GB listings for April, 2016 - Russian

[running-man]

We had 51 Russians change hands this month. 

Lowest Sale Price: $250.00
Avg. Sale Price: $581.95
Highest Sale Price: $1005.00
Tula Avg. Price: $595.05
Izhevsk Avg. Price: $765.00
As-Issued Avg. Price: $649.43

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! 

-RM

548649173   Izhevsk Russian SKS Type 45 1954 LOOK .01 NO RES RARE Simonov RIFLE IZZY Tula Stock PENNY START NR   28   $765.00    1954   Izhevsk   Light Refurbished   Good   B666_У   Here's your classic 1871st ABV / Liski refurb right here.  /1\, horizontal numbers on the stock and handguard.  Charcoaled refinish, it's got it all.  Not a bad looking gun all in all.  I like the У suffix to be honest, much better font for this letter than what is typically found on the Tulas.

548951880   Original Russian SKS with classic wood stock.   5   $695.00    1958   Tula   Bubba   Good   Uncertain   Too bad about the magazine.

548962312   Nice C&R Russian 1955-56 Tula SKS, No Reserve w/ Original Sling, All Matching, SVT, 45, M44, M91   17   $585.00    1957   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   ЛO8220_И   I like this one, has a warm look to it and I'm partial to circle Б stocks.

549305253   Russian SKS in 7.62x39 20" Made 1955 C&R Eligible   5   $600.00    1955   Tula   As-Issued   Good   CA6   Dang guys, how did we miss this one?  Looks as-issued to me, though the blank stock could be original or could also be a sanded replacement (not enough detail in the photos).  Still the crossbolt stamps look pretty good.  This one was a steal if it indeed is an as-issued '55.

549510952   RUSSIAN SKS   12   $772.67    1954   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ЗE6683   Even with that slightly rusty buttplate, this is a pretty nice looker.  Not a horrible price.

549741476   Soviet (Russian) Tula SKS Rebuild, 1952   1   $529.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Light Refurbished   Uncertain   Uncertain   H-O-R-S-E-T-R-A-S-H!!!

549804811   RUSSIAN SKS CARBINE 762x39 mm W/EXTRAS, C&R OKAY   25   $465.00    1957   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   AO2820_И   This one got a ton of bids.  It's a nice enough gun, but obviously with the $465 final price the bidders weren't bidding each other up all that much.  Makes sense that starting from a $0.01 starting bid is going to produce a bunch of bids.

549854388   Matching, Original 1954 Russian Tula SKS NR!   23   $525.00    1954   Tula   As-Issued   Fair   ЗT5779   This is one of those times where current condition trumps the arsenal condition.  It's just a rough looking gun.  Stock has multiple issues and the metal has somewhat less but still multiple issues.  I'm not surprised by this price.

549885197   Russian SKS, All #s Match, 1950 R, 7.62x39   1   $550.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   CH1682   Another 1950 Tula with the long stamped receiver cover takedown lever.

550146650   Russian Bullpup SKS russia, russian, sks, tavor, aug, ak, bullpup, sks   2   $800.00    1954   Tula   Bubba   Uncertain   Uncertain   Gaah!

550163273   Centry Arms SKS Russian 7.62X39   1   $400.00    1957   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   CP2730_И   Pretty low price on this one.  Not a great presentation.

550188501   1954 RUSSIAN TULA SKS DARK NON-REFURBISHED *MINTY*   23   $918.00    1954   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   ИH3854   Wow, this one is textbook "buy the gun because of the gun, not the seller".  Regardless of what the seller was 'told', no Virginia, this is not a 'Non Refurbished' all matching 1954 Russian SKS.  Look at photo #29 for goodness sakes!  The old SN is gone, replaced with a sanded down portion and then overstamped with HUGE S/N font lettering with the WRONG prefix.  C'mon man!!!  They simply didn't do that for as issued '54s.  You can fill the stampings with white crayon until the cows come home, it should not matter.  In fact, white filled in areas are a huge RED FLAG for me in these auctions.  I see that and I immediately start looking for things that are off with the gun.  No way this gun is worth 9+ Benjamins.  C'mon man!

550311381   Russian SKS 1951 "Lightly Refurbished" Tula   1   $550.00    1951   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   PC944   Pretty good condition refurb with a laminate stock that I don't hate.  That's not common!

550425378   Russian Tula SKS 1953 #s Matching Excellent   4   $595.00    1953   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   ИO4149   Interesting how two of this sellers guns went at exactly the same price this month despite this one being the lighter refurb.

550755970   Russian SKS 7.62 Matching Numbers   10   $525.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Uncertain   Uncertain   Uncertain   Horsetrash.

550821082   Russian (Tula) SKS 7.62x39 (1951)   11   $660.00    1951   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   BЛ2089   Not a great set of auction photos.  Still, likely a nice enough gun.

551080068   Russian SKS w/Bayonet   2   $520.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Heavy Refurbished   Uncertain   Uncertain   1952 to 1956?  Doesn't the receiver cover have a number stamped on it?  C'mon man!

551122433   Russian SKS 7.62x39mm Tula 1955 Matching   2   $700.00    1955   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   CO9147   This one is a legit '55 with that CO prefix.  Lots of CO '55 prefixes out there.

551148582   1952 Russian SKS, All Matching, Exc NR, CAI 1952   20   $590.00    1952   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   Uncertain   Horsetrash.

551171929   Russian SKS 7.62 x 39   1   $479.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Bubba   Good   Uncertain   

551203994   Russian 1952 SKS 7.62x39 Semi Auto Rifle $1START SUPER PRETTY WOOD w/ BAYONET MUST SEE GUN C&R   29   $610.00    1952   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   OЗ2729   Man this one has some huge S/N font on that replacement stock.  Can't say I've seen lettering that big on a Russian before!

551242906   1951 Tula SKS CIA Imp 7.62 x 39 # Matching Russian   7   $625.00    1951   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   AH5233   I think the seller really screwed himself over with the horrible photo of the stock S/N and cartouche.  Show that portion in good light and this is a $800 gun.  I think the buyer got a pretty decent deal.

551397278   Russian SKS Great Condition!   1   $799.00    1951   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   Uncertain   Surprised this one pulled in 8 Benjamins.  Really surprised.

551459958   Used Russian SKS-45 7.62x39 10+1 19" Barrel No Card Fees, Free Shipping, We Layaway 4 Month   1   $519.00    1953   Tula   Light Refurbished   Fair   MЛ1013   "Trigger guard and Magazine floor plate both have grind marks."  Heck, looks to me like the magazine has been through a trash compactor!  Yikes!

551466004   Tula Russian SKS 45   1   $475.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Heavy Refurbished   Uncertain   Uncertain   Horsetrash.

551589833   Russia SKS 7.62X39   1   $459.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Uncertain   ПB1433   You know, if your photos are so blurry that you can't read the receiver cover date numerals, maybe you shouldn't use it.

551645633   Russian SKS Non-refurb..Original NR   30   $701.00    1951   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ЛГ650   Nice gun here.  Good buy on this one as it was only $100 more than some of the really heavy refurbs this month.

551688496   Russian SKS 7.62x39 mm 1954 All Matching 20" bbl   1   $549.00    1954   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   HC1634   Not a bad little '54 Tula.  I don't love the laminated stock, but it's in good shape.

551879119   RUSSIAN SKS RIFLE-EXCELLENT-ALL MATCHING NUMBERS UNUSUAL MARKINGS-TULA STAR   23   $581.76    1957   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ЛO8029_И   This gun slipped under the radar based on the price.  The white fill might have been enough to scare people away too, but I think it's legit.

552235996   Russian 1952 Tula SKS 7.62x39 Original & Matching   51   $1,005.00    1952   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ГЮ128   This is a decent looking gun.  Surface rust in places along with peeling paint on the magazine makes me wonder how this one broke 10 Benjamins.  After 54's I'd say that '52s are the next most common as-issued specimens out there.  This one was a stretch for the winner.

552424743   1953 Russian SKS made by Tula cal 7.62x39   3   $461.00    1953   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   ЛP3592   Again not the prettiest gun, but it's not a bad buy under 5 bills.  I actually kind of like that off amber not quite brown stock color on this one.

552435994   1954 Tula Russian SKS   9   $525.00    1954   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   HП7182   Decent little carbine here.

552443302   Russian SKS Laminated Stock NIB   1   $800.00    1953   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   BБ5348   Nice looking gun.  That stock looks great, even if it is a replacement laminate.

552525038   Tula Star Russian SKS   4   $500.00    1952   Tula   Uncertain   Fair   CK1921   Wish they had shown more detail of the stock.

552539046   Russian SKS 7.62X39, 1954 Tula arsenal, Collector   1   $710.00    1954   Tula   As-Issued   Very Good   ЗE5004   This is a darn nice setup.  I really like this one!

552627423   Russian SKS (All Matching, Tula, UNFIRED, 7.62X39)   7   $751.00    1956   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   HA5491_Д   "This is NOT a black bolt refurb rifle!" No it's a light refurb with an iffy stock and a non-prefixed receiver cover.  In other words it's a light refurb at best, and a bubba at worst.

552683675   Russian Tula SKS 1950 #s Matching Excellent   16   $661.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   ЮГ2022   Man that's quite a bit of BBQ paint there!

552734745   RUSSIAN - SKS -CAL. 7.62X39   11   $403.77    1952   Tula   Bubba   Uncertain   Uncertain   Dammit bubba!

552735858   Russian SKS   3   $394.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Bubba   Uncertain   Uncertain   

552851067   RUSSIAN SKS 7.62x39MM (READ)   24   $250.00    1951   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Poor   AH4222   Too bad about the bore, probably took $200 off the price.

552886440   RUSSIAN SKS 1950 TULA   5   $450.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   Uncertain   

553375815   1953 Russian SKS 7.65x39 Bayonet CDI Matching #'s   1   $725.00    1953   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   HA3104   Not the prettiest gun out there I'm certain, but probably a decent shooter nonetheless.  I'm a bit puzzled by the high price though.

553454930   Russian SKS Rifle in Box w Accessories CA LEGAL   1   $725.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Heavy Refurbished   Good   KM3014   How do you list a Russian SKS w/o showing the top of the receiver cover?!

553507686   Russian Tula SKS 1953 #s Matching Excellent   14   $595.00    1953   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   OИ645   Interesting how two of this sellers guns went at exactly the same price this month despite this one being the heavier refurb.

553559788   * Russian SKS 7.62x39 semi rifle * Russia USSR   29   $390.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Bubba   Uncertain   Uncertain   I guess it's Russian.

553788390   Russian SKS 7.62X39mm Laminate Black, CLEAN   1   $450.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   ЛЮ2035   Neat long stamped receiver cover takedown lever example here. 

553809592   Numbers Matching Russian SKS   12   $381.00    1958   Tula   Light Refurbished   Fair   OФ7046_K   Ok it's got a bit of surface rust, but it's not sub $400 bad!  This is within $25 of Sino-Banian retail!!!!

554026789   RUSSIAN TULA SKS 1951 MATCHING UNISSUED C&R ok   15   $605.00    1950   Tula   Heavy Refurbished   Good   HЛ3676   Another heavy furb '50.  About the same as the others this month.

554040410   Russian SKS All Matching 7.62x36mm C&R   3   $575.00    Uncertain   Tula   Light Refurbished   Good   ДИ3771   Interesting ДИ prefix.  I have another gun with it, and it too is missing the original receiver cover.  Darn!

554379189   TULA SKS   1   $300.00    1951   Tula   As-Issued   Good   Uncertain   Someone stole this gun.  Horrible listing, the seller easily cost himself $500.

555134490   C.A.I. Russian SKS 7.62x39mm, ATI Stock, Bayonet   5   $480.00    Uncertain   Uncertain   Bubba   Uncertain   Uncertain   

[CARBINE]

Look at the crown on this one its been reblued....Probably why its got the white in the lettering.

551879119   RUSSIAN SKS RIFLE-EXCELLENT-ALL MATCHING NUMBERS UNUSUAL MARKINGS-TULA STAR   23   $581.76    1957   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ЛO8029_И   This gun slipped under the radar based on the price.  The white fill might have been enough to scare people away too, but I think it's legit.

[CARBINE]

Why would you put any Russian up for $300 BIN......What a dork!

554379189   TULA SKS   1   $300.00    1951   Tula   As-Issued   Good   Uncertain   Someone stole this gun.  Horrible listing, the seller easily cost himself $500.

[Loose}{Cannon]

What would the shoe polish in the serials have to do with the muzzle? 

[running-man]

Look at the crown on this one its been reblued....Probably why its got the white in the lettering.

551879119   RUSSIAN SKS RIFLE-EXCELLENT-ALL MATCHING NUMBERS UNUSUAL MARKINGS-TULA STAR   23   $581.76    1957   Tula   As-Issued   Good   ЛO8029_И   This gun slipped under the radar based on the price.  The white fill might have been enough to scare people away too, but I think it's legit.

Good call Tony!  I totally missed that one.   

LC: White in the stamped lettering helps to hide the valleys of the letters.  When a stamp is made before bluing, it has a totally different look than when an already made stamp is reblued.  Filling the stamps makes it impossible to evaluate this.