DO-TN

I use the same tool on all my SKS, 47, 74, 101 rifles. Should work just fine.

I have several kit AR's. First one is ~10 years old with a round count in the thousands. It has done competative shooting, carbine training, new shooters, and range blasting without ever a stoppage that wasn't the ammo and never a broken part. With good ammo, 1 moa accurate. They are fine mil-spec basic rifles. I never understood statements where people say thee are sub-standard but never explain why. The truth is the last time I saw, there were only 5 or 6 AR forgers in the US. All companies buy from them and have thier names added. Very well could a $2000 Dandiel Defence came from the very same forge as a $500 completed Del-Ton. Only difference is the name and added accesories. If you are looking for a fun kit to assemble and end up with a basic service carbine that will last a very long time and allow you "upgrade" bits in the future, this kit would be my idea of the way to go. I would't even think twice about assembling one on a Friday night to run in a carbine course on Saturday morning.

With all the boxer/brass options why would one consider reloading steel beyond just seeing if they could. I reload 7.62x39 but my trouble has always been finding bullets. Buy bulk when I do find them but still. just get some boxer/brass cases and run with it.

Sadly, the folding stock and removable mags generally reduce the price. There are some who will covet such things but most like me look at it think "How much will it cost me to un f@ck it". That said, it boils mostly down to condition, missing pieces, and permanent modifications like holes or ground down/off bits, how many numbers match. You will need detailed pictures for anyone to even begin to guess at value. Based off what you said though ~$250ish without knowing more.

AK's love my AK's Big thing to understand is the design of 7.63x39, 5.45x39 and 5.56 Nato/223. The x39's have a slight taper to thier cases. This is the "magic" of thier well documented reliability. The case is only in full contact with the chamber walls when the bolt is in full battery. Any other point in the cycle of fire and there is "slop" or space and the case is loose in the chamber. 5.56 is straight walled thus meaning there is always bearring tension once the case enters the chamber all the way through the cycle till full extraction. Not a huge deal as there are plenty of highly reliable 5.56 auto loaders out there but just something to understand. The hiccup of 5.56 in AK's are the magazines. There is no standard and different AK's can end up needing different mags. Some are purprose built like Galils and a couple of latter military service designed 5.56 AK's when some of the former Warsaw Pact countries later joined NATO and needed to standardize ammo. Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugo. All had thier own designs and the magazines were not always interchangable like 7.62 AK's usually are. These can get very expensive if you want say 20 mags and you have to be picky to the make and reliability can suffer in the aftermarket. Ammo is of corse widely available in bulk and specialty rounds. Reloading componnents are relatively easy to find at least for the time being for making bulk FMJ shooting ammo. More recently there are designs that are using AR mags with adapters to the bottom of the reciever. Seems like a good idea for affordable mags but in my humble opinion complicates the machine and adds another level of potential failure. That said, I have not played with one yet so I may be missing the boat. My only big standard with any AK, but especially in 5.56 is chrome lined barrel. I am the same in my AR's as well. I have found over the years that steel cases, lacquered and poly perform magnitues more reliable in a chrome chamber than any other setup. I once found a rusted shut Chinese SKS action in a barrel at a surplus store. Soaked in diesel oil for a week. beat it apart. Found the crome lined barrel to be pristine on the inside. scrubbed it, replaced springs and wood and it runs perfectly. All of my "combat", "SHTF", "who knows" guns have a chrome bores now. I digress but that is part of my reasoning. 5.45 AK's are having the more recent problems of high cost for the rifle itself, cost of magazines, and cost of ammo. A basic 5.45 AK will run you $1500 - 2k in today's market. Real surplus mags will be $25-50 each. Aftermarket mags are cheaper and reflest this in broken locking tabs and cracked feed lips. I use Magpuls in my 74 as a budget "stack deep" option but have true surplus mags in my "go to" stash. Ammo is stupid expensive right now. It used to be dirt cheap, like really dirt cheap but with import bans, wars, lack of domesitc support, that ship has sailed. Reloading isn't much better. I have/can find bullets, dies, primers, powder, just no cases. Hornady ran some a ways back but they haven't been instock of well over a year anywhere. 7.62 AK's are still under $1k for basic options. I prefer imported AK's to domestic ones but that is only my preference, your's might differ. Mags are still cheap as well at less than $10 each of you buy bulk even for surplus Euro steel mags which are 100% relaible if not dented, rusted or otherwise damaged. Plenty of polymer options as well. Just spend extra on ones with steel reinforcements. I have a box of broken cheap plastic mags to attest to this. 7.62x39 ammo while more expensive than it used to be is still widely available. Imported and domestic alike. There are plenty of offers to the reloader. I can usually find plenty of cases, primers, and powder, I just have a difficult time in bullets unless I want to load hunting ammo. All that said, most any AK is good option for your Mad Max needs. Just have to firgure in the nuances. Sorry I got winded on you but I love my AK's if you didn't notice. Lots to chew on there but I hope that helps.

Well, it was "build your owns" but now the gooberment is messing that up.

I sure haven't seen one in a long time. That market has mostly dried up. Not even really seeing milsurps in any quantity at gunshows any longer. The days of barrels full of mosins, stack of sks's, wall of improted AK's, mausers, springfields are long gone I am afraid. The prices on them these days kinda killed it. All you are left with is guys parting out thier collections at double what a new production, better performing gun goes for. Those of us who really appriciate the smell, look and feel of old wood and cosmoline but not of deep pockets are a thing of the past.

Unless it's a check someone sent or some ultra rare gun part I ordered. It can end up at the neighbors house or down in the holler, who knows some days.

Actually they won't. Not indending to disgourge you though. The reason the book above stops at 2000 and the other is 2000 specific is after 2000 Jeep used Chrysler/Mitsubishi engines. Prior they were AMC engines. 2000 was the transition year and depending could have both pre and post transition parts in it. It's quite a pain. My TJ is a 2000 and it sucks, LOL. AMC engine mated to a Chrysler tansmission. I replaced the engine and trans a couple years ago. Was quite the hassle getting parts. Had to use a mix of 99 and 01 parts from the parts store to get it done. I have owned it since 2005 and has been paid off so long I just keep chugging it along. Call me crazy/sentimental, or just mental. HAHAHA.

Love the Yooper site. Saved on my phone for quick access while out poking around. I also keep this one too. The best guide I have found for looking at surpluss 7.62x39 headstamps: http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/762x39_cartridge.html Us old guys aren't always smart, we just know where to find sh*t, LOL As for up above, I never understood why people have to take one of the most robust and reliable semi-auto rifle designs ever mass produced and mess with it. The only unreliable SKS's I have ever encountered were ones with aftermarket "upgrades" in them. Did grab a really nice Chinese Public Security (secret police) SKS still in the cosmoline at a tiny little garage FFL guy in KY last year, $350 OTD. Some day I will locate my grail Romanian SKS though...

Short drive for you. We have a little pawn shop on Hwy 79 here in Dover. I was in there yesterday and they had a RIA 1911 in the case for $350ish. This was right at closing so should still be there on Monday when they open up. https://www.facebook.com/EZMONEYPAWNANDGUN/

What are the specs of the mosin? Did you by chance save the original stock and bottom metal?

I think iether option is great. I like gen 3's myself over gen 4's but that is merely personal preference. Don't stress over night sights. In my experience the tritium will be faded beyond use on all surplus trade-ins (10 year life). Glock factory tritium sights are cheap, less than $100 for various options and instock many places. This is the bennefit of the proliferation of Glock pistols. Aftermarket support in parts, accesories, magazines, supplies, Glock trained armorers are plentiful. I keep a gen 3 17 on the nightstand. I have owned it for many years. Only thing I have ever done is replace the tritium when mine faded and ghost 3.5 trigger bar with rounded plunger. I clean it when needed and it has never once failed me. Ammo being what is for everyone, reloading is definately your solution. Oh, I wanted to add, both pictured are Austrian guns. This is important as Austrian made Glocks have a more resiliant finish than the US made Glocks, This is due to the Tenifer process in the US is not allowed due to EPA reasons but they can still do the original formula in Europe. If you browse pawn shops for used Glocks, you will notice all the ones with the finish worn off (not removed) are US made Glocks. The Austrian ones, even going back to Gen 1, are still likely to have most of the finish left. Make sure when you order that you are getting an Austrian one.

PM sent on the whole lot of mags

Looking for some project parts and bits. Mainly looking for original AK 47/74 bits and pieces, parts kits, subassemblies and whatnot. Not so much atermarket parts and accesories though. Please let me know in PM what you have laying around you aren't doing anything with and is just taking up space you would like to clear out.