Wow haven't been on the &T in a while, it's changed.

So I'm going to buy a couple rifles, one will be a Ruger 10/22, and the other is still undecided, either an SKS or a AK variant, but since I live in CA, the AK variants here are too much of a hassle to get a hold of because of the politics involved.

I was at my local Big 5 and noticed a sheet with a list of rifles they sell. They sold SKS's along with Mosin-Nagant (M38 variant, I think). The SKS was around $250 (a little pricey) and the Mosin-Nagants were $79.

Has anyone here had experience with Big 5's guns in terms of quality, condition, and price (specifically the SKS's and Mosin-Nagants)?

I hear Big 5 is pretty cool. None of them locally, but I know from the C&R forums that a lot of guys have found rare variants of a lot of their guns like the Mosins, Mausers and so on interspersed with their inventory. They don't know the difference so you can apparently sometimes luck out and get something fairly valuable or unique for the regular cheap price.

Same goes for Dunham's, which we do have out here, and I can say from firsthand experience this is the case.

If you do end up getting a Mosin Nagant, look for an ex-sniper. They might have one or two in their inventory. They will be more accurate than the ordinary ones. Look it up if you don't know how to spot one.

I can especially comment on the Ruger 10/22 and Mosin-Nagant. I've owned both for a little over a week now and have found them to be especially satisfying firearms.

The 10/22 is a ridiculously reliable, fun-to-shoot rifle for plinking and target shooting and taking the occasional rabbit or squirrel. Upon purchasing mine I had an extended conversation with the gunsmith in which he had discussed the Ruger guarantee and told me that in fifty years of gunsmithing he only had to send two to Ruger for repairs, both the result of each owner beating the shit out of their firearms.

I also payed $106.50 including tax for a Mosin-Nagant the same day as the 10/22. Great gun, quite powerful, easy to disassemble and reassemble. Get a translated version of the official manual, it should only cost $5 or $10 for the 5" by 8.5" booklet. Surplus ammunition is dirt cheap but uses a corrosive primer so you ought to clean your Mosin fairly often. They often come with a bayonet, burlap-like sling, ammunition pouches, and a teardrop-shaped tool which is important for checking firing pinprotrusion. The Mosin I own is the M91/30 model, and was made in 1935.

$250 for an SKS sounds expensive. A friend of mine purchased an SKS Type 56, which is the Chinese version, for less than $150 new.

And to cap this post, I present to you a picture of my two rifles:

http://i37.tinypic.com/317jitk.jpg

Thanks for the informative reply. The 10/22 is a definate buy for me, the larger caliber rifles I'm still deciding on.
Your rifles look nice.

If you can avoid accidentally buying something shitty with mismatched serial numbers, Big 5 can be a pretty good place. It's just that that whole "condition may vary" thing comes into play with their inventory sometimes.

I bought a shotgun there once. Haven't really browsed their surplus stuff, though.

California is the worst for buying anything gun related right now... It's horse shit.