The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Trying to find out how many Albanian's SKS were imported. Traded for one. Handguard is rough. Any idea were I could get one and what it might cost?

Not sure how many were imported but only 5-6 thousand purportedly survived destruction.

There were only 800 that came in, in the last shipment in 2012. The following is part of the research when I bought mine.

" So, there were an estimated 16,950 produced. For unknown reasons the Albanians destroyed or gave away nearly two thirds of them and it is believed that only 5700 are left in the world today. There have been reports that US Government led efforts "encouraged" the Albanian government to collect and destroy over 130,000 Albanian small arms (their SKS included) during the mid to late 1990's. This may be why we see limited numbers of them in the world market today."

Go luck finding a handguard

Everybody who was collecting SKS "back in the day" when the Albanian SKS were being imported is kicking themselves now for not buying more! I think at the time, it was the most expensive SKS I had ever bought, and originally I really questioned if it was a good idea to even buy one. I only have one true Albanian SKS, a 1978 model, and now I am glad that logic won out and I purchased one.

The rise in prices on Albanian SKS, and a bunch of other mil-surps I was buying and my "real" gun collector friends told me would never be worth what I was paying (think $59.00 for a M38 Mosin Nagant at Big 5 a few years ago and compare prices now!), is one reason I tracking prices of firearms. During the Barry O'bummer years, firearms have had a better return on investment than my 401k.

Some details on the Albanian SKS market in 2015. The GunStockMarket found 49 unique listings (many auctions are listed several times until sold or the seller gives up) so far in 2016. Asking prices ranged from $275.00 to $1,799.00; but that's asking prices. Of these 49 unique auctions, 31 were sold and the selling prices ranged from $275.00 to $1,000.00. I'm sure I missed a few listings and a few sales and I'm sure there is an armchair quaterback somewhere who saw one with a $50 price tag as a gun show and one with over a million dollar price tag at a gun show or had a buddy who saw one and so on ;-). General trend is up, from the original purchase prices a few years ago which is the point. Right now, as I look today I haven't scanned any but when they are scanned they show up here: GunStockMarket current Albanian SKS data. I've become suspicious of sold listings lately as many appear to be shills and are quickly relisted with the exact same pictures and text; maybe that's a new seller attempting to flip the item for a higher price but a few times I've caught that it's the same seller.

In the past I've collated my data into a yearly report for 2012, 2013 and the first half of 2014.

A friend of mine has one from every year of production but one, all matching. Some are mint and some.are beat-up a little especially the handguard. They were imported that way and he left them alone. I would too.

Those figures in he stock market do not show realistic figures as they do not add in rifles sold by individuals or gun shops. I bought one of the 800 that came in along with a Chinese that came in in 2011 from Albania. I have been offered a lot of cash for my 1979 Albanian but It has not and will not be for sale.

amx4080 I like the data collecting. I have seen a couple Albanians sell right around $800 or at least the listing said they were Albanians. I honestly don't know much about SKS Rifles. Though it seems my observations fall right in your range. Keep up the good work.

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Nice collection, WOW!!