Are milsurp markets still worth it?

[Alan]

How's the military surplus market looking these days? I remember when you could get a Mosin for less than $100 and stock up on surplus ammo without worrying. Now it feels like everything is either running low or priced like it's a rare collectible. Are there still some good deals out there if you know where to search, or have most of the great imports already been picked over? Is it still worth it?

 

[maningd'slayer]

For me, the excitement has shifted from just finding a good deal to discovering rifles that really resonate with me. If you approach it this way, the hobby is still absolutely worth it. But if you’re yearning for the days of $90 rifles and crates of ammo, I’m afraid that's not the case now anymore....

 

[Jimi Phillips]

The un convinced the us government to stop allowing the import of surplus military arms! That's why price is so high. I was buying Russian sks's for $99 now if you find one $ 600 or higher.

 

[Alan]

The un convinced the us government to stop allowing the import of surplus military arms! That's why price is so high. I was buying Russian sks's for $99 now if you find one $ 600 or higher.

That’s a big part of the story. Once the import restrictions tightened, the supply pretty much disappeared overnight. Back when crates of SKS rifles were flooding in by the thousands, no one thought twice about picking one up for under a hundred bucks. Now that the pipeline is closed, everything that’s already out there has turned into “collectible” pricing, like it or not. It’s wild how fast the market turned.

 

[Magus]

I weep for our lost access to history. The only things out there now are kits, French MAS, and African surplus, which is absolutely worn-out trash from what I can tell, except for a good number of BM-59 kits and CETME/HK-91 parts sets.