Are milsurp markets still worth it?

alan

alan

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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?
 
I looked at the CMP program once to buy an M1, but my friend had bought one and it needed a lot of work done on it, to make it right, so I shy'd away. There was a gal that owned a Russian SKS, that I used to shoot occasionally at the range. It was pretty primitive, IMO.

The only thing on my bucket list is a Mauser, one of my friends collects them. He offered me a polish built Mauser, but I want German. I have a 1984 Porsche, and the engine is what caused me to start machining metal. It is a work of art.
 
xchecker said:
IIRC there was a certain US administration that banned all kinds of foreign imports which put an end to "surplus".
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I definitely remember that. It felt like we were saying goodbye to an era for surplus guns. I used to enjoy browsing through racks of old military rifles, picking one up just because it “looked cool” for under a hundred bucks. But after that import ban, everything started to disappear or double in price almost overnight.
 
alan said:
I definitely remember that. It felt like we were saying goodbye to an era for surplus guns. I used to enjoy browsing through racks of old military rifles, picking one up just because it “looked cool” for under a hundred bucks. But after that import ban, everything started to disappear or double in price almost overnight.
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I would like to see some of those AICS 300WM rifles go up on the auction block. Most of the Governemnt arms I'm not interested in, but I would be for something like that, albeit HEAVY. The barreled actions would probably be XLNT. 🤔
 
KonoctisWigwam said:
I would like to see some of those AICS 300WM rifles go up on the auction block. Most of the Governemnt arms I'm not interested in, but I would be for something like that, albeit HEAVY. The barreled actions would probably be XLNT. 🤔
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Oh my, I’d be all over an AICS .300 Win Mag if one came up for auction. These things are absolute tanks. I love using them for long-range shooting.
 
alan said:
Oh my, I’d be all over an AICS .300 Win Mag if one came up for auction. These things are absolute tanks. I love using them for long-range shooting.
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They must have a stockpile of those rifles, they're not light, but are rock solid. I sold a Gen 1 AICS non-folder with Viper Skins on it, it was a pretty nice stock, just heavy. I sold that and bought the Manners. Those AICS stocks have never been cheap.

The Military has a lot of those chambered in 300 WM, that was the rifle that Chris Kyle became so famous with. Those rifles would be a great deal, if around $1,000. If they were $2,000, they would start losing value to me. Better would be if they would surplus off the barreled actions. Those AICS actions were top notch, my chassis didn't have an action with it.

I haven't posted any gunsmithing threads yet, but have 4 bolt action blanks to mill/barrel. I'm considering a 7mm Backcountry for one of the actions. Or the new Shellshock 308, but something with a steel 80,000 psi case. Seems those cases don't stretch, and that could be a good thing. (y)
 
KonoctisWigwam said:
They must have a stockpile of those rifles, they're not light, but are rock solid. I sold a Gen 1 AICS non-folder with Viper Skins on it, it was a pretty nice stock, just heavy. I sold that and bought the Manners. Those AICS stocks have never been cheap.

The Military has a lot of those chambered in 300 WM, that was the rifle that Chris Kyle became so famous with. Those rifles would be a great deal, if around $1,000. If they were $2,000, they would start losing value to me. Better would be if they would surplus off the barreled actions. Those AICS actions were top notch, my chassis didn't have an action with it.

I haven't posted any gunsmithing threads yet, but have 4 bolt action blanks to mill/barrel. I'm considering a 7mm Backcountry for one of the actions. Or the new Shellshock 308, but something with a steel 80,000 psi case. Seems those cases don't stretch, and that could be a good thing. (y)
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If I can find surplus barreled actions for about $1k, I’d prolly get a few. I’d put a Manners stock or a lighter chassis on the ones I intend to carry, whip up a 7mm Backcountry on one of the blanks, and treat any exotic-case system as a little experiment until I’ve had a chance to prove it in the field.
 

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