surprise at low price

[SA1911a1]

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/648074792

It seems that the bring-back papers only added about $50.00-$75.00 to the value of this rifle. Is that the way in normally is with the SKS?

[Junk Yard Dog]

No, bringback papers tend to pump up the price a bit more than that. I would have expected a nice Russian SKS to sell for at least that by itself. Maybe something is off, I don't know, I will leave that to the SKS collectors I know we have around here. Reminds me of a silver Mercedes 300D I bought off a guy for a very cheap price, ran like a Swiss watch. I was congratulating myself on a great deal and mentally spending the profits I would see from the cars sale when I sat in the drivers seat and it collapsed through the floor due to rust. I would have held out for a G on any SKS with Vietnam era bringback papers, just the idea of Soviet SKS with no import marks, for that alone I would have held out for the G. Yes, like the silver Mercedes some things need more careful scrutiny.

[CavemanSteve]

The stock looks Chinese, damaged bayo lug and some rust... but still kinda on the cheap side.

[steelbuttplate]

Missing bayonet, Chinese stock? no cross bolt, rust. if It it was complete probably closer to a grand. Still a good deal.

[Greasemonkey]

An actual Russian SKS papered Vietnam bringback which is more rare than the Chinese SKS papered ones could bring more than a grand, maybe on up closer to 2 grand, if it were complete and correct, as in the actual condition it was brought back in.

Seller screwed himself, there are a few too many what if's, it is a little too sketchy, they blanked out the rifle serial on the DD-603, but show the rifle serial. It's wearing a late spike Chinese stock and matching hand guard, where is the original wood, rotted, broken or whatever? The magazine is sterile, has no numbers, again, where is the original? That magazine would be a more modern piece that is more than likely late Chinese as well, as many sterile ones were imported in the late 80's/early 90's. No shots of any other numbered parts, bolt, bolt carrier, gas tube, top cover, the only number matched part shown is the trigger assy..


I would say, given the quality of the listing, the saying of buy the gun, not the story played out. If it is legit, it was a decent deal for a documented papered bringback Russian, if not legit, then it's just a thrown together mismatched hybrid Russian missing half a bayonet lug.

[SA1911a1]

Would you expect that a Viet Nam war capture rifle would be all correct and matching? The Chinese supply chain to Nam was thin in the 60s, parts were replaced with whatever was available. One gun may have been cobbled together out of three. The only war rifles that I see like that are matching and "correct" the Garands that the present day owners work hard to make "correct."

If the rifle serial matches the paper, I would have been damn happy to have it at the price.

[Greasemonkey]

It could go either way...But, if I were a betting man on this particular rifle, I think I would lay my money on this story.... It got a tactical stock and a highcap mag at some point, possibly done by the person who brought it back, or someone who had it as a hand me down. The original parts came up missing/lost/thrown out/sold off and got replaced with current non-serialed Chinese bits to save face and make it look more......original.

I do not recall seeing bringbacks from that part of the world during that era with sterilized parts, typically, those sterile parts were imported later and usually their only purpose was they were sold as replacement parts for missing/lost/broke/projects gone wrong pieces. About the only other place it is somewhat common to find sterile parts fitted to a particular rifle from the factory are on some late commercial Chinese SKS variants, they could have blank box mags, top covers and stocks.

[steelbuttplate]

My VC is nearly black, from nasty hands, jungle and maybe napalm scorching. It's an all matching 1959 and the wood is worn away from the pins a sixteenth on each side, plus the butt heel. Carried a few thousand miles. The metal is silver inside and out, from use and dissasembly -reassembly for cleaning. No import marks but no DOD papers either. I doubt I'd sell it anyway.
There are pics on here, see VC ghost rifle.

[M39 Shooter]

"Buy the rifle, not the story" It`s becoming a common theme anymore. Capture papers can be fabricated. Those with old typewriters , onion skin paper. or just finding the blank forms somewhere. Those with more experience than i have said it here, unless your buying from grandpa Joe who fought in the Ardenns and you know where the rifle came from beware. My brother brought back an sks , looked like it had sat out in the rain for a year. Bolt and bolt carrier were swapped, somewhat reminiscent of the 98k`s with mismatched bolts.