Although Royal Tiger Imports, Ltd. follows the "NRA Antique" grading standard, we are actually much more strict. Please read the following for more on our grading system. By placing an order, you, the customer, agree to our standard.

Standards are the same for rifles as well as handguns. Unlike the NRA standard, we also apply our grading policy to rifles that have been refinished/refurbished/re-arsenaled at a foreign military facility. Please note that the NRA Antique standard makes no provision for refinished or refurbished guns. When dealing with surplus firearms, refinished is the rule, not the exception, and all our condition and bore grading takes no account of whether the gun had been refinished at some point in the past.

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Unissued: These are, as best as we can determine, like new, inside and out, and never saw troop service.

All visible serial numbers will match.

All blued parts will have over 95% finish although receivers and other parts may have turned a purplish color due to age and their high alloy content.

Stocks will be unused but may show some few dings due to storage and transport handling.

Wooden hand guards usually match but non-matching wood is not a grading criterion and we CANNOT hand-select for this nor is this grounds for an exchange or upgrade - this is the way they were made at the factory. Restocking fee or store credit policy applies.

Stocks may sometimes have a knothole patched at the arsenal. This is perfectly normal and is NOT grounds for a free exchange! If the customer does not want to keep a patched stock rifle, he may return it at his own expense for an upgrade to hand-select for a surcharge plus return shipping.

These hand-select rifles are the best there are and will have no patches but availability is always severely limited, subject to prior sale. This may mean that the customer must be placed on back order for an exchange. Otherwise, restocking fee or store credit policy applies.

Bores on Unissued grade are as new.

Rifles are usually heavily greased and for that reason are not test fired but a static function test has been performed. Royal Tiger does not check headspace - that is the customer's responsibility.

There is no hand-select option for accessories. We have included as many accessories as were provided in the shipment but reserve the right to make substitutions. Accessories have no commercial value and cannot be either exchanged or upgraded.

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Excellent: These rifles are almost as nice as the Unissued grade but wear, bore condition or some other grading factor puts them in this lower category.

All visible serial numbers may match, but not necessarily so. There may be one or two pieces that have a different number or have been force matched at the arsenal. If customer wants all matching numbers, hand select fee applies.

All blued parts will have over 90% finish and possibly a few slight scratches.

Stocks may show some slight bruising and scratches due to slight use and storage and transport handling. Arsenal patching may be present. We cannot hand-select for stock condition, customer must upgrade to Unissued or Unissued hand-select for this, if offered. As a rule, stocks will be in Excellent but refinished condition.

Bores will vary from Poor to Excellent. If customer wants an Excellent bore, hand-select fee applies, subject to availability and prior sale. If a hand-select bore has not been ordered, customer understands that bore grade is "our choice" not "his choice". Gun may be returned at customer's expense with RMA approval for bore upgrade (if offered) against a hand-select surcharge. See below for bore grading standards.

Rifles may be heavily greased and for that reason are not test fired but a static function test has been performed. Royal Tiger does not check headspace - that is the customer's responsibility.

There is no hand-select option for accessories. We have included as many accessories as were provided in the shipment but reserve the right to make substitutions. Accessories have no commercial value and cannot be either exchanged or upgraded.

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Good to Very Good: This is the standard grade used gun. Generally, these guns have seen troop service and will have up to about 90% finish on blued parts. Usually they will have 50% or more finish but some slight external corrosion may be present.

All visible serial numbers may match, but not necessarily so. There may be one or two pieces that have a different number or have been force-matched at the arsenal. If customer wants all-matching numbers, he must pay for hand selection, if offered.

Stocks may show some overall bruising and scratches due to frequent use, storage and transport handling. Otherwise, stocks are sound and serviceable. Arsenal patching may be present. We cannot hand-select for stock condition, customer must upgrade to Unissued or Unissued hand-select for this.

Bores will vary from Poor to Excellent but we cannot hand-select for bore condition at this grade. See below for bore grading standards.

Rifles may be heavily greased and for that reason are not test fired but a static function test has been performed. Royal Tiger does not check headspace - that is the customer's responsibility.

There is no hand-select option for accessories. We have included as many accessories as were provided in the shipment but reserve the right to make substitutions. Accessories have no commercial value and cannot be either exchanged or upgraded.

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Shooter Grade: This is our lowest grade gun. Externally, it is just like the VG gun above but will have a bore that is graded only Fair or Poor. See below for bore grading standards.

Stocks are sound and serviceable but may have slight cracks.

There are no hand-select options for this grade.

Rifles may be heavily greased and for that reason are not test fired but a static function test has been performed. Royal Tiger does not check headspace - that is the customer's responsibility.

There is no hand-select option for accessories. We have included as many accessories as were provided in the shipment but reserve the right to make substitutions. Accessories have no commercial value and cannot be either exchanged or upgraded.

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Special note on Mosin Rifles and Carbines: It is very common that these guns will have a wedge of wood added to the toe of the stock. This is not a defect but a production shortcut due to the use of boards too narrow for a one-piece stock. We cannot hand-select for rifles without this feature. If the customer wishes to return such a rifle, restocking fee or store credit policy applies but no refunds. Also note that we engrave the official US serial number using the Roman alphabet on the top of the receiver ring. Currently, all 38 and 44 carbines have counterbored muzzles regardless of bore condition. A counterbored muzzle is not grounds for a return or exchange. We can only presume that this was carried out during a general Factory Thorough Repair (FTR). A counterbored muzzle has no effect on the shooting qualities of the gun and protects the rifling from damage. All Mosin 91/30, 91/30 sniper, 38 and 44 rifles currently available overseas for sale to Royal Tiger, Inc. have invariably been arsenal refinished at some time in the past. External condition is at least Excellent and is usually "like new". Bore condition will vary from Poor to Excellent but an Excellent bore is subject to hand-select fee. Rifles will often have been force-matched at the arsenal. This means that the old serial number on the bolt, floorplate and butt plate has been struck or ground out and the barrel serial number added by either stamping or etching. Standard is force-matched serial numbers. All-matching numbers are subject to hand-select fee, availability and prior sale.

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Special note on Kar 98k Carbines: Forces of the former Soviet Union captured these rifles during World War II. They were later disassembled, reblued and reassembled without regard for original serial numbers matching. Many were force-matched with an electric pencil but others were not. Usually the original barrel and receiver numbers will match, but no others. Ours have all WaA and property marks intact and have Poor to Excellent bores. The only hand-select options for these rifles are for maker's code, year date, laminate wood, cupped buttplate and bore condition, subject to availability and prior sale. Otherwise, they are in about Excellent refinished condition. Stocks will very often not be "correct" for the code and year and may show some arsenal patching. We are sorry, but we cannot hand-select for stock condition or type or hardware style. Please do not ask for matching serial numbers - it is just not possible at this time in history.

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Special note on Nagant Revolvers: We cannot hand-select for Unissued grade since all guns have been refinished within the last 50 years. All will have about 100% bluing and about perfect bores and chambers with either hardwood or Bakelite grips. Most are Tula Arsenal make but some late WW2 examples have the Ishevsk mark. Hand-select fee applies if you wish to specify the maker or date. Please note that these revolvers take a unique cartridge sold as "7.62mm Nagant". It is not interchangeable with the 7.62x25mm Tokarev pistol cartridge! "7.5mm Swiss" revolver cartridges will also work in this revolver but without the gas seal feature. Fiocchi of Italy is the only manufacturer of fresh ammunition for this revolver at this time. Our testing has found the ".32 Harrington and Richardson Magnum" as loaded by the Federal Cartridge Company to be safe to shoot in these revolvers. We recommend only the metal jacketed loading since the lack of a gas ring on the cylinder results in difficult operation after only a few shots if lead bullets are used. We have no data on accuracy but attest that the large cylinder gap makes for a bright flame on firing! Royal Tiger does not currently offer ammunition for these revolvers.

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A note on SKS Serial Numbers: All Yugoslavian SKSs have two sets of serial numbers. The official number of record is engraved in neat block letters, either by hand or with a pantograph, on the left side of the receiver, the top or side of the bolt carrier, the rear of the action cover, the bottom of the trigger guard and the bottom or side of the magazine box. That number is also stamped into the left side of the buttstock. The full serial number with letter prefix is only found on the left side of the receiver and that is the official number for the bound book record. A second set of numbers engraved with electric pencil in a cursive hand will be found on the inside of the trigger guard, the magazine liner and other hidden locations. It will be written in pencil in the safety cutout on the right side of the stock. This second set of numbers was presumably used only for assembly purposes. These numbers do not affect whether a gun is all matching and their presence is not grounds for return for exchange. That is simply the way the guns were made. Also, many receiver covers and magazine boxes have no serial number, just the part number. The absence of the gun serial number on those parts does not make the gun non-matching as long as all other visible numbers match. Currently, Royal Tiger does not offer any SKS rifles.

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Bore Grading Standards

New Bore: This is a bore that is new in every way and which has presumably only been test fired when it was made and not since. Our highest standard. Call for availability and pricing.

Excellent Bore: This is a bore that is like-new: Bright, sharp lands, no visible corrosion nor any that could be felt while cleaning for inspection and grading. Some slight frosting may be visible. It is essentially a new bore in a used gun. Availability not guaranteed unless hand-select surcharge has been paid.

Good to Very Good Bore: This is a perfectly serviceable bore that reflects bright to the bore light and with strong, relatively sharp lands. Will show a slight overall pitting or is otherwise bright yet with a patch of corrosion.

Fair Bore: This is a serviceable bore yet with a uniform pitting that reflects only fairly to the bore light. Lands will be strong yet not sharp and some rounding will be present. This is a safe bore to shoot and will generally be more accurate than expected.

Poor Bore: This is a serviceable bore that is approaching the end of its useful life with generally uniform, deep pitting that reflects darkly to the bore light. Lands will still be visible but weakened due to wear and corrosion. This is a safe bore to shoot but may deliver only mediocre accuracy at longer ranges. A barrel bulge will put an otherwise higher grade bore into the Poor category.

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Glossary of Terms

Bluing: A chemical process of blackening steel. Has only limited ability to protect from corrosion and is sensitive to wear by abrasion.

Bore: Generally, the inside of a rifle barrel. Specifically, it is the smaller diameter hole that is made before rifling grooves are cut into it. For example, the 7.62x54R cartridge fired by the Mosin uses a rifle barrel with a nominal 7.62mm bore diameter.

Groove: This is the long spiral cut in the bore of a rifled gun. It closely matches the diameter of the bullet. In 7.62x54R, it is nominally 7.89mm (0.311 inches) or a little less.

Handguard: That part of the stock that sets upon the top of the barrel and protects the user from being burned by a hot barrel. An upper hand guard is one of two hand guards which extend from about the rear sight to the muzzle, e.g. in British Lee-Enfield rifles. The lower hand guard extends from about the rear sight toward the receiver of the firearm. In the AK and many other rifles, the so-called lower hand guard is properly the forearm or fore-end.

Land: This is the spiral part of the bore that is left after the grooves are cut. It engraves the bullet and imparts a spin to it so that the bullet will travel point-first toward the target. In barrel grading as in shooting, land condition is always more important than groove condition and is what determines the difference between Good, Fair and Poor bore grades.

Patching: This is a procedure of inletting another piece of wood into an area of the stock to eliminate a knothole or other natural defect in the wood or to repair an area damaged in service.