[Skruface]

$670 for an all-plastic Tokyo Marui AK47 with no accessories...back in 1998? I still have it, and it still runs like a champ 150K+ rounds later - I've only ever opened the mechbox once, many years ago, and installed about $200 worth of performance parts, including a tightbore barrel. Don't think you can say that about too many Chinese cloned guns....

A decent, used gun will cost you $400, or thereabouts. A new one is closer to $500-$600, depending on brand and model. Of course, I'm only speaking about quality guns (TM, G&P, STAR/ARES, VFC). If you're looking at overseas/US prices for CYMA or Kalash/D-Boys guns, multiply them by X2.5 or X3 and you'll be in the ballpark of what you'll pay in Canada. That $150 CYMA gun will cost you $400 here....

FWIW, I have half a dozen guns that were over $1K each to build.

Were they worth it? That depends on how you look at it; I bought only top-of-the-line parts, learned to build guns properly from a number of individuals, and I know that when I go out to the field, my guns will fire accurately every single time I pull the trigger. Reliability is worth it's weight in gold to me.