M-305 & SKS special....

[FyreFighter]

1) if prices were going up, they would just go up. How many times has a supplier told you "buy now so I can make less profit by selling a low price!"? Or is more likely you would hear, "Buy now! Avoid disappointment!"?

2) if prices are in fact going up, it is bc they are sold out offering product beneath their own standards/quality at $500, so why not try for higher prices?

The prices are going up on the m305, it would still be worth it to buy at the reg price, there was only a finish issue, not mechanical ash it hitzy said

 

[Hitzy]

Prices are going up due to inflation. Marstar has been selling these for basically the same price for 10 years. I think they were $399 when they started selling them back then. Increase is coming from the Chinese side....quality will probably remain the same.
Perfect M1A can be had.....what's an LMT go for these days? $3000+?
For what these are, and the little bit of work to make them shoot really well, nobody should be complaining about slightly ####ty finish, or minor barrel indexing issues. Complain if it doesn't work or blows up in your face LOL

 

[Shin_Gunto]

Buys Norinco; expects Springfield Armory fit and finish.

Not happy with purchase, gets full refund; not good enough, wants a coupon.

Does not understand buisness package deals and returns; attacks seller for issuing a full refund.



John, I do not envy you.

 

[FyreFighter]

You clearly have no clue, so pipe down and let the grown-ups speak.

He paid for a product which was substandard in quality. That's to say it doesn't fall within what he expected. He didn't complain that the front sight was .001" off centre-line, or the metalwork wasn't uniformly glossy. The receiver was improperly made/finished. If you bought it off the EE, you would have complained too. If you saw it in person, you likely would not have paid full retail for it. So why should he pay full retail?

He took advantage of Marstar's guarantee which meant he also lost out on the great deal which went with it. He then got conflicting information from the business's employees and incurred costs of his own. To top it all off, they promised him a replacement and backed out of their deal without notifying him.

So let me summarize it for you: he wasted his time and lost out on a good deal because Marstar couldn't be bothered to give the rifle a cursory look over.

Part of me wonders if the in-store customers get the good ones and the not-so-good ones wind up going out on the Big Brown truck. Of all the guns I've bought, every lemon has come via mail order. The one lemon I had bought in person was refunded cash back over the counter without any issues whatsoever.

FF

Buys Norinco; expects Springfield Armory fit and finish.

Not happy with purchase, gets full refund; not good enough, wants a coupon.

Does not understand buisness package deals and returns; attacks seller for issuing a full refund.



John, I do not envy you.

 

[cgnnut]

Buys Norinco; expects Springfield Armory fit and finish.

Not happy with purchase, gets full refund; not good enough, wants a coupon.

Does not understand buisness package deals and returns; attacks seller for issuing a full refund.



John, I do not envy you.

They are supposed to be CNC finished not hack finished by some highschool kid with a sanding disc on a drill.

I opted for this package on claims that the quality of this batch was improved over previous years by John himself.

I already have a 2012 M305 CNC finished (as it should be), and have no problems with it. My entire Marstar experience has been say one thing, and get another across the board, and overall huge waste of my time. No incentive whatsoever to do repeat business here.

Like the previous poster explained, let the adults speak, especially when you have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyhow, that's it for me, good luck to all. I'll be spending my money elsewhere.

 

[Hitzy]

Where does this "CNC machined" come from? What dealer is claiming that?
Really, that is news to me. I hope your disappointment isn't based on misinformation. I have never seen any one of these that could possibly be confused for being CNC'D, nor has any dealer I'm aware of ever claimed they were.

 

[Cgn99]

1) if prices were going up, they would just go up. How many times has a supplier told you "buy now so I can make less profit by selling a low price!"? Or is more likely you would hear, "Buy now! Avoid disappointment!"?

2) if prices are in fact going up, it is bc they are sold out offering product beneath their own standards/quality at $500, so why not try for higher prices?

I understand, also I bought a socom 18 version and it came out great, instead of m305', but not all of those came out perfect either, some people are not happy with those either. Not all are gonna be perfect, if this people are not happy with them, ya they can just return them and just get a Springfield m1a.

 

[yarmouth]

I understand, also I bought a socom 18 version and it came out great, instead of m305', but not all of those came out perfect either, some people are not happy with those either. Not all are gonna be perfect, if this people are not happy with them, ya they can just return them and just get a Springfield m1a.

Basically in life you get what you pay for when you buy retail. If you spend cheap you probably with get cheap. That's why I try to dig around on the internet for info before I spend anymore than $100 on anything to avoid disappointment. I also believe that quality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to cosmetic appearance. Completely subjective. If you are a Mr. Picky Pants by nature it is probably best to hold off on buying anything sight unseen until the feedback from other buyers appear online.

 

[FyreFighter]

The issue isn't buying high quality vs. low quality. The issue is inconsistency. I can show you a sample M305 and sell you ten of them - from what we are seeing, they will all have vastly different qualities. Some of them will be essentially unusable, others will fail frequently, some will have cosmetic issues, others will be perfect. The consumer cannot make an informed decision because of the variance. The retailers are generally unwilling to extend the buyer the courtesy of making sure the product they ship is of reasonable quality so the consumer must either accept those terms and roll the dice or vote with his wallet. I am voting with my wallet.

FF

Basically in life you get what you pay for when you buy retail. If you spend cheap you probably with get cheap. That's why I try to dig around on the internet for info before I spend anymore than $100 on anything to avoid disappointment. I also believe that quality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to cosmetic appearance. Completely subjective. If you are a Mr. Picky Pants by nature it is probably best to hold off on buying anything sight unseen until the feedback from other buyers appear online.

 

[Shin_Gunto]

The issue isn't buying high quality vs. low quality. The issue is inconsistency. I can show you a sample M305 and sell you ten of them - from what we are seeing, they will all have vastly different qualities. Some of them will be essentially unusable, others will fail frequently, some will have cosmetic issues, others will be perfect. The consumer cannot make an informed decision because of the variance. The retailers are generally unwilling to extend the buyer the courtesy of making sure the product they ship is of reasonable quality so the consumer must either accept those terms and roll the dice or vote with his wallet. I am voting with my wallet.

FF

This is the epitome of Norinco, poor quality control. Where have you been?

 

[Hitzy]

The issue isn't buying high quality vs. low quality. The issue is inconsistency. I can show you a sample M305 and sell you ten of them - from what we are seeing, they will all have vastly different qualities. Some of them will be essentially unusable, others will fail frequently, some will have cosmetic issues, others will be perfect. The consumer cannot make an informed decision because of the variance. The retailers are generally unwilling to extend the buyer the courtesy of making sure the product they ship is of reasonable quality so the consumer must either accept those terms and roll the dice or vote with his wallet. I am voting with my wallet.

FF

Quality is subjective....as is value. We know what the issues are with these rifles, and we know how to fix them cheaply as well. Nobody could ever claim they got a perfect Nork M14, or that these are on par with Springfield etc ....and if they did they would be full of ####. The value here is forged receiver, decent chrome lined barrel, decent small parts, everything more or less to USGI dimensions.
Will there be tool marks, sharp edges, pointy corners, sloppy cast parts, inconsistent finish....#### yeah, on every single one of them.
Some people can live with that based on the positive functioning and reasonable accuracy. Some are more concerned with the looks and would never be happy with one of these.

 

[johnone]

M-305 rifles;
Yes we received some that are not quite what we expected, This despite the fact that we attend and inspect each production run at the factory,

Those few were taken back and full refunds extended or replaced, customers choice....

In this particular case we ran out, we could not replace it was either the customer pay full rate for the SKS or return both rifles, he elected to return both, we extended a full refund including shipping.... Realistically, what more could we do ?

Hitzy hit it on the head, we have left the price unchanged for almost 10 years.... When we started selling them @ $399.oo other dealers/importers were selling them @ $799. and $899. does anyone recall that ?

But I guess we are the bad guys, again.
John

 

[johnone]

1) if prices were going up, they would just go up. How many times has a supplier told you "buy now so I can make less profit by selling a low price!"? Or is more likely you would hear, "Buy now! Avoid disappointment!"?

2) if prices are in fact going up, it is bc they are sold out offering product beneath their own standards/quality at $500, so why not try for higher prices?

I love it when people like you arrive at these conclusions and making statements without having any knowledge of what is going on in the real world....

I realize you are an expert way beyond what the common folk appreciate

It is a strange situation when there are numerous people out there including our fellow shooter, Hungry, who until know I considered the Canadian "guru" of the M-305, I now realize he has met his match in you.

By the way, there several thousand satisfied customers out there who do not agree with you.... But what do they know ?
John

 

[Geoff B]

I bought one of these combos shortly after they came out. The SKS had a few minor handling marks, but otherwise was in as-new and unfired condition. The M-305 was just fine - everything fit and was properly lined up. The sight indexing is bang-on and the stock sights are quite good. I read all the stickies about function testing and ensuring the ears on the bolt fit correctly. All good. One of the mags needed a touch-up with a small file to fit perfectly, that was all. The gun works very well just as it came out of the box.

I guess I didn't post anything about this earlier because it was such a non-event of a transaction! I saw their ad, paid my money and Marstar delivered what they had advertised. Same with the Norinco 1911, Grand Power K-100 and other stuff I've ordered in the last few years. Keep up the good work, John.

 

[walleyed99]

The issue isn't buying high quality vs. low quality. The issue is inconsistency. I can show you a sample M305 and sell you ten of them - from what we are seeing, they will all have vastly different qualities. Some of them will be essentially unusable, others will fail frequently, some will have cosmetic issues, others will be perfect. The consumer cannot make an informed decision because of the variance. The retailers are generally unwilling to extend the buyer the courtesy of making sure the product they ship is of reasonable quality so the consumer must either accept those terms and roll the dice or vote with his wallet. I am voting with my wallet.

FF

Sorry to hear your experience was not up to standard. I have had a couple of transactions with Marstar and cannot say that my experiences were anything like what you have experienced. I ordered the M305/SKS combo and what I received was as I expected and ALMOST perfect rifle out of the box/oil bag. fit and finish was good, parts were almost perfect trigger guard was tight oprod guid was passable, but I still tightened it up. cleaned it and greased it and shot it. I will still replace the rear sight, front sight and flash hider to make it what I want in an m14 platform. all in all i look at it this way. an Chi com sks is worth 200 buck plus shipping so after shipping and everything this is what I will be at.

SKS/M305 Combo - $575.00 shipped to my door in a case
SKS value - 200.00
Case Value- 30.00

So I have a great platform to build on for $345, add a spring guide $40, Spring $10, flashider GI spec $75, front and rear sight about $125. So, for about 595.00 I have a really nice shooting 22" M14 clone to accompany my shorty.

Now, the machining is NOT perfect (CNC) but I was not expecting it to be it is similar to yours and I didn't freak out about it. a M1A Springfield has its own issues or has been know to have its own issues and it costs 1700US from a site sponsor on here plus shipping as a comparison. You wanted an inexpensive M14 you got one. Tweak it, and tune it up and you will have a blast! Or return it and get you money for it and move on, if you want to keep the SKS then pay for it! It was a package deal, if you only want PART of the package the price changes... Live with it. Just my thoughts the way I see it.

If you don't wanna deal at Marstar, don't! I am sure there is someone else who will purchase what you otherwise would.....

 

[BlairW]

Still kicking myself for not jumping on this deal before it went away.

 

[Ernst]

Any idea when the next batch of m-305's are coming in ? All this negative stuff is a little concerning but I realize You've got to roll the dice a little when you order one of these but I'm pretty sure if I asked john to do a personal inspection before shipping hed probably have no problem with that . I don't expect absolute perfection by any means ( especially at this price point ) but I do expect a functioning rifle with a with a great warranty , and from what I've heard marstars is really good that way . All the best everyone ! Ernst

 

[Alkaline1]

When if first saw this deal, i was just getting into the hobby. Now that I really want a 305, the deal is gone and im kicking myself. My local gun store has one for $600, but thats a little steep for me right now. If more of these come along for a similar deal im going to jump on it as soon as i see it.

 

[walleyed99]

Any idea when the next batch of m-305's are coming in ? All this negative stuff is a little concerning but I realize You've got to roll the dice a little when you order one of these but I'm pretty sure if I asked john to do a personal inspection before shipping hed probably have no problem with that . I don't expect absolute perfection by any means ( especially at this price point ) but I do expect a functioning rifle with a with a great warranty , and from what I've heard marstars is really good that way . All the best everyone ! Ernst

All of the M305's are capable of beaing a great shooting rifle out of the box with very little work, some require a little more than others. However, here are plenty of us who have done that work on our own, and have attended Hungry clinics that can point you in the right direction.

 

[Maverick.flhx]

By the way, there several thousand satisfied customers out there who do not agree with you.... But what do they know ?
John [/B][/QUOTE]

I am one of them.... all those pictures of poor quality etc etc.... didn't see any of it on mine.... if the rifle is inaccurate, it's most likely my markmanship... .....
Best bang for my buck(s) for sure!!!