Letter series SKS

sigrunes

sigrunes

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Are the letter series SKS worth anymore than a regular one? Are they rare and desirable?
I have done a bit of research online and they seem to be a more rare variant of the Russian SKS but what value do they hold , I'm talking run of the mill refurb letter series SKS like you would most likely see/encounter. As far as value I seem to only see US forums talking about them and value , what are they worth here in Canada and are they sought after? Thanks in advance guys.
 
sigrunes said:
Are the letter series SKS worth anymore than a regular one? Are they rare and desirable?
I have done a bit of research online and they seem to be a more rare variant of the Russian SKS but what value do they hold , I'm talking run of the mill refurb letter series SKS like you would most likely see/encounter. As far as value I seem to only see US forums talking about them and value , what are they worth here in Canada and are they sought after? Thanks in advance guys.
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Lots of folks know much more than I but I believe it would depend on year and condition etc. There is a sticky above that tried to collect data on year and number produced for some models! I guess you could see which years seem to be more rare. It has only been in recent years that it was realized the lettered SKS were not 55/56 but also likely 57 and 58 too!
 
All you need to know is 1949 Tula, 1953/54 Izehesk, 1958 'K' red laminate. Also production odities like an original chrome-lined 1951, or first pattern reciever 1952, no date 1953, double star stamped 1955, etc
 
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Awesome , thanks guys. My buddy is selling an I (backwards N in Russian) letter series SKS. I was thinking on buying it but he wants $280 and I haven't paid over $200 for a SKS yet.
I guess the I's are 57 from my limited research , the rifle has refurb mark only on top cover , star on side of receiver and the stock has lots of X's indicating refurb. Also the rear leaf sight is grey which indicates refurb too I have read. Thxs again.


EDIT: I realize the days of the $200 SKS are limited if not ending/over but just cant justify the big increase if its not rare, pristine, original or sought after.
 
I would'nt pay $280 for that refurb . checkout westrifles sks rifles they might not have the letter series in stock but the ones that I have seen on the site are'nt refurbs. the only thing I don't like is the way the mags are welded. but otherwise they look like non refurbs. give them a call . and they are close to your neck of the woods.
 
Thanks Cement appreciate the heads up, not really actively seeking SKS's though , just good finds or cheap ones really. I have owned several Russians, 2 Chinese and a Yugo in my time but now just have 2 Russians. They are really one of the last cheap well built widely available semi autos left to buy out there these days.
 
BeaverMeat said:
All you need to know is 1949 Tula, 1953/54 Izehesk, 1958 'K' red laminate. Also production odities like an original chrome-lined 1951, or first pattern reciever 1952, no date 1953, double star stamped 1955, etc
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Where did you find these oddities info, thanks by the way, do you think a refurb 53 izzy with nice refurb except they actually painted the bolt cover with a high gloss product! I have a few with parkerizing from refurb but never seen this shiny stuff just on the cover!?
 
sigrunes said:
Awesome , thanks guys. My buddy is selling an I (backwards N in Russian) letter series SKS. I was thinking on buying it but he wants $280 and I haven't paid over $200 for a SKS yet.
I guess the I's are 57 from my limited research , the rifle has refurb mark only on top cover , star on side of receiver and the stock has lots of X's indicating refurb. Also the rear leaf sight is grey which indicates refurb too I have read. Thxs again.


EDIT: I realize the days of the $200 SKS are limited if not ending/over but just cant justify the big increase if its not rare, pristine, original or sought after.
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I am a cheapy SKS Er too, for $280. I would want something very special!
 
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BeaverMeat said:
All you need to know is 1949 Tula, 1953/54 Izehesk, 1958 'K' red laminate. Also production odities like an original chrome-lined 1951, or first pattern reciever 1952, no date 1953, double star stamped 1955, etc
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I would add to Beaver's list:

2008 IZH imports, particularly the non-refurbished specimens in good to very good condition. Many of them were rather beat-up and well used (which is ok btw). In my opinion, these are really the ones to look for. If you can find a 1953 Izhevsk non-refurbished or something else from the above list from the original 2008 IZH import, you are sitting on a gold mine. I personally would pay north of $750 for a 1953 Izhevsk IZH import.
 
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I don't know why I was thinking the 54 ish was the rare one but looking at the Kugans registry it is the 53 I have a couple but none from the 80's import! When talking about the 55 with two stars, does he mean two Tula stamps on the cover? I just put a hold on another 55, mostly because of the price and I was born in 55, this one looks used but maybe not refurbed, most of the cartouches are there! For $170 I might as well take it!
 
bobdbldr said:
I don't know why I was thinking the 54 ish was the rare one but looking at the Kugans registry it is the 53 I have a couple but none from the 80's import! When talking about the 55 with two stars, does he mean two Tula stamps on the cover? I just put a hold on another 55, mostly because of the price and I was born in 55, this one looks used but maybe not refurbed, most of the cartouches are there! For $170 I might as well take it!
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Trust me, nothing is more rare than a non-refurbished '53 Izhevsk. Even more rare than a refurbished '49. If there were any non-refurbished '49s, they would be the rarest. Haven't seen one of those yet.

Buy anything for $170!

I was looking at a mint all-matching Mosin at Fishing World yesterday. (They just got a lot of 15 in) Everything, mint, bore included. Price: $175 ! How long will prices like that last? Not long.
I just don't need more guns and it was VERY HARD to resist the temptation to buy it.
 
The Kurgan said:
Trust me, nothing is more rare than a non-refurbished '53 Izhevsk. Even more rare than a refurbished '49. If there were any non-refurbished '49s, they would be the rarest. Haven't seen one of those yet.

Buy anything for $170!

I was looking at a mint all-matching Mosin at Fishing World yesterday. (They just got a lot of 15 in) Everything, mint, bore included. Price: $175 ! How long will prices like that last? Not long.
I just don't need more guns and it was VERY HARD to resist the temptation to buy it.
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The 53 izzy I got 2 months ago is unrefurbed all cartouches there, looks slightly used, sadly they did not put the matching mag back on when pinning! The one I am looking at now, is a refurb, looks nice except someone spray painted the cover with shiny black paint,, just the cover, everything else looks ok. I figure there was a speck of rust on it and some gonad decided to quick spray it, you can even see a bit of overspray on the receiver! Even with that I am still thinking of buying it!
 
I heard from a LGS manager the other day that Russia may be able to ship more surplus soon! He claimed it may keep prices reasonable as they wont have to ship through other countries, not sure how true it is but a glimmer of hope!
 
If he quick sprayed it, chances are the original finish was left alone. Buy it and chemically strip the cheap paint. If there's no bluing under it, reblue it.

bobdbldr said:
The 53 izzy I got 2 months ago is unrefurbed all cartouches there, looks slightly used, sadly they did not put the matching mag back on when pinning! The one I am looking at now, is a refurb, looks nice except someone spray painted the cover with shiny black paint,, just the cover, everything else looks ok. I figure there was a speck of rust on it and some gonad decided to quick spray it, you can even see a bit of overspray on the receiver! Even with that I am still thinking of buying it!
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The Kurgan said:
If he quick sprayed it, chances are the original finish was left alone. Buy it and chemically strip the cheap paint. If there's no bluing under it, reblue it.
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Will do, thanks for the info! Also thanks again for building the registry, wish it was still open, I would add a good few, I access it often for info!
 
bobdbldr said:
Will do, thanks for the info! Also thanks again for building the registry, wish it was still open, I would add a good few, I access it often for info!
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The registry data available on this forum is simply a "representative subset". There were over 2100 entries. It was very successful, but all good things must come to an end. My objective was to estimate overall Russian production numbers, which I believe I have accomplished. It would have stayed open indefinitely, but unfortunately too much spam and bogus entries from a few jerks. It became an unsustainable chore to constantly clean the data and keep it running.
 
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bobdbldr said:
I heard from a LGS manager the other day that Russia may be able to ship more surplus soon! He claimed it may keep prices reasonable as they wont have to ship through other countries, not sure how true it is but a glimmer of hope!
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I've mentioned this before, Bob, keep in mind that you could SELL some SKS thru the EE if you see more interesting SKS than you want to keep.

There is still lots of un-interesting, rough refurbed SKS selling for $230 here in the West.
 
Robert Nicholson said:
I've mentioned this before, Bob, keep in mind that you could SELL some SKS thru the EE if you see more interesting SKS than you want to keep.

There is still lots of un-interesting, rough refurbed SKS selling for $230 here in the West.
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They have 150 SKS enroute for the grand opening in March of their new location, price will be a bit higher they said but I am hoping there will be a Grand opening sale!! :)
 
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