Should I buy a Chinese "French Tickler"?

[High Noon]

I can buy a Norinco "French Tickler" from a collector I know - he wants $800 for it.   He showed me a brief video of it on his phone, but haven't seen it it person.  Based on the video it's excellent with the bayonet, sling and cleaning kit.  However $800 seems to be a lot.

Is it worth that much?  I know SKS prices are way up, so maybe it's the going rate.  I don't know much about these, other than they are late production (79-81?).  Been trying to research them, but haven't found a lot of info.

Thanks for any advice!

[pcke2000]

$800 sounds high

[High Noon]

$800 sounds high

Okay...that's what i was thinking.  He might cut the price some, but I doubt it.  He says it's "rare".

[Greatguns]

Only semi-rare and it's basically just a late model Chinese SKS. Tell him if it was a French "Chinese tickler" then you'd pay that much, but as it is it's only worth $650

[running-man]

Nothing rare about a French tickler SKS. If it’s all matching, It’s either a year 23, 24, or 25 /26\ or an M21 0296 gun. Many tens of thousands of them were made. They are nice guns and worth a premium vs a run of the mill type 56, but $800 is crazy talk. I’d personally only consider it at $600 at most and only then because the market is so unsustainably inflated right now. A year and a half ago, it was a $300 to $450 gun

[echo1]

I added a FT HG and different type sling to a Paratrooper. Something like that might/would be worth $800. PAX

       

       

[High Noon]

Nothing rare about a French tickler SKS. If it’s all matching, It’s either a year 23, 24, or 25 /26\ or an M21 0296 gun. Many tens of thousands of them were made. They are nice guns and worth a premium vs a run of the mill type 56, but $800 is crazy talk. I’d personally only consider it at $600 at most and only then because the market is so unsustainably inflated right now. A year and a half ago, it was a $300 to $450 gun

Thanks.  Told him I'd pass on it a couple of weeks ago, but thought I might be missing out on something that I'd regret later on.  Yeah prices on SKSs are really high now - maybe 50% above a year ago.

Thanks for the info!

[High Noon]

I added a FT HG and different type sling to a Paratrooper. Something like that might/would be worth $800. PAX

       

       

Nice collection!!

[Justin Hell]

I had been under the impression that by 25m (1980) they stopped using the 'French Tickler' handguards and had reverted back to wood. These are also extremely hard to find.  By the time /26\ got to this point...they were making some of the finest Chinese SKSs the nation ever produced.  Nice machining, deep bluing...well fit assembly....etc.

$800 is pretty darn steep...it would have to be brand new IMO to even begin to warrant that much...like in a sealed box, wafting the odor of cosmoline slightly from the pores of the cardboard.
Once the box is opened...20% evaporates just like the second a new car's tires touch the pavement off the dealer lot do. 

I suppose it matters the scarcity of SKSs in your area as to what dictates the price....but this sounds as if it might be influenced by Gunbroker sales, which are pretty much off the hook lately.  Right now in my state, the scarcity is pretty evident by the asking prices seen on Armslist.  I haven't SEEN an SKS in a shop in over a year.

[High Noon]

I had been under the impression that by 25m (1980) they stopped using the 'French Tickler' handguards and had reverted back to wood. These are also extremely hard to find.  By the time /26\ got to this point...they were making some of the finest Chinese SKSs the nation ever produced.  Nice machining, deep bluing...well fit assembly....etc.

$800 is pretty darn steep...it would have to be brand new IMO to even begin to warrant that much...like in a sealed box, wafting the odor of cosmoline slightly from the pores of the cardboard.
Once the box is opened...20% evaporates just like the second a new car's tires touch the pavement off the dealer lot do. 

I suppose it matters the scarcity of SKSs in your area as to what dictates the price....but this sounds as if it might be influenced by Gunbroker sales, which are pretty much off the hook lately.  Right now in my state, the scarcity is pretty evident by the asking prices seen on Armslist.  I haven't SEEN an SKS in a shop in over a year.

Yeah - GB has very high prices for average SKSs rifle now.  When you add in the shipping and FFL cost it really gets crazy.

He mentioned it to me when I bought another SKS from him.  Never heard of the "French Tickler" until he asked me about it buying it.  No box - just a nice rifle.  I'm no "collector" so I like just nice regular all wood SKSs. 

Sounds as though he is quite high on the price.  I got a decent deal (in today's market) on a Yugo in cosmo from him, but this "FT" model is one I'll just pass on.

[running-man]

I had been under the impression that by 25m (1980) they stopped using the 'French Tickler' handguards and had reverted back to wood.

We only have one example. Impossible to say what the trend is with only one example. It would make logical sense that they would have continued to use the French ticklers from year 23 onward instead of swapping back to wood unless there was a shortage of components or a surplus of wooden handguards that needed to be used up.  Impossible to know with only the single example though. 

[firstchoice]

The $800.00 is definitely steep, especially for us that have bought 'em "once upon a time" at a much lower price. But after this past year or so of crazy-time prices, it's not unusual anymore. We've seen many Chinese as-issued, as-new, in the original box SKS' going above $1000.00 and all the way to $1500.00. (Gunbroker prices on SOLD rifles) Just regular standard SKS'. They're getting the money for them. They might be fast and loose with their money and overpaying, but they're buying them at those wild prices. I can't afford to buy at those prices so more power to those that can and do. And, from the garbage coming out of the POTUS' mouth lately, I really doubt SKS prices are going down soon, at all. Being a standard 10rd capacity, there may be a panic run on anything SKS for a while depending on what they push through as "doing something to reduce gun violence".

I love the /26\ 24 and 25 million series' SKS workmanship! I agree with Justin about the quality of those years' runs of the Type 56 at /26\.

Obligitory pics...

A quartet of mine. The four on the left are "Tickler's". The one on the right is my /416\ 公安 Chinese Public Security Rifle. The row below them are just more of those junk Chinese SKS'.         Oh yeah, and the '60 Romanian is down there because I had loaned one of my Chinese shooters to my son. (which he still has, btw. I doubt it comes back to me now, which is fine.    I just threw in the Romy to fill the box for pics.







Kinda shows three different shades of the "Tickler" handguards and stock stains. I need more boxes to play with! 

firstchoice

[Phosphorus32]

  Nice 

[Justin Hell]

I gotta get to the point where I have half a crate (nearly) of these. 
I bought mine bubba ridden missing its mag, and stock/handguard set....well, actually I traded it for an Epiphone Les Paul, but...regardless.
Mine has a blank mag and stock...but is simply my nicest Chinese.

[Greatguns]

Hey FC, did you make that crate in the pics? Very nice pics and setup BTW

[High Noon]

Yeah I decided to pass on this Tickler, since it's 800 bucks and I'm personally a fan of the all wood look. 

Picked up a good/very good "D" Yugo instead. 

Also made another contact about a Chinese SKS that may be for sale later on.

Thanks for all of the info and advice!

[High Noon]

The $800.00 is definitely steep, especially for us that have bought 'em "once upon a time" at a much lower price. But after this past year or so of crazy-time prices, it's not unusual anymore. We've seen many Chinese as-issued, as-new, in the original box SKS' going above $1000.00 and all the way to $1500.00. (Gunbroker prices on SOLD rifles) Just regular standard SKS'. They're getting the money for them. They might be fast and loose with their money and overpaying, but they're buying them at those wild prices. I can't afford to buy at those prices so more power to those that can and do. And, from the garbage coming out of the POTUS' mouth lately, I really doubt SKS prices are going down soon, at all. Being a standard 10rd capacity, there may be a panic run on anything SKS for a while depending on what they push through as "doing something to reduce gun violence".

I love the /26\ 24 and 25 million series' SKS workmanship! I agree with Justin about the quality of those years' runs of the Type 56 at /26\.

Obligitory pics...

A quartet of mine. The four on the left are "Tickler's". The one on the right is my /416\ 公安 Chinese Public Security Rifle. The row below them are just more of those junk Chinese SKS'.         Oh yeah, and the '60 Romanian is down there because I had loaned one of my Chinese shooters to my son. (which he still has, btw. I doubt it comes back to me now, which is fine.    I just threw in the Romy to fill the box for pics.







Kinda shows three different shades of the "Tickler" handguards and stock stains. I need more boxes to play with! 

firstchoice

Those are some beautiful rifles for sure - amazing collection sir!!

[echo1]

The $800.00 is definitely steep, especially for us that have bought 'em "once upon a time" at a much lower price. But after this past year or so of crazy-time prices, it's not unusual anymore. We've seen many Chinese as-issued, as-new, in the original box SKS' going above $1000.00 and all the way to $1500.00. (Gunbroker prices on SOLD rifles) Just regular standard SKS'. They're getting the money for them. They might be fast and loose with their money and overpaying, but they're buying them at those wild prices. I can't afford to buy at those prices so more power to those that can and do. And, from the garbage coming out of the POTUS' mouth lately, I really doubt SKS prices are going down soon, at all. Being a standard 10rd capacity, there may be a panic run on anything SKS for a while depending on what they push through as "doing something to reduce gun violence".

I love the /26\ 24 and 25 million series' SKS workmanship! I agree with Justin about the quality of those years' runs of the Type 56 at /26\.

Obligitory pics...

A quartet of mine. The four on the left are "Tickler's". The one on the right is my /416\ 公安 Chinese Public Security Rifle. The row below them are just more of those junk Chinese SKS'.         Oh yeah, and the '60 Romanian is down there because I had loaned one of my Chinese shooters to my son. (which he still has, btw. I doubt it comes back to me now, which is fine.    I just threw in the Romy to fill the box for pics.







Kinda shows three different shades of the "Tickler" handguards and stock stains. I need more boxes to play with! 

firstchoice

Great lookong bunch of iron. The crates are super bad  . PAX

[firstchoice]

Thanks for the compliments, guys! The rifles speak for themselves, for sure.

The crate is actually a Yugoslav Honor Guard SKS crate I was lucky enough to pick up from a member here (thanks SKhiSm 59-66A1!) in late 2015. I paid a lot more in freight than the cost of the crate, but like anyone else that's determined, I wanted it and paid the money. I've never regretted it.

The crate:







The original contents: (No, I wasn't that lucky! There were a few members here that did get lucky on those, though!)



The inside, empty:





Not really a "necessary" item, but still a bit of history and a little "cool" factor to it.

They're a little long for the Chinese SKS because they're made for the Yugo M59/66A-1's but I don't mind. 



I didn't mean to hijack your thread, High Noon. I started by showing the "Ticklers" but gravitated to the crate. Gotta show off the goods every once in a while.

firstchoice

[Bob_The_Student]

FC, sweet Chinese collection and although they look great by themselves that crate gives them a certain pizazz.