Look in places other then GB. Some local shows and shops still have them for less than online prices but you are unfortunately correct....milsurp days of $179 for a Mauser are long gone. Fortunately I still have mine from many years ago.

I've also seen better prices on forums such as this one. As an example, I picked up an M1 carbine for $600 on another forum within the last few months. I had to be quick and committed within seconds of it posting. There were 4 or 5 people behind me, trying to swipe it.

I'd say select your top 1 to 3 and start watching everywhere you can for them.

Good luck.

 

Those are ridiculous prices. I have 7 Finnish Mosins and I paid as little as $380 for a 91/30 and as much as $780 for an M39. US surplus isn’t cheap, but I got a very nice Model 1903A3 and Model 1917 for under $1,000 each. I bought a very nice 1944 CMP Garand for $1,500.

The place to buy is on other forums. The time it will take you to “qualify” for access to their classified ads will be time well spent learning about various models and understanding exactly what you’re looking for.

 

Those are ridiculous prices. I have 7 Finnish Mosins and I paid as little as $380 for a 91/30 and as much as $780 for an M39. US surplus isn’t cheap, but I got a very nice Model 1903A3 and Model 1917 for under $1,000 each. I bought a very nice 1944 CMP Garand for $1,500.

The place to buy is on other forums. The time it will take you to “qualify” for access to their classified ads will be time well spent learning about various models and understanding exactly what you’re looking for.

M-39 is an outstanding rifle and accurate and easy to load for one you slug the bore fir bullet diameter.

OP there are plenty of places to find decent old rifles as long as you don't want a pristine almost NIB copy. I had a pristine mint 03, it went to a friend I got my Model 54 from.

 

Sporterized milsurps are pretty reasonable. 4-5-6 hundred bucks. Some, could be reconfigured buy putting them in a mil stock, it may or may not be cost effective.

 

Supply and demand. Norinco SKS' and MAK-90's were $79-$149 and came with a tin of Norinco steel-cored ammo that is now alone worth potentially $500. The supply of cheap Chinese guns and ammo kept the prices down and cutting off the supply has seen MAK-90's creep well over $1000 and a $500 SKS isn't strange at all these days. P.S. I'm all for cutting out Chinese goods, but not ONLY the guns and ammo that I enjoy while everything else comes from China. That is of course political control.

Everyone should have bought M48 Mauser's when Mitchell's was selling the "last" of them. Not that you should have bought from Mitchell's, but their sales figures were pointing to the fact that the $99-149 rifles in stunning, off the rack condition were good investments. Mine all made 250% at a bare minimum.

Seriously, even the "cheap" muscle cars are priced out now. There were so many and now more than half a century has gone by and they are fewer and they are more sought after.

 

Mine all made 250% at a bare minimum.

IRS has entered the chat

 

I was looking for a M1 Garand to use as a display piece in honor of my war veteran Grandfather, but the prices are lol wtf

 

They’re not going to get cheaper.

 

Part of it is some of the prices you’re seeing are insane…

But a much bigger part is the golden age of milsurp availability is long gone. I myself only got into it at the very tail end when $300 Lee Enfield No4’s and $750 1903a3’s were the new normal. There are no more large caches to be found and dumped on the market. All the great old WWI and WWII milsurp rifles have been made, sold and are in private hands now. It’s also worth remembering that for many of these rifles, especially ones like the Finnish M39 and Swiss rifles, to make a modern rifle as well and as accurate today would cost way more than most would be willing to pay.

I lucked out in that I managed to get my hands on at least one of every milsurp rifle I wanted with the exception of the Gew 98. My favorites, like the LE no4 and Finn M39 I have multiple examples of.

They’re still out there to be found. But if you want one now you’re gonna pay much closer to what a rifle of their quality is actually worth.

 

Part of it is some of the prices you’re seeing are insane…

But a much bigger part is the golden age of milsurp availability is long gone. I myself only got into it at the very tail end when $300 Lee Enfield No4’s and $750 1903a3’s were the new normal. There are no more large caches to be found and dumped on the market. All the great old WWI and WWII milsurp rifles have been made, sold and are in private hands now. It’s also worth remembering that for many of these rifles, especially ones like the Finnish M39 and Swiss rifles, to make a modern rifle as well and as accurate today would cost way more than most would be willing to pay.

I lucked out in that I managed to get my hands on at least one of every milsurp rifle I wanted with the exception of the Gew 98. My favorites, like the LE no4 and Finn M39 I have multiple examples of.

They’re still out there to be found. But if you want one now you’re gonna pay much closer to what a rifle of their quality is actually worth.

What something is worth depends on what someone is willing to pay for it not what someone is asking for it...

 

Well, if you buy a Mil-Surp, don’t forget to buy the ammo to feed it.

 

M1 is extremely easy to load for. Both 06 and 308.

 

Supply and Demand.

There's isn't any interesting C&R on the horizon.

 

The M1 Garand is THE buy in the C&R and gun world in general right now. Prices are artificially low and have been for years because of the CMP. When CMP stocks are exhausted consider how high these will rise in price in a world with $500 Mosins and $1000 SKSs.

The Garand is actually a really good shooter and ammo is available, if not cheap. I've owned other milsurps that are half the shooter of the Garand and they were bolt actions. The Garand is a semi-auto with the best iron sights ever placed on a battle rifle. Buy one before the prices triple or more.