So what's the next big C&R?

[Rockrivr1]

Since I've had my C&R FFL I've seen a lot of good firearms hit the market at low prices that were bought up and now the prices are much higher and selection is low. C&Rs such as

Enfields
SKSs
Stars
Makarovs
Tokerovs
Mosins
CZs

An the list goes on. So now that most of the above are harder to find I'm wondering what you think will be the next big C&R to hit the market? I'm thinking that some of you will say the 1911s that the CMP got their hands on. I might agree, but with prices starting over $1K, I don't consider them a good C&R purchase. My thoughts will probably differ from some of yours.

Besides the CMP 1911s, do you see anything else that might be coming down the pike? Or has those days pretty much gone by now?

 

[timbo]

The first firearm I bought with my C&R was my CZ82, $99. That was about 4-5 years ago. They are now $299 or more. Though not as cheap as they were a few years back, the Bulgarian Maks are very nice. I suspect the price will continue to climb on those.

The CMP 1911's won't be cheap (as you noted)...you can buy a pretty nice 1911 for under a kilobuck...time will tell what their condition is...many 1911's built during the war were hardened by the induction method which means that most of the hardness is in the first millimeters of the outside of the steel. Anecdotally, I've been told that these firearms won't stand up to a lot of use. That may or may not be true.

 

[browncoat]

The days of great C&R prices will end with the sale of the remaining Burns finn mosins, I think.

The glut of good prices was a result of two things - countries stockpiled tons of firearms for WWII and the Cold War and the firearms they stock piled were largely not select fire.


Due to ATF regulations, those select fire rifles will never enter the country as C&R. Handguns would still be eligible, but countries don't produce those in the quantities they used to.

 

[browncoat]

Two other factors making C&R guns more expensive these days:

There are a bunch of new import restrictions and the sources that are still selling old stockpiled guns have figured out that they can charge more than the scrap metal prices they were originally selling them for.

 

[tk421991]

The days of great C&R prices will end with the sale of the remaining Burns finn mosins, I think.

The glut of good prices was a result of two things - countries stockpiled tons of firearms for WWII and the Cold War and the firearms they stock piled were largely not select fire.

Due to ATF regulations, those select fire rifles will never enter the country as C&R. Handguns would still be eligible, but countries don't produce those in the quantities they used to.

+1

The levels of production for stuff like Mausers (including M1903s), Mosins, Enfields and French rifles was huge because these countries had huge standing and war time armies. Most C&R rifles post 1899 were from WW1, WW2 or times around then like Czech Vz. 24s built in 1938 or so.

Semi auto guns from Russia won't flood the market because of a trade agreement between Clinton and Yeltsin. So no Russian SKS rifles, no SVT-40s, no Tokarevs and no Russian Makarovs except for ones that get imported in batches of other Maks. The Russian semi auto rifles and pistols that are here came from other places or were war bringbacks. SVT-40s were bought from Finland in the 60s or were taken off dead Germans. Russian Tokarevs came back from Vietnam.

India may be a market for new C&R guns since they still issue the .410 Enfield shotguns and SMLE/2A1 rifles to this day but those are going to be some very beat on guns. I don't know how much is left in Eastern European countries that are giving up CommBloc guns for NATO caliber guns.

Hopefully, it's going to be the 1911s next.

 

[btnh6668]

C&R deals are few and far between. Pretty sure im going to just let mine lapse.

 

[Waher]

UN arms reduction treaties are also taking a toll on the C&R market as signatory governments destroy surplus which is the past would have gone to market.

 

[Love Machine]

Mosins. They're up to $150 from $80 and they'll go as high as $250.

 

[dhuze]

50 year old guns like the AR-15 will be next. Surplus will be nonexistent.

 

[tk421991]

50 year old guns like the AR-15 will be next. Surplus will be nonexistent.

Technically, the oldies already are since the AR-15 came out in the 50s. Problem is volume - there simply aren't enough old ARs to make the price of them dirt low.

 

[browncoat]

UN arms reduction treaties are also taking a toll on the C&R market as signatory governments destroy surplus which is the past would have gone to market.

This too. It's sad that so many perfectly good guns are getting destroyed when anyone with a brain in their heads knows that many if not most of the arms used by terrorist/insurgent groups around the world are given to them by governments, so it makes no difference.

- - - Updated - - -

Technically, the oldies already are since the AR-15 came out in the 50s. Problem is volume - there simply aren't enough old ARs to make the price of them dirt low.

Correction, there would be enough old AR-15s to make the price low if selective fire weapons could be sold to the public. The surplus parts kits that are around aren't that expensive, the price of the full guns would be about the same if they could be sold directly.

 

[Wadcutter]

Mausers are very cheap now. I saw a couple of beautiful Swedish Mausers at the Foxboro show for less than $300. Before they went out of business Samco had Mausers in 308 for $169. You can get beautiful European firearms for less than the price of a hi-point or crude commie rifles (no offense to Mosin fans).

 

[me109g4]

I suspect M1 Garand prices will skyrocket as soon as the CMP runs out of them, picking are already slim through CMP. Look at where carbine prices have gone.

 

[slap shot]

C&R deals are few and far between. Pretty sure im going to just let mine lapse.

Very good point. I probably will too.

 

[browncoat]

Mausers are very cheap now. I saw a couple of beautiful Swedish Mausers at the Foxboro show for less than $300. Before they went out of business Samco had Mausers in 308 for $169. You can get beautiful European firearms for less than the price of a hi-point or crude commie rifles (no offense to Mosin fans).

I think the price might have something to do with ammo availability being slim for certain types of Mausers. You can't get tons of dirt cheap Swedish or 8mm ammo anymore. The 1916 spanish mauser seems to hold a low price because people are scared (probably un-necessarily) about the receiver strength for the .308 conversion.

 

[tk421991]

I think the price might have something to do with ammo availability being slim for certain types of Mausers. You can't get tons of dirt cheap Swedish or 8mm ammo anymore. The 1916 spanish mauser seems to hold a low price because people are scared (probably un-necessarily) about the receiver strength for the .308 conversion.

Same thing with Carcanos, Arisakas and French rifles. The Swiss rifles are rare enough and were sold to us in very good condition to be an exception.