smccrory

Funny you mention Lee Enfields. I used to be into them - they're great rifles and .303 Brittish used to be really easy to get at specialty shops and gun shows. Alas I sold my last Number 4 Mk II about five years ago, as well as the historical book and literature I collected with them. I wish I hadn't. They're worth about $100-450 depending on exact model, markings and condition. Check out http://www.amazon.com/British-Enfield-Rifles-Lee-Enfield-Collectors/dp/1882391241/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1373473910&sr=8-3&keywords=enfield for the best book on the subject, and Google around for web sites and forums that talk about the markings.

No, but my weekly schedule sux and I'll be out of town this weekend.

Similar, it's an hour drive for me and I wouldn't be able to get away until next week. I'll continue watching this space and would be willing to take it if it doesn't sell by Sunday.

Yep I hope not, but probably.

Yea no doubt. I'll take one if any of the sales fall through.

I'd refinish that stock...

Thank you for considering the condition! :-)

+1 And the Tula and Norinco both shoot about the same at the carbine distances they were designed for.

The SKS most certainly is historical, and (the Russians at least) are already becoming collectible ahead of the 91/30s as shootable pieces of history. Books on the lineage and stampings have been around for years, ahead of the gun's eventual rarity. And are you sure you're comparing Tulas to Tulas? Russian SKSes aren't cheap - the lowest I've seen them in 2 years is $350-475 in original condition - usually lower if they've been modified and dirt cheap if they've been bubba'd. Even the Chinese models (considered #2 in quality and collectibility behind the Russian models) are fetching $300-425. Yugos are an excellent value, but they use a lot of stamped metal, whereas the Tula is all machined except for the safety and box magazine. If you take a Tula at market value, add a synthetic stock and detachable mag and drill in a scope mount, you'll quickly be at $600 or more. Anyway, like I said do what you want if it makes you enjoy the firearm, especially if it's reversible. Scruit is right about 922r compliance, so be careful! I just hate to see the most desirable of SKS lineages sportsterized. It's my issue, not yours. I tend to lean towards historical value with old stuff vs. using them as "chopper" platforms.

It's your rifle so do as you please, but why would you want to bubba-ize a historical rifle when an AK-47 would be a better platform for an EBR, and you can get them for the same or lower $$ that you'll have in an SKS plus its modifications?

Fabulous rifle. Keep it unmodified to keep its curio and relics designation and collectibility.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

I like it when my government monitors me. Makes me feel loved. Google loves me, and so does Doubleclick and Transunion. Brother is kind.

Gold has indeed been climbing nicely since 2001, but gold is also down 21% over past 12 months, so timing is critical. At extremes, gold peaked at over $2500 in 1980 and again to $1900 in 2011, which makes it look fabulous compared to year 2000 and pre-1973 prices. In fact, if you bought gold in 1970, you will have tripled the Dow's performance. That said, just like with the rest of the market, if you time it wrong, which is exceedingly easy, you could wait 20 years or more to regain steep losses. Is now a good time to buy, with gold pulling back from a pair of 201X peaks? Technical analysis of peak behavior suggests "no" and I'd factor in the social factors that have driven Gold's run-up since 2000, especially since the 2008 housing market crash. Confidence in the stock market is coming back and performance is largely there, housing market is coming back, consumer confidence is up, consumer and commercial lending is heating up and real unemployment is decreasing (slowly). All those are in sharp contrast with the last 4-5 years, so the argument of investing in Gold as a shelter against negative market events has been weakened. The classical argument of gold as a hedge against inflation is dubious, because large cap stock usually perform as good or better in those periods, and appear to have the same downside risk as commodities. I guess the reason why I'm saying this (as alluded from my first comment), is that it makes me sick to see certain media outlets, special interest organizations and trading houses tout Gold as an investment vehicle with special attributes making it safer to pour large sums of money into. They summon specters of fear about government, the fed, the mint, the treasury, social unrest, inflation and the stock market itself as reasons to invest in something more "durable." The marketing angle and language is absolutely brilliant, but predatory to the average Joe who, IMHO, isn't in the end any better off investing in gold than he is in SP500, ETFs, bonds, etc. unless he takes the time to understand the underlying market drivers and times his purchase. And all the while, the media outlets, special interest organizations and trading houses make craploads of money from pumped transaction fees, management fees, advertising dollars and relationship spifs. Please note that I'm trying not making any political statements in any way - only economic ones - we have enough political debate on the Internet already. And I'm delighted that others have made money with gold, but its not a slam-dunk by any stretch, and potential investors should be very wary about timing their investments into any commodity, security, index, derivative, etc., that's all.

Sometimes I think it's the moon, time of day, day of the week or some force unknown, but my spidey sense says stay off the damned road and let others experience chaos.

Thanks for checking!

I'd like to own a media outlet that terrifies people about coming financial/meteor/social/zombie apocalypses, while maintaining controlling interests in commodity brokerages. But others have beaten me to it - damn them!

125cc is probably the smallest I'd own for in-city, and 650 for highways and byways. I bet a Honda 350 would be fun.

Brain bleach, who has the brain bleach pleeze!

Agreed, Dillon is an excellent facility and is my favorite outdoor range in central Ohio.

Cool! '85 Honda Nighthawk CB700?

Word of advice: Don't let YOUR enthusiasm buy her the bike YOU like. :-) Be open to whatever HER interest gravitates to because like others have said, she has to be comfortable and care about the bike to bond with motorcycling. It's just how gals seem to be wired. All within reason of course. MSF course first, if at all possible, to let her ride (and drop) the state's bikes. Then she'll also have a better idea about what she wants to own. My GF's first bike turned out to be a used Taiwanese 125cc scooter with classic styling and its working out great. She bugs me every other day to practice and is picking things up gradually and safely, I think because she wants to be Audrey Hepburn in Paris. :-) Is it bitch'n bad ass high horsepower biker cool? No. But she loves the scoot enough to be learning how to maintain it herself, which surprised the heck out of me. Enjoyment is the name of the game, and if you really dig her, let her enjoy the full fun of the process. Hope that doesn't come off as too shrinky-dink.

Good turnout so far, and some great examples of original, restored and heavily modified bikes. Gonna be a hot day.

And rent/ride them if able.

Get what you want - you won't be happy until you do...