Feeling Guilty Before The Deed Is Done

I am going out soon to sell a Norinco Type 56 SKS. 

All I can say about it now is damn - I am already suffering from seller's remorse. Yet, a deal is a deal and I am not about to call it off because I am now thinking I should have kept this one. Oh well, I can use the cash.

All the best,
Glenn B

Anyone Want To Guess...

...just how I spent a few hours on one recent afternoon and evening? One look at the pic should give you a pretty good idea. (I actually did not use the oven cleaner although I had thought I would need it.)

What a pain in the behind it was too, especially because once I was done I found out that the gas tube on my newly acquired SKS did not fit right. Yep, that means I finally got a replacement Yugo SKS from SAMCO after returning the one they initially sent me as 'new' but that had repaired damage on it.

This one was supposed to be 'new' too, but I noticed right away that the price was about $20 or $30 less, and then saw the serial numbers on the stock and handguards did not match one another, nor did they match any of the serialized metal parts! No wonder the gas tube did not fit properly. Then there is also the gas valve that has corrosion on it, blued over corrosion at that. Otherwise it is in very good condition maybe even excellent (mind you I said otherwise), albeit refinished condition. It just ain't new - no way - not even 'new' for an arsenal refinish.

I do not understand exactly what is up with ordering from SAMCO - but I am wondering if they have a problem with the word 'new' when they describe their products, or if they think I am a moron, or are they simply inept! I sent em an email requesting either a refund, or a replacement gas tube and if that fits told em I would keep the SKS - but if not then they have to give me a full refund and I'll return it. I don't know if I want to go through this a third time, so if I get a refund this time around I may just cancel the whole order. Then again third time could be the charm. Decisions, darned decisions!

All the best,
GB

Yugo SKS From SAMCO - Update

Well, if you have read along, you know I bought a NEW SKS from SAMCO awhile back. When I received it I immediately noticed repair to damage on the stock and some minor cosmetic damage to the metal parts, and one small but bent metal part. I contacted SAMCO and after quite the wait, and many phone calls, I received a return label. A supervisor at SAMCO, who was very nice and seemed right on top of the issue, told me I would get an exchange, and that was fine with me. Since it was taking so long to get that label I called American Express a couple of times and had the charge put on hold. I specifically told the folks at AMEX to take no other action than placing a hold on that charge until they heard from me but they did not follow my instructions. The rifle was delivered back to SAMCO on January 5, I ordered it on or about November 11th. An annoying amount of time for a turn around. Somewhere in there I also received a letter from AMEX saying they had convinced the seller to give me a refund. I wrote SAMCO an email saying I still wanted a NEW SKS if they could sell me one at the original price I had paid. Then, last week, I guess maybe on Thursday or so, I received a call from SAMCO saying they would indeed send me a new one, at the price I paid.

Since then AMEX has screwed up my credit card account by apparently giving me credit twice for the SKS. I have tried to take care of that to no avail, but will cal them again today. First guy I spoke to told me if they reversed the credit they would also add on another $XXX charge instead of just reversing the credit. After I hung up with him, I called back AMEX and the next person to whom I spoke said that would I would not be charged an additional $XXX if the credit was reversed, but they still have not reversed the extra credit. I know I will never wind up with a double credit in my pocket, and it would be wrong to expect such, so I have to give them yet another call and try to straighten this out before it messes up my accounting of my credit card bill.

As for a new replacement SKS, well someone is supposed to call me this week from SAMCO and tell me when it will be sent out. I was assured this one would be in 'new' condition; and I imagine they will make their best effort to assure such is the case. Time will tell, and if and when I receive an exchange I'll let you know how it turns out.

All the best,
Glenn B

SKS - does it stand for 'Samco Krap Sent'?

No, actually SKS is the designation of a rifle issued by many Com Bloc countries during the 1960's through the 1970's and probably even into the 80s and 90s, but you might wonder if you saw the rifle i just received. I recently ordered one from Samco Global Arms, Inc. It arrived at my house today, and when I got home from work it was waiting for me on the coffee table in the basement right where I would find it when I went down to watch TV. My son knows where to leave things so I will not miss them.

I ordered a NEW CONDITION Yugoslavian SKS, model: M59/66A1, the latest of all the models. When I saw the box, I decided to have a quick dinner before opening it. After dinner I went at the box carefully opening it to make sure I did no damage to the new SKS. I need not have been so careful. You see, as it turned out, the NEW CONDITION SKS was not so new. Now mind you, I know the various conditions for military surplus rifles, of which this is one. I realize that there are New Condition Rifles, Factory Re-Conditioned Rifles (often mistakenly called NEW or NEW CONDITION), Excellent Condition, Very Good Condition, Good Condition and so on down to pieces of out and out krapola. The one I ordered was advertised as NEW CONDITION, and therefore it should have been in a condition that indicated it was new. Mine was not and that was obvious.

For starters, there were two glaring repairs in the wood stock. One was about 1 1/4" x 3/4" x 1 1/4 x 3/4"" in a rectangular shape. Wood had been removed from the stock and this piece put in its place. There was another similar repair that was smaller in size, maybe 1/2" x 1/2" on each side. In addition there are several grooves or gouges, several scratches, and several nicks in the wood stock and wood handguard. Furthermore there are several scratches, scrapes, and dings in the metal parts of the rifle. It also appears as if this rifle has wear to the bolt which would indicate it has been used previously and is not NEW CONDITION. I noticed to that the bore seemed dark, not bright as advertised but will admit I did not clean it due to the other problems. One part, the rear sight had a serial number, but not matching the number on the other parts that were serialized 9and there numbers matched one another). Finally, I noticed that the gas shutoff button was bent.

Now mind you, the attached pictures do not do the damage justice. It was darned hard to get the scratches, nicks and grooves to show at all once the flash filled them in. In real life it all looks worse, except maybe for that repair job - that at least came out as is in the photograph above. The next two photos show the differing serial numbers and some wood dings and a scratch. You would have also seen a scratch on the magazine but I guess the way the flash filled in, or caused reflections - you cannot see it. It is there though right on that side of the magazine.

I could probably have accepted the rifle if the only damage had been the metal scratches, scrapes and dings and the serial number on the rear sight; but the addition of the wood repairs, the other wood damage, and the bent gas shutoff valve, the wear on moving parts as if previously used, and the possibly dark bore make it totally unacceptable. So I fired off an email to Samco about the problems. I am hopeful this was an oversight on their part due to the increased number of orders they received as a result of the November 4th presidential election. Hopefully they will still have actual NEW CONDITION Yugo SKS rifles in stock and will be able to find me one. Of course if they want to take about $100 off the price of this one, I might go for it because even with the Cosmoline on it I can tell it has a sweet trigger. Otherwise I'll let you know how my attempt at an exchange for one in truly new condition turns out.

Thankfully I ordered and paid for this using my American Express card and they have a pretty good history of assisting with customer complaints against sellers who sell other than what they have advertised.

All the best,

Glenn B

Have Been Busy Ordering...

...things like 7.62x39 ammunition. I went on the Sportsmansguide.com site and I ordered:

1. Wolf® 7.62 x 39 122 Gr. HP 500 rds. Product: WX2-54048 In Stock. Quantity: 1, Unit Price: $109.22, Total Price: $109.22

2. Wolf® 7.62x39 154 Gr. SP 500 rds. Product: WX2-73974 In Stock. Quantity: 1, Unit Price: $113.97, Total Price: $113.97

That works out like this:

Payment Information:----------------------------------------------------------------------Merchandise Total: $223.19
Shipping and Handling: $17.49Shipping Method: [Ground]
Coupon: [SN441] - $10.00
---------------------------------------------==============-----------
* Grand Total: $230.68

That will give me over somewhere over 2,000 rounds on hand. Hopefully they have it in stock. I will probably also order another 1,000 rounds of it in 122 grain FMJ.

Now I only own one rifle to shoot that ammo. We thought Brendan also would have had a Saiga in 7.62x39 by now, but the gun store that told us they had it today told Brendan they sold it. Those rotten dirt bags, I do not know how they stay in business. had us calling them for almost 2 full weeks, telling us each time they were looking for it in their basement stockpile, and that it was in stock for sure, then tell us they sold it. I called and gave them a bit of my mind. The other guy who was suppose to get some in said his planned for ones never arrived.

So what to do with all that ammo and one Yugo through which to shoot it. Well, I just ordered another Yugo from SAMCO. It is supposedly in NEW condition, and it cost $249.95 plus shipping of $20.50. I hope they have my C&R license on file or this could become a hassle. I sent my C&R to them back in June or July when I ordered a Spanish Mauser from them (that was on back order and has not yet been filled). Hopefully the Yugo order will be filled without delay, so I get one. You can bet they are in short supply, and will sell out soon at inflated prices (yes I know the price is already inflated).

So there goes $501.13 that I know was well earned money, and that I think is well well spent money too. At least that much of my pie will not get redistributed.

Anyone know a good source for cosomoline?

All the best,
Glenn B

Yugo SKS - Price Drop Alert

Classic Arms, like every other Internet firearms dealer I could find, raised their prices on Yugo SKS rifles several months back.

The GOOD NEWS is that they just dropped those prices. An excellent condition Yugo SKS is now going for $179.99 instead of $199.99. I think my order will be going out tomorrow since I have been thinking about a birthday present for someone whom I hope does not read this.

Now where did I put my C&R FFL???????????

All the best,
Glenn B

Ah, The Ammo Arriveth...

...at my front doorstep today, and this time UPS even knocked on the door to get a signature from someone in my house. Much better than when they delivered the tree stand I had ordered, and then had to send back because it was damaged in shipping.

Well, now I have a bit more 7.62x39mm in my ammo locker, 500 rounds more. No not a great deal of it, but a good little addition to my stock, so we can continue to enjoy shooting our SKS, and that is a good thing indeed. The price was much higher than what I paid the previous time I purchased some, almost double if I remember right; and I imagine it will only be going up again in price in the near future. I couldn't afford it now, but I figured I surely would be even less able to afford it in the future. I'll have to skimp a bit somewhere.

Now I need to get away with Brendan for some quality range time. Maybe in a week or so, I hope I am feeling up to it by then. Of course I may just let him drive, and I'll go along for the ride and supervise his shooting.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Guess They Were Not Kidding About Yugo SKS Rifles...

...becoming scarcer because the prices surely have jumped and that price jump would seem to indicate less availability. I just did some price shopping for them, and I saw them apparently in stock at: Classic Arms , J&G Sales, and Samco Global Arms. I tried but could not pull up the website for Inter Ordnance, and I also looked at Aim Surplus but they apparently don't have any in stock.

As for the prices, they have gone up considerably. Where they had been selling from about $129.00 in good condition, $149.00 in very good condition, and to as little as $169.00 in new condition; they are now going for about $169.00 for good to very good condition condition up to about $229.00 in new condition.

Samco has them for the best price that I found, and they are selling new ones at about $210.00, plus shipping. The pic shown in this post is from the Samco site. I do not know if they come with accessories as pictured or if they look as good as the one in the picture. Yet, I have already sent in an inquiry as to whether or not they have news ones left in stock, and if they will accept a copy of my C&R, required for purchase, by way of an attachment to an email. If yes to both of these, I think I will have to pick one up before they disappear at these prices. Sure there are probably more of them in arsenals around the world, and plenty of them at that, but will the price ever go down on them again? I think not and it is a gamble I am willing to take by buying one now. I only wish I has bought another when the prices were lower. Of course, if anyone knows of a legal source of these, with lower prices in like new condition, then I would be more than happy to consider buying one from your source. Let me know.

All the best,
Glenn B

BAG DAY...

... for those of you whom maybe unaware is "Buy A Gun Day" and it coincides with April 15, or tax day in the USA. This year I am guessing that BAG day may actually be today since tax day would have fallen on a Sunday and therefore we were granted a one day extension. I'd like to show you what I purchased for BAG day, but truth be told I was taped out due to recent expenditures of an unexpected nature, so no new guns for me on this year's BAG day.



Had I been fortunate to have the extra cash to buy a gun, chances are I would have bought one of these nice Yugoslavian SKS.


Oh well, I am already scrimping and saving. Of course, I guess I could always call in an order on plastic, but that is where the bill for the recent car repairs went, and it would be a sure way to wear my wifes footprint on my butt cheek. Sigh...

All the best,
Glenn B

Yugoslavian SKS...

...rifles may soon be a commodity that are almost impossible to get from a dealer. Heck they are already scarce, with some dealers raising prices markedly, and others still holding old prices with only a few to sell. The news from the dealers is that there is a back order of them that are supposed to arrive sometime soon, and after that the SKS market will likely dry up.

Sadly for me, this news coincides with some extra expenses I have had lately (no begging being done). Yesterday I got hit for just over six hundred bucks for a car repair, I also bought some ammo in the last couple of weeks running into the hundreds of dollars (I certainly cannot bemoan the good deal I got, saving about $3 - $4 per box), and there have been some other larger than expected bills. Still though, I am thinking of trying to scrape together enough to buy an SKS before they go the way of the Buffalo, not gone forever, but very scarce. I was thinking of selling a rifle I have, in order to finance the purchase, but I think I would regret that later on, as I most always do when I sell a gun in a situation where I need the money. Instead, I think I'll brown bag lunch for awhile, cash in my change at the bank, and empty all of my pockets. If I get lucky, I'll be able to find enough for one of the Yugo SKS rifles over the next couple of days. If I do, I'll shop around on Monday, and maybe order one of them. Yes SKS rifles are a good enough deal to buy one even when low on funds.

The one thing about this that has me reluctant to say right out that I will order one for certain, is that the quality offered is VG/EXC, and I really wanted an EXC/NEW condition SKS. There can be quite a difference in one that is labelled as VG to one that is either EXC or like NEW. I know that from experience with buying three of them before. I kept the best and sold the other two. No way I can afford to do that now, I can only buy one, and am hoping it will be in at least EXC condition. I'll speak to the dealer on Monday. As luck would have it, good luck this time, my C&R license is still current, it expires in July. So, I can use it for this purchase. Hopefully I can fax it or email them a signed copy, I think BATFE allows that now.

If I do buy this rifle, I can tell you I will not shoot it much because chances are I will let my son use it almost exclusively. Then when he turns 18, I may give it to him as a gift (I have to check the legality of that, I think it is still legal even here in NY). He loves shooting my other SKS at the range, so I am pretty sure he would like one for himself.

The Yugo SKS is a good rifle. Very reliable from what I can tell with mine, and from what I have heard from others. of course there can be problems with rifles as old as these that come from military surplus, so that is why I advise buying one in at least EXC condition. If you do want one, now maybe the time to make the purchase, as my bet is that prices will be rising sharply. Of course, if some of the countries with these rifles in surplus ever decide to let more of them go, the market may again be flooded with them, but I sort of tend to doubt that is going to happen. The more of them they sell, the scarcer they get; there are only so many in the arsenals.

The 7.62x39 ammunition for the SKS has recently risen steeply in price too, so that is another concern. I have about 800 rounds or so in my stock, and that will last at least for a short while as shooting sessions go. I think the ammo cost went up, like many other things, due to gasoline prices (ammo is heavy to ship), and I think it went up because of the demand for that particular caliber in Afghanistan and Iraq. So I have heard anyhow. If I do buy another SKS, maybe I can talk my son into forking over some cash for me to buy some ammo for it. He is good like that.

Oh well, that's it for now. Remember be careful out there when you shoot. Remember the rules of firearms safety. Just in case you have forgotten any of them, you can go to the NRA's gun safety page to check up on them again.

Safe shooting,
Glenn B