I've been reading a few post and see that some guys are buying "work" guns for less than $100 that are militray surplus. Where do I find such buys and are they good rifles?
Yardbird

Mnay have a C&R ffl. Others, like myself, frequent local sporting goods chains like Big 5 or Dunhams. They often sell surplus rifles. The local gun shows are also a good source. Do some research before hitting the shows though as it is always good to know what you are getting. Try this link as it deals specifically with the subject at hand.

http://pub109.ezboard.com/bparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums

I would start hitting the pawnshops and check
out the GUNLIST.

Go to the BATF website and get an application for a Curio and Relic license. It costs $30 and is good for 3 years. It takes about six weeks.

Go to a news stand and get a copy of Shotgun News, or visit their website. This is where you will find a large collection of advertising for old military rifles. Also, it is a good way to pick up a little knowledge about the different types.

Hello Yardbird. The C&R is a good value if you plan to collect a lot of rifles. I have bought SKS's, Mausers, Mosins, Enfields and some pistols for between $40.00 and $140.00. Some in like new condition. El Vieo's information is correct and the cost of the license will be paid for after your first purchase. No transfer fees. The only downside is you will be buying sight unseen. Sometimes rifles or handguns don't show up like they were described. (anything real bad get's sent back) I spend a lot of time at z1r's link. It has all the info you will need to make better choices on what is good to buy. Also you will get some good discounts on ammo and accesesories from allot of the bigger supply houses. Be fore warned it is an addictive hobby.

You can get a good utility rifle, and a piece of history, sometimes at very modest prices.

The whole Mosin Nagant family from Russia can be a very good value. The M44 ($50-75) and M38 ($75-125) are short, handy rifles, with lots of recoil and blast. They perform just a bit under the .308. The longer M39 has milder recoil and blast, and performs a bit better than the .308. The Finnish versions of these tend to be the best ones. The Finns put better barrels on them, and used them to pick of the Russians at 6-700 yards, when Stalin attempted to annex Finland. See Wholesale Guns and Ammo for these.

The other popular "Russians" are the SKS family. Semi-auto, a ton of fun to shoot, and sort of in the 30-30 ballpark. A lot of these get offered for $350-400 on the popular auctions, but you can buy them any day of the week for $150, in new or near-new condition, at Interordinance.

Plenty of cheap surplus ammo is available for both. For the Mosins, though, you'll probably want to handload.

Swedish Mausers are exceptional, but plan on $200 for a good one, if you shop carefully. Mine does 1 3/4" five-shot groups at 100 yards with iron sights. It is ample for deer and pronghorn, and marginal for elk. It's a darn fine round, and you won't beat the workmanship on the gun. These had a well deserved reputation as an exceptional weapon during WWII.

For under $100, you can get a Turkish Mauser, and 8mm milsurp ammo is plentiful. I haven't seen many reports of groups less than 4" with these.

There are some acceptable scope options for the SKS, but scoping a Mauser or Mosin is a bit of work. If you buy one, just enjoy it for what it is, and don't try to re-make it into something it's not.

I picked up a Turk 8mm at big5 for around $50. I sporterized it myself. I have about $140 into the gun including scope. I tried some handloads with Speer 150's and they wouldn't shoot well at all. My bore is alittle on the large side, so I got a suggestion to try the 170's as they may get a better hold on the rifleing and stabilize better. It worked great and I got a small group of .90" for 3rounds at 100yds. If you wanted to put a new bbl and stock on, then Midway has cheap bbl and stock combo's. You'd have to pay a smith to put the bbl on though. The Turk uses the small ring threads while the rest of the dimensions are similar to Large ring Mausers.