5 Albys changing hands this month.
Lowest Sale Price: $275.00
Avg. Sale Price: $502.80
Highest Sale Price: $670.00
As-Issued Avg. Price: $517.50
Please let me know any feedback (good or bad) to these.
If you have an objection or observation to add to anything I've listed, by all means call it out. Let's look at it long and hard (I only look at each listing for a minute or two at most) and maybe everyone can learn a thing or two! thumb1
-RM
Item Link Description # Bids Final Price Year Arsenal Condtion Current Condition RM's Notes
565655409 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=565655409) CAI/Albania Model SKS 7.62x39 22 $365.00 1978 As-Issued Fair This one gets a bit of a ding on condition, but it's not head and shoulders worse than the other guns for sale this month. Nice enough example of the final year of Albanian production here.
566396352 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=566396352) Albanian SKS 7.62x39 $99 NR 14 $605.00 1970 Refurbished Good Too bad about the mismatched receiver cover. This was a pretty nice gun. I guess at 6 Benjamins, the buyer of this one didn't particularly care about that.
567602821 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=567602821) Very Rare Albanian SKS Matching #'s Correct Sling 8 $670.00 1969 As-Issued Good This guy lives about 10 miles up the road from me. Likely belongs to the same gun club that I do. Very nice '69 with a very nicely striped stock. I'm a bit surprised that he'd put a good sling on a gun that greasy, but there you go. The lack of knowledge as to the condition of the bore is the only red flag on this one. I'd really like to have known whether it was a sewer pipe (highly unlikely, but you never know) or not before handing out 7 Benjamins on an SKS.
569066430 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=569066430) Albanian SKS 1 $275.00 1971 Refurbished Fair Man those are some scary spent shells in the last photo. Definitely a gun in need of some TLC.
572384983 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=572384983) Albanian SKS Rifle 1 $599.00 1970 Uncertain Good This looks like it could be a real winner, but the auction is horsetrashy with only 3 photos that it's impossible to really tell. IF the buyer got additional photos, this one could have been a downright great deal at 6 Benjamins.
(http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q647/jelucer/Auction_images/2016/201607_Albanian.jpg)
567602821 Very Rare Albanian SKS Matching #'s Correct Sling 8 $670.00 1969
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=567602821 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=567602821)
Really nice '69 Alby. This SN pre-dates my '69 by 39 rifles. I really like the grain on that stock. Looks like the same type of grain that streaks through the left side of mine.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-15_zpslwibx6sb.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/2015-07-14%201969%20Albanian%20SKS%20001_zpsoxkcdw8c.jpg)
This '69 has a lot of the dark grain running through it with the "fish scaling" showing nicely.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-2_zpsezn4n0sc.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-10_zps8jgpm8hk.jpg)
Mine just has a good hint of that dark grain.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/2015-07-14%201969%20Albanian%20SKS%20027_zpscy6uvgym.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/5e92adcd-3e40-4bfa-8a9c-ec5d3fe27553_zpsjlfybo6s.jpg)
Interesting rifles, for sure.
firstchoice
They are definitely cousins FC. The stocks may have come from the same tree!
Quote from: firstchoice on August 04, 2016, 02:00:05 AM
567602821 Very Rare Albanian SKS Matching #'s Correct Sling 8 $670.00 1969
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=567602821 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=567602821)
Really nice '69 Alby. This SN pre-dates my '69 by 39 rifles. I really like the grain on that stock. Looks like the same type of grain that streaks through the left side of mine.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-15_zpslwibx6sb.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/2015-07-14%201969%20Albanian%20SKS%20001_zpsoxkcdw8c.jpg)
This '69 has a lot of the dark grain running through it with the "fish scaling" showing nicely.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-2_zpsezn4n0sc.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561-Gunbroker%20sale%2007-03-2016/Albanian%20SKS%20SN%2003654-1969-10_zps8jgpm8hk.jpg)
Mine just has a good hint of that dark grain.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/2015-07-14%201969%20Albanian%20SKS%20027_zpscy6uvgym.jpg)
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/firstchoice14/Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS%20Rifles/1969%20Albanian%20Model%20561%20SKS/5e92adcd-3e40-4bfa-8a9c-ec5d3fe27553_zpsjlfybo6s.jpg)
Interesting rifles, for sure.
firstchoice
FirstChoice my 69 is exactly 100 rifles older than this example.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140215_141405.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140215_141405.jpg.html)
My stock is pretty beat up, and doesn't have nearly the amount of grain in the stock.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140719_123656.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140719_123656.jpg.html)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140719_123534.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140719_123534.jpg.html)
Thanks again RM for putting these together each month, I really enjoy looking through them.
Quote from: bbush44 on August 04, 2016, 09:33:21 AM
FirstChoice my 69 is exactly 100 rifles older than this example.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140215_141405.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140215_141405.jpg.html)
My stock is pretty beat up, and doesn't have nearly the amount of grain in the stock.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140719_123656.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140719_123656.jpg.html)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/bbush44/03754-69/20140719_123534.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bbush44/media/03754-69/20140719_123534.jpg.html)
Thanks again RM for putting these together each month, I really enjoy looking through them.
We're not far apart in our two Alby specimens,
bbush44. Looking at the
Albanian SKS Serial Number Collection, I'm guessing about 3-3.5K '69's were made. I wish we knew how many '69's actually made it out of Albania to the USA. From the looks of it, 1969 was the 3rd highest production year behind 1978, which had somewhere in the range of 5K rifles made. 1970 had around 1K more than 1969.
Personally, I like the darker colors of the earlier '68, and '69 Alby stocks. The orange-ish colors of the '70-'78' stocks seemed (to me) an odd color choice for military stocks. But I wasn't in charge and at large then, so,?
firstchoice
Quote from: running-man on August 03, 2016, 02:53:46 PM
572384983 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=572384983) Albanian SKS Rifle 1 $599.00 1970 Uncertain Good This looks like it could be a real winner, but the auction is horsetrashy with only 3 photos that it's impossible to really tell. IF the buyer got additional photos, this one could have been a downright great deal at 6 Benjamins.
The stocks a refinished unnumbered replacement stock, the metals been painted with something and the bayonet looks Chinese. So I feel buyer was uneducated.
Quote from: monkeyboy on August 05, 2016, 05:39:18 PM
Quote from: running-man on August 03, 2016, 02:53:46 PM
572384983 (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=572384983) Albanian SKS Rifle 1 $599.00 1970 Uncertain Good This looks like it could be a real winner, but the auction is horsetrashy with only 3 photos that it's impossible to really tell. IF the buyer got additional photos, this one could have been a downright great deal at 6 Benjamins.
The stocks a refinished unnumbered replacement stock, the metals been painted with something and the bayonet looks Chinese. So I feel buyer was uneducated.
monkeyboy, with pics like that Seller posted, it's hard to tell much about real detail. I think you're correct on the stock. Although, without better pics of the SN area of the stock, there's a tiny possibility of a sanded down original stock. But I too, think it's a replacement stock.
I agree with you on the coating used on the metal. Looks like some type of baked on coating. Refinished metal, except for the bayonet.
The bayonet looks to be an Albanian bayo. It's got wear to the original bluing that makes it look almost "in the white", compared to the rest of the baked on coating. If you look at the Albanian stock, there's a space between the front of the magazine well and the rear end of the bayonet slot. It measures about 1 1/4". The same space on the Chinese standard length Type 56 is only about 1/2". The Alby bayonet measures 14 1/8" and the Chinese std. length bayonet measures 14 7/8". The Fuller Groove on the Alby bayo is narrower than that of the Chinese, too. Another hint is the amount of space on the collar end, before the Fuller Groove begins. On the Alby, there's about 11/16" space, the Chinese only has about 1/4".
The Buyer had 56 previous purchases on Gunbroker, so he may have been simply filling the "Alby slot" in his collection? There's no way I would have paid $600.00 for that non-matching, refurbed, Alby. But the Buyer may have money falling from his hip pocket area and buys whatever comes up, I don't know. Like
RM refers to this type of auction picture layout, "horsetrashy".
firstchoice
I've given up trying to accurately categorize the gun in horsetrash auctions like that that one monkeyboy. I think you're right about the stock, it has the tell tale counterbore "dot" to the rear of the sling swivel even if the lighting and resolution aren't there to positively see whether there is/isn't a S/N. I think FC is right about the bayo though, it fits that stock too well to be a Chinese trilobe replacement hit with a rattle can.
I wonder if the gun has been duracoated? There is certainly something up with the finish in the area of the receiver S/N stamping; the numbers are filled in and the sheen is too dull and orange-peel like. $600 for a bubba - not my idea of a great deal.
Thanks for Patriotism RM. I look forward every month to your data and write-ups on all the SkS sales