And there was the time when SKSs were cheap and people would buy them and take them to the “buyback” for a profit.
Those SKSs were sweet little things. Accurate, too.
Bought a few and still have one. Actually a very good weapon if under 200 yards. 7.62-39 ballistics are not bad at that range. Accuracy goes way down after two hundred yards. The SKS is a very fine home defense weapon and the ammo is cheap.
When I bought mine they were 85 dollars. The one I now possess was wrapped in cosmoline and paper. It took a lot of cleaning with gasoline to take out all the cosmoline. When I examined the weapon for wear there was none. It had never been fired unless at the factory. One can buy an extended mag for it that substitutes for its internal. Only takes about ten minutes to do. It will give you 30 rounds of grief. The SKS is a most excellent short range weapon for home defense.