The world of military surplus rifles has changed.
Despite the incredible production numbers, the supply is not limitless. These rifles are now over 100 years old, and some are more than 120 years old. Many were in service for decades, often being relegated to reserve units or sold off to other nations before being released into the free market. Most were shot with corrosive ammunition; sometimes cleaned properly, sometimes not. Many were stored poorly. Then those cheap surplus rifles of a bygone era were often poorly sporterized or treated as “cheap” rifles. How many of you remember department stores like K-Mart that displayed surplus rifles for sale in a trash can on the floor? Many of these rifles did not survive to today in their original condition.
Decent examples are becoming difficult to find.
Pristine, all matching examples are downright rare.
This shift didn’t happen overnight, the trend from surplus to collector status was a slow trend but we are clearly in the collector realm now. The mis-matched rifles with missing parts and damage will not command high prices. They are not the great deals they were 35-40 years ago, but they remain the affordable option if you just want a shooter and don’t mind a project.
The un-molested, all matching, complete rifles with little damage are now squarely in the collector’s grade. The un-molested, all matching, complete, pristine examples are now museum pieces and priced as premium collector’s grade.