Cheap Russian SKSs at Canadian Tire: Looks like the party might be over?

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smokestack

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Snagged one a couple months ago. Been telling my Son he needs to get one before Canadian Tire runs out of the lam Tula SKSs for $178.99.
Of course, they can be had just about everywhere up here for around that price.
It's nice to be able to just go down to the local CT and handpick a gem.

So this morning he and I are in there picking-up some .22 rounds and stuff and he says...hey let's get me an SKS. I go...uhhh they don't have any anymore. What do you MEAN? He asks.
Look! Mosin, SVT-40...NO SKSs!
:-O
Well I TOLD you not to piss around.

The sporting goods girl comes along and I ask...hey are you not gonna get any more SKSs?
She says, I have like THIRTY of them in the back but we had to pull them. We got a STOP SELL order (or something like that) from Canadian Tire.
I was a little surprised and I say...rally? Howcome? Because like with the Norinco M14s? Because they "look" too "tactical"?
She says...no it isn't that this time. Not EXACTLY sure this time. I heard they might make them restricted maybe.
:-O

So...I tell the kid...SEE??
But if you wanna get one I'll find you one online. He says yes.
Thankfully they're still available at the first couple of places I check but I then go to Cabelas and it says NO LONGER AVAILABLE!
Now that may have been that way for some time at Cabelas, I don't know...but it's definitely NEW at Canadian Tire.
I'm NOT saying (and I probably shouldn't even be here repeating it) that SKSs are about to become restricted or anything.
I AM saying that SOMETHING is up at least at my local West Central Alberta Canadian Tire.

I just want to say too though that...especially of they somehow DO become reclassified (why would they? do we have some sort of embargo against them? Russia I mean, not CT lol...and when a firearm DOES get reclassified as restricted, is there ever any notice? Does it just suddenly happen?)...I DONT HAVE ONE!!!! :-(

Anyone heard or know anything?
Again...I am NOT trying to start any rumors and I do NOT have a stake in the Canadian SKS supply and am NOT trying to create a surge in sales.
 
The only SKS's I've seen at my local CT are the Tapco'd ones for $350. This was 6 months ago...

I think this is about 'slamfires' due to lack of cleaning these, my best guess.
 
We're kinda on the ball here OP, check for similar threads before revealing what you think is breaking news.
 
Thanks for the link.
Is everyone SURE that it's true about a FA slamfire incident at that gunclub?
Cause that actually DID happen in 2011 and SKSs were pulled because of it (made the news and everything) but other than the one post in that thread where a guy says it was a slamfire FA thing at a certain gunclub...there isn't anything to back that up.
Has anyone spoken to the club in question?

Man a lot of people SLAM (pun intended) Canadian Tire in that other thread.
Yes they have some less that expert staff selling ammo sometimes. I'm sure that they have some returns/warranty issues partly because they probably sell more guns than most companies in Canada. Anytime something is VERY popular there are going to be some issues. And of course the nature of forums and the internet is such that we hear a lot more from people complaining (probably rightfully) about products than singing praises.

Personally I like the prices and selection at CT. But for them we would be stuck with a small store that charges 100% more than city retailers. CT kinda levels the playing field. They are not undercutting the small shop. Their prices are in line with city dealers but the small outfit tries to gouge us on everything. Even WITH a CT here.

The other day I was speaking with the girl and she mentioned how many people are pissed-off at all the taxidermy they have displayed in the gun section.
They clearly take a lot of heat for that but it's nice to see them OWN it and keep the stuff up. Hey, you sell hunting rifles and gear.
You don't want to shove hunting into the faces of people who are against it but I give CT props for at least standing-up.
And...if you ever have an issue with a Canadian Tire item just RETURN it! (disclaimer: I don't even know if they accept returns on firearms, and a gun isn't a coffee machine. You think no coffee in the morning can ruin your day).

Either way, I hope it's true and just another slamfire incident.
So Cabelas is completely SOLD OUT of SKSs you say? And no more coming in? Is that what it says on their site when an item is sold out? They don't say SOLD OUT but rather, they say NO LONGER AVAILLABLE. ?
I wonder what CT will do with all their remaining stock.

If CT pulled theirs and Cabelas doesn't have any available (presume they are Sold Out)...looks like the SKS source might be drying-up?
I think Westrifle lists all their stock on their site. They have 20 left (2 pages...last night they had 3 pages of them) that are listed.
Whether they have more in inventory somewhere or not, is this just speculation that Cabelas is SOLD OUT and that there are NO MORE being imported?
If that is TRUE, then the stock that dealers have left is ALL that is left in Canada?

So...whether it's due to an actual (again) slamfire Full Auto fiasco or not that CT has pulled their SKSs (due to Regulatory issues..not safety issues or a recall or anything), if it is TRUE what dude said about no more being imported, then this party IS being busted-up and shut down and we are all about to be kicked-out.
Oh well. Should make the Americans happy. They've been jealous over our Russian SKSs for long enough.

Oh and one more thing. It was interesting to read from the CT employee when he said that they still have the Tapco-ed SKSs on the shelves cause they're a different SKU.
Do their Tapco-ed SKSs come with a Tapco mag or the stock non-detachable one?
If they come with Tapco stock, maybe this IS due to a faulty pinning job in a wood-stocked SKS?

IF it was due to a slamfire and they don't want any liability, disregarding what that other thread says about the intelligence of CT employees, I don't think they are THAT stupid that they wouldn't realize that the SKSs in a Tapco stock are still SKSs that can slamfire as easily as a stock one (pun intended).
Maybe I'm giving them too much credit?

Of everyone who has bought a CT SKS in the last year, has ANYONE got one that was still packed in cosmoline?
I've looked at a bunch of them over the past few months and I haven't seen any.

Well..hopefully some truth comes out about this SOON so we can all stop guessing and making stuff-up.

This is the perfect excuse for anyone who doesn't own an SKS yet (IS there such a person?) to get out and grab one today.
I don't have a good feeling about this.

Get an SKS for $180 and ...if everything is fine and CT reloads their shelves and Cabelas gets a new batch in, oh well. You can keep the SKS or sell it for what you paid. No harm no foul.
But if you DON'T and if THEY don't....do you hear that sound? THAT is the sound of every SKS in Canada appreciating in value.

Uhhh..WHAT are you doing with ALL those guns??? You promised the last one you bought would be the last one you bought for a while.
No no honey...these are not guns...this is our retirement plan!

And so how many did I order last night? NONE!
That's my underwear and I'm sticking TO it.

My Son got their last 1950 one though ;-)
 
I actually do a lot of shopping at my local C-Tire ,it`s close to my home and they have good sales on tools and most everything I need....better than that bloody RONA !

But I can see the strong aversion some people might have when they see stuffed animal mounts and "GUNS" on display.My local store and others are full of city slickers and yuppies and soccer moms that think the whole gun and hunting thing is just "aweful" and "barbaric"....then go home and enjoy a plate of porkchops and hamburgers !!

People are getting more and more detatched from the realities and going ons out in the big "forest".

I think this whole SKS dilemma will work out and blow over ,then I will buy MORE SKSs.....plenty out there still.

Paul T
 
It's just CT. Their actions do not dictate the state of any rifles availability.

CT buys their rifles from North Sylva and the level of cosmoline is low to moderate.

If you see Tapco or ATI outfitted SKS' in CT showcases still it is because corporate has issued a stop sale of one particular SKU.
The Tapco/ATI SKS is under a different SKU #.It's a loophole that I've heard some stores are exploiting.
 
I talked to my local CTC Manager today, he said yes it was a slam fire incident from a customer who didn't cleanness the gun/bolt before shooting it! RCMP had to do an investigation and told him the same thing , slam fire !! manger said he is buying an sks when they are allowed to put them back on the shelf and do a video on the cleaning. I told him to direct buyers to some good youtube videos to teach them about their rifle!
 
smokestack said:
Thanks for the link.
Is everyone SURE that it's true about a FA slamfire incident at that gunclub?
Cause that actually DID happen in 2011 and SKSs were pulled because of it (made the news and everything) but other than the one post in that thread where a guy says it was a slamfire FA thing at a certain gunclub...there isn't anything to back that up.
Has anyone spoken to the club in question?

Man a lot of people SLAM (pun intended) Canadian Tire in that other thread.
Yes they have some less that expert staff selling ammo sometimes. I'm sure that they have some returns/warranty issues partly because they probably sell more guns than most companies in Canada. Anytime something is VERY popular there are going to be some issues. And of course the nature of forums and the internet is such that we hear a lot more from people complaining (probably rightfully) about products than singing praises.

Personally I like the prices and selection at CT. But for them we would be stuck with a small store that charges 100% more than city retailers. CT kinda levels the playing field. They are not undercutting the small shop. Their prices are in line with city dealers but the small outfit tries to gouge us on everything. Even WITH a CT here.

The other day I was speaking with the girl and she mentioned how many people are pissed-off at all the taxidermy they have displayed in the gun section.
They clearly take a lot of heat for that but it's nice to see them OWN it and keep the stuff up. Hey, you sell hunting rifles and gear.
You don't want to shove hunting into the faces of people who are against it but I give CT props for at least standing-up.
And...if you ever have an issue with a Canadian Tire item just RETURN it! (disclaimer: I don't even know if they accept returns on firearms, and a gun isn't a coffee machine. You think no coffee in the morning can ruin your day).

Either way, I hope it's true and just another slamfire incident.
So Cabelas is completely SOLD OUT of SKSs you say? And no more coming in? Is that what it says on their site when an item is sold out? They don't say SOLD OUT but rather, they say NO LONGER AVAILLABLE. ?
I wonder what CT will do with all their remaining stock.

If CT pulled theirs and Cabelas doesn't have any available (presume they are Sold Out)...looks like the SKS source might be drying-up?
I think Westrifle lists all their stock on their site. They have 20 left (2 pages...last night they had 3 pages of them) that are listed.
Whether they have more in inventory somewhere or not, is this just speculation that Cabelas is SOLD OUT and that there are NO MORE being imported?
If that is TRUE, then the stock that dealers have left is ALL that is left in Canada?

So...whether it's due to an actual (again) slamfire Full Auto fiasco or not that CT has pulled their SKSs (due to Regulatory issues..not safety issues or a recall or anything), if it is TRUE what dude said about no more being imported, then this party IS being busted-up and shut down and we are all about to be kicked-out.
Oh well. Should make the Americans happy. They've been jealous over our Russian SKSs for long enough.

Oh and one more thing. It was interesting to read from the CT employee when he said that they still have the Tapco-ed SKSs on the shelves cause they're a different SKU.
Do their Tapco-ed SKSs come with a Tapco mag or the stock non-detachable one?
If they come with Tapco stock, maybe this IS due to a faulty pinning job in a wood-stocked SKS?

IF it was due to a slamfire and they don't want any liability, disregarding what that other thread says about the intelligence of CT employees, I don't think they are THAT stupid that they wouldn't realize that the SKSs in a Tapco stock are still SKSs that can slamfire as easily as a stock one (pun intended).
Maybe I'm giving them too much credit?

Of everyone who has bought a CT SKS in the last year, has ANYONE got one that was still packed in cosmoline?
I've looked at a bunch of them over the past few months and I haven't seen any.

Well..hopefully some truth comes out about this SOON so we can all stop guessing and making stuff-up.

This is the perfect excuse for anyone who doesn't own an SKS yet (IS there such a person?) to get out and grab one today.
I don't have a good feeling about this.

Get an SKS for $180 and ...if everything is fine and CT reloads their shelves and Cabelas gets a new batch in, oh well. You can keep the SKS or sell it for what you paid. No harm no foul.
But if you DON'T and if THEY don't....do you hear that sound? THAT is the sound of every SKS in Canada appreciating in value.

Uhhh..WHAT are you doing with ALL those guns??? You promised the last one you bought would be the last one you bought for a while.
No no honey...these are not guns...this is our retirement plan!

And so how many did I order last night? NONE!
That's my underwear and I'm sticking TO it.

My Son got their last 1950 one though ;-)
Click to expand...

Wow, people are stressing out about this way to much. The supply of sks isn't going to dry up over night people, even if Cambodian tire walks away from surplus rifles completely there is no lack of dealers that have been in the surplus game for years. Support the real people bringing in these rifles, not the big box stores like CT.
 
Cb750k said:
Wow, people are stressing out about this way to much. The supply of sks isn't going to dry up over night people, even if Cambodian tire walks away from surplus rifles completely there is no lack of dealers that have been in the surplus game for years. Support the real people bringing in these rifles, not the big box stores like CT.
Click to expand...
Again, CT does not bring them in. North Sylva supplies them to CT, who is a site sponsor here with their own sub forum.
 
EL34/6L6 said:
Again, CT does not bring them in. North Sylva supplies them to CT, who is a site sponsor here with their own sub forum.
Click to expand...

Exactly. You're still feeding the industry whether you buy from CT or one of the independents. Also, if you pick something up from CT, they're one of the most high profile stores selling firearms, that isn't dedicated to hunting and outdoors,

My dad bought his first .22 from Eatons. When he did, all the clerk asked was "You're over 13, right?" I will neither confirm nor deny how my father answered and whether it was the truth - Canada has not statute of limitations. We'll never get back to that point again, but it's worth throwing a few $$ over the gun counter at CT just to keep them interested in the business. It helps to keep the sport normal, and in front of people's eyes who would otherwise like to believe that Canada has become a gun and hunter free "Utopia"...

You'd be amazed at how many urban Canadians think that Canada is effectively gun free. These are the people who will only face something closer to reality in a Canadian Tire, because lord knows they would never set foot in a hunting and fishing store, let alone your local LGS.
 
bobdbldr said:
I talked to my local CTC Manager today, he said yes it was a slam fire incident from a customer who didn't cleanness the gun/bolt before shooting it! RCMP had to do an investigation and told him the same thing , slam fire !! manger said he is buying an sks when they are allowed to put them back on the shelf and do a video on the cleaning. I told him to direct buyers to some good youtube videos to teach them about their rifle!
Click to expand...

I read on a hunting forum from a supposed CT insider that they found some mags that weren't pinned properly and that's why the stop sell...and I was at speaking to a couple of the RO's at Silverdale on the weekend and they laughed about the slam fire story...direct quote - "what kind of goof calls the cops because some dufus didn't clean his gun?"...

We'll probably never know what the real story is...and quite frankly, in a few weeks when the SKS's are back on the shelves in CT, it won't matter much.
 
Yes,it's very likely it was a mag pinning issue. But in CTs defense, any retailer could have been supplied with an improperly/poorly pinned SKS mag.
I guess the RCMPs stance is that CT sold it, so is responsible.

But what's the preventative measure for them to exercise their due diligence?
Test each rifle with snap caps before readying the rifle for sale? Maybe that is a CYA move some stores should implement.

Luckily, I have a few mags that I can replace poorly pinned mags with if I ever encounter a problem. Chances are others don't have that same option though.
 
EL34/6L6 said:
Again, CT does not bring them in. North Sylva supplies them to CT, who is a site sponsor here with their own sub forum.
Click to expand...

And your point is?

Everyone is stressing out that ct pulled sks's, who ####ing cares...
-The supply will not dry up for years
-just because some idiot didn't properly clean their bolt doesn't mean the sks will be banned
-lots of other places to buy an sks and will be for years to come
-try not to loose any sleep over it mkay...
 
If they made the sks prohibited it would only serve to embolden our cause. How many hundreds of thousands of legal gun owners would this affect? There would be a lot of pissed off people that never knew or cared in the past about reclassification that suddenly want answers.
 
EL34/6L6 said:
Yes,it's very likely it was a mag pinning issue. But in CTs defense, any retailer could have been supplied with an improperly/poorly pinned SKS mag.
I guess the RCMPs stance is that CT sold it, so is responsible.

But what's the preventative measure for them to exercise their due diligence?
Test each rifle with snap caps before readying the rifle for sale? Maybe that is a CYA move some stores should implement.

Luckily, I have a few mags that I can replace poorly pinned mags with if I ever encounter a problem. Chances are others don't have that same option though.
Click to expand...
If it was a pinning issue, then many more suppliers would be pulling the sks as North sylva supplies a bunch of our site sponsors and non sponsors and they were the ones responsible for pinning the imports or whomever their suppliers are!, I was told as many others here were that it was a slam fire issue and the owner didn't undertand what happened and panicked! That is what's good about forums like this as it helps prevent things of this nature by discussion and assistance for newcomers!
 
Cb750k said:
And your point is?

Everyone is stressing out that ct pulled sks's, who ####ing cares...
-The supply will not dry up for years
-just because some idiot didn't properly clean their bolt doesn't mean the sks will be banned
-lots of other places to buy an sks and will be for years to come
-try not to loose any sleep over it mkay...
Click to expand...
You said CT was "bringing them in" so I merely wanted make it clear that CT does not in an attempt to avoid confusion for others.
No reason to be snarky. I'm about done discussing it though if all it does is create pissing contests with fellow members.
I'll just keep whatever inside information I continue to receive to myself.
 
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