of a couple of years ago and somewhere VALUE stopped being a consideration in the mob panic and people started paying WAY too much for SKS's, because.... you know, the sky was falling... It's just another classic "bubble" that's now burst. Now the people who got caught up in the panic buying have got what was basically a pretty good gun (at least those SKS's with chrome lined barrels were pretty good guns) that was once worth way more than it sold for (back when SKS's sold for $125), that are now worth way less than what was paid for them in the panic buying that went on. But those who paid $350 for a gun that was probably always worth about $225, now expect to make a profit of $100 when they sell it. Not many takers though now that the panics over when a gun is priced about double its value. But people who paid $350 for a gun aren't going to sell it for $250 unless some terrible calamity befalls them. They'll continue to ask $450 but most will never sell at that price and will still be in a closet somewhere when the owner croaks. But a few will always sell. There'll always be somebody who just has to have an SKS and nothing else will do, but my guess is they are few and far between. I guess we can always hope for another panic. But savvy buyers will always be looking for and probably finding, the next great gun deal like the SKS rifle was at $125, East German Makarovs were at $115, and Brazillian Contract 45's were at about $115.
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Old July 28, 2011, 03:07 PM   #18
chack
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsmaye
First time I've ever heard that.
That's surprising since yugo gas problems are well known and frequently seen. No other country redesigned the SKS to have a gas valve, then deleted the chrome bore, then exclusively issued corrosive ammo, then useds their stockpile of SKSs in a civil war fought primarily with militia who had little or no training.

Yugo SKSs can be great rifles if they are properly maintained, but there is no way to know that was done before you got it unless it is unissued or you can personally inspect it before you buy it and know what to look for.
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Old July 29, 2011, 08:39 AM   #19
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Quote:
That's surprising since yugo gas problems are well known and frequently seen. No other country redesigned the SKS to have a gas valve, then deleted the chrome bore...
I figured being an over-all better-built machined rifle would more than offset that.

Quote:
...then exclusively issued corrosive ammo, then useds their stockpile of SKSs in a civil war fought primarily with militia who had little or no training.
They're far from the only ones who did that.
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Old August 3, 2011, 12:53 AM   #20
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DG45 beat me to the post-election panic. It's encouraging to see that some scalpers got burned.
Nobody forced them to selfishly create an artificial shortage of some ammo or primers.
Nobody forced them to buy ARs or an SKS, maybe AK clone which they did not plan to use.

Why don't gun show sellers comprehend that almost every buyer realizes that the panic was over by July '09?
With so many trying to sell guns with dirty bores at Memphis area shows, maybe them types of sellers just aint so klever anyways.
They aint never heard of no cheap patches you can just stick on them rods...and use a bit of erl to swab 'em out.

One single seller on 'Gunporker' in summer of '09 offered at least 50,000 rds. of Russian 7.62x39 ammo, all at the same time.
I scanned the pages and this was my estimate. Somebody else guestimated about 70,000 rds of it.

Last edited by Ignition Override; August 3, 2011 at 12:59 AM.
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Old August 3, 2011, 02:39 PM   #21
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i saw mismatched chineese sks's at gunshows 2 years ago advertized as "sk47". and were sold for $500+.

now im seeing the same guns for $400.
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Old August 3, 2011, 03:33 PM   #22
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Used Yugos in the local classifieds here go for $180 to $300, mostly in the lower range. Every now and then one of the various Norincos pops up for a few hundred or more, depending on the model.

It's the WASRs that are all over the map - $375 to $900, I kid you not!

My run of the mill Yugo has been ol' reliable. I know that a sample of one is no sample at all, but there you are.
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Old August 3, 2011, 03:50 PM   #23
PoorRichRichard
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Got my Russian -all serial #s matching- for $375. Great gun. No probs/jams with it after 600 rounds. Would like to pick up a Norinco for tactical mods in here in So. Cal. if anyone is selling.
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Old August 4, 2011, 02:49 AM   #24
White Tiger
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Yugoslav SKS

I just bought my unissued, cosmoline filled, Yugoslav SKS for $400 (plus tax). I'd been watching them for over a year and they're actually heading back up in price...that's why I bought. I'd flirted with a MAS 49, similar system, heavier & ammo was harder to come by (but I was willing to try my hand at re-loading for it), but the extra $100 to $150 for a rifle nowhere near unissued condition seemed to more than negate any advantage the MAS 49 held.

I'm very happy with my purchase, although I wanted to buy when prices were around $300 a year ago, but I got caught thinking they'd keep falling...they didn't. It's definitely a free-market value item. I don't think the prices will be coming down - gold/silver just hit another record & the same folks buying PM's are buying guns.

As far as the gas issues are concerned - I think some of the problems have been misunderstood. The LGS owner near me gets calls constantly from new Yugo owners who've inadvertantly moved the grenade launcher gas valve. Most of the owners I've spoken to seem to love their SKS, and most of the folks I talk to specifically bought a Yugoslav SKS for better workmanship (I'll stop shy of craftsmanship). Still, for the price, I don't think there's a better system/platform out there.

Right now there are some good deals on surplus Yugslav ammo ON stripper clips and shipped by the case, sometimes no shipping! That's a real benefit, at least for me, as I have a 1000 rounds & on my way to acquiring 10,000!

Count me as a happy camper!
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Old August 4, 2011, 07:34 AM   #25
chack
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I've owned at least 30 SKSs over the years, and still own over a dozen. I had to buy 7 yugos to get three that were reliable. this was back in 2001 or so when they were first imported andas I recall they all came from the now defunct FAC.

The gas systems are a weak point in the design, have no questions about it.
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