Fair Price for .223/5.56 Saiga

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Hello,

While waiting for the AR build kit for a stripped lower I purchased to return to inventory (the company was out of stock in early November, so who knows when they'll return), I've been thinking about buying a .223 Saiga. However, I'm not sure what's a fair price for the 16" barrel model. Looking online, the prices seem to run from $400-$700. Assuming an additional price of ~$100 for buying at a local gun shop/being in California + $25 DROS fee, I can see a pre-tax price from $500-$850.

Since that seems to be a pretty wide price range, would someone please tell me what price he/she saw/paid? Some markup's to be expected, given the current political climate, but I don't want to grossly overpay--especially since it's hard to tell how severely things will shake over this year.

Thanks in advance for any advice/pointers.

[snowdog650]

I paid $379 prior to the Great Panic of 2013.

[NorCalK9.com]

If you can get one around $600 you did good...

[snowdog650]

Originally Posted by NorCalK9.com

If you can get one around $600 you did good...

I agree. Actually, I think anything south of $700 is good right about now.

Since Legion took over US distribution and import of Saigas, they have een hard to come by ... even before this mess we are in.

[INFAMOUS762X39]

Paid 400$ for my Saiga 7.62 over a year ago. 5500+ Rounds, No issues. =P

[SurfRider19]

Out the door paid about 375 about a year ago. Seen a few for ~400 recently... Forget where though. Who remembers when J&G had them for $299??? Those were good days.

[NorCalK9.com]

Haha I paid $225 for my 20in Saiga 556.. Took out many coyotes...

[johnny1290]

I paid around i think $425+tax/fees on sale at Turners maybe 4 months ago. I think theyh were about $500 regularly.

I've shot a few hundred rounds, worked well for me, no issues at all.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Thanks all! $700 seems a bit steep (if they are being sold for around that price, I'll probably try and wait things out). I didn't realize that the importer had changed. Judging from the prices y'all paid, I regret not jumping sooner. $400-$450 seems like a good price for a quality rifle. I kept hearing stories about Izhmash considering adding a beryl-style railed dust cover, selling models in 6.5 Grendel, and other fun things, and thought I'd wait till I could get a tacticool model without having to buy them separately (for instance, I plan to eventually install a TWS dogleg but having a railed dust cover standard would save me $140).

I could see paying $550 or $575 out the door, but that's probably my limit--especially since the AR parts kit I plan on using costs $600+, not to mention the cost of a bullet button and gunsmith fees to put it all together (I don't feel that comfortable building it myself, given the sensitivity of punching in the trigger guard).

[ExtremeX]

Got mine for about $500 with an AK forend. Plain end sporter was $429 i think.

These prices were mid 2012...

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by ExtremeX

Got mine for about $500 with an AK forend. Plain end sporter was $429 i think.

These prices were mid 2012...

Thanks! I plan on just going with the plain end,so hopefully that keeps things down. Johnny1290 had a similar price (albeit on sale) around 4 months ago. If there's no more than a 30% price increase, I might be at the high-end of what's tolerable for me.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

As an aside, I plan on using this mag adapter to allow mags to be used with my delayed AR. By my understanding, this would trigger 922r, and I'd need to replace 4 foreign parts with U.S. ones. I plan on replacing the gas piston (1), and the FCG (3). Would this be all that I'd have to do? Or are there other, California-specific, issues?

Sorry for the tangent. The gunsmithing forum might be a better place for this question, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

[ultimatetaba]

Got mine for $299 + tax/DROS brand spanking new. Even at that time, that was considered getting raped. Prior to that, folks were paying sub $200.

Crazy how much they go for these days. Hope it goes down. Seems like $4-500 these days is a relative steal, compared to the norm of $7-800 I've been seeing.

[sd_shooter]

$500 from a gun shop is normal if you can find one. 700-750 if you're buying on the used market since that's all that's left.

But I'd rather take the 7.62x39 version over the others. Ammo is way cheaper (50% less) and easier to find. And I'd take the 5.45x39 version for the same reason.

[Paltik]

Originally Posted by Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck

As an aside, I plan on using this mag adapter to allow mags to be used with my delayed AR. By my understanding, this would trigger 922r, and I'd need to replace 4 foreign parts with U.S. ones. I plan on replacing the gas piston (1), and the FCG (3). Would this be all that I'd have to do? Or are there other, California-specific, issues?

If you are not converting the rifle, the FCG is only 2 parts toward 922(r). The magazine itself is made from 3 parts that count, so the FCG would still be enough if you don't use only magazines with at least 2 American parts.

If you are doing the conversion, the FCG counts as 3 parts, plus you're probably changing the buttstock as well (at a minimum), so you can continue to use the OEM Saiga mag.

If your rifle ends up having evil features, in California you need to add a magazine lock.

As for price, the price was steadily rising even before the panic, and the supply was not always sufficient to meet demand. I believe the latest retail price I've seen for a new in-stock Saiga in full sporter configuration was $499 earlier this month.

[Rover]

I paid $30 for mine. The problem is finding more mags, they're hard to find and when I can find them I have a hard time spending more on a mag than I did for the gun.

[fmunk]

No such thing as fair price now. Stop buying.





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[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by Paltik

If you are not converting the rifle, the FCG is only 2 parts toward 922(r). The magazine itself is made from 3 parts that count, so the FCG would still be enough if you don't use only magazines with at least 2 American parts.

If you are doing the conversion, the FCG counts as 3 parts, plus you're probably changing the buttstock as well (at a minimum), so you can continue to use the OEM Saiga mag.

If your rifle ends up having evil features, in California you need to add a magazine lock.

As for price, the price was steadily rising even before the panic, and the supply was not always sufficient to meet demand. I believe the latest retail price I've seen for a new in-stock Saiga in full sporter configuration was $499 earlier this month.

Oh, I don't plan on converting (I'd like the ability to drop my mags normally), so I guess I'll need another American part to ensure compliance. Although the mags I've looked at have been American made, I'd prefer to have all four of the parts be integral to the rifle. Maybe I'll find a U.S. made handguard. Thanks for explaining the parts issue and the price you saw.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by Rover

I paid $30 for mine. The problem is finding more mags, they're hard to find and when I can find them I have a hard time spending more on a mag than I did for the gun.

Lol, I don't think I'd be able to get anywhere near that price . The mag issue is another reason I plan on getting a mag adapter.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by ultimatetaba

Got mine for $299 + tax/DROS brand spanking new. Even at that time, that was considered getting raped. Prior to that, folks were paying sub $200.

Crazy how much they go for these days. Hope it goes down. Seems like $4-500 these days is a relative steal, compared to the norm of $7-800 I've been seeing.

Originally Posted by sd_shooter

$500 from a gun shop is normal if you can find one. 700-750 if you're buying on the used market since that's all that's left.

But I'd rather take the 7.62x39 version over the others. Ammo is way cheaper (50% less) and easier to find. And I'd take the 5.45x39 version for the same reason.

Thanks for the input. I figure high $500s is my limit, but I won't know for sure until I find one. I stopped by a gun shop today, and they say they do online transfers (which my local gun shop doesn't do for some reason) for $65 plus DROS and taxes, but mentioned that Saigas were hard to find prior to the election/Sandy Hook.

sd_shooter, I was thinking of getting a 7.62x39 version a while back (I have an SKS, so I already have ammo) but the prices at that time were only marginally lower than .223. I guess that's probably changed with recent events. I just don't see 7.62x39 being a valid choice going forward. The Cold War surplus is drying up, and no major military still uses it--so I find the .223/5.56 a better option since NATO still uses it, and I was thinking there might be a bit of a surplus now that we're out of Iraq and things are winding down in Afghanistan. I suppose the 7.62x39 round is probably better if I were to take up hunting, but I don't see that happening in the near future.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

SSSHHHHHHH!

The Saiga is the best secret in value priced and built like a tank AK quality.

I paid $400 BNIB for my 7.62x39 (Pre-panic)
I paid $540 BNIB for my .223 (During Panic...incredible deal)

I currently have no interest in converting either one. Sporter setup and a good supply of Surefire 10 rd mags works for me.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by fmunk

No such thing as fair price now. Stop buying.





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Well, I can't buy what I can't find (the stores I've checked don't have them available). That said, I'm concerned about things getting even more restrictive for us, especially since the state government is now completely dominated by Democrats. I know this fear is driving the prices up, but I don't want to take a wait and see approach and find that they are no longer able to be purchased a few months from now.

I guess what I mean by fair price is what price the market's set, not necessarily a good price. As demand has risen and supply hasn't caught up, I expect the price to be higher than it was in the past, and I'm okay with that, but I just don't want to pay a price that's way over the average.

[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]

Originally Posted by Bobby Ricigliano

SSSHHHHHHH!

The Saiga is the best secret in value priced and built like a tank AK quality.

I paid $400 BNIB for my 7.62x39 (Pre-panic)
I paid $540 BNIB for my .223 (During Panic...incredible deal)

I currently have no interest in converting either one. Sporter setup and a good supply of Surefire 10 rd mags works for me.

Thanks Bobby, I'm hoping I can find one in the mid $500 range like you were.