I still cannot believe what the chinese 75 dollar specials are going for. A guy would be wise to buy a crate of nice russians and wait until the price goes up.
They're good, solid, moderately accurate, extremely reliable, semi-autos that fire a cartridge that you can actually hunt with. If you look around at the market, for a new-made comparable rifle, you're looking at $800-$1000 for a mini-30, or 858.
Sure, the 858 is the class of the bunch (IMHO), but its legal status is such a dogs breakfast right now, no wonder the SKS has gone up in value.
At $250-$300, SKS's are still a steal, and realistically, you can still find them in the $200 range.
For some reason, people think that the ability to put in an AK mag makes them "much-more-better, tactical-ninja" guns, which drives up the price. Never mind that the "D" and "Paratrooper" Chinese SKS's were purposely built for the North American market.
I have to admit, I was sorely tempted by the "D" SKS's for a while, but then just figured it didn't really gain me anything over my regular SKS's, so I stuck with those.
$500-$600 for one with the original stock, in good condition, and it will sell fast. Not sure about one with the aftermarket folder stock. I'm more of a purist, so I'd take a pass on it at pretty much any price, but there's a lot of guys out there who'd throw the wood stock in the firepit as soon as it got home and wrap in in tactical plastic. So I wouldn't low-ball the price.
I've seen D's that have been so shot out they're pretty much a smooth bore, on a table at a gun show for $600, and not last the first hour after the doors open. They're just not that common, and guys who want 'em, want 'em, and they'll pay.
