What makes an SKS desirable to you?

[running-man]

I had posted on the 'other' boards (look for the guy with the two "IO 250's" in the yugo section  ) and got to thinking about this.  It's clear that different people have all sorts of different reasons for buying an SKS.  I just want to get an indication of what people typically are thinking when they are deciding whether to shell out well above the going price for a certain SKS they find. 

What makes a certain SKS so desirable to you that you would pay out extra $$ just to be sure you get it?

What quality from the above poll (or one I haven't listed) is most important to determining the current going rate of XYZ SKS?

[Greasemonkey]

It looks cool, and goes bang x10.

And you left "Because it's Romanian" choice out!!

[Worm]

Had to vote for rarity, even though I don't have many of those. I do have an interest in the harder to find variants, so that's what I had to go with.

Then again I could have voted for the "fill a slot in the collection", "condition" and "country of origin" ones too.

I guess it mostly depends on the reason I am buying a specific gun. Do I want a brand new shtf gun that I don't care anything about its rarity? Do I want a collector gun? Too hard to narrow down but if I had to pick one, it's rarity for collecting's sake.

[Blicero]

You guys know I'm a bit prickly in the condition department, at least when it comes time to spend my own money. But if I'm shelling out above the market price, it better be rare. So I vote rarity. And it doesn't even have to be rare so much as interesting or not oft encountered. And really, I'd like to say I'm disciplined enough to want both rarity and high condition if I'm overpaying. But sometimes I get wrapped up in the emotion of winning...

Rarity trumps condition. The rarer something is, condition matters less. Conversely (or is it inversely? I always confuse those two), if a piece is in outstandingly better condition than 95% of others on the market, it doesn't matter how abundant that gun is, a premium in price should still be expected.

Long story short. Outstanding condition and rarity should be the only things making anyone me overpay. Should, being the operative word.

[Blicero]

The $2800 NK with a painted stock is coming to mind, as I think about this thread.

[Greatguns]

I voted other because for me, the SKS is desirable if it is messed up enough that I can make a project out of it.

[1mlt]

"other" = VERSATILITY

Nutin it can't do !!! Well, within it's distance capability down range anyway.

Marcus

[Phosphorus32]

I tried to pick more than one but the poll wouldn't let me    

My first SKS I picked because it was a good-value, semi-auto shooter that also happened to be a military surplus rifle = multiple wins.  Subsequently I've picked mostly for matching & condition but also starting to add different countries/models to my collection.  Basically, my SKS collection is still modest, so many factors affect my choices 

[Blicero]

Oh and it's worth mentioning I'll also overpay, contrary to my character, for beat to hell total mismatching Yugos with no redeeming qualities beyond their ironic defiled beauty.

[running-man]

I contemplated letting people choose more than one, and I suspect that multiple decisions probably do come into play!  I guess I just wanted to know what would make you drop $50, $100, or $200 more than market value on the gun of your dreams if you saw it at a gunshow, had to have it, and the seller wouldn't budge on his price? 

I put down "Condition" for my vote.  I think it gets overlooked too often in favor of 'rarity' and country/arsenal (which is just rarity prettied up for the Izhevsk snobs).  What may be über rare to one person might be just another new condition Yugo to another. 

I do see where "rarity" and "above market price" go hand in hand.  I'll have to think a bit more about that one.    (Dang that Blicero for making sense….)

[running-man]

Oh and it's worth mentioning I'll also overpay, contrary to my character, for beat to hell total mismatching Yugos with no redeeming qualities beyond their ironic defiled beauty.

You know you love Ugly Betty.  If I told you I wanted to reverse that deal, ship you back the ammo and the $$ you wouldn't do it I bet…   

That little ethnic cleanser has something about her that is not explainable…..

[Dannyboy53]

My wife and I were looking for some rock solid SHTF arms and these fit the bill to a "T". They are moderately priced and sufficiently accurate. Condition is our primary concern when buying any used firearm

[Blicero]

Oh hellll no you're never getting this bad boy back now that I've made it visually appealing and brought it into the 21st century.

[Greasemonkey]

I put down "Condition" for my vote.  I think it gets overlooked too often in favor of 'rarity' and country/arsenal (which is just rarity prettied up for the Izhevsk snobs).  What may be über rare to one person might be just another new condition Yugo to another. 

Condition, BAH!!! OVER RATED!!!  Old, used, beat to death, mismatched, sloppy tolerances, dirt in the action is what "Communist military surplus" is about, thats whats sexy, especially when you pick one of these Commie made turds up for the first time, rack a stripper clip in them and dong the gong at 200yards. If one wants new, shiny, purdy, slick rifle, they roll off assembly lines all day, everyday, for roughly the same cost and are even higher quality than these street and jungle beaters are, but, these have no life, no dirty, dark trench secrets, no blood on their hands, no soul.

[Blicero]

Condition, BAH!!! OVER RATED!!!... no soul.

I'm going to quote this line when you bring these guns out to the range:



and you get upset when I smash them into a tree stump a couple times, maybe bury them in the mud for a couple hours. I'm giving them soul!

[Greasemonkey]

Ya jelli brah!!  Besides, those, they are everywhere, I traded a Mosin for one.

[Worm]

I put down "Condition" for my vote.  I think it gets overlooked too often in favor of 'rarity' and country/arsenal (which is just rarity prettied up for the Izhevsk snobs).  What may be über rare to one person might be just another new condition Yugo to another. 

Condition, BAH!!! OVER RATED!!!  Old, used, beat to death, mismatched, sloppy tolerances, dirt in the action is what "Communist military surplus" is about, thats whats sexy, especially when you pick one of these Commie made turds up for the first time, rack a stripper clip in them and dong the gong at 200yards. If one wants new, shiny, purdy, slick rifle, they roll off assembly lines all day, everyday, for roughly the same cost and are even higher quality than these street and jungle beaters are, but, these have no life, no dirty, dark trench secrets, no blood on their hands, no soul.

That was beautiful 

[Phosphorus32]

Condition, BAH!!! OVER RATED!!!... no soul.

I'm going to quote this line when you bring these guns out to the range:



and you get upset when I smash them into a tree stump a couple times, maybe bury them in the mud for a couple hours. I'm giving them soul!

Well played! 

[Greasemonkey]

Alright big guy, wanna play, come on smiley, lets play


Remember this

BSW- rare maker. Chaching.
All matching. Chaching.
Navy marked. Chaching.
Walnut. Chaching.
Dead sexy. Chaching.

Oh, and how the butt hurt flowed when

I feel like I've been kicked in the nuts.
I've referenced everything in the k98k Bibles and the BSW offered looks 100% legit. Even the best faked k98 rifles I've seen were still glaringly wrong. This gun takes forgery to a whole new level.

EPIC FAIL!!!!

Least I wasn't toting a faked azz chump rifle for 10 grand. Chaching 

[Blicero]

Ohhh burn! But come on, that one fooled pretty much every K98 Legend around. How can you expect different from a peon like me?