My new M44 arrived in the mail today! PICS

[MapleSugar]

I suggest you look into the cost of importing from the US again, it has gone up something fierce. I had a genuine 91/30 sniper imported from rguns through questar. I paid $900 for the rifle & the total cost involved was about $1300 Cnd. Now it costs $700 for the first firearm +.

Even if the costs have gone up, you're missing my point. Unless they were doing a special order, what kind of dealer would only import one rifle at a time?

Instead, they are likely bringing in dozens, if not hundreds, or even thousands of guns with each order. Are they charged $700 for every firearm? Do they need to tack huge increases on their costs to maintain a profit? I doubt it. Especially when the Russian rifles in question are coming from Russia and there are no U.S. export fees to worry about. Otherwise, they would all have the U.S. importer's stamp on them.

Think about it, the U.S. importers have to mark every foreign firearm they bring into their country per the BATF regulations, yet we don't and the same firearms that are sold here unmarked cost less down there marked. You would think the U.S. consumer would have to pay more considering the expense of marking every single foreign; rifle, pistol and shotgun brought into their country.

In my experience, reasonably priced firearms and ammunition fly off the shelves and out the doors. The more guns people have, the more ammunition they need to keep them fed. The more reasonable the costs, the more new people will want to be active in the sport.

If you don't believe me, go into Kesselring's just South of Bellingham on a Saturday morning. I wouldn't be surprised if Ron isn't doing more business than every gunstore in the Lower Mainland combined. Or go to a Puyallup gunshow on a Saturday and watch the one day ammo dealer sell everything he has, while the overpriced guys sit on their stock both days and barely sell anything. I've never seen anything that even comes close to it at a HACS show.

Gouging customers is just playing into the anti's hands.

 

[MapleSugar]

here is another thought;

we all know that this time of the year is THE busiest and most profitable time for any retailer and dealer.

can somebody explain, why all/most of the "gun dealers" are closed, even for boxing day, and most until after New Year????

Does it have anything to do with their pricing methods? .... Fat Cats?

Good point, I know I'd be open for the hordes of customers with fists full of money eager to find a deal.

 

[desporterizer]

here is another thought;

we all know that this time of the year is THE busiest and most profitable time for any retailer and dealer.

can somebody explain, why all/most of the "gun dealers" are closed, even for boxing day, and most until after New Year????

Does it have anything to do with their pricing methods? .... Fat Cats?

I don't know for sure but I would have to guess that most of them are small businesses & this is the only time of the year they are closed. The unusual pattern of this years holiday season might have something to do with it too.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

25 years ago, when they first came to Canada, they sold for $89.00 brandnew.

I think i saw them same time Polaris in GunRunner for 44.99 but i cant remember if they were unfired? Seemed like an excellent economical deer rifle, kinda replacing the sporterized Lee Enfields as the entry deer rifle. Easy to handle and plenty of knockdown.

 

[ciphery]

I think i saw them same time Polaris in GunRunner for 44.99 but i cant remember if they were unfired? Seemed like an excellent economical deer rifle, kinda replacing the sporterized Lee Enfields as the entry deer rifle. Easy to handle and plenty of knockdown.

I own one of those early 80's M44's. Unfired,packed in Cosmline,made in Poland in 1953
Yup about par with a 30-06. Big noise and fireball when shooting privi partizan 150 soft points. I reload with;32gn Acurate 5744 180gn Speer .311 dia. CCI LRP. =2288ish.

 

[ciphery]

That's what they would have you believe, but it isn't the case.

I looked into it once, an export permit from the States costs something like $100.....for the entire shipment. Yet somehow, that $100 (or more) gets added to every individual rifle or pistol sold in Canada. Here is the kicker, it isn't applicable if the firearms are coming in from a country other than the U.S., so why the f**k does it get added to every single firearm sold here?

Also, take a look at the "Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price" and you will see that most U.S. retailers are well below it. Up here it is what we get charged, if not more. That gouging went on long before export permits were required.

Sometimes it also seems that they haven't adjusted for the fact our dollar is nearly on par with the U.S. greenback and not trading at $.66 USD anymore.

Basically, our firearm market isn't very competitive. In the States the retailers that sell at lower prices do more business and make their money through volume sales. Those that charge too much are left holding inventory that languishs on the shelves.

Quite simply, a company that developed a similar tactic of profit through volume would kick the s**t out of nearly every retailer in Canada. You hear some of them whine that their costs are too high to lower prices, but they are either too stupid, or too greedy to realize they'd make more money by affordable volume sales than trying to make enough money to retire off of each purchase.

End of rant and hi-jack.

I think there is something to be said about supply and demand. There is probably a lot more guns sold every day in the USA than in Canada so stores can afford to sell low when they buy in bulk. Same goes for the ammo.