One of the rarest of rare for sale on Gunbroker!

[imanaknut]

You don't see many Norinco 84S-5A showing up, and new in box no less. A very, very rare AK variant.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=179934870

The sellers says that he has only seen one other. Would that be mine???

[recon]

Wow! Isn't that a beauty! I have one of those. It is sweet. Only paid $750.

[videodon]

I thought you had two of those 'Nut!

[AKJAY]

I was surprised to see it a CSI import....would have thougth it to be a late import via Kengs. Very nice indeed.

[whos2kno]

other then the clothes and flash suppressor what is the differences between a 56s and this one?
i don't ever recall seeing one of these before

[recon]

Nothing! They just didn't import many of these in. This one is .223

[imanaknut]

other then the clothes and flash suppressor what is the differences between a 56s and this one?
i don't ever recall seeing one of these before

The 56S is 7.62x39, the 84S is 5.56x45.

[recon]

I see it didn't sell.

[Biz]

i saw this thread and have a question......
Recently picked up a Norinco Type 84S on a private sale, the rifle came in NIB.
its still in the uncut plastic sleve w what appears to be cheese cloth? tied to it.
has all complete accesories with the exception of a couple missing mags - came with !
(wich are apparently a pain in the ass to find)
i got it for $690.oo which i know is a deal...... but i really dont know the current book list for the rifle.
it was bought with the sole purpose of an investment or........ a SHTF scenario.
any help on Guesstimating a value would be much apprec!

[Biz]

PS*
Gun has exact same markings as the one in the link above -
only diffrence is that mine has the classic all wood furniture.
and says 84S on the box along w a serial # - and thats it.
Thanks!

[Penguin]

Must admit I don't ever recall seeing one.

[imanaknut]

Welcome to the group Biz !!!



$690 for a new in box, in bag in fact () is legal grand theft these days!!! There have been several 84S on Gunbroker in the $900 to $1000 range, but not selling. I am guessing the problem is many people aren't familiar with the 84S series which was and still is one of the most accurate of all AK variants. The other reason I am guessing is that finding mags is difficult, with many people not wanting to spend $35 to $40 for an "AK" mag.

They are missing a great rifle.

These are the same people who have no problem spending $50 for a mag for their pistol!

[Dan44]

I enjoy my 84s, it may take awhile but the mags are out there. I'm up to 18 now and haven't paid more then $20 each, last year at Harrisburg I found 5 at $6 each.

[recon]

I remember you posting that. Great deal. Have you tried Bulgarian waffle mags in it?

[Dan44]

Yes, they work. I picked up four from "The Chief" when he had them years ago. Also tried the Polish 556 mags and they work .

[Biz]

thanks man
Yah i was lookin at the boards and checking around,
and other than some basic specs theres really not much to read on em.
any ive seen on GB or other auction sights are folding stocks (side/under).
Being that mine is the Classic all wood Hand gaurds and stock, does it make it less common?
(not in terms of value, just havent seen another)
I only have 1 other - a beater Romak (no lug, welded on tantal style flash hider, and very picky about mags - will accept hi cap tho)
was talking to the friend of a friend who said he had an AK for sale, as soon as i heard "Norinco" "Pre-Ban" "NIB" and "$750" i scraped everything i had up - did a lil and got it..... i didnt even know it was a 5.56 until i got it home
i thought it was more or less the same as a Type 56 - until i looked it up. it seems you are the resident AK expert round these hear parts so........... i joined for your feedback.
so in comments below im seeing that bulgarian 5.56 & tantal mags will work?
another question..... this gun apparently being what it is - a semi rare gem, would you suggest shooting? what happens as far as depreciation? it was mainly purchased as an investment (okay i lied.... i couldnt resist owning a norinco ) but after hearing nothing but what a great shooter it is, it kind of makes my index finger a little itchy
I appreciate your feedback

[imanaknut]

In all honesty it is a hard choice. If the rifle is still in it's plastic bag, you can rest assured that there are not many left in that condition which would make it valuable to a true collector. Personally I would have a hard time deciding whether I wanted to take it out of the plastic just to fondle it, or leave it for it's ultimate value.

If it was out of the plastic, that would be another thing. The Chinese rifles have held value nicely, although there are some people on Gunbroker that think they are made of gold. For some reason the 84S series did not catch on, which is a shame because they have fantastic triggers and are possibly the most accurate out of the box AK variants.

How crazy am I as a collector? I bought a second (or was that third?) 84S-1 underfolder just to shoot because I didn't want to disturb the one in the box. Same with my 86S, and my 56S, and my....


So the choice is yours. There are many people like me who have no trouble maintaining safe queens. I have a several vault shelves with rifles still in boxes. There are other people who don't care how rare a firearm is. They buy them to shoot, and sometimes being able to say you shot a rare weapon is nice.

In the case of the Norincos, as time goes by the ones left intact in the plastic will become extremely rare. As long as our government regulates the second amendment by banning importation, there will never be any more new Norinco 84S imports. Even if there were, the original shipment will never go down in value because they are original.

Now that I have totally stirred you up, my final personal choice would be to just enjoy the fact that you got a great buy on a very nice rifle and leave it in it's fully collectible condition.

Oh and thank you for your kind words. Yes when it comes to Chinese AKs I do have a small knowledge of their manufacture and import history.

[Biz]

I appreciate the feedback Its definately the nicest piece i have at this point, yes ive had an extremely hard time not getting out the scissors, cutting it open, and molesticating it a little bit. (but giving it a good eye is pretty good too )
I think i'll try and just "put it away" and try to forget its beauty, it makes me feel kind of like..... a 10 year old kid getting a hold of a Playboy magazine and your right - there are probably very few left in the plastic - a fact which i neglected to really take into account as far as its collectibility goes. The only thing i need are some Original Un-issued Norinco 84s mags to go with it (which im sure i'll pay out the nose for).
She was apparently robbed of several, and only came with one. Do you know how many it was supposed to originally come with? i think i saw somthing somwhere on the interwebs about "a set of 6 original mags" but it appears only 4 or so would have fit in the foam cut out in the box
i did the same with a couple star model 28DA 9mm's i picked up a while back.... seller had 2 (Interarms imports), i first got the used one and fell in love with the operation, build, and weight....so i called him back, and got the other one about a week later - still in the box/bag and never molesticated.
I appreciate the timely responses - and your knowledge on the subject.
Im going to try and pick up a nice Tantal for a weekend shooter (ammo is alot more reasonable than 7.62) and would appreciate a recomendation, ive seen a flood of parts kits lately and i know the Quality of the builds have a huge variation from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Much appreciated!

[imanaknut]

As far as I know, all 84S came with three 30 round mags. That can't be said about all Chinese AK variants because later MAK-90s can be found with a variety of mags from five round to thirty. And from one to three of each, or in combination. It was enough to drive you crazy.

Check with recon and see if he still has any 84S factory mags he is willing to part with. I know he used to have some.

[recon]

Ssssshhhhhhh.