Price check on M-14 shorties on Aisle five ...

Lazerus2000

Lazerus2000

BANNED
BANNED
BANNED
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
114   0   0
OK fine,
the Easterner's actually beat us on number of shorties turned out in one day,
but we Wet Coasters beat them on total volume produced ...
[personally I've done somewhere around 18 or so shorties, US GI, SA, and Chinee, starting in the late 1980's, and we had about a dozen 22" barrels fall into the chop saw last weekend ... even though these are not technically finished yet, as someone has to turn the shortened barrels back into the receivers.

So,
I have a fair idea of what it costs, historically and currently, to put a shorty together here in Canuckistan. Compared to the US market, shorty M-14 rifles? carbines? bushies? whatevers? ... are a genuine bargain. Go surf the US gun forums, and see what those poor saps below the line are paying for their tricked out "tacticool" short 14s.

My question to the assembled peanut gallery, is what should the price of a shorty M-14 be, these days, right now, right here in Canuckistan?

And why isn't someone setting up a production line to do this commercially ... at a fair price?

And just what should that "fair" price be?

LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR .... I am NOT personally interested in setting up a production line to do this work. I am not really that interested in getting back into gunsmithing as a business. This is why I would rather teach others how to do it themselves ...
and how to save BIG money by doing so.

But,
there should be someone somewhere here in Canada, professionally doing up custom Norc 14s, like Gunnar does the Norc .45 pistols

OK,
market value is determined by what the market will pay.
I sold three shorties recently,
1.] EVERYTHING US GI except the receiver, trigger job, Navy GRFS, AR F/H and ARMS mount included, out the door, we will not be undersold, for a bargain price of $ 1850.

2.] Basic Norc shorty in a JAE 100 stock with Promag ARMS clone mount, Marstar GRFS, Dlask Vortex, trigger job included ... out the door, we will not be undersold, for a bargain price of $ 1750.

3.] Basic Norc shorty, Marstar GRFS, Dlask Short COMP, trigger job included,
out the door, we will not be undersold, for a bargain price of $ 850.

what say the peanut gallerry ...
did I rip these poor suckers off, or did they get a genuine bargain?

So what should the fair markket value for a shorty M-14 be??

what would you pay, or what did you pay for a shorty 14??
[;{)
LAZ 1
 
Just for comparison here's what mine has cost .....so far;)

Norc M14 - $500 (last May at gun show)
M1A Fiberglass Stock - $60 (ya I got a good deal):)
Springfield Scout Mount - $48 (got another good deal):)
Bushnell Holosight - $210 (to cheap to buy a EOTech):redface:
5.56mm NATO Muzzle Brake - $60 (need to ream it out)
M-14 Gas Lock Front Sight - $90
Gas shim kit -$10
Garand Rear sight - $80
Chop job and re-tread barrel - $115

Total cost (not including all the other accessories "I just had to have")
$1173:eek:

So Laz I think it would be safe to say that your prices are more than fair. When you see how fast "the little upgrade" actually cost when their added up. I haven't switched out any internal parts yet and may not I will see how it shoots first.
 
Well, considering that your most expensive rifle mentioned there is still about $5 cheaper than the most basic M1A (at least at Wolverine), and is probably a higher quality build, then ya, I wouldn't say those prices are too far off the mark.
 
I sold my M14 "Shorty" for $1500.00 a couple years ago.This was the last M14 that I built.

DSC08323.jpg

DSC08325.jpg

DSC08326.jpg

DSC08324.jpg

DSC08327.jpg




Here is the breakdown:

-Norinco barrel shortened to 18.75" and properly indexed
_Smith Direct Connection Vortex Flash Suppressor
-Fake AirSoft Smith Suppressor
-USGI TRW Bolt lapped and headspaced
-Gas System shimmed and proper indexed
-Rooster33 "Navy" Front Sight.
-Rear Aperature enlarged _ I forget what size drill I used....)
-Rooster33 Op Rod Spring Guide
-USGI Op Rod Spring
-Rooster33 Tactical bolt Release
-USGI Fiberglass stock with Custom MARPAT Digital Camo
-Custom made USGI Dummy Selector Switch with Modified Norinco Op Rod (Gun-Koted OD)....The actual selector linkage is missing in these pics, but was installed just afterwards as I just finished modifying the op rod to USGI Specs........;)

I think I threw in a few 5/20 round mags as well............

At the time I felt I sold it for a fair price...............and I have even been offered the first option of buying it back if the the current owner decides to sell it.:D

SKBY.
 
I've got over 800 in mine not including taxes and shipping costs to send it off to get cut
rifle 490
stock 120
marstar GLSF 75
marstar oprod spring guide 40
cut and threaded 75
A2 flashider 30
PB garand sight parts 45
few bucks for shims
shipping costs were a bit over 100 bucks by themself
IMG_2149.jpg

IMG_2391.jpg
 
Last edited:
providing crown is done properly..... there should be no change in accuracy ....and may improve it on these rincos. muzzle velocity might lower slightly so long range tragectory may be affected somewhat.... but there i'm only theorizing. ;)
 
is there a way you can reuse the stock flash hider after hte barrel has been chopped?

the stock flash hider is one of my favourite parts of the gun
 
it just won't work..... i've been down that road..... and Laz yanked me back onto "the path" rather quickly hehehehe , don't know where i'd be without that guy ;)
 
I'm a bit of a cheapo, but I think if someone wanted to make shorties and sell them in larger numbers as you seem to be suggesting, the price could not be that much higher than full size M14's are.

People are gobbling up these Norcs because they are cheap and functional. As soon as you remove "cheap" from the equation, you lose 75% of your market (maybe more). For mass market appeal, I'd say just do a chopped norc, period, no expensice USGI parts (front sight change needed, obviously), and the price would have to be low as well.

I've been wanting a shortie for a while, but at twice the price of a full size version, I'll keep passing, or just chop my own and add a $80 marstar front sight and be done with it.

I think if someone wanted to sell shorties in large numbers, they'd have to be willing to get them out the door for $600.
 
most guys have been getting rifles that are pretty decent for milsurp ammo use, we still haven't heard any horror stories about them failing, that with the volume of rifles marstar is dumping on the market.

I really think at the owner level, customizing your m14s into a shorty with a domestically sourced muzzle break or flashider, you are increasing the value of that 399.00 rifle by at least 150.00 to 200.00, when you add in smithing fees, shipping, muzzle end part.... that's considering a full job, tear down, barrel work, muzzle end part install and reassembly of rifle.

Any dealer who were to go down that road would have to increase the price of the rifle at the retail level due to the costs of creating a bone stock shorty..... my guess is this increase would equate to 150 to 200.00 minimum..... just by looking at cost versus margins in the retail world.
 
I bought mine because I love the m14 and this is the only one I can have. Cost is not the issue when it comes to mods/builds.

I would buy a tricked out USGI shorty built on a Norc platform
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom