Any Mil-Surp Rifle collectors?

[Hokie4824]

Hey lads,

Sitting here tonight cleaning some of my rifles, so I figured I'd ask if anyone else here in the forums collect and/or shoot Military Surplus rifles? I started collecting this past March when I bought my first Mosin-Nagant, and eleven rifles later I just got myself a US 1903 two days ago. Most of my rifles are bolt actions spanning from 1890's Imperial Germany to the start of the Cold War.

PS: Thank goodness, Virginia Tech finally won the Orange Bowl!

[outontheop]

Sure am. Mostly I've got more recent stuff, but I'm working back toward the more archaic. Just picked up a Colt Walker a few weeks back. That one's a replica, mind you... originals are next to impossible to find. But, I've never been TOO picky about getting 'collector grade' guns. I could care less if the serial numbers match, or if PVT John Q. Snuffy carried it at the battle of suchandsuch. I like to shoot the guns I have, so it would be silly to pay 5 times as much, and then have to feel bad about wearing out historical pieces. I do have a number of all-originals (M1903A1, IBM-produced M1 Carbine, Longbranch Arsenal Lee Enfield No 4 Mk 1, Mosin Nagant M1891/30G), but mostly they're arsenal rebuilds (my M1 Garand) or GI parts kits built on new receivers (G3, AKM, FN FAL, M1918 BAR, M14). Or just new production stuff that TECHNICALLY isn't military issue (civilian versions of the M16A4, M4, Steyr AUG, and G36) My next goals are a Springfield 1873, Bren MkII, SVT-40, Krag Jorgensen M1892, Carcano M1891, and Arisaka type 99. ...and a Mosin Nagant that WORKS. Mine has pretty severe throat erosion, so it shoots for total crap. That, and now that I have "shooter" examples of some, maybe go back and get collector grade copies of them.

[ht-57]

Well not really a collector.unless having a few firearms means you collect them...but

I like to shootem!...recently picked up a springfield armory m1 garand, built in may 1942. My dad carried one from omaha beach all the way to berlin.

[andym]

Sadly due to the Firearm Laws of UK,we dont have the luxury of being able to have the same access to weaponry as you do in the USA,so i make do with a 120 mm smoothbore Tank gun!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Hokie4824]

Haha, Andym, I know how you feel. After doing my first gunnery on the M1A2 SEP this past September, suddenly everything else seems...inadequate :biggrin:. My current collection (with dates of manufacture) so far is:

German Gewehr 1888 (1891)

Spanish Model 1893 Mauser (1898)

US Model 1903 Springfield (1907)

Argentine Mauser Model 1909 (1909-10?)

US Model 1917 'Enfield' (1918)

Swiss K.31 (1956)

Turkish Mauser Model 1903/38 (1940)

Soviet Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 (1942)

Soviet Mosin-Nagant 91/30 PU Sniper (1942)

Finnish Mosin-Nagant M39 (1943 from a 1895 receiver)

German Mauser K98k (1944) that was butchered and sold to my grandfather, which I'm getting ready to restore.

Yugoslavian M59/66 SKS (1975?)

I might try to get some pics up if I canf ind the time. My wish list is:

M1 Garand

US Krag

UK No. 1 Mk III SMLE

And probably anything else I find in some old dusty gunshop.

[Hokie4824]

Here we go:

[andym]

Ooooooooooooooooooo,heap good fire sticks!

When i lived in Tilbury Fort,i did have the chance to fire a Martini-Henry rifle from The Zulu Wars and also a Brown bess Musket with a "service "charge.That baby bruised my shoulder for over a week!!!!!

[alpha6]

I took a shot at that but I found my funds are just way to low

though my Granpa' came home from WW2 with I think woodpecker LMG it's like a '40s SAW 30 round mag wiith a counter I also have a .32 pistol From the Eastern front.

I have a non-mil duble barrel "twist" 12G shotgun thats around 100 years old it was used to fight out of Irealand to Scotland then to the US and thats the reson I'm an American all becauss of a shotgun...