Import stamps

[mossy33oak]

How much does it increase the value of a C&R firearm if it doesn't have an import stamp? More specifically an M44.

 

[ken792]

Depends on the gun and other factors. For example the value of completely unmatching Lugers might not be affected at all by the lack of an import mark. They might all be considered shooter grade guns. If it's a matching Luger, the presence of an import mark would make it less valuable in the eyes of most collectors.

What kind of an M44 is it? There are some Finnish captured M44's with the SA mark that do not have import markings because they came in before 1968. That would definitely command a premium over a run of the mill Soviet refurb M44 imported in recent years, even if unmatching. If it's a papered Korean War or Vietnam War bringback, then it would be valuable too. If not papered, and not import marked, then it's just a story. I'm sure someone would pay a premium for an M44 that might be a bringback.

 

[mossy33oak]

Yea when I bought it I was "told" that it was a Viet nam bring back. It's a run of the mill m44 with VERY light blueing and a non matching bolt. Which would ?maybe? suggest it's seen some heavy action. The blueing is very faint all over not just the wear points from being handled. I need to get a set of head space guages before I shoot this one. The non matching bolt scares me a little.

 

[ken792]

That would point towards a bringback of some sort, but without any papers, no way to verify. I think that's definitely worth a slight premium over a regular Soviet refurb with an import mark.

 

[psoyring]

Occasionally I have had Mosin refurbs with no import marks, was not able to get any premium for them, even on Gunbroker.

 

[ken792]

Occasionally I have had Mosin refurbs with no import marks, was not able to get any premium for them, even on Gunbroker.

I guess they were not beat up enough along with the caption "possible bringback."

 

[Machodoc]

Buy the gun ... not the story. For the serious collector, what you have is a rifle without an import stamp. The key for a collector to give it serious consideration as a "bring back" is having the Vietnamese and U.S. forms still with it.

How much an import stamp impacts the value of a firearm really does, as Ken792 pointed out, depend on the individual piece. Think of the absence of a stamp as like a slice of cherry on top of a big ice cream sundae. While it's nice not to have one (or to have the cherry), you don't turn the whole thing down just because of that. For example, if you have a rifle that isn't stamped, but has been sporterized in a way that can't be reasonably reversed, the fact that it doesn't have an import stamp carries little weight on its own.

Overall, it doesn't make a tremendous difference in most cases, because most of the more rare C$R pieces were imported before the stamps were required (but not all). Collectors would naturally prefer to have one without the stamp, but if something's otherwise rare enough, or in good enough original condition, just the presence of the stamp isn't likely to turn most people away.

I don't personally worry too much about an import stamp, because (like other stamps on a piece) they tell us something else about the history and travels of a firearm. What I find to be a bigger detraction is when some sort of stamp has been scrubbed off. I also don't see why importers now are putting such large stamps on certain firearms. That's a turn-off, and they should be making the things more marketable, rather than less marketable.

 

[mossy33oak]

Buy the gun ... not the story.

Yea and that's honestly the bottom line. I just kinda wanted to pick people's brains about it. I'm just looking for some ideas about it so when it gets passed down to my daughter's I can educate them. It's definitely not like my other m44. Meaning the bayonet on it is easy to extend, and the trigger is very crisp and the bolt cycles easily.