Death of the surplus firearms hobby

Podmonkey

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@Fightingfish, watch this before you start in on your surplus scrounging.
I agree with him too. I once recommended the Spanish FR-8 as a potential option for a good classic military style bolt action. However a recent perusal on Gunbroker shows them going for almost $1,000 these days. The FR-8 is not a 1k rifle. SKS rifles are not $800 rifles. Even the vaunted M1 Garand isn't really worth the $1,500+ many of them seem to be going for. That kind of money will buy some fairly high end modern guns that will give greater enjoyment on the range. Instead of a $1,000 FR-8 I'd rather have a Bergara HMR for example, instead of an SKS, a sporter AK. Even if the historical aspect is appealing I think the money might be better spent on a road trip museum crawl or some such. The surplus market has become too volatile and predatory.
 
Fightingfish

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Podmonkey said:
@Fightingfish, watch this before you start in on your surplus scrounging.
I agree with him too. I once recommended the Spanish FR-8 as a potential option for a good classic military style bolt action. However a recent perusal on Gunbroker shows them going for almost $1,000 these days. The FR-8 is not a 1k rifle. SKS rifles are not $800 rifles. Even the vaunted M1 Garand isn't really worth the $1,500+ many of them seem to be going for. That kind of money will buy some fairly high end modern guns that will give greater enjoyment on the range. Instead of a $1,000 FR-8 I'd rather have a Bergara HMR for example, instead of an SKS, a sporter AK. Even if the historical aspect is appealing I think the money might be better spent on a road trip museum crawl or some such. The surplus market has become too volatile and predatory.
Click to expand...

Well geez, now I feel bad. I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s hobby with my own interests.

I appreciate you posting this and tagging me in.
 
Podmonkey

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Fightingfish said:
Well geez, now I feel bad. I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s hobby with my own interests.

I appreciate you posting this and tagging me in.
Click to expand...
Its not about you ruining anyone's hobby. That's not what the gist of the video was. The take away is that surplus firearms are no longer the economical hobby it once was. The price of entry into the field is a ripoff now. I am saying if you were looking to surplus arms as a cheap way to shoot guns then you should look elsewhere. If you are hard-core into the history aspect then be prepared to pay a lot of money for what have become collector items.
 
Fightingfish

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Podmonkey said:
Its not about you ruining anyone's hobby. That's not what the gist of the video was. The take away is that surplus firearms are no longer the economical hobby it once was. The price of entry into the field is a ripoff now. I am saying if you were looking to surplus arms as a cheap way to shoot guns then you should look elsewhere. If you are hard-core into the history aspect then be prepared to pay a lot of money for what have become collector items.
Click to expand...

Nah, I figured, and I do appreciate the perspective. It’s definitely about the history aspect for me. I have cheaper shooters, and I know I can buy modern rifles that shoot the same/similar rounds more accurately and reliably for fractions of the cost.
Shitty time to plunge into something that’s had my interest for decades, haha.
 
Edwardteach72

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Deals can still be found, it's not as easy as say 10 years ago..

Auctions are a good place to look.

Hell my dad just scooped a lot of 3 carcanos (older older ones idk what model) but 2 of which were Finish marked (more desirable) and one of those was an experimental auxiliary force carbine.

The one oldest carbine was a standard 6.5 and the other 2 where 7.? (I can't remember)

Anyways he scored all 3 as a lot for $150
 
C3D

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Can somebody tell me what the heck uniform the guy in the video thinks he's wearing?
 
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kev74

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Vapor said:
$350 for a Mosin in insane.

It is over.
Click to expand...
If we didn't get used to $75 Mosins, I think $300 - $500 would seem pretty reasonable.

If someone were making and selling Mosins today, the retail price would be $500+. A new manufacture Garand would be $2000+.

The mil-surps are reasonable in comparison.
 
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HIghlander

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Edwardteach72 said:
Deals can still be found, it's not as easy as say 10 years ago..

Auctions are a good place to look.

Hell my dad just scooped a lot of 3 carcanos (older older ones idk what model) but 2 of which were Finish marked (more desirable) and one of those was an experimental auxiliary force carbine.

The one oldest carbine was a standard 6.5 and the other 2 where 7.? (I can't remember)

Anyways he scored all 3 as a lot for $150
Click to expand...


My dad's father after WW2 brought back an Italian Terney (sp) it was in 7.35 caliber. Damn thing kicked like a mule.
 
GOPerfect

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It was still somewhat alive last year, I was able to sell all of my vintage rifles for a fair price and a fair profit.

Things do seem to be much more expensive, but dead? Maybe not yet.
 
Acer-m14

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Vapor said:
$350 for a Mosin in insane.

It is over.
Click to expand...


I love my 350 Mosin .. and i asked will you take 350 .. that's what i had to spend and wanted a certain one ..

now i hope to get a buck with it this year .. didn't happen last yr .. got one with the 91/30 first yr for Rifle .. now to do it again ..

my 91/30 was 160 at the LGS .. no bayonet and sling and the extras .. will you take 125 .. yep .. and then bought some rounds for it too ..

then at another LGS .. can you get a spam can .. .. sure .. then they had a grand opening for the store .. bought the spam can for 125 ..
and got more tickets for the gun drawing .. won a Savage Axis 270 win ..

@Fightingfish i got hooked on the Mosin from watching Life below Zero with Agnes Hale shooting one from a boat at a moose in Alaska ..
then i got into the history of them .. Lyudmila Pavlichenko
 
Mosinitis

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Podmonkey said:
@Fightingfish, watch this before you start in on your surplus scrounging.
I agree with him too. I once recommended the Spanish FR-8 as a potential option for a good classic military style bolt action. However a recent perusal on Gunbroker shows them going for almost $1,000 these days. The FR-8 is not a 1k rifle. SKS rifles are not $800 rifles. Even the vaunted M1 Garand isn't really worth the $1,500+ many of them seem to be going for. That kind of money will buy some fairly high end modern guns that will give greater enjoyment on the range. Instead of a $1,000 FR-8 I'd rather have a Bergara HMR for example, instead of an SKS, a sporter AK. Even if the historical aspect is appealing I think the money might be better spent on a road trip museum crawl or some such. The surplus market has become too volatile and predatory.
Click to expand...

Long winded drivel about nothing. Lots of shooting activity with surplus firearms in the CMP. Surplus firearms' price depends on what is being imported at any particular time. Buy and sell accordingly. Nothing has changed.
 
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Saltwater60

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I’ve got no desire to own any of these. I know a lady who’s dad had a Garand and she wants me to buy it. I keep telling her I don’t want it. She doesn’t understand I don’t want to pay $1,300 for an 8.5 lbs riffle that kicks like they do. Just not interested in them really. I’d rather have a nice AR or a nice pistol. I’d buy an STI pistol over that any day of the week.
 
Podmonkey

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Mosinitis said:
Long winded drivel about nothing. Lots of shooting activity with surplus firearms in the CMP. Surplus firearms' price depends on what is being imported at any particular time. Buy and sell accordingly. Nothing has changed.
Click to expand...
It's gotten to the point that I overlook just about everything you say. I think you are a contrarian jackass. The only reason I haven't blocked you is out of principle. Good day sir.
 
Mosinitis

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Podmonkey said:
It's gotten to the point that I overlook just about everything you say. I think you are a contrarian jackass. The only reason I haven't blocked you is out of principle. Good day sir.
Click to expand...

My target audience are people who are able to think.
 
Podmonkey

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Mosinitis said:
My target audience are people who are able to think.
Click to expand...
Many of the folk "who are able to think" on this forum also think you are a moronic ass judging from the dozen or so PMs I have received regarding you. You aren’t well liked here, most people think you have bad opinions.
I said you are a jackass and I stand by it. Now why don't you run along now? I'm sure you are very busy melting down all your pots and pans to make pig iron with.
 
Mosinitis

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Podmonkey said:
Many of the folk "who are able to think" on this forum also think you are a moronic ass judging from the dozen or so PMs I have received regarding you. You aren’t well liked here, most people think you have bad opinions.
I said you are a jackass and I stand by it. Now why don't you run along now? I'm sure you are very busy melting down all your pots and pans to make pig iron with.
Click to expand...

I don't post to be liked. I post to make a point.
 
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Podmonkey

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GOPerfect said:
I am not all that old...

I think back, not too many years when one could find a good Mosin at any gun show for $59-79. Used to be racks and racks of them. Spend a bit of time and you could fine a really good one.

Shame that has ended, it was a great way to get into the gun hobby.
Click to expand...
All good things must come to an end I suppose. To think you could once pick out an SKS from a barrel for $70.
 
Mosinitis

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GOPerfect said:
I am not all that old...

I think back, not too many years when one could find a good Mosin at any gun show for $59-79. Used to be racks and racks of them. Spend a bit of time and you could fine a really good one.

Shame that has ended, it was a great way to get into the gun hobby.
Click to expand...

There were a lot of good deals on various surplus firearms. Mosin Snipers, SVT's, Russian capture Mousers, Mas, Swiss K31, and on and on. When the imports come in they are everywhere and dirt cheap. That's the best time to buy them. There is always something coming in. When supply runs out it can take decades until we see them imported again or never. That said, $300 - $500 is not a prohibitive price to pay for rifles soaked in so much history.
 
GOPerfect

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Mosinitis said:
There were a lot of good deals on various surplus firearms. Mosin Snipers, SVT's, Russian capture Mousers, Mas, Swiss K31, and on and on. When the imports come in they are everywhere and dirt cheap. That's the best time to buy them. There is always something coming in. When supply runs out it can take decades until we see them imported again or never. That said, $300 - $500 is not a prohibitive price to pay for rifles soaked in so much history.
Click to expand...


I agree. Just a shame that the prices have increased so much. When I was selling guns, so many new shooters were at the bottom end of wealthy and the inexpensive nature of the imports was a great way to begin a collection.
 
Podmonkey

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Back in 2005, at the end of my stint with the Army, there was this big pawn/gun shop just a block up the street from one of the gates of Ft Hood. Nice place actually, lots of good stuff in there and tons of guns in the back. They had some big wood barrels with milsurps standing in them. Lee Enfields, Mausers, Mosin, SKS, all types of stuff. Nothing was more than $300 if I recall, most of it was much cheaper than that yet. They had a freaking Ljungman AG-42 and FN-49s in there even. I got a a super nice Bulgarian parts kit build AK-74 out of one of those barrels. I think it was about $300 actually. What a steal that was. Never should have moved back to NYS, never should have sold it!
 
Podmonkey

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@GOPerfect, it is sad, it was an awesome freaking gun! Abused tge hell out of it and it always shot well, at least as good as my 6920, if not even better. '74s are great shooters! Of all the many guns I sold that day that Bulgy is one of the ones I miss most. Used to miss my STG-58 Para too........... Until I got my Galil Ace 308. Ace blows the FAL out of the water.
 
Vapor

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Good is semantic.


I respect acer, and others who like their rifles. If they perform for you, that's great.

I've owned 3 mosin rifles and 3 or 4 sks rifles.

They are crude, but they do function. Mostly. The Mosin will never be a Mauser.

The Mosin was obsolescencent in 1914 when ww1 broke out, much less 1940 or today. Prone to rim lock, rubbery feeling bolt, weak ejection, etc. Mostly 3-4" groups at 100 yards... To me, for $300-600 there are far better modern rifles out there for non collector purposes. A savage axis or a tc compass will not only be more reliable, but will walk all over an old mil surp for accuracy without question.

The sks is the same story. Generally, it was obsolescencent by 1950. At today's prices, its no longer a bargain.


If you just want to collect, great. That's totally ok. I just get frustrated when someone pay $400 for a Mosin, then another $300 in mods to get worse results than a modern rifle.
 
Mosinitis

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Vapor said:
Good is semantic.


I respect acer, and others who like their rifles. If they perform for you, that's great.

I've owned 3 mosin rifles and 3 or 4 sks rifles.

They are crude, but they do function. Mostly. The Mosin will never be a Mauser.

The Mosin was obsolescencent in 1914 when ww1 broke out, much less 1940 or today. Prone to rim lock, rubbery feeling bolt, weak ejection, etc. Mostly 3-4" groups at 100 yards... To me, for $300-600 there are far better modern rifles out there for non collector purposes. A savage axis or a tc compass will not only be more reliable, but will walk all over an old mil surp for accuracy without question.

The sks is the same story. Generally, it was obsolescencent by 1950. At today's prices, its no longer a bargain.


If you just want to collect, great. That's totally ok. I just get frustrated when someone pay $400 for a Mosin, then another $300 in mods to get worse results than a modern rifle.
Click to expand...

Mosins weren't the best military rifles out there, but they certainly weren't obsolete during WWI. Mosins of WWI were M91's and its variants. They were actually better shooters then 91/30 and had longer barrels and better rifling. Unfortunately, they are next to impossible to find with a barrel in good condition, so most are just wall hangers now.
91/30 snipers (real ones, not fakes) were made in the special shops using different machinery and different specs. They are better rifles.
That said I agree with the rest of your post. These rifles can't compete with modern commercial rifles. This is why vintage military rifles compete in a separate class in CMP competitions. Some people enjoy driving antique cars, some enjoy driving sports cars. To each his own.
 
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