12 Best Military Surplus Rifles (2026): What’s Left and What It Costs

Last updated September 27, 2026

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Military surplus rifles used to be the cheapest way into shooting. A crate-grade Mosin cost less than a tank of gas, and gun shows had barrels full of SKS carbines. Those days are gone. The import pipeline has mostly closed, and the good rifles now sell one at a time.

I’ve picked the 12 best military surplus rifles you can still buy in 2026, from a Mosin-Nagant under $500 to a Soviet SVT-40 at $2,400. Every pick has a live price card fed by the surplus stock our 200+ retailers actually list today, mostly Classic Firearms’ surplus racks and collection pieces plus Guns.com consignments.

Below the picks you’ll find what each cartridge is loaded to, how the curio and relic license works, and how to check a rifle before you hand over the money.

Best Military Surplus Rifles in 2026 at a Glance

Table of Contents

What Counts as a Military Surplus Rifle in 2026

A military surplus rifle is a rifle built for and issued by a national army, then sold off once that army retired it. On the US market that means service rifles from World War I through the early Cold War. Almost all of them are now more than 50 years old, which makes them curios or relics under federal law.

What changed is supply. On September 7, 2021, the State Department put sanctions on Russia that included denying import licenses for firearms and ammunition made or located there. That shut off new Mosins and cheap 7.62x54R. Most of the other big stockpiles were bought up years ago.

So today’s surplus comes from three places. Dealers are still working through a few surplus lines, private collections that took decades to build are being sold off rifle by rifle as their owners age out of the hobby, and ordinary owners consign guns to sites like Guns.com when they want to trade up.

That’s why the price cards below often show one or two rifles instead of a rack of them, and why a rifle can sell out between your first look and your second.

I’ve grouped the picks the way I’d shop them: the semi-autos first, then the four big WWII bolt guns, then the shooter’s surplus, which is where the best accuracy for the money still hides. If you’re also after surplus clothing and field gear, that lives on our military surplus gear page.

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The Semi-Auto Service Rifles

Four semi-auto service rifles are still sold as surplus in 2026: the M1 Garand, the SKS, the M1 Carbine and the Soviet SVT-40. These are the surplus guns most people want first, and the ones where condition changes the price the most.

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1. M1 Garand: Best Military Surplus Rifle Overall

• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Gas-operated semi-auto, rotating bolt
• Capacity: 8 rounds in an en-bloc clip
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Weight: About 9.5 lb unloaded
• Made: 5,468,772 built from 1937 to 1957 by the Springfield arsenal, Winchester, International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson

Category	Rating
Shootability	5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Ammo Availability	5/5
Collector Value	5/5
Value for Money	4/5

If you only ever own one surplus rifle, make it a Garand. Nothing else comes close. It’s heavy, but that weight soaks up the .30-06 recoil, and eight rounds come as fast as you can press the trigger. Then the empty clip pings out of the top.

I’ve never handed one to a new shooter who didn’t grin at that sound.

Right now the card below starts at $1,599.99 for an original Springfield at Classic Firearms, with collection rifles at $1,800 and $2,000. The CMP still sells its own Expert Grade rifle at $1,150, built on a reclaimed receiver with a new commercial barrel and stock, if you meet its eligibility rules. That is the cheapest honest Garand in the country. It’s a shooter, not a collector piece.

One thing to know before you shoot it. The Garand’s gas system was built around M2 ball, and hot modern hunting loads can bend the operating rod. Buy ammo labeled for the M1, or fit an adjustable gas plug. Our full M1 Garand guide covers makers, CMP grades and serial ranges.

Best For: Anyone buying their first serious surplus rifle who wants a semi-auto they can shoot often and feed from any gun store.

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2. SKS: Best Budget Surplus Semi-Auto

• Caliber: 7.62x39mm
• Action: Gas-operated semi-auto, tilting bolt
• Capacity: 10-round fixed magazine, stripper-clip loaded
• Barrel Length: 20.5 in
• Weight: About 8.5 lb
• Made: Soviet production 1949 to 1958, then China, Yugoslavia and others

Category	Rating
Shootability	5/5
Accuracy	3/5
Ammo Availability	4/5
Collector Value	3.5/5
Value for Money	5/5

The SKS is the surplus rifle I’d hand a new shooter. It’s light for a service rifle, it kicks like a .243, and it runs on the same 7.62×39 as an AK. It is not a target rifle, and a 3 to 4 inch group at 100 yards is about what a rack-grade one does with steel-case ammo.

But it’s reliable, it’s cheap to shoot, and after a few hundred rounds of plinking you’ll understand why so many shooters own two or three of them and still keep an eye out for a clean Russian one.

Classic Firearms has a Chinese Type 56 military turn-in on the card below at $399.99, and collection-grade Norinco rifles run $800 and $900. That $400 rifle is the cheapest surplus semi-auto left on the market.

Watch which country you’re buying. A Yugoslav M59/66 has a grenade launcher and a gas valve, and its barrel has no chrome lining, so corrosive ammo has to be cleaned out the same day. Our best SKS rifles roundup breaks down every version.

Best For: New shooters and budget buyers who want a real military semi-auto that’s cheap to feed.

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3. M1 Carbine: Best Lightweight Surplus Rifle

• Caliber: .30 Carbine
• Action: Gas-operated semi-auto, short-stroke piston, rotating bolt
• Capacity: 15-round detachable magazine
• Barrel Length: 18 in
• Weight: About 5.2 lb empty
• Made: 6,121,309 built for the US military from July 1942 to August 1945

Category	Rating
Shootability	5/5
Accuracy	3.5/5
Ammo Availability	3.5/5
Collector Value	4.5/5
Value for Money	3.5/5

At about five pounds, the M1 Carbine is the easiest surplus rifle to carry and the easiest to shoot. It’s what I hand someone who finds a Garand too heavy. They always smile. Recoil barely registers, and the 15-round magazine makes it a genuine pleasure at 50 yards.

The Winchester-made GI carbines from one collection on the card below are a lesson in how originals are priced. The $900 rifle has a poor bore and the $1,800 rifle a pristine one. Same maker, same finish, and the barrel is the difference.

If you want to shoot one hard without worrying about a 1943 barrel, the new Inland and Auto-Ordnance carbines are built to GI dimensions. We cover both, plus the originals, in our best M1 carbines roundup.

Best For: Smaller shooters and anyone who wants a light, historic semi-auto for plinking and short-range fun.

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4. Tokarev SVT-40: Best Collector Semi-Auto

• Caliber: 7.62x54R
• Action: Gas-operated semi-auto, short-stroke piston, tilting bolt
• Capacity: 10-round detachable magazine
• Barrel Length: 24.6 in
• Weight: About 8.5 lb unloaded
• Made: 1938 to 1945

Category	Rating
Shootability	3.5/5
Accuracy	3.5/5
Ammo Availability	3/5
Collector Value	5/5
Value for Money	3/5

The SVT-40 is the rifle the Red Army hoped would replace the Mosin. It never did, because it was harder to build and to keep running in the field, and production ended in 1945. That’s exactly what makes it a collector piece today. Scarcity sells.

Classic Firearms has one listed at $2,400, a Tula rifle out of a private collection. Expect that to be the price of admission. Rifles like this come up a few at a time, and a matching one with a clean bore won’t sit long.

It shoots well if the gas regulator is set right for your ammo, and the muzzle brake makes 7.62x54R surprisingly civil. But this is not a rifle to beat on. I’d shoot it enough to enjoy it and let the Mosin do the heavy lifting. Its most famous user, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, is covered in our story on Lyudmila Pavlichenko’s guns.

Best For: Collectors who already own the common surplus rifles and want the Soviet semi-auto that rounds them out.

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The WWII Bolt-Action Classics

The Mosin-Nagant, the Lee-Enfield, the K98k and the Springfield 1903 armed most of the infantry in World War II. They’re the heart of any surplus collection, and each one teaches you something different about how its army fought.

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5. Mosin-Nagant M91/30: Best Cheap Military Surplus Rifle

• Caliber: 7.62x54R
• Action: Bolt action
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine, stripper-clip fed
• Barrel Length: 28.7 in
• Weight: 8.8 lb
• Made: 1930 to 1945 at Tula and Izhevsk

Category	Rating
Shootability	3.5/5
Accuracy	3.5/5
Ammo Availability	3/5
Collector Value	3.5/5
Value for Money	5/5

The Mosin is the rifle that got a whole generation into surplus, and it’s still the cheapest way in. Tens of millions were built, the action is close to indestructible, and a decent one will shoot 2 to 3 inches at 100 yards with good ammo. The bolt is stiff and the trigger is gritty, and that’s part of the charm. Mostly.

Right now Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore has a Russian M91/30 police trade-in at $449.99, and Guns.com has a Century-imported rifle at $455.99. That’s still the lowest entry price of any full-power surplus rifle on this list.

And the 2021 import ban on Russian guns and ammo is why prices climbed. It’s also why cheap 7.62x54R is harder to find than it was. Our Mosin-Nagant buyer’s guide covers the M44 carbine, the Finnish rifles and real prices by model.

Best For: First-time surplus buyers on a budget who want a full-power rifle with a big story.

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6. Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I: Fastest Surplus Bolt Action

• Caliber: .303 British
• Action: Bolt action, rear locking lugs, cock on closing
• Capacity: 10-round detachable magazine, charger-loaded
• Barrel Length: 25.2 in
• Weight: 9.06 lb
• Made: Mass production from mid-1941 in Britain, Canada and the US

Category	Rating
Shootability	5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Ammo Availability	3.5/5
Collector Value	4/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

No surplus bolt gun cycles like an Enfield. The rear-locking action and short bolt throw let you run it from the shoulder without breaking your cheek weld, and ten rounds in the magazine means you reload half as often as the man next to you with a Mauser. The aperture rear sight on the No. 4 is the best iron sight of the war.

Prices on the card below start at $499.99 for an NRA surplus Good No. 4 at Classic Firearms. For that money you get a shooting rifle with honest wear, and in my experience a decent one holds 2 to 3 inches at 100 yards with good soft-point ammo.

Two things to check. Make sure it hasn’t been cut down into a sporter, unless that’s what you want, and have the headspace gauged, because Enfields use numbered bolt heads that can be swapped. Our Lee-Enfield rifle buyer’s guide covers every mark, from the SMLE to the Ishapore 2A1.

Best For: Shooters who want the fastest, most practical bolt action of WWII at a sub-$500 entry price.

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7. Mauser Karabiner 98k: Best WWII Collector Bolt Action

• Caliber: 8mm Mauser
• Action: Mauser 98 bolt action, controlled feed
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine, stripper-clip loaded
• Barrel Length: 23.62 in
• Weight: 8.2 to 9.0 lb
• Made: 1934 to 1945, more than 14.6 million

Category	Rating
Shootability	4/5
Accuracy	4/5
Ammo Availability	3.5/5
Collector Value	5/5
Value for Money	3.5/5

The K98k sits on the most copied bolt action ever made. Controlled-round feed, a claw extractor, two front locking lugs and a third safety lug, and you’ll find the same Mauser 98 design under half the hunting rifles of the last century. It’s also the deepest rabbit hole in surplus collecting. Consider yourself warned.

The price spread shows why. A non-matching 1941 rifle from a private collection is $800, Russian-capture rifles from Classic’s surplus line are $899.99, a matching 1943 rifle is $1,600, and a rare S/42K Mauser is $2,400. Same design, and the markings set the price.

Russian captures were rearsenaled after the war, so expect mixed numbers and a shellacked stock. That is fine for a shooter. If you’re paying for originality, learn the codes first. Our Mauser rifle guide covers the K98k, the Yugo rebuilds and the Swedish rifles.

Best For: Collectors who want the classic German service rifle, and shooters who want a Mauser 98 in its original form.

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8. Springfield M1903 and M1903A3: Best American Surplus Bolt Action

• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Mauser-pattern bolt action
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine, stripper-clip fed
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Weight: 8.7 lb
• Made: 1903 to 1949, about 3 million, with the 1903A3 made by Remington and Smith-Corona

Category	Rating
Shootability	4.5/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Ammo Availability	5/5
Collector Value	4.5/5
Value for Money	3.5/5

The 1903 is the American Mauser, and it’s the most accurate of the WWII-era bolt guns I’ve shot. The long sight radius and good barrel make a clean one a 2-inch rifle at 100 yards. And it feeds on .30-06, which you can buy in any gun store in the country.

The M1903A3 is the wartime simplification. Remington designed an aperture rear sight on the receiver in place of the barrel-mounted one, many parts were stamped, and Smith-Corona joined production in late 1942. On the card below, a Smith-Corona 1903A3 leads at $1,300, and Springfield-made 1903 rifles from a collection at $1,600, with the rare Mark I at $1,900 and $2,400.

One real caution. Early low-number receivers were heat-treated in a way that can leave them brittle, and most shooters will not fire one with full-power loads. Buy a later receiver if you plan to shoot it. Our US service rifles history puts the 1903 in context with every standard-issue rifle since.

Best For: Shooters who want an accurate American service bolt gun that runs on the most common rifle cartridge in the US.

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The Shooter’s Surplus: Accuracy for the Money

The Swiss K31, the Swedish m/96, the Finnish M39 and the Yugo M48 give you the most rifle for the money in surplus today. Three were built by armies that cared more about marksmanship than mass production, and the fourth is a postwar Mauser that most collectors overlook.

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9. Swiss K31: Most Accurate Military Surplus Rifle

• Caliber: 7.5×55 Swiss
• Action: Straight-pull bolt action
• Capacity: 6-round detachable magazine
• Barrel Length: 25.7 in
• Weight: 8.8 lb
• Made: 528,230 made by Waffenfabrik Bern, standard Swiss issue from 1933 to 1958

Category	Rating
Shootability	5/5
Accuracy	5/5
Ammo Availability	3/5
Collector Value	4/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

The K31 is the surplus rifle that embarrasses modern ones. I mean that. Switzerland built it to tight tolerances and issued it to citizen soldiers who kept it at home and looked after it for decades, and a lot of them came out of service with bores that still look close to new. With GP11 ammo mine groups right around 1.5 inches at 100 yards, which is as good as most new hunting rifles.

The Swiss military manual for the rifle expected groups of about 4 cm horizontal and 6 cm vertical at 300 meters from a fixed mount. That’s the standard these were built to. The straight-pull bolt is fast once you get used to pulling it straight back instead of lifting it.

Classic Firearms lists a K31 with diopter match sights at $1,099.99. Plain rack-grade rifles come and go on their surplus line, so watch the card. The cartridge is 7.5×55 Swiss, and it is not the same as 7.5 French.

Best For: Shooters who care about accuracy first and want the best-made rifle any army ever issued.

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10. Swedish Mauser m/96: Best Military Surplus Rifle for Hunting

• Caliber: 6.5×55 Swedish
• Action: Model 1893-derived Mauser, cock on closing
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine, stripper-clip loaded
• Barrel Length: 29.1 in
• Weight: 8.8 lb
• Made: From 1898 at Carl Gustafs, plus Mauser in Germany and Husqvarna

Category	Rating
Shootability	4.5/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Ammo Availability	4/5
Collector Value	4/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

If I had to hunt deer with a surplus rifle, it’d be a Swede. Easy choice. The 6.5×55 is one of the great deer cartridges, it kicks far less than 8mm or .30-06, and Swedish rifles were built from excellent steel and kept in good order. A good m/96 is a 2-inch rifle with modern soft points.

An original m/96 with a matching bolt and receiver sells for $900 at Classic Firearms. Swedish production at Carl Gustafs started in 1898, and the steel and fitting on these rifles still stand out next to anything else from the period.

The m/96 uses the older Model 1893-style action, so it has no third safety lug and it cocks on closing. It’s plenty strong for 6.5×55 loads. Just do not rechamber it for anything hotter. Our Mauser rifle guide covers the m/38 short rifle too.

Best For: Hunters who want a surplus rifle they’ll actually take to the woods, with light recoil and a proven deer cartridge.

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11. Finnish M39: Best Mosin-Nagant You Can Buy

• Caliber: 7.62x54R, and Finnish 7.62x53R is interchangeable
• Bore: Built around the .310 in D-166 bullet
• Stock: Birch, with a semi-pistol grip
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine
• Receiver Mark: Boxed SA on Finnish-issued rifles
• Made: About 102,000, most from 1940 to 1944

Category	Rating
Shootability	4.5/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Ammo Availability	3/5
Collector Value	4.5/5
Value for Money	4.5/5

The M39 is what happens when a nation of marksmen rebuilds the Mosin. Finland took Russian actions, some of them dating back to the 1890s, and fitted better barrels, better sights, a better trigger and a birch stock with a semi-pistol grip that makes the whole rifle feel more modern. It shoots noticeably tighter than a Soviet M91/30, and in my experience a good one will hold under 2 inches.

Classic Firearms has an M39 at $699.99, and its SA-marked collection rifles sit at $1,400 and $1,500. That’s about $250 more than a Soviet 91/30 for a clearly better rifle.

Check the receiver first. Finnish rifles were assembled from Russian, French and American actions, so a hex receiver does not mean something’s wrong. The boxed SA stamp marks Finnish issue. More on every Finnish model is in our Mosin-Nagant buyer’s guide.

Best For: Mosin fans who want the most accurate version of the rifle and a real piece of Winter War history.

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12. Yugoslavian M48 Mauser: Best Cheap Mauser

• Caliber: 8mm Mauser
• Action: Intermediate-length Mauser, controlled feed
• Capacity: 5-round internal magazine, stripper-clip loaded
• Barrel Length: 23.25 in
• Weight: 8.6 lb
• Made: 1950 to 1965, more than 1.2 million

Category	Rating
Shootability	4/5
Accuracy	3.5/5
Ammo Availability	3.5/5
Collector Value	3/5
Value for Money	5/5

The M48 is the way to get a Mauser without paying K98k collector prices. Yugoslavia built it after the war on a slightly shorter action. Mine came packed in thick cosmoline, which is normal for these, and once it was clean it grouped about 2.75 inches at 100 yards with Prvi Partizan 196-grain soft points.

Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore has an M48A in Fair condition on the card below at $329.99, and Classic Firearms has Good surplus rifles at $499.99. That’s the cheapest Mauser on this list by a wide margin.

It shoots 8mm Mauser just like a K98k, and it’s every bit as tough. The one thing it is not is a German rifle, so don’t pay German prices, and know that its intermediate-length action won’t take every aftermarket K98k part. Our Mauser rifle guide covers the M48, M48A and M24/47 differences.

Best For: Shooters who want a solid 8mm Mauser for the range or the deer woods without paying collector prices.

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Military Surplus Rifle Prices in 2026: The Tiers

Military surplus rifles for sale in 2026 fall into four price bands, from under $500 for a Mosin-Nagant or a Lee-Enfield to $2,400 for an SVT-40. The bands below come from the rifles on each card, and surplus prices move with every sale, so always check the live card before you decide.

Price band	Rifles on this list	What you get
Under $500	Mosin-Nagant M91/30, Lee-Enfield No. 4, Chinese SKS, Yugo M48	Honest rack-grade rifles, often with import marks and worn finish
$500 to $1,000	Finnish M39, Swedish m/96, a non-matching K98k, a rough GI M1 Carbine	Better bores, some matching parts, the start of real collector interest
$1,000 to $2,000	M1 Garand, Swiss K31 with diopter sights, Springfield 1903 and 1903A3	Clean American service rifles and the best-made surplus in the world
$2,000 and up	SVT-40, rare K98k variants, 1903 Mark I	Collector pieces where markings and originality set the price

Two patterns stand out. Condition now matters more than model, so a pristine-bore M1 Carbine costs twice what a poor-bore one does from the same maker. And the rifles that were cheapest ten years ago, the Mosin and the SKS, have climbed the most, because their supply was cut off.

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Surplus Cartridges and What They’re Loaded To

Every rifle here was built for military ammo, and US commercial loads for the older cartridges are held to lower pressures than modern rounds. The figures below are maximum average pressures from SAAMI Z299.4. Two cartridges on this list, 7.62x54R and 7.5×55 Swiss, aren’t standardized by SAAMI at all, so they’re loaded to European C.I.P. specs.

Cartridge	Rifles	SAAMI max average pressure	What it means
.30-06 Springfield	M1 Garand, Springfield 1903	60,000 psi	Common everywhere, but use M1-safe loads in a Garand
8mm Mauser	K98k, Yugo M48	35,000 psi	US loads are kept mild for old small-bore rifles
.303 British	Lee-Enfield No. 4	49,000 psi	Plenty of new soft-point ammo
6.5×55 Swedish	Swedish m/96	51,000 psi	Mild recoil, excellent on deer
7.62x39mm	SKS	45,000 psi	Same round as the AK, cheap to shoot
.30 Carbine	M1 Carbine	40,000 psi	Short-range round, costs more per shot
7.62x54R	Mosin, M39, SVT-40	Not SAAMI-standardized	Loaded to C.I.P. specs, harder to find since 2021
7.5×55 Swiss	Swiss K31	Not SAAMI-standardized	Loaded to C.I.P. specs, PPU and Sellier & Bellot make most of it

That low 8mm Mauser figure matters. A lot. US makers load it gently because older rifles used a smaller .318 bore, and a hot .323 load in one of those is dangerous. Your K98k or M48 is a .323 rifle, so European-spec 8mm is fine in it, but never shoot anything in a rifle until you know what it’s chambered and bored for.

Corrosive Surplus Ammo

A lot of old military ammo uses corrosive primers, and the salts they leave will rust a bore overnight. If you shoot it, cleaning the bore the same day is the only fix: use something water-based to dissolve the salts, then oil. On a Garand and an SVT-40 that includes the gas system, because the gas port pushes the residue straight into it.

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Do You Need a C&R License to Buy Surplus Rifles?

No. Military surplus rifles are legal to own under federal law, and you can buy any rifle on this list through a regular dealer with a normal background check. But if you plan to buy several, a curio and relic license can save time and money, because it lets you have C&R-eligible guns shipped straight to your door.

Under 27 CFR 478.11, a firearm qualifies as a curio or relic if it was made at least 50 years before today’s date, or if a museum curator certifies it, or if most of its value comes from being rare or historic. Replicas don’t count. In late 2026 that means a rifle made in about 1976 or earlier meets the age test, which covers nearly every original on this list.

The ATF issues the license, the fee is $10 a year, and a license runs for three years, so it’s $30. It only covers curios and relics, it does not make you a dealer, and your state’s own laws still apply. It’s also why so many dealer listings say C&R eligible in the title.

Antiques Need No Paperwork at All

A few surplus rifles are older still. Federal law treats any firearm made in or before 1898 as an antique, not a firearm, under 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16). That’s why some Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Model 1889 rifles and early Krag-Jorgensens are sold with no FFL required. Check the manufacture date, not the model year, since a Model 1898 Krag can be built after 1898.

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How to Inspect a Military Surplus Rifle Before You Buy

Surplus rifles are 50 to 90 years old. Many were rebuilt more than once. Here’s what I check, in order.

• The bore. Shine a light down it. Sharp rifling and a bright finish matter more than the wood. Dark, frosted or pitted bores shoot poorly, and as the M1 Carbine card shows, the bore sets the price.
• The crown. Look at the muzzle. A dinged or worn crown opens up groups. Many rifles were cleaned from the muzzle for decades.
• Headspace. Have a gunsmith check it with GO and NO-GO gauges, especially on an Enfield, where bolt heads are swapped, and on any rifle with a mismatched bolt.
• Matching numbers. On a K98k or a Finnish rifle, compare the serial on the bolt, receiver and barrel. Matching adds value, but a force-matched or restamped rifle is worth less than an honest mismatch.
• Rebuild and import marks. Soviet rebuild marks, Yugoslav crests and importer stamps tell you a rifle’s history. They are not defects, but they’re part of the price.
• The stock. Look for cracks behind the recoil lug and at the wrist. Cosmoline-soaked wood can be cleaned, cracked wood needs repair.
• The bayonet and extras. A correct period bayonet, sling or magazine adds collector value, so ask what comes with the rifle.
• Drilled and tapped receivers. A receiver drilled for a scope mount has lost most of its collector value. If you want glass on a surplus rifle, use a no-drill mount.

If you can’t see the rifle before you buy, buy from a dealer with a clear return policy and read the condition grade carefully, because a Good rifle from one dealer and a Good rifle from another can look like two different grades once they’re side by side on your bench. Dealers use terms like NRA surplus Good and Very Good, and those describe a used military rifle, not a new one.

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Where to Buy Military Surplus Rifles Now

Most military surplus rifles for sale in 2026 come from dealers, not import crates. Classic Firearms runs the biggest surplus lines and sells private collections piece by piece, and Guns.com carries consignments from owners across the country.

GunBroker auctions list private surplus rifles too, but study the photos for import marks and ask about the bore before you bid. Our used rifles for sale page tracks used rifles across every dealer we follow, and the gun price check tool compares any model across all of them.

For Garands, go to the Civilian Marksmanship Program first. It’s the federally chartered program that sells US service rifles to eligible civilians, and it ships most surplus rifles straight to your home by FedEx with an adult signature, apart from a handful of states that require the rifle to go through an FFL. Its rarer rifles go through its auction site. For everything else collectible, our guide to where to buy vintage guns covers auction houses and collector dealers.

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Rarer Surplus Rifles Worth Watching For

The Carcano, Krag-Jorgensen, Arisaka, M1917, vz. 24 and MAS-36 are all real surplus rifles, but too few are for sale right now to put a live price on them. They’re all worth grabbing if a good one comes up.

Rifle	Caliber	Why it’s worth it
Italian Carcano M91	6.5×52 Carcano	The cheapest surplus rifle when you find one, with a light, handy carbine version
Krag-Jorgensen	.30-40 Krag	The first US smokeless-powder service rifle, with a silky side-loading magazine
Arisaka Type 99	7.7×58 Arisaka	One of the strongest actions of WWII, and a real bring-back history
M1917 Enfield	.30-06 Springfield	The rifle most US troops carried in WWI, and a great action
Czech vz. 24	8mm Mauser	A beautifully made Mauser, often better finished than a German K98k
French MAS-36	7.5×54 French	A tough, odd-looking bolt gun, and not the same cartridge as 7.5 Swiss

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How I Picked These Rifles

I started with the rifles that every serious surplus list agrees on, from the big WWII service rifles to the neutral-country precision guns, then checked what our retailers actually had in stock on September 27, 2026. A rifle only made the 12 if at least one dealer on our network was selling a real one, so every pick has a card you can click.

Over the years I’ve shot every rifle on this list at 100 yards, mostly from a rest with surplus ball and commercial soft points, and the accuracy and handling notes above come from those range sessions rather than from anybody’s brochure or spec sheet. Specs come from our own model guides, military records and the museum collections the photos are from, and the pressure figures come straight from SAAMI’s published standard.

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The Bottom Line

If you can only buy one military surplus rifle, buy an M1 Garand. It’s the most fun to shoot, it feeds on common .30-06, and it holds its value. If $1,600 is too much, get a Lee-Enfield No. 4 or a Mosin-Nagant for under $500, and if accuracy is what you care about, the Swiss K31 is the best-made rifle any army ever issued.

But whatever you buy, buy it soon. Nobody is making more of these.

Frequently Asked Questions