Noob needs help finding affordable 7.62X39 and 22's

[NTORACN]

I'm a noob, so please excause dumbness. I want to purchase my whole family firearms for Christmas. I'm on a budget. I have a few guns now (Mauser 8mm, 9mm S&W 659 and a 22 single shot) but want to replaced my banned SKS (that I gave to a friend out of state, I live in So.Calif).

Is there anyplace that currently sells a Calif Legal 7.62X39 long gun for reasonable price?

I would like to buy my son a semi auto 22lr, like ruger 10/22 or something like it, a bolt action 22 for my south paw daughter, and a 38 or 9mm pistol for the wife. New or Used is fine. I went to a local pawn shop, but their prices seemed high on all their guns. I also went to Turners, but most of the stuff on the shelf was more than I can afford. Are gun shows a good place to buy? I'm going to Nevada next month, Can I buy a gun(s) there and bring it home?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to educate myself before I buy so I don't make a mistake.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Scratch705]

what is you budget for the x39 long gun? i think you can pick up saiga rifles for under $500 before tax/dros

for used guns, check out the for sale section here to see.

no you can't purchase out of state and bring back, you will have to transfer the gun to a in state FFL from nevada.

[yellowfin]

Marlin makes the best low cost .22's and can be found anywhere. I love my model 60 and nearly everyone else does too. As for a reasonable cost 9mm for the wife, a Glock 19 can be found just about anywhere for not too much money and is very easy to shoot.

[NTORACN]

Thanks for the help. Keep the info coming. Can you get good deals at gun shows? If so, which ones are the best here in So. Calif?

[otteray]

Welcome to the land of a thousand opinions, noob!
Yugo SKS goes for about $300-$350; I always hear about them for much less but have yet to see one at a store much cheaper.
Something sorta like the Ruger 10/22 (only cheaper 'cause you are on a budget) is the Marlin 795 on sale at Big 5 Sporting Goods for $139 w/ rebate.
+1 for the Model 60, as well!
I don't think you will have much luck buying a new or recently manufactured gun in Nevada and bringing it back without breaking Calif. law.
Stay tuned for more advanced responses from others here.

[the_natterjack]

BIG 5 has some really good deals sometimes.

Watch the prices on the Marlin Model 60 's for a good .22 rifle.

Look for a Saiga in the FOR SALE section here, prices have come down a lot.

Dude, are you sure your wife wouldn't want Pearls or something?

[NTORACN]

Dude, are you sure your wife wouldn't want Pearls or something?[/QUOTE]

If you knew my wife, you would understand. She likes fast cars, riding dirt bikes, shooting and camping.

[Lucky Scott]

Best deals would be right here on the for sale section.
Just curious, I must have missed something, why was your SKS Banned?

[paul0660]

affordable means many things, and yes, what's with the banned SKS?

[JDoe]

affordable means many things...

Exactly! Give us your budget, tell us how many firearms you want to buy and what kind/model etc. and someone (probably a few people) will give you a shopping list.

Oh yeah, welcome to Calguns!

[tomd1584]

big 5 has deals on the marlin 795 .22lr. I picked one up about 4 months ago for $139. Look in the Sunday papers, you never know when they go on sale.

[seanbo]

Marlin makes the best low cost .22's and can be found anywhere. I love my model 60 and nearly everyone else does too. As for a reasonable cost 9mm for the wife, a Glock 19 can be found just about anywhere for not too much money and is very easy to shoot.

+1. And the saiga 7.62 too. Dude go get them!

[NTORACN]

Best deals would be right here on the for sale section.
Just curious, I must have missed something, why was your SKS Banned?

It might have been an AK. Back in the early 90's, Turners was selling AK's or SKS's with the detatchable magazine and the thumb hole in the stock for $100. 2 years ago I was having lunch and seen an old poster in our lunch room wall listing my gun as having been outlawed. Shocked, I called Turners and told them the make and model of the gun I had and was told it had been outlawed. I called my local Police dept. and was told the buy back program ended years ago and I had to move the gun out of state or destroy the gun. I was told owning the gun was now a federal offense. Not wanting to have any legal issues, I sold the gun and the two 30 round clips to a friend who lives in Idaho. I kept the 1,000 rounds of ammo I had for it and now want a replacement. I REALLY enjoyed shooting the gun when time permitted, and now really want to replce it since I have some ammo and it was a fun gun to shoot. We are a one income family which makes gun buying a want item versus a need item. I currently have $300 saved towards a replacement Calif. legal Saiga or SKS. I will have to continue saving a little here and a little there to make the $475 the Saiga will cost me after tax and the background check fees. It will take me 3 or 4 months to get the rest of what I need. I'm starting to get excited that a Saiga or SKS will be mine again soon.

[Dr Rockso]

It might have been an AK. Back in the early 90's, Turners was selling AK's or SKS's with the detatchable magazine and the thumb hole in the stock for $100. 2 years ago I was having lunch and seen an old poster in our lunch room wall listing my gun as having been outlawed. Shocked, I called Turners and told them the make and model of the gun I had and was told it had been outlawed. I called my local Police dept. and was told the buy back program ended years ago and I had to move the gun out of state or destroy the gun. I was told owning the gun was now a federal offense. Not wanting to have any legal issues, I sold the gun and the two 30 round clips to a friend who lives in Idaho. I kept the 1,000 rounds of ammo I had for it and now want a replacement. I REALLY enjoyed shooting the gun when time permitted, and now really want to replce it since I have some ammo and it was a fun gun to shoot. We are a one income family which makes gun buying a want item versus a need item. I currently have $300 saved towards a replacement Calif. legal Saiga or SKS. I will have to continue saving a little here and a little there to make the $475 the Saiga will cost me after tax and the background check fees. It will take me 3 or 4 months to get the rest of what I need. I'm starting to get excited that a Saiga or SKS will be mine again soon.

Sucks that you didn't find Calguns first. If your rifle was banned it might have been possible to re-configure to be CA-legal without too much effort (or not, it just depends on what the exact make and model was). Also whoever told you it was "federally banned" was incorrect.

The fact that you already had two 30-round magazines is interesting. You could have legally continued to possess them, even if the rifle itself was banned. Since you already possessed them in the state you may be able to bring them back, provided the friend you gave them to is willing to return them. See the following exemption to the high-capacity ban:

(From PC 12020)
(23) The importation of a large-capacity magazine by a person who lawfully possessed the large-capacity magazine in the state prior to January 1, 2000, lawfully took it out of the state, and is returning to the state with the large-capacity magazine previously lawfully possessed in the state.

The mags were lawfully possessed in CA and lawfully removed from CA, so it seems that you could legally bring them back. If you are able to get the 30-round magazines back you could use them in a new Saiga with a very small modification that costs about $25. If you sold the magazines to him for money I'm not sure how that would apply in this situation, so you may just be SOL.

PS: If you buy from atlantic firearms they give $20 off for Calguns members. For the 7.62 Saiga that comes to $339 plus shipping and DROS, I was out the door for about $420 for my 5.45.

[afro]

big 5 has deals on the marlin 795 .22lr. I picked one up about 4 months ago for $139. Look in the Sunday papers, you never know when they go on sale.

All you need to do is ask really... I bought mine and it wasn't on sale but I asked and they gave me the sale price.