What's an AR70 worth these days?  Is it a decent rifle?  I don't know much about it.

marvl, I haven't owned one for a couple of years so I'm not current on the price but the AR-70 is a more than decent rifle.  If you buy try and make sure you get at least one and preferrably two AR-70 mags as they're very hard to come by.

This is one of those strange deals where the Italians wound up with the mags and parts and we (USA) got the rifles.

Wow you can actually get these?

The only info I can find on them is here www.berettadefence.com/Default.htm

Beretta says they make a semi-auto only one called the AR 70/90 S but Ive never seen one EVER.

[edited after this point]

Found one here for $1500 www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?ItemNum=4091951

They are running around $2110 for high 90% condition.  Magazines are VERY hard to find, and VERY expensive. Same with spare parts.

It makes heavy use of stamped reciever parts, and operates on a modified AK piston principle.  Its a sturdy, reliable rifle, but I dont care for the ergonomics.  The safety operates backwards, push forward for safe, pull back for fire.

www.fjvollmer.com gets them in occassionally if you cant find one on any of the gun auction sites.

The AR-70 and the AR-70/90 are really two different guns.  The AR-70 that was offered here in the USA was the original AR-70.  The AR-70/90 never made it here as it came out in 1990, after the import ban.

The AR-70's had some durability issues.  Seems the stamped receiver could get twisted if it was roughly handled.  Obviously at the current prices, they probably don't get abused too much.  There were some other problems with the buttstocks coming loose, and a few other minor things.

It was never really successful and lead to the development of the AR-70/90 for the Italian military to be their new NATO caliber rifle.  It pretty much solved what few problems the original had and by all rights is supposed to be a fine rifle.

As pointed out, mags are VERY expensive.  Like in the $100 each for a 30rd mag price zone.  I believe there was a mag adaptor for it to take M16 mags.  

I saw one with one mag for $1700 last year, in VG condition.  

Ross

marvl, just saw an AR-70 for sale on Sturmgewehr.com - $1700 (Pretty good call Ross !!).  I've done several deals with the seller and he has good guns.

Edited to add: The AR-70 for sale comes with one factory mag.

I'm glad the one I saw wasn't any cheaper or I would have had to find a way to afford it.  I liked the rifle.  It really handled nicely.  I liked it better than an FNC, HK-93, and a few other high dollar rifles out there.  

Ross

Quoted: Magazines are VERY hard to find, and VERY expensive.

What would a good condition 30rd. AR-70 mag be worth? Slight surface rust, no dents, functional.

I came across one of these last year in a local gunshop. Good condition with 3 mags(?), $1800. Interesting gun, but I like shooters more than conversation pieces.

Quoted: What would a good condition 30rd. AR-70 mag be worth? Slight surface rust, no dents, functional.

$150 seems to be the market average these days.  The good thing about them is they are like AK and Galil mags...you could pound nails with them.

My brother in law that owned a gun shop had 3 AR70s at one point, but he never had more than 6 mags.

Quoted: Quoted: What would a good condition 30rd. AR-70 mag be worth? Slight surface rust, no dents, functional. $150 seems to be the market average these days.  The good thing about them is they are like AK and Galil mags...you could pound nails with them. My brother in law that owned a gun shop had 3 AR70s at one point, but he never had more than 6 mags.

If they're bringing $150, I sure wish I had more than one. Looks like it's time to sell. Thanks for the info Lumpy196.

Quoted: I'm glad the one I saw wasn't any cheaper or I would have had to find a way to afford it.  I liked the rifle.  It really handled nicely.  I liked it better than an FNC, HK-93, and a few other high dollar rifles out there.   Ross

I like the FNC Para and the AR-70 but detest the high-dollar HK-93's. IMHO they're over-priced and over-here and scoping the H-K93 is well.......