The current 'shortage' and the future. Your opinions?

[NLMosin]

Ok, I started collecting mosins about six months ago. Arguably the worst time in the history of mosins for pricing. This shortage may or may not be a hyped up thing brought upon us by the folks who love to sell crates of mosins. But lets assume its real. There has been conversation about whether or not the mosin faucet will ever be turned back on again. We all have our opinions on that. And if it does the pricing will stabilize but as I've read in these forums will never go back to the $69 days. But this shortage mainly affects the crates of 91/30's in regular kit or sniper....right? My question is what about the M38's M39's and 91/59's? I am too new to know how those beauties crawl across the borders. Is whats here whats here? Or will they also be in the next pile of stuff that comes over from Russia or the Ukraine? The prices haven't crept up on them as much as the garden variety 91/30's over the last year or so... Seems like the bottom end price for the 91/30 has crept up to the bottom end of the other models but those other models are holding their pricing.

I was going to drop 700 bucks on a sniper but if in a year or two the gates open again the availability may change and there will still be the opportunity to purchase one at 700 bucks and I might get a Tula for that price instead of Izhevsk which seems to be whats available from the wholesalers now. But in a year or two if the M38's M39's and 91/59's are not coming I may be better to spend todays dollar on a couple of those models before they are gone and save up again for the sniper....You see the dilemma?

[Rongo]

There is no need to panic. It looks like you have a decent collection already, more than I had after 6 months once I began collecting Mosins. I would pursue some Finn variants next; Get an M39, M28, M27 and so on. Keep looking in all the good places & jump on whatever comes along at a fair price. Don't buy for full prices unless it's one you can't live without.

Also, There are lots of older collectors who can't live forever... Expect the frequency to increase in the coming years of whole collections becoming available. Lets face it; Not all families want to keep Grandpa's Gun Hoard. Just remember to be respectful to the family & offer fair value for the guns if faced with an Estate purchase... Nothing worse than screwing a fellow Collectors family in their time of loss. Just my

[gopedxr7]

retail store sales are going to slow down more and more. but there will be more on second hand on gun broker, etc.

They had to run out sometime. but i am sure they will be availiable in waves in the future on the retail market. but the days of the $99 mosin are over. even the chinese m44 models are rising in price

[NLMosin]

...did anyone ever think you'd be checking the obituaries for cheap mosins?

[SA1911a1]

In ten years, people will be talking about today's prices as "the good old days." I am confident in that prediction as history always repeats itself.

Even if massive quantities of rifles become available from Europe, the exporters importers understand supply and demand and will not release them fast enough to deflate the values.
The importers have very deep pockets and are very patient. If I had very deep pockets and was very patient this is what I would do:

1. Buy all I could find in an attempt to corner the market. (keep a tight lid on how many you really have)
2. Release large quantities at cheap prices to create demand.
3. Throttle back the supplies to increase the prices while maintaining demand.
4. Assure everyone that the supplies are about soon going to be gone. (increasing demand)
5. Periodically release "new-found batches at an increased price."
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until the supplies are really gone.

If the importers bought a container ship full of these rifles tomorrow, they would be fools to turn them loose at once for a quick profit. If they did, the prices would collapse, the demand would die, and they would be stuck with a container ship full of expensive scrap iron. The world's biggest gun sellers are not fools.

[zeebill]

My one thought is this contemplate the controllable and learn to deal with the unacceptable with a big flat No Thank You. Bill

[bunkysdad]

Why do we think we need so many anyway? I had just bought my Swiss K31 and was burning up the Internet looking for ammo, a sling, and a muzzle protector, while looking for a pistol, which is when I bought my P64, and before the P64 was delivered was already trying to horn-schwaggle myself another P64, and ammo for the pistol, and looking for a bayone for the K31, and watching the Mosin market out of one eye and the Swiss rifles at Aim out of my other eye. A friend brought me 3 pistols 2 weeks ago to sell for him and I am still sitting on them trying to figure out how to buy them myself. If I had a brain I would be dangerous. If I had real money I would be more dangerous.

[bunkysdad]

My one thought is this contemplate the controllable and learn to deal with the unacceptable with a big flat No Thank You. Bill

Yeah, and that is why you have 6 safes full to the brim with all manner of milsurps. Or is that 8 safes? I don't think you have said no thank you as often as you want us to believe.

[rayjd2]

I ain't worried, I saw three 91/30 and an M38 today, passed on all.

[entropy]

There is no need to panic. It looks like you have a decent collection already,more than I had after 6 months once I began collecting Mosins. I would pursue some Finn variants next; Get an M39, M28, M27 and so on. Keep looking in all the good places & jump on whatever comes along at a fair price. Don't buy for full prices unless it's one you can't live without.

Also, There are lots of older collectors who can't live forever... Expect the frequency to increase in the coming years of whole collections becoming available. Lets face it; Not all families want to keep Grandpa's Gun Hoard. Just remember to be respectful to the family & offer fair value for the guns if faced with an Estate purchase... Nothing worse than screwing a fellow Collectors family in their time of loss. Just my

And believe me, he had Mosinitis bad when he first started!

There will always be 'that' deal around, the trick is to have the $$$ on hand when it does; that's usually where I get fouled up....

[djbuck1]

Also, There are lots of older collectors who can't live forever...

Yeah, look for a big sale in PA circa 2035.

[dou44]

we are living in the good old days now,prices will only go up and number of rifles will go down. buy what you like now.

[Lee-online]

There are plenty of Mosins for sale, look at gunbroker, pages and pages. A lot people don't want because of price or type. Same with gun shows, over priced IMHO or are plane jane 1943 Izhevsks.

All the Fins are already here in the country and have been for a while, they are still readily available without buying from Pat.

Snipers were available and cost $800 and then a large supply showed up and were sold for $550 just last year.

look at what just showed up at Classic, who knows what else is out there, all I know is the Mosin will be the last large stock pile of surplus to be sold.

[Longcolt44]

I got bit by the Finnish rifles M27, M28, 28-30 and so on. I may only buy a rifle every 2 months or so but I can be more selective in buying one. The search is the real prize anyway.

[zeebill]

My one thought is this contemplate the controllable and learn to deal with the unacceptable with a big flat No Thank You. Bill

Yeah, and that is why you have 6 safes full to the brim with all manner of milsurps. Or is that 8 safes? I don't think you have said no thank you as often as you want us to believe.

I bid on 11 rifles at auction over the weekend, I dropped out of 6 and bought 5. I find it very easy to say No Thank you! I just don't advertise what I don't get and how many I say No to! Bill

[Rongo]

There is no need to panic. It looks like you have a decent collection already,more than I had after 6 months once I began collecting Mosins. I would pursue some Finn variants next; Get an M39, M28, M27 and so on. Keep looking in all the good places & jump on whatever comes along at a fair price. Don't buy for full prices unless it's one you can't live without.

Also, There are lots of older collectors who can't live forever... Expect the frequency to increase in the coming years of whole collections becoming available. Lets face it; Not all families want to keep Grandpa's Gun Hoard. Just remember to be respectful to the family & offer fair value for the guns if faced with an Estate purchase... Nothing worse than screwing a fellow Collectors family in their time of loss. Just my

And believe me, he had Mosinitis bad when he first started!

There will always be 'that' deal around, the trick is to have the $$$ on hand when it does; that's usually where I get fouled up....

It was pretty bad wasn't it?

Even today the deals are out there... No need to worry. Personally I would focus on ensuring you have enough ammo to cover your needs. Kinda hard to have a productive day at the range without something to feed your Milsurp.

[qz2026]

I really don't know enough about the supply side of these rifles so I have to go along with the more seasoned collectors out there. There is probably a huge cache of rifles out there that the importers are holding on to. The political issues are also a problem. But, in the back of my head, my business background says that you can't purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory and sit on them forever. There is a basic concept called cash flow that enters into the picture. On the other side there are thousands of people with a lot of money that are probably content to do this. And, if initial cash flow isn't an issue, these rifles are very good investments - at least from an importer's perspective. My thoughts are the rifles will continue to increase. But, at some point supply and demand will come into equilibrium, i.e., the prices will grow out of the realm of most people's purchasing power. I am also seeing a disturbing trend in the auction community. Yes, there are some deals that can be had but most of the time anymore the sellers are asking ridiculous prices. And, it's almost like you can see when new enthusiasts enter the market that bidding prices get extreme where, even I who is not above paying what it takes for special rifles, bails out early. BTW, the M-38's and 91/59's, IMO, are increasing in price faster than the 9130's.

[TopperT]

I got "hooked" on Finn's and especially M39's. I have a small but selective Finn group and a few Ruskie's here and there. I see a lot of quality rifles available right now for a "reasonable" price........My point is that todays "reasonable" price will be tomorrows bargain..

[zeebill]

I got "hooked" on Finn's and especially M39's. I have a small but selective Finn group and a few Ruskie's here and there. I see a lot of quality rifles available right now for a "reasonable" price........My point is that todays "reasonable" price will be tomorrows bargain..

Your point is well taken by me and should be noted by others as that is just the controlling point of collecting. Things never get cheaper and never will for the most part and they all get rarer as they are stashed away in others long lasting collections. Todays rifle prices will almost always be utter bargains 10 years from now! I always say to myself when bidding that is way too much but in 10 years it may not be too much if I resell it or trade it. That is true always true on all parts of life. How many of you remember like yesterday when Gas was 12.9 cents a gallon? I do remember filling my 57 Chevy up many times at that price and that was regular in those days at 100+ octane too. The days of Tetra ethyl Lead as an anti-knock additive and not dam alcohol to screw the fuel systems up and kill your mileage. You guys have missed so much it blows my mind at times how you ever will survive in this market today? Good Luck dealing with it for I will soon be gone and forgotten at 71. Bill

[Junk Yard Dog]

There is no need to panic. It looks like you have a decent collection already, more than I had after 6 months once I began collecting Mosins. I would pursue some Finn variants next; Get an M39, M28, M27 and so on. Keep looking in all the good places & jump on whatever comes along at a fair price. Don't buy for full prices unless it's one you can't live without.

Also, There are lots of older collectors who can't live forever... Expect the frequency to increase in the coming years of whole collections becoming available. Lets face it; Not all families want to keep Grandpa's Gun Hoard. Just remember to be respectful to the family & offer fair value for the guns if faced with an Estate purchase... Nothing worse than screwing a fellow Collectors family in their time of loss. Just my

Your talking about Bill right Ron? I am not sick, and I haven't fallen lately, and when I did I got up all by myself.