Are milsurp markets still worth it?

[Alan]

How's the military surplus market looking these days? I remember when you could get a Mosin for less than $100 and stock up on surplus ammo without worrying. Now it feels like everything is either running low or priced like it's a rare collectible. Are there still some good deals out there if you know where to search, or have most of the great imports already been picked over? Is it still worth it?

 

[Mark M]

As far as I can see, everything has gone way up.
I can remember seeing SKS rifles
At the gun shows for 39., now there 350.

 

[joepistol]

As a veteran, I looked into getting a CMP-sourced Garand many yrs. ago.
Reading the conditions available & the price they wanted for the different levels of quality, I decided they were too expensive,
IMO for what they were. Quickly lost interest.
Eventually satisfied my "historical military firearm" thirst by buying a Springfield M1A Scout Squad rifle. I believe the M1A was a better rifle ( or more accurately, my idea of a better military rifle ) than the Garand because it used a detachable magazine capable of holding more rds.,
was a bit lighter, & used .308 cal ammo instead of an '06 . Thought the M1A was a great rifle...until I got my AR-10..which I preferred.

I recently ( few yrs.ago) read about the CMP getting some 1911's returned to them from some foreign country.. once the return got our govts. approval..
Many were quite excited to get a chance to own a 1911 with some history. My thought was, there's no idea what, (if any,)military history was behind these 1911's... beyond we sold ( probably gave) some 1911's to a foreign country, for their use, for X # of yrs., & they were returned to us.. Again, collectors might have been excited to pay the price of a new USA-made 1911, for some old govt. surplus 1911 returned from a foreign country. No interest for me.