Oaks not MOAKS June 11:1-7 PM, 12:9-5 PM, 13:9-4

[ScotsGuards]

Yes costs are up for dealers. (But then again costs are up for everyone else too!) However the Milsurp market is very much supply/demand driven. More so than most areas of firearms collecting. With a wider gap and more variables in it's supply-demand frame. Sometimes there is a rise and fall in the market as new shipments of an item arrive after being absent for a time. Then the cycle starts over. Till the next shortage.

A typical example would be the spate of Mosin-Nagant imports. Those rifles and carbines came into the US by the hundreds of thousands over the last 10-15 years. Most wholesalers are out of them and the few, if any, who have some left are asking astronomical sums for them. They were very inexpensive at the time; as was the ammunition. As the few years have gone by the price of those rifles has risen considerably. Mostly due to the ever shrinking pool of Nagants available. Now they are pushing $600.00+ give or take a few dollars depending on the model and condition. That's nuts but welcome to our world. Why should Nagants be any different than Mausers, Enfields, US M-1 carbines and any of the other myriad weapons that have been imported over the decades.

Condition also has a considerable role to play in our Milsurp theatre. There have been lots of the same model Milsurps imported. Some are near mint examples. Some are average condition. Some are....well, let's just say, pretty poor to god-awful.
Metal and wood and bore condition, originality, rarity and overall attractiveness of the item all factor into the desirability, hence the pricing.
And least we forget about the infamous import markings: For some an import mark is an anathema line they can't cross; others just don't care. I see that one a lot in US M-1 Carbine collecting.

The one aspect of Milsurps that never ceases to amaze me is: All of these millions of arms come into this country and are readily acquired by collectors/shooters and only a small fraction are ever seen again on the market consequently driving the pricing to and fro.

God Bless America and the 2A.

[fritz1255]

Okay Scotsguards, there is one issue related to milsurps that has always confused me, maybe you can explain? At every gun show, I see lots of Japanese milsurps. As far as I know, they have not been imported in years. Are they coming from collections that are being sold after the owner died, or is there a pipeline from Asia that I am not aware of?

[Marines55]

Okay Scotsguards, there is one issue related to milsurps that has always confused me, maybe you can explain? At every gun show, I see lots of Japanese milsurps. As far as I know, they have not been imported in years. Are they coming from collections that are being sold after the owner died, or is there a pipeline from Asia that I am not aware of?

I have collected Japanese arms for about 20 years now. I have written and contributed to books on them over the years and some of my collection has been photographed and used in the publication "shotgun News" (now "firearms news"). I can tell you for sure, that there are no existing stock piles of Arisakas or Nambus that are being imported into the country. What you are seeing is greatly influenced by location, collectors, etc. I can tell you from my travels through the country that PA is a honey hole for military firearms, especially Japanese. if you head to Ohio, there is almost nothing there. personally, I sold off about 100 Arisaka rifles some time ago because I didn't need 3 or 4 of the same series rifle. I have seen some collections come and go that have had 20-30 arisakas in them. guys in PA bought them up because they were cheap and mostly overlooked by folks here as inferior. now we are starting to see that turn over. there is a mass influx of carbines, K98s, SKS, and some Mosins right now as they have been coming in from third party neutral countries. nothing like it was 15 or so years ago but the stuff is trickling in. bottom line is that demand has an immediate influence on price which in effect raises the costs for dealers, so yes.....prices are indeed skyrocketing for dealers in every aspect of firearms. trying to find someone selling that doesn't want gunbroker prices is the hard part.

[Pilot321]

The MOAKS show is better. When's that?

[ScotsGuards]

The MOAKS show is better. When's that?

Last weekend in September. Only two days this time though.

[ScotsGuards]

Marines55: Thanks for answering Fritz's question.

[philadelphia patriot]

All I got were pickles and dip mix but I*ll probably go to the next show. I still enjoyed myself.

[skb40466]

Missed the show in June due to work schedule. Yearning for the pickles!