AIM Surplus Received a Shipment of Chinese SKS's.....

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So the rules are that the guns have to spend 25 years outside of China before they can be imported? Chinese rifles were banned in 1994 if I remember correctly, so this would be the first time Chinese workaround imports would be eligible.

It would be sweet if this is the first of a pipeline of SKS imports that had been stashed away since the 90s, both for US shooters and for whatever importers were smart enough to stash a bunch of $80 rifles away and sell them for $400 a quarter century later.
 
So the rules are that the guns have to spend 25 years outside of China before they can be imported? Chinese rifles were banned in 1994 if I remember correctly, so this would be the first time Chinese workaround imports would be eligible.

It would be sweet if this is the first of a pipeline of SKS imports that had been stashed away since the 90s, both for US shooters and for whatever importers were smart enough to stash a bunch of $80 rifles away and sell them for $400 a quarter century later.
Yes, that’s the way it works. But theses are military surplus, not some savy importer. If any Chinese part kits or guns come in; it’s more likely to be surplus. It’s a massive gamble to buy a ton of guns, find a warehouse to store them for 25 years, and hope that no laws change or your company to fall apart in those years.
 
I think it largely depend where you are. Here in FL, you cant give away an SKS. I see them languishing on the shelves at $300.
But in states with magazine restrictions, I can understand them commanding a premium.

I need to look around some more and see whats available where I live in FL. A pawn shop had one for $375? It had a 30 ground clip abd aftermarket pistol grip stock
 
Yes, that’s the way it works. But theses are military surplus, not some savy importer. If any Chinese part kits or guns come in; it’s more likely to be surplus. It’s a massive gamble to buy a ton of guns, find a warehouse to store them for 25 years, and hope that no laws change or your company to fall apart in those years.

Pure politics at play. There are in fact tons of the SKS's on the market outside the US. Canada has a magazine restriction (pinned to 5 rounds), but otherwise sells all the locals could want for rock bottom prices. Cabelas in Canada has them regularly for $229. Their Christmas sales price was $135 in 2017 and $150 last year. So makes our pricing seem a bit high to me.
 
True, but we’re not talking about Canada in the end. These are “ new “ rifles. Not some rifle that’s been shot to oblivion, touched by bubba, or just falling apart. So the market is there and people are buying them for that price. Now if people are getting their money worth is up to you.
 
It says " These are all very early rifles - i.e. Pre Vietnam to Early Vietnam Era rifles which probably saw use in that conflict...….....In addition , most of the trigger groups are milled ( from my observation around 70% ) but some are stamped."
Stamped trigger guards only found on late productions as cost saving I believe. All my SKSs have milled trigger guards, couple are fairly late productions.
 
Pure politics at play. There are in fact tons of the SKS's on the market outside the US. Canada has a magazine restriction (pinned to 5 rounds), but otherwise sells all the locals could want for rock bottom prices. Cabelas in Canada has them regularly for $229. Their Christmas sales price was $135 in 2017 and $150 last year. So makes our pricing seem a bit high to me.

I was in Ottawa the week before last. My friends from the north were talking about abundant low priced SKS's and even more so on 7.62x39 ammo. Crates of it available at cheap prices especially when the Canadian Dollar is at about .76 compared to American. Would have brought home a case or two if I didn't have to cross the border to get home.
 
do they still make that neat little pistol grip you can bolt up to the wood stock? Those things are great
 
My AIM Surplus Grade 1 Matching arrived a few minutes ago:

AIM SKS 1.jpg AIM SKS 2.jpg

I'm very happy with the overall condition. Most of the original bluing is intact and the stock doesn't have any serious gouges, cracks, or trench art. It should clean up nicely.
 
I’ve seen one from classic, it had flower and vine trench art. Looked like who ever had at least grew up in a wood worker home.
 
Albania decided the Soviets were too soft and after working with them a while decided Mao had better ideas. They bought all sorts of military gear from Red China including Armored vehicles.

If these rifles saw any service in VN it was likely in the hands of Red Chinese support troops in the little boarder war between Red China and VN after we wrote off our losses and took our ball home and the South fell.

-kBob
 
I have two Norinco SKS rifles. Well one is a rifle the other is the "Paratrooper" version I got when my dad passed away. The other I bought NIB off GB a few years ago for $280 with all shipping and transfer. So far both have had 80 rounds fired through each. I have no plans to sell them. They go to my two sons. They can hash it out as to who gets which one. The short rifle is neat but I really like the 20" barreled gun better. Not as much blast.

I'm glad to see these back again. I think they are good truck and HD guns if you live in the country. Very rugged rifles.
 
They make good ban-state rifle too. Used to be good hunting rifles too from what I heard, but their getting a bit too collectible for that nowadays IMO.
 
These still seem like a good deal at $350. Can you get a reliable and indestructible 7.62x39 semi-auto elsewhere for that price? I know we all hearken back to the 90s and the barrels full of $79 SKSs but the era of cheap surplus is over. These are still guns that will last several lifetimes for a few hundred dollars. Really, other than long-distance shooting, there isn't much an SKS with a TechSight can't do. It still makes a great 'one rifle'.
 
To me, they will always be $100 rifles. I remember them for $75. If someone had told me 20 years ago that a decent AR would one day be cheaper than a SKS I would have accused that person of drug use.
While they may be "$100 rifles" to you, their rel world value nowadays is considerably higher than that. I'm sure 1906 Springfields and 6.5x55 Swedish Mausers were nothing but "$25 dollar rifles" to some certain folks at one time too....but time changes things considerably, and one's imagined value of a rifle does little to influence its modern day worth :)
 
Thanks for the heads-up, but I think that I've got enough Chinese SKS's for the moment: one bone stock, one dressed up in folding black plastic, a duck-bill mag and a red dot, one with a black plastic Monte Carlo stock, scope and five-round mag, a Model "M" and a bone stock Yugo M59.

Of course, temptation may strike at any time... .
 
I'd rather pay twice as much and get a like new condition Russian honestly. Or pay a little more than $350.00 and get a excellent Norinco. I personally am not big on beat up looking guns but that's just me.
 
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