I know there's only a few of us,,?

"What a time to be alive..."

...said no AK guy ever in the last few years. The market has gone completely ass backwards. We're living in a world of $300 ARs and $750 WASRs.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the secondhand market I don't think I'd be buying anything these days. And I can't think of any situation - organic or intentional - that would bring prices back down.
 
I'm kind of in a holding pattern for rifles. All the old Romanian stuff I like is suddenly going for ridiculous numbers on GB, and people on Armslist and the Canadian forum think SAR's (1, 2, or 3) are $1k rifles.

We are living in a time of peak aftermarket for the AKM though. More mounts, furniture, mags than ever before, but most of the good stuff is at baseline a $100 bill. Take RS Regulate- great mounts, but horribly overpriced. I even really like that new AK handguard they've put out, but not to the tune of $230.
 
Dang. I sold my SGL-21 two years ago for $1200 and thought I got great money for it. Sold it for what it went for new after getting to enjoy it. I can't believe how high they have gotten.
 
A few years ago I bought a beater old WASR from a distant relative, just because I felt my collection needed at least some form of AK. I like it, it’s fun to shoot, but it is far from my favorite. I have considered selling it a few times, but looking at how the value on even the beater AKs are going up and up it has given me reason to hold fast.


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"What a time to be alive..."

...said no AK guy ever in the last few years. The market has gone completely ass backwards. We're living in a world of $300 ARs and $750 WASRs.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the secondhand market I don't think I'd be buying anything these days. And I can't think of any situation - organic or intentional - that would bring prices back down.

So, serious question, what causes these ridiculous prices?
 
Plus the boomer hoarders that have crates of guns they don’t ever plan to shoot. In a few years when the boomers start dying en masse, the market is gonna flood with old rifles :D

But yeah seriously, what he said. They are running out of old surplus parts to build into cheap AKs. Some of the old countries that imported here either won’t or aren’t allowed to anymore. There is no Cold War and no USSR so some of these countries got rid of their AK stuff all together. The US made stuff sucks and it’s putting a premium on anything foreign made. A Wasr is now considered a good AK and they cost over $700 somehow.
 
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So, serious question, what causes these ridiculous prices?

In the SLG series it's becuase it wasn't imported as a " Sporter Style" rifle like the Saiga and Vepr. Its just the hot AK right now. It will drastically come down in price in the near future. It's honestly no better than a WASR. Sadly it will never be what AK guys consider the good stuff . A true preban Pre 89. Really good time to buy real prebans while most are Star struck with the Russian stuff.
 
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In the SLG series it's becuase it wasn't imported as a " Sporter Style" rifle like the Saiga and Vepr. Its just the hot AK right now. It will drastically come down in price in the near future. It's honestly no better than a WASR. Sadly it will never be what AK guys consider the good stuff . A true preban Pre 89. Really good time to buy real prebans while most are Star struck with the Russian stuff.
Problem is all Russians ARE pre-ban now- working on 25 years of the Chinese ban, who knows, Russian may be the same or longer....
 
I have a WASR AK that must be a ban era rifle. Paid $400 for it a couple years ago... The reason I say it must be a bann era rifle... no muzzle brake... I am thinking of having the barrel threaded and adding a flash hider.
 
I have a WASR AK that must be a ban era rifle. Paid $400 for it a couple years ago... The reason I say it must be a bann era rifle... no muzzle brake... I am thinking of having the barrel threaded and adding a flash hider.

There have been some that are modified to be compliant for fascist states. Could be the threads have been shaved off- if you caliper the muzzle end you'll know for sure.
Threading is pretty easy if you take your time and have the right tools.
 
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Problem is all Russians ARE pre-ban now- working on 25 years of the Chinese ban, who knows, Russian may be the same or longer....

They not in the same catagory. True prebans have 100% combloc parts. They were imported that way. Anything after 1990 had to have American made parts. Even if people retro fit it with all original parts it still doesn't matter because it wasn't imported that way. I know you know this but I'm putting out there for peps who don't know. Look at the difference in price between a Mak and a 56s or Maadi sa vs a Styer Maadi
 
Man I sold my legion sgl 21-94 side folder for $4k last fall. Nothing new they have been high for some time now. Paid $1100 for it. They can keep them for those prices.
 
They not in the same catagory. True prebans have 100% combloc parts. They were imported that way. Anything after 1990 had to have American made parts. Even if people retro fit it with all original parts it still doesn't matter because it wasn't imported that way. I know you know this but I'm putting out there for peps who don't know. Look at the difference in price between a Mak and a 56s or Maadi sa vs a Styer Maadi
Good point...just saying that is ONE of the reasons they are all going up in cost, including the russians...
 
Man I sold my legion sgl 21-94 side folder for $4k last fall. Nothing new they have been high for some time now. Paid $1100 for it. They can keep them for those prices.

Wow. No offense to AK lovers but there are lots of other guns I would rather have for that kind of money. Unless it had some historical significance I would not think any AK could be worth that much.
 
Wow. No offense to AK lovers but there are lots of other guns I would rather have for that kind of money. Unless it had some historical significance I would not think any AK could be worth that much.

I love AKs more than any other type of gun, and I wouldn't spend $4,000 on one either.
 
Wow. No offense to AK lovers but there are lots of other guns I would rather have for that kind of money. Unless it had some historical significance I would not think any AK could be worth that much.

A couple of Chinese models can bring close to 4K. Seen some sell for more than that.
 
There have been some that are modified to be compliant for fascist states. Could be the threads have been shaved off- if you caliper the muzzle end you'll know for sure.
Threading is pretty easy if you take your time and have the right tools.
I am reasonably sure that the barrel was never threaded.
 
Wow, crazy... I'm late to the party but as others said; the AR and AK market have flip flopped. I just wish I wasn't a broke young man when Shotgun News was in it's prime ;)

You and me both, brother. I was in college in the early 2000s when I bought my first guns - ate ramen, drank Keystone Ice, and worked two jobs to help feed my growing milsurp addiction back then. This is such a reckless thing to say, but if I could do it all again, I'd have gladly taken out more student loans just to buy gun stuff!
 
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