So what's up with AK's?

[TrickyNicky]

Anyone else notice that while the price of AR's is dropping weekly it seems AK's are still going strong at about double what they were 6months ago? I've been wanting to pick one up for awhile but there's no way I'm spending $800+ on a Yugo/Romanian AK. That just seems crazy to me, even unconverted Saigas are getting $200-$300 more than they were.

So what do you all think is the reasoning behind this? Less of a supply? More demand?

More important, will we ever see the $400 AK again?

[Garufa]

The prices for entry-level AK's are still out of sight but there is a great big difference between Yugos and Romanians.

[TrickyNicky]

The prices for entry-level AK's are still out of sight but there is a great big difference between Yugos and Romanians.

That could be, I am far from an expert but seem to remember both hanging around the 4-6 hundred range last year. I don't know, obviously I should have got when the getting was good but I didn't realize how much I wanted one until they dried up.

[173rdABN]

Saw WARS 10's are the outpost yesterday for $899...... What the heck happened to the $300 days... 

[Garufa]

A little over one year ago, January 2012 to be exact, you could buy a WASR 10 from Classic Arms (online, not the Memphis store) for just a hair over $400 with some extra goodies.  Polish underfolders for $479. 

[monkeylizard]

ARs are domestically produced. AKs are not. Perhaps there's greater concern that the Obama admin will try to  do some kind of importation restriction via administrative ruling or Executive Order.

[Garufa]

ARs are domestically produced. AKs are not. Perhaps there's greater concern that the Obama admin will try to  do some kind of importation restriction via administrative ruling or Executive Order.

 

AK's are dometically produced as well from imported parts with enough US made parts to satisfy the regulation put into place long before Obama.

 

This is no longer an "imported" AK.  They are made here.

[ironsniper1]

Anyone else notice that while the price of AR's is dropping weekly it seems AK's are still going strong at about double what they were 6months ago? I've been wanting to pick one up for awhile but there's no way I'm spending $800+ on a Yugo/Romanian AK. That just seems crazy to me, even unconverted Saigas are getting $200-$300 more than they were.


So what do you all think is the reasoning behind this? Less of a supply? More demand?


More important, will we ever see the $400 AK again?

I've been wondering the same thing as I to would like to get an ak but don't want to pay more than $400 for one


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hkusp40cal]

If you are paying that kind of money it better be for an Arsenal Bulgarian.  They were always at the 800-1200 range.

[monkeylizard]

AK's are dometically produced as well from imported parts with enough US made parts to satisfy the regulation put into place long before Obama.

 

This is no longer an "imported" AK.  They are made here.

 

There you go using logic at a time like this. :)

 

Yeah, I phrased that incorrectly. I meant that many of the AKs floating around are made with parts made in ComBloc nations.

 

Ask a person paying $900 for a Century WASR-10 where AK's are made.

Edited May 26, 2013 by monkeylizard

[JoeJ615]

i picked up a GP75 about a week ago for $700 .. and i know thats nowehere near old school price but it DID come with 9 mags and 400rds of ammo along with a  cheap red/green dot optic (which i removed because it sat too high on the rail for me) and all the aftermarket furniture i would have had to buy for a normal AK anyway .. i cant stand the warsaw length wood stock, feels like a gun made for a munchkin to me .. so all in all not bad in my eyes, especially considering the market

 

[TMF]

AK's are dometically produced as well from imported parts with enough US made parts to satisfy the regulation put into place long before Obama.

This is no longer an "imported" AK. They are made here.

Could there be concern about parts kits being restricted from import in the future via EO?

[TripleDigitRide]

Saw WARS 10's are the outpost yesterday for $899...... What the heck happened to the $300 days... 

While AK's are more expensive than they were in the not-so-distant-past, The Outpost Armory isn't exactly a fair representation of "normal" prices. 

[pcrc11]

Parts kits from overseas, which is what they all to start with, are few and far between. They used to be in the $100 range and come with a barrel, so add in the cost of a cheap receiver and labor to put one together and $300-400 is what you could get into one for. Now expect to pay $400 for a parts kit, if you can find one, and most likely it also will not include a barrel as they can no longer be imported. Add $100-150 for the barrel and another $100 for a receiver plus labor and it is not hard to see why $800 and up is the new norm.

[Hershmeister]

Parts kits from overseas, which is what they all to start with, are few and far between. They used to be in the $100 range and come with a barrel, so add in the cost of a cheap receiver and labor to put one together and $300-400 is what you could get into one for. Now expect to pay $400 for a parts kit, if you can find one, and most likely it also will not include a barrel as they can no longer be imported. Add $100-150 for the barrel and another $100 for a receiver plus labor and it is not hard to see why $800 and up is the new norm.

This

[crossfire]

:2cents: 

There you go using logic at a time like this.  

 

Yeah, I phrased that incorrectly. I meant that many of the AKs floating around are made with parts made in ComBloc nations.

 

Ask a person paying $900 for a Century WASR-10 where AK's are made.

There is no shortage of stupid people out there buying guns and ammo! Who would buy a $900 AK? The same guy that would shell out $100 for a brick of .22's. It's all do to people who sat on the fence to long and didn't buy when there was a good supply and now are "panic" buying. There is no shortage of guns, ammo or magazines out there, the problem is to many people are willing to pay 2x, 3x &4x the amount of what it's worth. It's a sellers market out there at this time and anyone getting in the game today better know what their doing or have very deep pockets. Just my :2cents:

[Hershmeister]

:2cents:

There you go using logic at a time like this.

Yeah, I phrased that incorrectly. I meant that many of the AKs floating around are made with parts made in ComBloc nations.

Ask a person paying $900 for a Century WASR-10 where AK's are made.

There is no shortage of stupid people out there buying guns and ammo! Who would buy a $900 AK? The same guy that would shell out $100 for a brick of .22's. It's all do to people who sat on the fence to long and didn't buy when there was a good supply and now are "panic" buying. There is no shortage of guns, ammo or magazines out there, the problem is to many people are willing to pay 2x, 3x &4x the amount of what it's worth. It's a sellers market out there at this time and anyone getting in the game today better know what their doing or have very deep pockets. Just my :2cents:

For a basic Century WASR you are right, but there is a wide range of AK
Types and values out there, so to say that no AK is worth more than a certain price is simply incorrect.

[austin7.62]

I spent mad dough on a milled Arsenal.

 

What I didn't understand was that at the height of the panic, people were dropping 1K+ on Century built guns while the Arsenal SAM7R-61 was available the whole time for around $1300.

 

I bought mine for $1200 shipping. Worth every dime to me. :-)

[pcrc11]

There is no shortage of stupid people out there buying guns and ammo! Who would buy a $900 AK? The same guy that would shell out $100 for a brick of .22's. It's all do to people who sat on the fence to long and didn't buy when there was a good supply and now are "panic" buying. There is no shortage of guns, ammo or magazines out there, the problem is to many people are willing to pay 2x, 3x &4x the amount of what it's worth. It's a sellers market out there at this time and anyone getting in the game today better know what their doing or have very deep pockets. Just my :2cents:

Unless the market is once again flooded with cheap parts kits I would not expect the price of even the cheap AK's to be under $700. Yes, panic buying has driven up the AK prices some but that has seemed to pass. IMO it has more to do with the lack of parts kits being imported and the barrel ban. In todays worldwide political climate don't expect the importers to go out on a limb and make the necessary investments to once again flood the market with cheap parts kits when the fear is always present that they could banned with the next mass shooting and they get left holding the bag with unsellable product.

[viscero]

Agreed lack of parts kits is a major factor.  Also overall importation of assembled rifles has all but stopped.  First the arsenals and Saigas dried up.  Then the veprs.  The wasr's started to decline and they couldn't keep up with demand so distributors started bringing in the Yugo's.  But now Zastava is in the same boat as Romarm.  Who knows how much stuff is currently in transit or sitting in customs somewhere as we speak.  I do know that a lot of times the ditributors over here order stuff and have little to no idea if or when it will be fullfilled from overseas.

[Rambo]

6 months ago? 3 months ago Bulgarian 74bkits with plum furniture were selling for $185 on gunbroker. No way I'd pay current prices. I just finished a amd65 and ready to build more..but I'll wait.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[ttocswob]

There you go using logic at a time like this. :)

 

Yeah, I phrased that incorrectly. I meant that many of the AKs floating around are made with parts made in ComBloc nations.

 

Ask a person paying $900 for a Century WASR-10 where AK's are made.

 

I liked what you meant to say.

[Spiffy]

Like the days of the $99 SKS, so are the days of the cheap AK gone and never to return!

[whitewolf001]

I wouldn't mind having a TGI build or very much an Arsenal. Buddy of mine has a Krink kit he's gonna put together here soon.

[Guest The Dude]

it is what it is. AK's will never be the same cheap price they were a few years back. Same with the Saiga rifles. I remember back when I could score them for under 200, then they crept up to 3, then 4, and now just out of stock. lol.

 

But for AK's being made here, I call BS. You can slap enough parts on a gun and call it what you want, but all the US made AK's I've encounterd suck, and are overpriced. YMMV