Yup. Got my 91/30 Mosin for $200 a couple years ago and sold it for $570 a month ago (used the money to immediately buy a Romanian M44). My Galil has gone up in value even more as well as my PSL before I sold it
I got you beat my local gun store has a mosin in terrible condition for 700, nothing special about it not rare just a common mosin. And an uncaptured k98 for 1200 also in piss poor shape.
Believe it or not, antique status firearms and commercial, sporting C&R guns are still pretty attainable. More people give a shit about mosins than they do that oddball hunting shotgun made in the early 50s. Single shot breech loading rifles like Martini Henrys and Greeners can sometimes be found at a decent price. It's the absolute worst time if your main interest is military surplus, though.
When retailers like classic psa jgsales all sold out of that Albanian import the prices all went to 500, then the pandemic hit, then Biden showed up and people went full retatd. I've seen 2000 for a clean russian sks
I remember when Cheaper Than Dirt used to frequent Dallas/Ft. Worth area gun shows and Michael Tenney (the owner) used to sell the Norinco SKS's for $49 a piece your choice the standard version with the 20" bbl. or the "Paratrooper" model with the 16" bbl.
@@TacticalJackalope I saw a “paratrooper” model for 800 at the last gunshow, every vendor was some chain smoking retard who thinks “patina” increases value. It doesn’t, and I don’t know how many times they’ll go to a show and sell absolutely nothing before that point is made clear to them
Un I'm 60, got .45-70 when I was in high school for $75, but I had no money then, the '80's, a Garand and a carbine and an Enfield but then in the mid '90's I met an older gentleman collector, that first generation of guys who was a huge help to me, learned so much from him. Got a C&R FFL, read Shotgun News ads then the glory days of the mid '90's to the early 2000's with SOG, Century, Samco, Ellisons, thats where I built up my collection. A bunch of old gun nerds is what we were. Its not fun and affordable any more.
Aha..The mid-90's guns for nothing and ammo by the crate....and early 2000's most collectors had grey hair and big potbellys and started selling there 80$ Enfields for stupid crazy prices like 500-900 dollar profit.
Shotgun News and a Century account was all I needed. lol Should've gotten into C&R milsurps when my dad did, in the mid 1980s. He picked up some primo stuff while I was only interested in machines that could take a 30 rd mag. It was fun and a fairy cheap hobby, cheaper than race cars.
If anyone has an M1 they would like to trade me for my ChiCom SKS, let me know. I'll throw in a bamboo toggled chest ammo pouch and 67 rounds of 7.62x39 and buy lunch at Chick-fil-A for us when we meet up to make the trade!
Being a 2001 kid, it kinda sucks that I'm coming of age at the worst possible time for milsurps. Thankfully, I have a Mosin, Mauser, Carcano, and Arisaka that I paid less than $350 for each. RIP my future though...
ruby gang press F for surplus firearms. I remember buying my first firearm. It was a Mosin Nagant m91/30 in great condition. I had just turned 18 and went to a gun show. The seller was asking 115 and me and my buddy pooled all our cash money and could only come up with $105 and change. (Yes I paid him back for what I borrowed.) I started packing up our stray bills and planned to walk off when the seller said to me something it'll never forget. "When I was young and buying my first rifle someone helped me out by lowering the price a little so I could get into the hobby. Sometimes I like to pay it forward and I hope one day you get the chance to do the same." It's probably part of the reason I am so into firearms today. If I hadn't left that gun show with that rifle I probably would of pushed off the desire until it was too late. I got lucky and happened upon someone nice who actually cares about bringing the new generation into the hobby. Not some old fudd who thinks I'll shoot my eye out or another Mr. Scrooge. Either way hope I get to pay it forward one day. Also did I say ruby? Yha I did. ruby. There I said it. Now go jerk it to your watch time. #joke
I bought my first Remington 700 in .270 from an old guy who had a hobby pawn shop. Grandaddy was friends with him so it didn’t matter that I was 15 lol. I was short change by about $100 before the price of the scope on it. I happened to have about that much in Walmart gift cards, so I tried it. He laughed and said that Walmart cards are as good as cash so why not. He even tossed in the scope for free. I’ve killed several deer with that gun from 100-450 yards since then. Drops em every time!
I live in the Philippines. Expensive or not, you folks in the US are very lucky to have access to so much military surplus rifles. Even with our gun culture in the Philippines, classic military surplus rifles are almost impossible to find here. I own a few firearms and wish I had more choices. The last of the Philippine government stockpiles of M1 Garands and Carbines have been sent back to the US and are now being sold there as CMP rifles.
That's true. We need to remember that we are still in a nice market area, even if its not quite as accessible as it used to be. Also, if you have managed to accumulate some nice firearms remember, before you know it you will have kids and start to turn into an old man and these guns, properly cared for, will long outlast you. I inherited some shotguns from my grandfather, guns we shot together for years. He put those cheesy 70's name tapes on them so we could find ours easily at the range stand, and 15 years after he was gone I still can't bring myself to take them off. I wouldn't sell his old 870 for 10K. At 50k maybe...I'd be afraid his ghost might descend from the ceiling and slap the snot out of me if I didn't sell it then. Nice Ruby by the way.
Ruby, the funniest thing to me is that Draco's are going for almost 5 times what they used to... Not because they're a chopped up Romanian imports, but because some rapper mentioned them a few months ago. What a time to be a gun nut...
I'm in my early 20s and I completely agree with this. Every single point. I was only able to get into collecting in the past two years and it's a nightmare. I was fortunate to jump on the RTI/IO Ethiopian import last year and got a K98 and a No4Mk1*. And was able to get a Garand from CMP as well. I'm fortunate though because I'm young with no severe debt and a decent job. The past year has been nuts and even social media affects the cost of guns. Have a buddy with a 553, and after the Garand Thumb 552 video its value doubled. It sucks because I'm not interested in AR-15 variant number 8754cumblaster edition, or another AK but it's now chambered in 5.56 or some shit. Even in the realm of tactical, we don't get any good stuff anymore. Beretta doesn't import 70/90s, HK refuses to import any roller lock rifles, S&T Motiv/Daewoo don't import K2s. The list of interesting tactical rifles is dried up, so even guns like DR200s that came in the AWB form in the 90s are now collectable military arms. I think people are getting bored, and they're resorting to more interesting things because innovation in the current firearms market has almost entirely stagnated for a decade.
Yeah I’m pretty much in the same boat... glad I have what I got before it got bad, but I would not pay the prices that a lot of people are charging for things now. Luckily there are still some good deals if you are diligent and have a fair amount of luck, for now.
@@tacticaltrains4992 CORRECT....to have a firearm you can expect to KEEP you WILL get 80% lowers of some kind or another... I do contract work at a retail place and listen to the guys who deal with selling guns. Spend an hour listening to these guys discus the ABSENCE of any privacy in gun purchasing at their storefront and the constant paperwork snarls and purchasers being hassled by the ATF and you never visit an FFL again. Only safe firearm to possess is a 80% lower you NEVER register.....
Parts kit market is doing the same thing. The PPSH-41 kit I bought for $500 crept up to $650 on the second import batch. $250 Romy AK's now doubled and some cases tripled in price. It is what it is, unfortunately.
I’d be all over that I mean you technically could if you got a class 3 permit but I’d never do it unless actual surplus M4 carbines and M16s hit the market
I’m still so sad that Canada destroyed most of our C1 FALs, I understand why they might not want them in Canada but Americans would’ve snapped them up.
I've thought about cashing in on the absurd selling prices and selling off part of my collection...but I don't want to be that guy. I feel bad for some of the high prices I've paid for some things in the past and don't want to take part in fucking someone else. The fact that less-than-desirable Mosins and Mausers are going for 600, 700, 800, etc. is depressing, especially since that is how most of us got into this hobby. 😑
yeah it's a shit situation I'm in a similar place with some gas masks I own. But I don't think it'll change anytime soon because even though everyone knows that if they didn't buy these absurdly priced collectables they're go down in price people are still paying.
Glad you didn't. Being an old guy...7 decades...the collection part needs to continue in your family. Put it in your will and name your kids in trust now.
What’s wrong with selling a firearm at the current market price? Sold a couple of my rifles for a 50%+ gain recently because I never shoot them and want to get rid of most non essential weapons in my collection. Now only keep one rifle in each major caliber plus a couple extras that I really like
@@clownworld4655 lol go back to /biz But all joke aside the problem is they are deflationary in nature. You might sell one and not find a replacement unless it’s for an even higher price. They aren’t manufactured, I actually bought the parts and restored two German K98ks
In 2019 I used to buy 15 rounds of surplus 7.62x54r for 4 bucks a box at Gat Guns and a month ago i saw the same exact box with the damn sticker from the store for 14 bucks 🤣
I was able to afford two K98s an SKS and a G43 , among other things, being a teenager working at Walmart around 1999 - 2000 ....to try and get one of those rifles now is such an unobtainable concept, you’d have to practically get a personal loan. I’m so glad I still have my G43 after all these years !
Any ww2 stuff is pretty crazy, some ww1 stuff is within the realm of possibility. Trying to build my frontline rifles of ww1 collection I’ve gotten almost everything I want except a gewehr 98
Unfortunately I got into this game late, being 24 i missed the glory days back in the 90s with the "$40 nagants" and what not. I still do enjoy grabbing a few deals every now and again. I'm sure for you guys that have been doing this longer than I've been alive yeah this hobby is totally dead
For real. If I wasn’t born in 97 and actually was old enough to buy guns back in the day I would have an absurd amount of firearms for cheaper than I’ve paid for the small collection I have now
I blame the old bastards in this game, sitting on some Mauser they never cleaned for 4 decades and then trying to sell it for 2000 bucks. Fuck them I’ll just buy older commercial arms from the 30’s to get my old gun fix
Yes I bought one at big5 and a cz bruno mauser for 60 bucks it was awesome and ammo was cheap as hell. AR15s were expensive and AKs were dirt cheap sks were 80 dollars and up.
Sad I'm late to this party. Theres one rifle I cant even find, another I dont even know is a good price and the rest are things that are restricted. Just gonna make a semi auto sten and see if that tickles my fancy. Thanks for the opinions
One way is to simply pick a time period + nation, and start buying within that realm. You'll never have enough money to get all of the WW2 weapons from all countries, for example, so you might as well choose a collection theme and stick with it. Be mindful that you will almost always be spending more money to get parts kits guns up and running than you would with just good-old fashioned C&R weapons. Source: I gave up C&R to build parts kits when I can find them.
It’s a similar situation with reloading. A lot of new people are trying to start now and they’re asking what equipment they need and I keep telling them if they can’t find primers, powder or bullets not to bother. It’s been 6 to 9 months since I’ve seen these for sale in my area.
That's way different than the surplus military arms. The reloading components will come back. Today I saw a lot more Hornady bullets on shelves and a few .30 Sierras. Scored 1k each of small rifle and small pistol couple weeks ago by sheer luck of timing. Stay chill we've been down this road before.
@@Quadrenaro Hornady is not far away so that's mostly what's on the shelves this week. A month ago there was nothing. Trade some Hornadys for primers! LOL
I have been trying to find pistol primers for 3-4 months now. I finally managed to place an order, now we'll see if it even gets filled and shipped. Just got lucky I guess, happened to check Brownells and they were in stock. I placed my order, and in less than an hour the website went from 'In Stock' to 'Email me when Available'.
Ruby... tells me that I was foolish for thinking things would stay the same and I'd always be able to get the cool guns I wanted. Although higher prices have an effect, what I didn't see coming were my state's idiotic laws.
On the subject of the massive market of firearms in the 50s-60s. My dad’s first job was in a surplus store in 1965 and his store used to have several massive barrels stuffed with surplus rifles like they were broomsticks. German k98s and 1903s were 10.99, M1 Garands were 29.99. Even in the late 60s and early 70s he was selling G43s for under 50$. No one knew they would become so pricy
Honestly, because of everything, Not only did I stop buying firearms, but I started focusing on my other love, motorsports and cars. While I miss shooting, racing certainly has helped me cope and I have legit every firearm I could ever need or want, myself anyhow! Ruby, I made it this far!
@@libertylivesin1776 a German k98k is worth 1500 to 3k now. If you bubba it and try to sell it no ones going to buy it unless they buy it for parts for far cheaper
I dont think the Hobby is ruined. You were just early to Milsurps. And you got the best pricing. Milsurps were always scarce. It's just that most people did not appreciate how scarce. Pricing on rare or scarce items has to rise sooner or later. Good video.
no. the 90's were when garands started getting expensive. I wanted one, but I didnt want to pay 300 bucks for an 85 dollar rifle..... now I dont want to pay 1200 bucks for a 300 dollar garand.
I remember Cabela's in Nebraska having litteraly 100s of British Enfields for $100. I thought they were ugly and not a caliber I wanted to get into... I still have my Mosins and SKS's!
I'm 15 just got into this with my dad. Most I've spent was 700 on my M1, but on my mosin I spent 150 my SKS was 100, my M1903 was 50 and my 1861 was free. I don't see myself getting lucky again and getting anything cheap again.
I turned 18 in 2013. All I wanted to buy was an AR and an AK it took another 2 years before I found ones that weren't priced sky high for the time. All the surplus pieces I could find in my price range were not parts matching. I also settled for some reproductions (i.e. norinco sks, Baikal makarov, etc.). I did find some nice pre-1989 guns, but those weren't cheap. I think I'll do a video from my point of view from my time period. Also haw video games influenced many of the gun collectors from my age range
"Ruby" Good video, sad, but true. I kinda realized it after I kinda got into surplus a couple years with a few iconic surplus guns I really wanted and I did get, for a price of course. I got the 3 I really wanted and I'm done, unfortunately. A refurbished, shooters grade, Tula 1953 Russian SKS, a CMP refurbished M1 Garand(also 1953) and an 1965 East German Makarov pistol. I'm glad to have them, but any other surplus just isn't worth it anymore. Keep up the great work, Mike👍
Nailed it. I’d been working to gather my thoughts on a video on this topic and surplus Guns as an investment. With the outrageous prices of today, I think we’re seeing the top end for some pieces. A lot of people are gonna be left holding the bag, IMO. However, certain firearms will likely keep ballooning in value over the next few years.
Here in the UK the dealers have cornered the market. They import rifles very cheaply from countries that have a low cost of living and charge what the market can stand. I am convinced there is some sort of cartel because they all seem to price their rifles the same as each other. Auctions are not much better when you consider the commission . I think collecting and shooting these rifles has become a victim of it's own success. Too many people are trying to make a living out of it. Also if as a private individual you want to sell your Lee Enfield you are going to ask what a dealer would want or very near, it's human nature.
About the only sort of good transactions you will find are guys like me in my fifties/sixties that are retiring and moving into a smaller place and looking to thin the herd . The whole surplus market will depend on when they bought it, what they have, and what they think it’s worth...and of course greed . The greed is off the rails right now . A lot of guys want to die with all their toys and leave sales to their widows, you won’t find too many deals there.
My dad's step-father passed away in 2008. He had a couple of scatter guns for turkey and an SKS (think it was Chinese). Remembered to ask his widow about it soon after. My uncle packed them up right after the funeral. Assumed he sold them. His right to do so, of course. But I still kick myself for not acting sooner and making an offer on the SKS.
Thanks for the reader’s digest version of the “Surplus Story”. I’m older than you and I got started in the game a little bit before you, but I didn’t have the coin to get serious till the early 2000’s. Piled up a nice little collection, but like you, I’m stepping out too. It’s a ridiculous game now. Just happy with what I’ve got.
Turned 21 and got my C&R, 2006, I remember shot gun news and all that with mail order. I would just call in and place my order with my credit card and about a week later there is my order. 2012 was the board being placed on the coffin, right now is the nails being hammered in.
but the surplus gear market is still booming, but I do agree. i myself am looking to buy a lithcow MK.3 (because it is a mad rifle) but I found a jungle carbine for 950, but most normal MK.3's are 1K+ now days. i'd be stupid lucky to find one for 600.
@@MikeB128 at least I can sit back in my chair knowing I got my M1 helmet, M56 webbing, my sexy p88 auscam webbing, 1968 jungle boots, 2 cotton bandoliers, and repro 3rd pattern jungle fatigues.
Ruby I made it this far. It also comes down to ammunition too. As I understand it the Australian government would not release surplus 7.62mm ammo to the Australian market, but they did release it to the US at some stage. I don't know for sure if thats just how the tender went and it was sold to a US distributor, or if it was specifically to keep it out of Australians hands.
I got into it too late as well. Got my C&R license just as the pandemic started. Bought my first Mosin using the license for $325. My next two surplus guns (Garand ($650) and 1903A3($675)) were purchased at CMP. The only way I could afford a Garand is through CMP because those guns go for more than $1k on gun broker and other surplus sites these days. I have a list of guns I want to eventually get but the prices will have to drop, which I don't see happening soon. Along with the price of ammo, which is killing me as well.
The only hope us collectors have it people regretting buying some of their guns and a massive amount sell them. But even then the prices will only be slightly lower.
I recently won and purchased a Yugoslavian m24/47(my first milsurp) in a Gun Broker auction and when I went to my local FFL dealer to pick it up, the man behind the counter asked how much I payed for it and I told him my winning bid was $330 and he told me I got a really good deal. He then went on to tell me pretty much the same thing you said in this video all the while stating several more times that I got a really good deal.
100% agree with you. Last milsurp I bought was a Carcano, because they're cheap. Although ammo is almost impossible to find. Before the carcano, the last milsurp I bought was an Arisaka on 2018. I don't think I'll buy another milsurp in the near future. Ammo is scarce, expensive, qnd the milsurp guns are overpriced. So, my interest changed in the last four years and moved to collecting C&R shotguns. I use them for hunting, and at the beginning they were low priced. Since the covid, prices went up, so the last one I bought was a year ago.
I’m saddened by the state of everything. When I was a little girl my father took me to a gun store they had a Mosin for 80 dollars. I was confused what it was, and after he explained it to me, I immediately became infatuated. I wanted it badly, but 80 dollars was even too high of a price for my father. 2020 was the first year I had proper disposal income and I went to go and get exactly what I wanted. A nice Mosin... and the price... I ended up finding a Zastava M98/48 and I do love that one, but it wasn’t the Mosin that me as a little kid wanted. I still don’t have one. I’ve since branched out. I managed to get the Zastava, an Arisaka Type 99, and a tokarev... but I quite easily picked the wrong time to finally have money. My father died earlier this year, and I have him to thank for getting me interested in this history.
Man I miss the good ole days when the hobby was contained to some janky forums. Honestly the proliferation of the internet was the beginning of the end. There are no secrets anymore. Ruby out.
Ruby I made it this far. I'm so thankful I lucked out and found a 1943 Long Branch Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1* on the consignment rack for $200. It shoots magnificently, and despite having a sporterized stock, everything else is untouched, so I've been restoring it. Just need to find a full length walnut forearm, and she'll be back to historical status.
Ruby...The one point I disagree with is that people actually do have more disposable income now than they did 10-15 years ago, and that helps drive prices up. Instead of the "I'm not giving you $300 for that surplus pistol, it's only worth $275", people today seem to be "You want $375 for a pistol worth $275? Screw it, it's only $100, here you go..." I see that attitude a lot today.
Made it to Ruby! Very true and disheartening video. I got into these firearms around the same time at the tail end of their affordability and looking at the overall firearm scene right now, it is just infuriating seeing what's going on. Keep up the great content!
When a surplus bolt gun costs the same as an affordable commercial gun, why would I get something with no warranty that would require a gun smith for any kind of issue?
i bought a russian 1952 all matching numbers sks rifle, gave $499 for it,aboutsix years ago i thought that was to much money but i had to have it. now these days they are $700 or more
Ruby, Hey Mike, I was wondering how I could check the rifling on a Carcano m91 without doing a bullet test. It's an import from Italy, and I know it's the better batch. Any advice?
"didnt serve a sporting purpose" is the most common reason why the RCMP takes all our guns in Canada. Hopefully people will lose interest in the old stuff and the market will deflate (like that's gonna happen) For me it went downhill once i saw 7.62x54 going for $350 a can for 440 rounds. Ruby
I was getting into milsurp when it was still affordable but still on the rise, the first milsurp I bought was off armslist when I was 17, paid 220 for a type 53 mosin and 60 bucks for a half used spam can with 300 rounds in it. Fast forward today and I just paid 700 for a swedish Mauser. Times have changed
I feel ya. I’ve wanted a 1903 and a 1917 for years and for the last few years didn’t want to pay the insane prices. I hit the bullet in early 2020 and paid way way too much for a nice example of each. I got into collecting milsurps around 2015 so I have a small collection but unfortunately I think you’re correct the affordability aspect of it is long long gone and I’m sad I won’t be able to add as much to my collection as I’d like.
Affordable surplus still trickles onto the market, like the recent batches of Carcano carbines, but you have to constantly watch for these little windows of opportunity and be ready with your cash.
I have been fortunate enough to nab up a 1896 US Krag Jørgensen , 1857 Snider Enfield MKII, 1944 Karabiner 98K, 1916 SMLE MKIII*, 1763 Brown Bess Musket and a 1956 CETME.
Thank you Mike B! I love the history on firearms and you are so knowledgeable. You definitely helped me, i came across a last ditch Arisaka my friend has and we were under the impression to never shoot it, it would explode. Now we are going to get it checked out some more and may shoot it
can't imagine how worse it's going to get when we reach the end of the decade when i become old enough to have a job and get money to buy reenacting gear i really should give up on my dream of becoming a reenactor by now
My last good memory with seeing military surplus prices is when I was 13 with my pops in Dunhams seeing stuff lined up for pretty decent prices. Could get two or three m1 Garands for the price of one now. Got a moist nugget for 75 clams. Got it with with some b-day money. Got a spam can for 125 poop tickets (still havent gone threw it). Since ive been 18. I would slowly buy firearms here and there. It's a pretty small collection. Now getting into my mid to late 20's with a good job, and wanting to dig head first back into the hobby. It's impossible. Like others have stated in the comments, and you. This is the worst time for the new guys to start, or anyone like me wanting to get back into hobby thinking they had the money lol. I appreciate what I got, and my big goal was to get an m1 Garand. I settled with one from the CMP. I got mine just in time. Seems like orders are backed up more than ever, and stock is running low in their stores from what ive read. Since the lock down's happened. I basically told myself the same thing. Maybe i might not collect for a while. Even though im itching to get back to researching, and buying.
I started getting into the surplus guns around 2007. But in an odd way. I got a Yugo M48 for Christmas in 2005. So I had one prior, but still viewed them as 'old junk' even though I loved shooting the M48 and trusted it. Odd, I know. But I had been aware of the surplus guns in around the same time frame as you, 2003 or so. Viewed them very much even then as "old junk". I remember seeing loads of surplus rifles at Dunnham's and the likes back then for cheap. It was the M48 that slowly got me warmed up to them, and then I got a Yugo SKS and it went off from there. I was glad I got what I did when I did. But I regret not opening my mind to more common sense sooner. When I could have gotten my hands on a few rifles I REALLY want. Such as the K31s, various models of Enfields, etc. I hate my younger "THAT'S JUST OLD JUNK THOSE WILL BLOW UP" self.
And funny enough, to add. My first "junk rifle" I got after my Yugo SKS was this monstrosity of an Mosin M44. The front sight hood is bent, the wood is beat to hell, there is no finish on the wood and the finish on the metal is pretty much gone. It was one that the store was keeping in the back cause 'no one wanted it'. I ended up getting it ultra cheap because of that. They brought it out, I looked down the bore and saw it was pristine. I love that rifle, I would have said it was a diamond in the rough, but let's just call it a Ruby. ;) But it's a rifle I will never get rid of, no matter how shitty it looks.
It's not completely dead but it's getting close. I found a chilean mauser at my local gun shop. Stock is beat to hell, Some of the metal bits on the stock are rusted out but the action is strong, the barrel has a shockingly low amount of pitting in the barrel and the rifling ain't bad. 10k for it. Good price (jk I actually paid like 250) and there were a bunch of carcanos for 250 each. The only problem with my mauser is I can't find ammo for it.
I'm an '03 kid. Obviously I picked a bad time to grow up cause holy shit I can't find any gun at a reasonable price. It's probably also due to my lack of knowledge, but I think I'll just settle for a Carcano and ditch.
I got into it In 2013 and the guns on his wall behind him have been running me almost 500$-1300$ (CAN$). I’m sad that it costs so much but makes obtaining them and preserving history all that more special
What do you think about surplus guns that have the stocks sanded and lacquer put on them? Does it ruin the collector value or is it seen as a preserving method?
Sadly a very accurate video. In the late 50s and early 60s we all bought surplus to hunt with. I took delivery on my first AK 5 days before Newtown. I won’t be buying very much in the future although l keep looking. There were unappreciated milsurps up until the covid crisis when they went away. Your advice about research is so important to avoid getting ripped off. I can’t believe the numbers of buyers on gunbroker with 0 or 1-2 purchases that overbid and force prices to a ridiculous level. Keep up the good work hopefully young guys will listen to your advice.
I've been working on restoring surplus firearms for a while now. Trying to get 1 rifle and 1 pistol from every major nation in WWII (Germany and Russia were surprisingly easy to get done). Problem I've noticed is the lack of import for surplus in general. If we opened up to Eastern Europe and especially russia, we would see a ton of surplus guns coming in. But our government wont do that.
Roux bee. Around 3 years ago I bought a pile of parts from a friend for $20 that, when assembled, turned into a type 53 Mosin Nagant. I've since added about 15 other milsurps to my collection and I wish it were a cheaper hobby to collect and feed these guns.
Well you got one of the best Mausers on the planet’ the Zastava made mausers are awesome in fit’ finish and overall quality’ most Serbian firearms are for that matter’ you could send a turd to Zastava and get it back in a better design’ they are awesome
I agree with you. I just renewed my C&R FFL, but wonder if I'll ever use it again, because prices have gone thru the roof in just the last six months. I started buying surplus Mauser rifles from around the world a long time ago, and now I can't afford them anymore. The biggest shock for me is that black powder reproduction firearms are sold out and out of stock at most large retailers now. Have restrictions been put on importing those guns from Italy recently?
I had about 20 mausers and sold them all when I was out of work about five years ago. I had collected them since the early 90s easily one of the worst decisions. Yeah it's definitely over.
Ruby, great channel. Just started following. Its sad how things are going for surplus guns and surplus equipment. There's a handful of firearms id like to have, but didn't have the money at the time so I guess that ship has sailed,lol. Thanks again the vid!
After the American Civil War in 1865 a man named Francis Bannerman VI founded a Military Surplus -Firearms Company. Which grew and grew. In the year 1900, Mr. Bannerman purchased an island in the Hudson river near Newburgh NY (Pollepell Island) also later referred to as Bannerman's Island where he had built a hugh Castle that he used as his gaint Warehouse and stored surplus US Civil War and foreign Military surplus firearms etc. Mr. Bannerman was known for his 300 page Military surplus catalog. On 19. June 1901 at a US government auction Mr. Bannerman purchased some 30.000 Military surplus revolvers of this lot some 4.982 were the virtually brand new in storage Rodgers &Spencer 1864 percussion revolvers from the US government for some 25 cents a piece. Which originally cost the US Government $12.00 a peice in 1864. After Mr. Bannerman's Company went out of business other Military Surplus Firearms companies arouse such as ,Ye Old Hunter and Century International Arms etc.
Keep your head up kings! Good deals can still be found every so often. In the last 3 months I paid $250 for a yugo sks, $300 for a scw wz29 mauser, and $125 for a last ditch type 99
@@googlepissoff5776 Getting lucky through private sales and sometimes at gun stores. The yugo sks was bubbad to shit and had a nasty bore, but the seller kept the original stock and hardware so I had around $250 put into it after fixing it. I got the wz.29 from a guy who listed it as a "spanish mauser", and the arisaka from a gun store which didn't really know its value. Just keep your eye out for good deals and don't be picky
Great explanation, everything spot on. Gun control 100% is bi-partisan and I'm fact alot of gun laws are passed by predominantly republican controlled government. Unfortunately people don't look at history and how parties vote.
It was a pretty interesting talk, Mike. Ruby! I'm from japan and while I do enjoy the upside of basically having no-one with guns around, I also see the historical and recreational values of being able to touch and handle the real things, and shoot them at non-fresh targets and so on (and they just look and sound cool even on videos!), and* I know the fear and pain of having the things of your passion taken away, so it is rather sad to see nice people who are just enjoying themselves without hurting anybody get the short end of the stick. I may be very naive in thinking this, but I hope there comes a day when guns are somehow less, or even truly non lethal, or people can't and won't hurt each other with guns (or, at least it is MUCH harder to than it is now) somehow, or both. Maybe someone will invent a new type of round that's much less lethal than the current "non lethal" rounds, but can still hit things far away... something like that. I know that won't cater to the every kind of wants with guns, but I think having something tends to be better than nothing. And I can dream, right? I also think it would be cool if virtual reality and/or augmented reality technology could fill in the absence of the real thing (whether that's the gun itself, or bullet, target, physical range space, or else) and mitigate the need for it. I'm pretty much just an outsider to the hobby looking in, but I think this kind of discussion is worth having. Maybe we'll come up with cool new ideas. *I'm a big fan of all sorts of (mostly) Japanese anime, manga & video games, including the "weirdest of stuff" that many people with more mainstream sensibility or moral beliefs/world views may find very questionable or repulsive; some (perhaps quite a lot of) people find fantasy sex, violence, etc. weird, and some people think they are dangerous, and try to erase them from existence.
Violence stems from a lack of morality, not availability of instruments. If mankind has the will to fight, and no moral code to restrain and direct that willingness, violence without reason is the result.
Seems to be anything that's not a glock or an ar these days. Try finding a beater winchester 94, savage 99 or Remington 760 hell even single shot 12ga's for prices that aren't insane. Pretty sad you can't get into anything interesting these days
You know it's sad when the only Surp I could get is a Vetterli-Carcano conversation. Then I got a Martini Henry. That's all I could find. Looking at Carcano Truppe Specials now.
I turned 18 too late haha. Loved firearms since I was a young boy, told my dad to buy a crate of mosins for a few hundred like 6 years ago and he said no.
I wanted an Enfield so bad that I just said screw it and bought a surplus one. Luckily it’s numbers matching and not in that bad of shape for $550. Great vid, Ruby :)
Oh how times have changed. I remember when my dad (an FFL) was selling Norinco SKS rifles new in cosmoline for $119 back in the 1980's and he basically had to give away Nagants. I am happy I have what I have. I just wish I could find ammo!
There isn't much out there that could potentially come into the country anyway ... anything semi-auto is highly frowned upon by the UN/NATO/ others, so we're looking for caches of 100 year old rifles at this point ... and there aren't that many left to even come into the country ... even if they weren't banned :(
Last deals I found were ~2017 Gew1911 for $200, Type 99 with mum for $250 and an Argentine 1891 Mauser for $300. Parts kits and surplus furniture is even stupid now. A Romy dong is like ~$50 now. I used to buy surplus AK furniture because it was fun, cheap and sometimes had trench art. All good things must come to an end I guess.
Guy's we've been late to the party for awhile. I started in 2012 and the only thing available really back then were Mosins, which at the time were starting to climb in price. I remember reading some NRA magazines from 2004-08 and they were advertising k98s I believe for 89-150 bucks. Damn I wish I were old enough back then.
I like having all common milsurps . 8 mm Mauser., Mosin Nagant,. SKS ,. Makerov Pistols. Ammo readily available. Yes it's scarce but if you are a prepper you are Ok on Ammo
I got lucky going into the service and moving overseas and managed to pick up some Swiss straight pull rifles. The supply does exist, we just can’t get them.
I hate the fact that I’ve become an adult just as militaria as a whole has been skyrocketing in price. Being a complete nerd for the First World War is horrible for today. Even the Second World War is so much more pricey than it once was. I like being born in the 21st century, but it makes militaria collecting so goddamn expensive.
As soon as bad mosins started selling for $300+ I knew I was running out of time
Exactly...even in 2016 you could find crisp, fresh barreled Mosins and Mosin carbines for ~$175 at local shops...now the minimum I've seen is $475! 😒
@@greyhoundTex last year I saw a mosin with a horrendous cracked stock and no magazine for 300 probably wasn't the only thing wrong with it too
Yup. Got my 91/30 Mosin for $200 a couple years ago and sold it for $570 a month ago (used the money to immediately buy a Romanian M44). My Galil has gone up in value even more as well as my PSL before I sold it
@@greyhoundTex I just snagged one for $250 lol
I got you beat my local gun store has a mosin in terrible condition for 700, nothing special about it not rare just a common mosin. And an uncaptured k98 for 1200 also in piss poor shape.
I love how I joined the firearm hobby at the worst time possible.
Believe it or not, antique status firearms and commercial, sporting C&R guns are still pretty attainable. More people give a shit about mosins than they do that oddball hunting shotgun made in the early 50s. Single shot breech loading rifles like Martini Henrys and Greeners can sometimes be found at a decent price. It's the absolute worst time if your main interest is military surplus, though.
Same here. I turned 18 just a few months ago 😥
F
@@provenancemachining good luck finding some .303 for cheap though
@@provenancemachining not for cheap but you know somewhere not expensive
When Chinese SKS were going for 1000 bucks on gunbroker that when it died.
When retailers like classic psa jgsales all sold out of that Albanian import the prices all went to 500, then the pandemic hit, then Biden showed up and people went full retatd. I've seen 2000 for a clean russian sks
Back in the day I bought an SKS for $100.00. That was a good day.
I remember when Cheaper Than Dirt used to frequent Dallas/Ft. Worth area gun shows and Michael Tenney (the owner) used to sell the Norinco SKS's for $49 a piece your choice the standard version with the 20" bbl. or the "Paratrooper" model with the 16" bbl.
Gunbroker has always been fucking trash.
@@TacticalJackalope I saw a “paratrooper” model for 800 at the last gunshow, every vendor was some chain smoking retard who thinks “patina” increases value. It doesn’t, and I don’t know how many times they’ll go to a show and sell absolutely nothing before that point is made clear to them
“The military surplus hobby is dead and we have killed it”
What seems to be the gist of it, yeah
Time to go Kyhber Pass..
Nice Nietzsche reference. Prost.
“The government and gun companies we love today are the reason it’s dried up and dead”
@@tambrody2684
Doesn't seem like the firearms industry is concerned about whether or not we can afford guns. Makes the deep state a little stronger.
Un
I'm 60, got .45-70 when I was in high school for $75, but I had no money then, the '80's, a Garand and a carbine and an Enfield but then in the mid '90's I met an older gentleman collector, that first generation of guys who was a huge help to me, learned so much from him. Got a C&R FFL, read Shotgun News ads then the glory days of the mid '90's to the early 2000's with SOG, Century, Samco, Ellisons, thats where I built up my collection. A bunch of old gun nerds is what we were. Its not fun and affordable any more.
loved getting the little ads from SOG samco etc. sucks many will not get to see how it feels to be in that collecting era.
Aha..The mid-90's guns for nothing and ammo by the crate....and early 2000's most collectors had grey hair and big potbellys and started selling there 80$ Enfields for stupid crazy prices like 500-900 dollar profit.
Sadly it aint. I just got into it a few years ago and I can't afford much at all. Especially now
Shotgun News and a Century account was all I needed. lol Should've gotten into C&R milsurps when my dad did, in the mid 1980s. He picked up some primo stuff while I was only interested in machines that could take a 30 rd mag. It was fun and a fairy cheap hobby, cheaper than race cars.
M1 Garand's are cheaper than SKS's. It's incredible.
Does the CMP still have some? Thought their website was out of date.
Wait really??? I need to get one then. Got my sks back when they were $250 and even that was expensive for one at the time lol
Right? Not for long, though, I’m sure...
Glad I got my norinco for under 500 lol
If anyone has an M1 they would like to trade me for my ChiCom SKS, let me know. I'll throw in a bamboo toggled chest ammo pouch and 67 rounds of 7.62x39 and buy lunch at Chick-fil-A for us when we meet up to make the trade!
Being a 2001 kid, it kinda sucks that I'm coming of age at the worst possible time for milsurps. Thankfully, I have a Mosin, Mauser, Carcano, and Arisaka that I paid less than $350 for each. RIP my future though...
Good starter collection, each rifle has about tripled in price in my area :(
Just get a good modern weapon like an AR-15. They can still be bought or built relatively cheaply (about $500).
yeah you can still find arisakas for under that i bought mine for 260 you just have to lowball since nobody ever seems to buy them
@@d3734 Ya, those are nice, but they just are a little bit too common for my tastes.
Do what I'm doing. Start collecting shitty mid 90's wonder 9's next year when you hit 21. Only thing left, but some of them are kinda cool
ruby gang press F for surplus firearms. I remember buying my first firearm. It was a Mosin Nagant m91/30 in great condition. I had just turned 18 and went to a gun show. The seller was asking 115 and me and my buddy pooled all our cash money and could only come up with $105 and change. (Yes I paid him back for what I borrowed.) I started packing up our stray bills and planned to walk off when the seller said to me something it'll never forget. "When I was young and buying my first rifle someone helped me out by lowering the price a little so I could get into the hobby. Sometimes I like to pay it forward and I hope one day you get the chance to do the same." It's probably part of the reason I am so into firearms today. If I hadn't left that gun show with that rifle I probably would of pushed off the desire until it was too late. I got lucky and happened upon someone nice who actually cares about bringing the new generation into the hobby. Not some old fudd who thinks I'll shoot my eye out or another Mr. Scrooge.
Either way hope I get to pay it forward one day. Also did I say ruby? Yha I did. ruby. There I said it. Now go jerk it to your watch time. #joke
I bought my first Remington 700 in .270 from an old guy who had a hobby pawn shop. Grandaddy was friends with him so it didn’t matter that I was 15 lol. I was short change by about $100 before the price of the scope on it. I happened to have about that much in Walmart gift cards, so I tried it. He laughed and said that Walmart cards are as good as cash so why not. He even tossed in the scope for free. I’ve killed several deer with that gun from 100-450 yards since then. Drops em every time!
I live in the Philippines. Expensive or not, you folks in the US are very lucky to have access to so much military surplus rifles. Even with our gun culture in the Philippines, classic military surplus rifles are almost impossible to find here. I own a few firearms and wish I had more choices. The last of the Philippine government stockpiles of M1 Garands and Carbines have been sent back to the US and are now being sold there as CMP rifles.
That's true. We need to remember that we are still in a nice market area, even if its not quite as accessible as it used to be. Also, if you have managed to accumulate some nice firearms remember, before you know it you will have kids and start to turn into an old man and these guns, properly cared for, will long outlast you. I inherited some shotguns from my grandfather, guns we shot together for years. He put those cheesy 70's name tapes on them so we could find ours easily at the range stand, and 15 years after he was gone I still can't bring myself to take them off. I wouldn't sell his old 870 for 10K. At 50k maybe...I'd be afraid his ghost might descend from the ceiling and slap the snot out of me if I didn't sell it then. Nice Ruby by the way.
I fear no man
But that thing it scares me
“Moist Nugget Rifle”
Lmao
Ruby, the funniest thing to me is that Draco's are going for almost 5 times what they used to... Not because they're a chopped up Romanian imports, but because some rapper mentioned them a few months ago. What a time to be a gun nut...
I'm in my early 20s and I completely agree with this. Every single point. I was only able to get into collecting in the past two years and it's a nightmare. I was fortunate to jump on the RTI/IO Ethiopian import last year and got a K98 and a No4Mk1*. And was able to get a Garand from CMP as well. I'm fortunate though because I'm young with no severe debt and a decent job. The past year has been nuts and even social media affects the cost of guns. Have a buddy with a 553, and after the Garand Thumb 552 video its value doubled.
It sucks because I'm not interested in AR-15 variant number 8754cumblaster edition, or another AK but it's now chambered in 5.56 or some shit.
Even in the realm of tactical, we don't get any good stuff anymore. Beretta doesn't import 70/90s, HK refuses to import any roller lock rifles, S&T Motiv/Daewoo don't import K2s. The list of interesting tactical rifles is dried up, so even guns like DR200s that came in the AWB form in the 90s are now collectable military arms. I think people are getting bored, and they're resorting to more interesting things because innovation in the current firearms market has almost entirely stagnated for a decade.
I feel bad for the young guys that are really into mil surp ..
Yeah I’m pretty much in the same boat... glad I have what I got before it got bad, but I would not pay the prices that a lot of people are charging for things now. Luckily there are still some good deals if you are diligent and have a fair amount of luck, for now.
Looking at a future of AR15s and Glocks forever.
"Ar-15 8754cumblaster edition" LMFAO 😅😅😅
@@tacticaltrains4992 CORRECT....to have a firearm you can expect to KEEP you WILL get 80% lowers of some
kind or another... I do contract work at a retail place and listen to the guys who deal with selling guns. Spend
an hour listening to these guys discus the ABSENCE of any privacy in gun purchasing at their storefront and
the constant paperwork snarls and purchasers being hassled by the ATF and you never visit an FFL again.
Only safe firearm to possess is a 80% lower you NEVER register.....
Parts kit market is doing the same thing. The PPSH-41 kit I bought for $500 crept up to $650 on the second import batch. $250 Romy AK's now doubled and some cases tripled in price. It is what it is, unfortunately.
Yeah, it's over.
@@MikeB128 But you know what isn't over? FUCKING R U B Y
At the rate these things keep going up in price eventually H&K will be the budget brand
If this was truly a free country we could all buy surplus M4 carbines and M16’s.
I’d be all over that I mean you technically could if you got a class 3 permit but I’d never do it unless actual surplus M4 carbines and M16s hit the market
I’m still so sad that Canada destroyed most of our C1 FALs, I understand why they might not want them in Canada but Americans would’ve snapped them up.
I saw one for sale in Sault St Marie for about $500 in 2018. Lord I wish I could have brought that beauty back to the US.
I've thought about cashing in on the absurd selling prices and selling off part of my collection...but I don't want to be that guy. I feel bad for some of the high prices I've paid for some things in the past and don't want to take part in fucking someone else. The fact that less-than-desirable Mosins and Mausers are going for 600, 700, 800, etc. is depressing, especially since that is how most of us got into this hobby. 😑
yeah it's a shit situation I'm in a similar place with some gas masks I own. But I don't think it'll change anytime soon because even though everyone knows that if they didn't buy these absurdly priced collectables they're go down in price people are still paying.
Glad you didn't. Being an old guy...7 decades...the collection part needs to continue in your family. Put it in your will and name your kids in trust now.
What’s wrong with selling a firearm at the current market price? Sold a couple of my rifles for a 50%+ gain recently because I never shoot them and want to get rid of most non essential weapons in my collection. Now only keep one rifle in each major caliber plus a couple extras that I really like
@@clownworld4655 lol go back to /biz
But all joke aside the problem is they are deflationary in nature. You might sell one and not find a replacement unless it’s for an even higher price. They aren’t manufactured, I actually bought the parts and restored two German K98ks
In 2019 I used to buy 15 rounds of surplus 7.62x54r for 4 bucks a box at Gat Guns and a month ago i saw the same exact box with the damn sticker from the store for 14 bucks 🤣
I see online 30-06 hunting ammo go from $20 a box to $100. Thats $5 a round just for Remington/Winchester etc. hunting grade ammo
In 2007 a new in wrap M44 with a can of 440rds was $89 ........
Gat Guns, I know where you’re from. Stuck in shifty Illinois like me 😩
@@rickhunter6513 lol' you need a state I.D. to buy ammo....
I was able to afford two K98s an SKS and a G43 , among other things, being a teenager working at Walmart around 1999 - 2000 ....to try and get one of those rifles now is such an unobtainable concept, you’d have to practically get a personal loan. I’m so glad I still have my G43 after all these years !
Any ww2 stuff is pretty crazy, some ww1 stuff is within the realm of possibility. Trying to build my frontline rifles of ww1 collection I’ve gotten almost everything I want except a gewehr 98
Unfortunately I got into this game late, being 24 i missed the glory days back in the 90s with the "$40 nagants" and what not. I still do enjoy grabbing a few deals every now and again. I'm sure for you guys that have been doing this longer than I've been alive yeah this hobby is totally dead
For real. If I wasn’t born in 97 and actually was old enough to buy guns back in the day I would have an absurd amount of firearms for cheaper than I’ve paid for the small collection I have now
I blame the old bastards in this game, sitting on some Mauser they never cleaned for 4 decades and then trying to sell it for 2000 bucks. Fuck them I’ll just buy older commercial arms from the 30’s to get my old gun fix
Don't worry I was around for much better times even in the early 00's and never had the disposable to buy anything until recent.
Yes I bought one at big5 and a cz bruno mauser for 60 bucks it was awesome and ammo was cheap as hell. AR15s were expensive and AKs were dirt cheap sks were 80 dollars and up.
Sad I'm late to this party. Theres one rifle I cant even find, another I dont even know is a good price and the rest are things that are restricted. Just gonna make a semi auto sten and see if that tickles my fancy. Thanks for the opinions
One way is to simply pick a time period + nation, and start buying within that realm. You'll never have enough money to get all of the WW2 weapons from all countries, for example, so you might as well choose a collection theme and stick with it. Be mindful that you will almost always be spending more money to get parts kits guns up and running than you would with just good-old fashioned C&R weapons. Source: I gave up C&R to build parts kits when I can find them.
It’s a similar situation with reloading. A lot of new people are trying to start now and they’re asking what equipment they need and I keep telling them if they can’t find primers, powder or bullets not to bother. It’s been 6 to 9 months since I’ve seen these for sale in my area.
I'm fortunate to live near a primer factory so our gun shops get weekly shipments.
That's way different than the surplus military arms. The reloading components will come back. Today I saw a lot more Hornady bullets on shelves and a few .30 Sierras. Scored 1k each of small rifle and small pistol couple weeks ago by sheer luck of timing. Stay chill we've been down this road before.
@@Quadrenaro Hornady is not far away so that's mostly what's on the shelves this week. A month ago there was nothing. Trade some Hornadys for primers! LOL
I have been trying to find pistol primers for 3-4 months now. I finally managed to place an order, now we'll see if it even gets filled and shipped. Just got lucky I guess, happened to check Brownells and they were in stock. I placed my order, and in less than an hour the website went from 'In Stock' to 'Email me when Available'.
Ruby... tells me that I was foolish for thinking things would stay the same and I'd always be able to get the cool guns I wanted. Although higher prices have an effect, what I didn't see coming were my state's idiotic laws.
On the subject of the massive market of firearms in the 50s-60s. My dad’s first job was in a surplus store in 1965 and his store used to have several massive barrels stuffed with surplus rifles like they were broomsticks. German k98s and 1903s were 10.99, M1 Garands were 29.99. Even in the late 60s and early 70s he was selling G43s for under 50$. No one knew they would become so pricy
Honestly, because of everything, Not only did I stop buying firearms, but I started focusing on my other love, motorsports and cars. While I miss shooting, racing certainly has helped me cope and I have legit every firearm I could ever need or want, myself anyhow!
Ruby, I made it this far!
So upsetting when you see a kar98 with and synthetic stock and a large scope
Fuck off. People can do what they want with THEIR property.
@Hunter Smith The market and it's demand determines price not what you think it needs to be. Pay it or don't. That's capitalism.
@@libertylivesin1776 NO DOUBT!! when paying $200.00 for a rifle & spending $400.00 to make it worth $50.00. Milsurp...
@@libertylivesin1776 a German k98k is worth 1500 to 3k now. If you bubba it and try to sell it no ones going to buy it unless they buy it for parts for far cheaper
I paid $65 for a cosmoline covered, in the box SKS in the early 90s and now they're going for $800 or more. Times have definitely changed.
I dont think the Hobby is ruined. You were just early to Milsurps. And you got the best pricing. Milsurps were always scarce. It's just that most people did not appreciate how scarce. Pricing on rare or scarce items has to rise sooner or later. Good video.
The 90's was the best time for surplus
It was a magical time. SKS, AKs, Garands, carbines, Dragunovs, every flavor or Mauser from every corner of the planet.
no. the 90's were when garands started getting expensive. I wanted one, but I didnt want to pay 300 bucks for an 85 dollar rifle..... now I dont want to pay 1200 bucks for a 300 dollar garand.
I remember Cabela's in Nebraska having litteraly 100s of British Enfields for $100. I thought they were ugly and not a caliber I wanted to get into... I still have my Mosins and SKS's!
@@lukewarmwater6412 Think you're living in Elbonia with those prices.
90s and early 2000s
I'm 15 just got into this with my dad. Most I've spent was 700 on my M1, but on my mosin I spent 150 my SKS was 100, my M1903 was 50 and my 1861 was free. I don't see myself getting lucky again and getting anything cheap again.
@Another Shadow Unfortunately not in the gun market, surplus or otherwise
Be grateful. Sounds like your dad is a pretty cool guy.
I turned 18 in 2013. All I wanted to buy was an AR and an AK it took another 2 years before I found ones that weren't priced sky high for the time. All the surplus pieces I could find in my price range were not parts matching. I also settled for some reproductions (i.e. norinco sks, Baikal makarov, etc.). I did find some nice pre-1989 guns, but those weren't cheap. I think I'll do a video from my point of view from my time period. Also haw video games influenced many of the gun collectors from my age range
"Ruby" Good video, sad, but true. I kinda realized it after I kinda got into surplus a couple years with a few iconic surplus guns I really wanted and I did get, for a price of course. I got the 3 I really wanted and I'm done, unfortunately. A refurbished, shooters grade, Tula 1953 Russian SKS, a CMP refurbished M1 Garand(also 1953) and an 1965 East German Makarov pistol. I'm glad to have them, but any other surplus just isn't worth it anymore. Keep up the great work, Mike👍
I payed 175 for SKS in 1990/that had a brand new bore 7.62/x 54 were around 50/ bought 1918 303enfield for 100/in good shape what a change in prices
what a great time for me to turn 18! Ruby!
Mike I love your healthy skeptism and perspective of the hobby. I'm right there with you, Too young to be old, too old to be young.
It's a real damn shame. I was having this same conversation with my buddy over a game of HoI4 the other day.
Nailed it. I’d been working to gather my thoughts on a video on this topic and surplus Guns as an investment. With the outrageous prices of today, I think we’re seeing the top end for some pieces. A lot of people are gonna be left holding the bag, IMO. However, certain firearms will likely keep ballooning in value over the next few years.
Here in the UK the dealers have cornered the market. They import rifles very cheaply from countries that have a low cost of living and charge what the market can stand. I am convinced there is some sort of cartel because they all seem to price their rifles the same as each other. Auctions are not much better when you consider the commission . I think collecting and shooting these rifles has become a victim of it's own success. Too many people are trying to make a living out of it. Also if as a private individual you want to sell your Lee Enfield you are going to ask what a dealer would want or very near, it's human nature.
About the only sort of good transactions you will find are guys like me in my fifties/sixties that are retiring and moving into a smaller place and looking to thin the herd . The whole surplus market will depend on when they bought it, what they have, and what they think it’s worth...and of course greed . The greed is off the rails right now . A lot of guys want to die with all their toys and leave sales to their widows, you won’t find too many deals there.
My dad's step-father passed away in 2008. He had a couple of scatter guns for turkey and an SKS (think it was Chinese). Remembered to ask his widow about it soon after. My uncle packed them up right after the funeral. Assumed he sold them. His right to do so, of course. But I still kick myself for not acting sooner and making an offer on the SKS.
Thanks for the reader’s digest version of the “Surplus Story”. I’m older than you and I got started in the game a little bit before you, but I didn’t have the coin to get serious till the early 2000’s. Piled up a nice little collection, but like you, I’m stepping out too. It’s a ridiculous game now. Just happy with what I’ve got.
Turned 21 and got my C&R, 2006, I remember shot gun news and all that with mail order. I would just call in and place my order with my credit card and about a week later there is my order. 2012 was the board being placed on the coffin, right now is the nails being hammered in.
but the surplus gear market is still booming, but I do agree. i myself am looking to buy a lithcow MK.3 (because it is a mad rifle) but I found a jungle carbine for 950, but most normal MK.3's are 1K+ now days. i'd be stupid lucky to find one for 600.
Well, the gear market is going to start slowing down here in the next couple years. Just be aware.
@@MikeB128 at least I can sit back in my chair knowing I got my M1 helmet, M56 webbing, my sexy p88 auscam webbing, 1968 jungle boots, 2 cotton bandoliers, and repro 3rd pattern jungle fatigues.
Congrats...
@@ausman9165 Weird brag
Ruby I made it this far.
It also comes down to ammunition too. As I understand it the Australian government would not release surplus 7.62mm ammo to the Australian market, but they did release it to the US at some stage. I don't know for sure if thats just how the tender went and it was sold to a US distributor, or if it was specifically to keep it out of Australians hands.
I got into it too late as well. Got my C&R license just as the pandemic started. Bought my first Mosin using the license for $325. My next two surplus guns (Garand ($650) and 1903A3($675)) were purchased at CMP. The only way I could afford a Garand is through CMP because those guns go for more than $1k on gun broker and other surplus sites these days. I have a list of guns I want to eventually get but the prices will have to drop, which I don't see happening soon. Along with the price of ammo, which is killing me as well.
The only hope us collectors have it people regretting buying some of their guns and a massive amount sell them. But even then the prices will only be slightly lower.
I recently won and purchased a Yugoslavian m24/47(my first milsurp) in a Gun Broker auction and when I went to my local FFL dealer to pick it up, the man behind the counter asked how much I payed for it and I told him my winning bid was $330 and he told me I got a really good deal. He then went on to tell me pretty much the same thing you said in this video all the while stating several more times that I got a really good deal.
100% agree with you. Last milsurp I bought was a Carcano, because they're cheap. Although ammo is almost impossible to find. Before the carcano, the last milsurp I bought was an Arisaka on 2018.
I don't think I'll buy another milsurp in the near future. Ammo is scarce, expensive, qnd the milsurp guns are overpriced. So, my interest changed in the last four years and moved to collecting C&R shotguns. I use them for hunting, and at the beginning they were low priced. Since the covid, prices went up, so the last one I bought was a year ago.
I’m saddened by the state of everything. When I was a little girl my father took me to a gun store they had a Mosin for 80 dollars. I was confused what it was, and after he explained it to me, I immediately became infatuated. I wanted it badly, but 80 dollars was even too high of a price for my father. 2020 was the first year I had proper disposal income and I went to go and get exactly what I wanted. A nice Mosin... and the price... I ended up finding a Zastava M98/48 and I do love that one, but it wasn’t the Mosin that me as a little kid wanted. I still don’t have one. I’ve since branched out. I managed to get the Zastava, an Arisaka Type 99, and a tokarev... but I quite easily picked the wrong time to finally have money. My father died earlier this year, and I have him to thank for getting me interested in this history.
worst part is I could find a decent Ar-15 for the price of some of the surplus rifles I saw at a gunshow i went to today, also ruby!
I've been collecting old (1960-1970's) hunting rifles and shotguns the last year.
Man I miss the good ole days when the hobby was contained to some janky forums. Honestly the proliferation of the internet was the beginning of the end. There are no secrets anymore. Ruby out.
Your commercial featuring Tom fittin of judicial watch was great , he is truly an American hero .
Ruby I made it this far.
I'm so thankful I lucked out and found a 1943 Long Branch Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1* on the consignment rack for $200.
It shoots magnificently, and despite having a sporterized stock, everything else is untouched, so I've been restoring it. Just need to find a full length walnut forearm, and she'll be back to historical status.
When carcanos are wanted you know the market is dead as shit.
I concur sir..
Ruby...The one point I disagree with is that people actually do have more disposable income now than they did 10-15 years ago, and that helps drive prices up. Instead of the "I'm not giving you $300 for that surplus pistol, it's only worth $275", people today seem to be "You want $375 for a pistol worth $275? Screw it, it's only $100, here you go..." I see that attitude a lot today.
Made it to Ruby! Very true and disheartening video. I got into these firearms around the same time at the tail end of their affordability and looking at the overall firearm scene right now, it is just infuriating seeing what's going on. Keep up the great content!
When a surplus bolt gun costs the same as an affordable commercial gun, why would I get something with no warranty that would require a gun smith for any kind of issue?
i bought a russian 1952 all matching numbers sks rifle, gave $499 for it,aboutsix years ago i thought that was to much money but i had to have it. now these days they are $700 or more
Ruby, Hey Mike, I was wondering how I could check the rifling on a Carcano m91 without doing a bullet test. It's an import from Italy, and I know it's the better batch. Any advice?
"didnt serve a sporting purpose" is the most common reason why the RCMP takes all our guns in Canada. Hopefully people will lose interest in the old stuff and the market will deflate (like that's gonna happen) For me it went downhill once i saw 7.62x54 going for $350 a can for 440 rounds.
Ruby
I was getting into milsurp when it was still affordable but still on the rise, the first milsurp I bought was off armslist when I was 17, paid 220 for a type 53 mosin and 60 bucks for a half used spam can with 300 rounds in it. Fast forward today and I just paid 700 for a swedish Mauser. Times have changed
5 years ago I sold a yugo sks for $150 and thought I robbed the guy because i remember only paying about $85 for the gun.
I feel ya. I’ve wanted a 1903 and a 1917 for years and for the last few years didn’t want to pay the insane prices. I hit the bullet in early 2020 and paid way way too much for a nice example of each. I got into collecting milsurps around 2015 so I have a small collection but unfortunately I think you’re correct the affordability aspect of it is long long gone and I’m sad I won’t be able to add as much to my collection as I’d like.
Also ruby haha
Affordable surplus still trickles onto the market, like the recent batches of Carcano carbines, but you have to constantly watch for these little windows of opportunity and be ready with your cash.
Ruby,
Another good one Mike, sad but true. Thankfully I only have a K98k on my list
I have been fortunate enough to nab up a 1896 US Krag Jørgensen , 1857 Snider Enfield MKII, 1944 Karabiner 98K, 1916 SMLE MKIII*, 1763 Brown Bess Musket and a 1956 CETME.
Thank you Mike B! I love the history on firearms and you are so knowledgeable. You definitely helped me, i came across a last ditch Arisaka my friend has and we were under the impression to never shoot it, it would explode. Now we are going to get it checked out some more and may shoot it
I just got a 1944 Mosin I had it chromed and hung above my fire place I just had painted teal. It goes so well with the black and chrome furniture!
To me it's the loss of the cheap surplus ammo that is the biggest factor.
can't imagine how worse it's going to get when we reach the end of the decade when i become old enough to have a job and get money to buy reenacting gear
i really should give up on my dream of becoming a reenactor by now
My last good memory with seeing military surplus prices is when I was 13 with my pops in Dunhams seeing stuff lined up for pretty decent prices. Could get two or three m1 Garands for the price of one now. Got a moist nugget for 75 clams. Got it with with some b-day money. Got a spam can for 125 poop tickets (still havent gone threw it). Since ive been 18. I would slowly buy firearms here and there. It's a pretty small collection. Now getting into my mid to late 20's with a good job, and wanting to dig head first back into the hobby. It's impossible. Like others have stated in the comments, and you. This is the worst time for the new guys to start, or anyone like me wanting to get back into hobby thinking they had the money lol. I appreciate what I got, and my big goal was to get an m1 Garand. I settled with one from the CMP. I got mine just in time. Seems like orders are backed up more than ever, and stock is running low in their stores from what ive read. Since the lock down's happened. I basically told myself the same thing. Maybe i might not collect for a while. Even though im itching to get back to researching, and buying.
Did you just say moist nugget? That shiitake had me rolling!!
I started getting into the surplus guns around 2007. But in an odd way. I got a Yugo M48 for Christmas in 2005. So I had one prior, but still viewed them as 'old junk' even though I loved shooting the M48 and trusted it. Odd, I know. But I had been aware of the surplus guns in around the same time frame as you, 2003 or so. Viewed them very much even then as "old junk". I remember seeing loads of surplus rifles at Dunnham's and the likes back then for cheap. It was the M48 that slowly got me warmed up to them, and then I got a Yugo SKS and it went off from there.
I was glad I got what I did when I did. But I regret not opening my mind to more common sense sooner. When I could have gotten my hands on a few rifles I REALLY want. Such as the K31s, various models of Enfields, etc. I hate my younger "THAT'S JUST OLD JUNK THOSE WILL BLOW UP" self.
And funny enough, to add. My first "junk rifle" I got after my Yugo SKS was this monstrosity of an Mosin M44. The front sight hood is bent, the wood is beat to hell, there is no finish on the wood and the finish on the metal is pretty much gone. It was one that the store was keeping in the back cause 'no one wanted it'. I ended up getting it ultra cheap because of that. They brought it out, I looked down the bore and saw it was pristine. I love that rifle, I would have said it was a diamond in the rough, but let's just call it a Ruby. ;) But it's a rifle I will never get rid of, no matter how shitty it looks.
It's not completely dead but it's getting close. I found a chilean mauser at my local gun shop. Stock is beat to hell, Some of the metal bits on the stock are rusted out but the action is strong, the barrel has a shockingly low amount of pitting in the barrel and the rifling ain't bad. 10k for it. Good price (jk I actually paid like 250) and there were a bunch of carcanos for 250 each. The only problem with my mauser is I can't find ammo for it.
I'm an '03 kid. Obviously I picked a bad time to grow up cause holy shit I can't find any gun at a reasonable price. It's probably also due to my lack of knowledge, but I think I'll just settle for a Carcano and ditch.
I got into it In 2013 and the guns on his wall behind him have been running me almost 500$-1300$ (CAN$). I’m sad that it costs so much but makes obtaining them and preserving history all that more special
What do you think about surplus guns that have the stocks sanded and lacquer put on them? Does it ruin the collector value or is it seen as a preserving method?
Sadly a very accurate video. In the late 50s and early 60s we all bought surplus to hunt with. I took delivery on my first AK 5 days before Newtown. I won’t be buying very much in the future although l keep looking. There were unappreciated milsurps up until the covid crisis when they went away. Your advice about research is so important to avoid getting ripped off. I can’t believe the numbers of buyers on gunbroker with 0 or 1-2 purchases that overbid and force prices to a ridiculous level. Keep up the good work hopefully young guys will listen to your advice.
I've been working on restoring surplus firearms for a while now. Trying to get 1 rifle and 1 pistol from every major nation in WWII (Germany and Russia were surprisingly easy to get done). Problem I've noticed is the lack of import for surplus in general. If we opened up to Eastern Europe and especially russia, we would see a ton of surplus guns coming in.
But our government wont do that.
Roux bee. Around 3 years ago I bought a pile of parts from a friend for $20 that, when assembled, turned into a type 53 Mosin Nagant. I've since added about 15 other milsurps to my collection and I wish it were a cheaper hobby to collect and feed these guns.
I’m so pissed, I’m 19 and just started getting into it last year, got a yugo Mauser and now I’m wishing I was just a couple years older.
Well you got one of the best Mausers on the planet’ the Zastava made mausers are awesome in fit’ finish and overall quality’ most Serbian firearms are for that matter’ you could send a turd to Zastava and get it back in a better design’ they are awesome
Grab a Carcano. Still very affordable. Ammo will come back for them eventually.
@@glabdo5000 Where can I find a carcano
Ruby. Oof. I paid $375 for a Type 38 arisaka in poor condition. Butt plate is rusting out, stock looks like driftwood.
Congrats. That's part of the reason it's never going to get better.
I agree with you. I just renewed my C&R FFL, but wonder if I'll ever use it again, because prices have gone thru the roof in just the last six months.
I started buying surplus Mauser rifles from around the world a long time ago, and now I can't afford them anymore. The biggest shock for me is that black powder reproduction firearms are sold out and out of stock at most large retailers now. Have restrictions been put on importing those guns from Italy recently?
I had about 20 mausers and sold them all when I was out of work about five years ago. I had collected them since the early 90s easily one of the worst decisions. Yeah it's definitely over.
Ruby, great channel. Just started following. Its sad how things are going for surplus guns and surplus equipment. There's a handful of firearms id like to have, but didn't have the money at the time so I guess that ship has sailed,lol. Thanks again the vid!
After the American Civil War in 1865 a man named Francis Bannerman VI founded a Military Surplus -Firearms Company. Which grew and grew.
In the year 1900, Mr. Bannerman purchased an island in the Hudson river near Newburgh NY (Pollepell Island) also later referred to as Bannerman's Island where he had built a hugh Castle that he used as his gaint Warehouse and stored surplus US Civil War and foreign Military surplus firearms etc.
Mr. Bannerman was known for his 300 page Military surplus catalog.
On 19. June 1901 at a US government auction Mr. Bannerman purchased some 30.000 Military surplus revolvers of this lot some 4.982 were the virtually brand new in storage Rodgers &Spencer 1864 percussion revolvers from the US government for some 25 cents a piece. Which originally cost the US Government $12.00 a peice in 1864.
After Mr. Bannerman's Company went out of business other Military Surplus Firearms companies arouse such as ,Ye Old Hunter and Century International Arms etc.
Keep your head up kings! Good deals can still be found every so often. In the last 3 months I paid $250 for a yugo sks, $300 for a scw wz29 mauser, and $125 for a last ditch type 99
Where? All my local pawnshops and gun shows are full of obese retards selling guns at 500% over market value
Like the other guy said, where!?
Local gun store wants 500 for a last ditch arisaka carbine that has a messed up bolt and lacquered stock
@@googlepissoff5776 Getting lucky through private sales and sometimes at gun stores. The yugo sks was bubbad to shit and had a nasty bore, but the seller kept the original stock and hardware so I had around $250 put into it after fixing it. I got the wz.29 from a guy who listed it as a "spanish mauser", and the arisaka from a gun store which didn't really know its value. Just keep your eye out for good deals and don't be picky
@@jamez470 build a time machine or wait for the eventual collapse of this country and loot milsurp from some old boomers house
Great explanation, everything spot on. Gun control 100% is bi-partisan and I'm fact alot of gun laws are passed by predominantly republican controlled government. Unfortunately people don't look at history and how parties vote.
It was a pretty interesting talk, Mike.
Ruby!
I'm from japan and while I do enjoy the upside of basically having no-one with guns around, I also see the historical and recreational values of being able to touch and handle the real things, and shoot them at non-fresh targets and so on (and they just look and sound cool even on videos!), and* I know the fear and pain of having the things of your passion taken away, so it is rather sad to see nice people who are just enjoying themselves without hurting anybody get the short end of the stick. I may be very naive in thinking this, but I hope there comes a day when guns are somehow less, or even truly non lethal, or people can't and won't hurt each other with guns (or, at least it is MUCH harder to than it is now) somehow, or both. Maybe someone will invent a new type of round that's much less lethal than the current "non lethal" rounds, but can still hit things far away... something like that. I know that won't cater to the every kind of wants with guns, but I think having something tends to be better than nothing. And I can dream, right?
I also think it would be cool if virtual reality and/or augmented reality technology could fill in the absence of the real thing (whether that's the gun itself, or bullet, target, physical range space, or else) and mitigate the need for it. I'm pretty much just an outsider to the hobby looking in, but I think this kind of discussion is worth having. Maybe we'll come up with cool new ideas.
*I'm a big fan of all sorts of (mostly) Japanese anime, manga & video games, including the "weirdest of stuff" that many people with more mainstream sensibility or moral beliefs/world views may find very questionable or repulsive; some (perhaps quite a lot of) people find fantasy sex, violence, etc. weird, and some people think they are dangerous, and try to erase them from existence.
Violence stems from a lack of morality, not availability of instruments. If mankind has the will to fight, and no moral code to restrain and direct that willingness, violence without reason is the result.
Seems to be anything that's not a glock or an ar these days. Try finding a beater winchester 94, savage 99 or Remington 760 hell even single shot 12ga's for prices that aren't insane. Pretty sad you can't get into anything interesting these days
You know it's sad when the only Surp I could get is a Vetterli-Carcano conversation. Then I got a Martini Henry. That's all I could find. Looking at Carcano Truppe Specials now.
I turned 18 too late haha. Loved firearms since I was a young boy, told my dad to buy a crate of mosins for a few hundred like 6 years ago and he said no.
I wanted an Enfield so bad that I just said screw it and bought a surplus one. Luckily it’s numbers matching and not in that bad of shape for $550.
Great vid, Ruby :)
Oh how times have changed. I remember when my dad (an FFL) was selling Norinco SKS rifles new in cosmoline for $119 back in the 1980's and he basically had to give away Nagants. I am happy I have what I have. I just wish I could find ammo!
There isn't much out there that could potentially come into the country anyway ... anything semi-auto is highly frowned upon by the UN/NATO/ others, so we're looking for caches of 100 year old rifles at this point ... and there aren't that many left to even come into the country ... even if they weren't banned :(
Last deals I found were ~2017 Gew1911 for $200, Type 99 with mum for $250 and an Argentine 1891 Mauser for $300. Parts kits and surplus furniture is even stupid now. A Romy dong is like ~$50 now. I used to buy surplus AK furniture because it was fun, cheap and sometimes had trench art. All good things must come to an end I guess.
Guy's we've been late to the party for awhile. I started in 2012 and the only thing available really back then were Mosins, which at the time were starting to climb in price. I remember reading some NRA magazines from 2004-08 and they were advertising k98s I believe for 89-150 bucks. Damn I wish I were old enough back then.
I like having all common milsurps . 8 mm Mauser., Mosin Nagant,. SKS ,. Makerov Pistols. Ammo readily available. Yes it's scarce but if you are a prepper you are Ok on Ammo
Odd choices for a prepper.
In ontario local gun shops got a whole crate of mosins for $320 each most in good shape spam can of ammo 880 rounds for $450!
I got lucky going into the service and moving overseas and managed to pick up some Swiss straight pull rifles. The supply does exist, we just can’t get them.
I hate the fact that I’ve become an adult just as militaria as a whole has been skyrocketing in price. Being a complete nerd for the First World War is horrible for today. Even the Second World War is so much more pricey than it once was. I like being born in the 21st century, but it makes militaria collecting so goddamn expensive.