Color me slow...but before the panic you could pick up a decent used AK for $300. You can still buy a new one for $550. I don't understand how some are asking and some paying $800 and $900 for an AK...Then again, I'm not overly bright.
I think he's talking about WASR prices. Yeah, it's what I paid for a new one long ago. Prices of These same ones have gone up another $200. You have always had to pay more for the good ones. It's just that people always figured an AK is an AK so they bought on the lower end. Days of cheap from back in the day are over my friend. I remember paying $.99 per gallon of gas when in college. Oh, the good old days......
Where were you buying AK's for $300?
Uncovered saigas were around that price point as well as parts kits.
WASRs are not $800-900. If you paid that you got swindled!
Prices of AKs have risen steadily over the years mainly due to increased import restrictions. Unlike ARs that are easily manufactured here, AK manufacturers are at the mercy of parts importation. Demilled parts kits are a fluctuating and finite resource. That said, you can still walk into a gunshop and buy a decent AK for $500ish, which isn't unreasonable. But no, they are not the cheap guns they used to be and probably never will be again. With AR prices plummeting, I think demand for the AKs will decrease and drive the prices down some though.
I think the Polish manufacturer Radom is establishing a plant in Texas. I saw this might be a good deal. $379 I don't know too much about AK's.
http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/century-vz2008-7-62x39-w-3-mags-cleaning-kit-sling.html