1953 Izhevsk alert at Westrifle!
- Thread starter The Kurgan
- Start date
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
There are 5 left... 
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
And to add:
Any 1949 *
1953 Izhevsk refurb
1953 Izhevsk non-refurbished *
And probably in the future, long after supply has dried up, and the hand of bubba has ruined many...
ANY non-refurbished *
ANY non-bubba'd refurbs
* pack them away and kiss them good night.
yup, and a couple beers to soften my willpower ...... on that note I can admit I own 8 sks.... And Yes, to me , some are damn collectible.... my '49, my izzy, my unfired tula, .... oh but wait , I dont give a damn what you think.... Should we talk about my 7 mosins now?? .... Ok , I'm done ...lol...
IMO, a plain jane, excellent condition, non-refurbished 1954 Tula is more desireable than a 1953 izhevsk refurb.
Look to Brazilian 1908's, there are those from DWM Berlin, and DWM Oberndorf (Mauser) and neither commands a particular premium, desirability is based on condition.
There are a lot of things that could affect collector desire for an SKS. I recently got an original '51 Tula from a member here that has beautiful, dark red wood and a highly polished gold bayo.
It is not a rare date, but one look at it and you want it. People talk about the '49's and the '53 Izzys, but in my mind the sleepers are the common date Tulas in a near-museum state of preservation, with bonus points for color and figuring of the wood, and (for me) the infamous golden bayo.
My very first SKS was a '51 Tula. I shot the heck out of it, refinished the stock, and generally treated it like a $200 gun. It has zero collector value now, and you have to wonder how many other original rifles have suffered the same fate.
It is not a rare date, but one look at it and you want it. People talk about the '49's and the '53 Izzys, but in my mind the sleepers are the common date Tulas in a near-museum state of preservation, with bonus points for color and figuring of the wood, and (for me) the infamous golden bayo.
My very first SKS was a '51 Tula. I shot the heck out of it, refinished the stock, and generally treated it like a $200 gun. It has zero collector value now, and you have to wonder how many other original rifles have suffered the same fate.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
I agree with both earlier comments that condition is an important part of "value". I don't own, or want to own, anything that is not in an excellent to perfect state of condition. Period. That is because condition trumps "collector value" every time for me. As I said earlier, I buy quality milsurp rifles because I enjoy them (mainly Mausers and SKS's). I have no concern over "resale value" as I do not ever intend to sell them. As an aside, all the other stuff I have sold over the years, were mainly modern rifles and shotguns, and in every case, I lost an average of 25-30% of their "value". I would hate to loose that on pristine SKS's.
READ UP BOYS, AND YOU CAN THANK ME LATER:
Weimajack has just imported several hand-picked NON-REFURBISHED, UNFIRED, and PROBABLY UNISSUED 1953 Izhevsk's. He has not posted them on EE yet. If you're VERY SMART, I would send him an extremely polite PM and inquire. Once he posts them, they will last 10 minutes. Everything he sells is MINT MINT MINT. If you're a tight-wad and expect $150-$175 prices, don't bother wasting his time.
READ UP BOYS, AND YOU CAN THANK ME LATER:
Weimajack has just imported several hand-picked NON-REFURBISHED, UNFIRED, and PROBABLY UNISSUED 1953 Izhevsk's. He has not posted them on EE yet. If you're VERY SMART, I would send him an extremely polite PM and inquire. Once he posts them, they will last 10 minutes. Everything he sells is MINT MINT MINT. If you're a tight-wad and expect $150-$175 prices, don't bother wasting his time.
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Old Outlaw
Regular
- Location
- State of Iowa, USA
Well, I follow and agree with Kurgan. You may have plenty available right now and tomorrow you may have none to buy. Not but a few years back down here in the states we could get all the Russians you could want for first $89, $99, $159, $199, $250, $300. Now look at what one in like new condition will bring. A 53Izhevsk in condition like you guys get will go pretty close to $800 on up. An original or unissued, well better figure closer to $2000 or higher.
Why? Cause the Government and Russia got into some peeing match. Same with Chinese. If gun regulations start getting worse on semi-auto Military rifles, beware. The first thing any government ever does is stop importation. If imports stop due to government decree, then you won't see any more in crates or quantity ever again. No law needs be passed. A President or Prime Minister can about snap the fingers and it's a done deal. Same as was now done for our own Garands. Importers cannot bring them back home now.
Why? Cause the Government and Russia got into some peeing match. Same with Chinese. If gun regulations start getting worse on semi-auto Military rifles, beware. The first thing any government ever does is stop importation. If imports stop due to government decree, then you won't see any more in crates or quantity ever again. No law needs be passed. A President or Prime Minister can about snap the fingers and it's a done deal. Same as was now done for our own Garands. Importers cannot bring them back home now.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Gee, thanks for the correction. Does it really matter? He's one of the best and most reliable SKS dealers in Canada, along with the good folks at Westrifle.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Well said, and scary when you think about it. We already have a ton of nonsense gun laws here, I wouldn't be surprized to see all military semi-autos banned in the future! Why? because the liberals want to play into the fear factor, just like they're doing in the US today. Read lyrics to Buffalo Springfield's "For what its worth". Its all about control.
Many more posted today click here -->> http://westrifle.com/wrstore/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=22f64c9dbf336276cf51b9ba23860758&keyword=izhevsk
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
You have alot of very nice 1953 Izhevsk refurbs there, and for a reasonable price!! You will make a bunch of SKS enthusiasts very happy -- as they are NOT common to find.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Just for all to know, there's nothing wrong with a 1953 Izhevsk with a few force-matched parts, or with a "BBQ paint" finish. They are rare any way you shake it.
However, if you can find them in their original finish and with original all-matching parts, you've done well -- there are a few of those on Westrifle right now.
If you have any questions about the 1953 "Izzy", don't hesitate to contact me.
However, if you can find them in their original finish and with original all-matching parts, you've done well -- there are a few of those on Westrifle right now.
If you have any questions about the 1953 "Izzy", don't hesitate to contact me.
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I have many phone calls from people looking for those. I did go digging throught another container and I just post them for people to buy. Those become rare with every shipment. Dig in and try to find the one you like
Sergey
Sergey
Yeah, Albanian and North Korean SKS's are just oddities that no one really wants. Really? How about those 'used to be dirt cheap' Yugo SKS's, Sino Soviets? Right now, the military SKS is at all time low pricing, and it won't last. As an example, a member on this board recently groused about his father trading an L1A1 for an SKS in the early 1990's - at the time that was a great deal, the SKS (commercial) sold for $250, while you could pick up an FN for $150.
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- Location
- East of Home, West of the Rest
