Bolt Action Surplus Rifles

I think the Yugo M48s are the buy now if you want a shooter. They may not go up a lot in value over the years but are a bargain around $300. After that things get to be at a rather high premium and I am reluctant to buy.

The list of milsurp rifles is seemingly endless but I would suggest ....
Any and all model Enfield ( I like the "indian" 2A1's )
Krag.
Argentine and Swede mauser.
K31.
And that's just to wet your whistle ,,,,

1917 enfield,
1903A3 or A4
SMLE
Swedish straight pulls are cool

^^^^^ yup, any and all ^^^^^

Get some of the finnish mosins

First get your C&R license. You will recoup your $30 BATFE fee with your first transaction in cost savings. Good for 3 years, and most surplus military rifles can be shipped to your front door without paying a FFL, saving gas to drive and pick it up, discount for license holders from surplus dealers, etc.

http://www.jgsales.com/how-to-getc-r-license-a-50.html



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Swedish M96, Swiss K31

Looks like you're off to a good start.

I was shooting a 1942 No 1 MkIII Ishi yesterday. Lots of fun. It's been highly modified but is a shooter. A little better than the original 1918 No. 1 Mk III Enfield which is a darn good shooter too. I highly suggest one or two SMLEs. Also second the Finnish M-39. I've got a 6.5 Carcano that's a hoot to shoot, and shoots well when I can get the components. Those old rifles seem to be getting scarce. Have fun and be safe.

Mosin, Mauser, Springfield '03, Arisaka - the glaring hole in your collection is an Enfield.

I happen to know of a really nice Spanish 1916 Guardia Civil that's available.

Hello,

I'm going to add the Gewehr 88. If you're willing to load for it or find the correct M88 7.92x57mm ammo, it's a really cool rifle to own.

It's my favorite after my pet Mosin, and very nearly equal. I am just much more familiar with the Mosin due to working with it all the time.

Please note that the M88 7.92x57mm round is the direct decedent of the modern 8x57mm round, and the latter will fit in the former's chamber. However, it is not safe to fire a modern 7.92x57jss (or iss if you prefer; 8x57mm or 8mm Mauser) in the Gew88. The pressure is too high, and the bullet is wrong if the Gew88 doesn't have the spitzer "s" conversion.

Regards,

Josh

You definitely need an enfield or two. And you could spend a ton of money buying variations of the Mauser. Mines a VZ24, and it's pretty slick.

My personal favorite though is the K31.

I'd go with a K31 myself

There was a time back in the late 90's/early 00's when almost every gun show I attended had a guy with a big pile of Turkish 98 Mausers for $99 each. Hiding in one of those piles was a CZ. I bought a couple of rifles that day

IMO the 98 Mauser and the Springfield 03 are the kings of the bolt action milsurps.

I am kicking myself for not buying a Swedish Mauser when I had the chance. I call it "Swedish Mauser" because at the time I knew nothing and the thing got away. I am also kicking myself for selling my Lee Enfield because of the ammo cost and availability. I could find .218 Bee ammo on the shelf but not .303 British. Presumably there are just enough .303s out and about to keep the shelves cleared but not enough to keep them filled. And no, I don't reload. Life circumstances won't allow this at this time. When I win the lottery and end up with time, I will.

Jack: As far as old Military Bolt Guns go, and if You want a shooter, I can't praise My Son and I`s British 303`s enough. My uncle gave me mine in 1975, and I have used my old 303 for about everything. It is just a great walk around rifle and I have taken it with me on many 2 or 3 day Canoe Float trips when I was younger. In my way of thinking you could hunt or kill about anything you ran up against if you had to with a 303 British. I have tried to stockpile 303 ammo and brass over the years. And have a pretty good supply by now. And I have been reloading for our 303`s since the early 1980`s. My Son has had his 303 British for 10 or 12 years now. And we have never had any problems with either of them. Both of our rifles have always performed extremely well for no matter what the weather conditions might be and we can depend on both of them to work when we need them to.
ken

All good suggestions above. I'd also suggest the FR-8, and I think that Italian Carcanos are really underrated; they are going for less than beat up 91/30 Mosins these days.

Indian Enfield (dots not feathers) is a nice one, especially chambered in 7.62x51.

Jackal said:

Indian Enfield (dots not feathers) is a nice one, especially chambered in 7.62x51.

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Yep... I got one when I was considering a M1A. Picked up a N/M, but I just tried to consolidate ammo. .303 is not around like it was, and didn't want to get into it. I did go into 8mm with my Yugo M48A, and even that was questionable for me (don't have the space to reload currently).

.308 is still available...

The Japanese Arasaka's are nice also. I really like the Type 38 carbines. I recently found an Carcano Model 1891 Calvary carbine for under $150. It still had a lot of cosmoline in the action and barrel and had a date code of 1943 on the barrel. I also purchased 60 rounds of 6.5 x 52 ammo for it (at a cost of just under $100) but at least I will have brass to reload.

But, you can't go wrong with a K-31 or a Swedish Mauser. I was lucky enough to find one made by Husqvarna that was in excellent condition. It definitely can shoot with much more precision than I am capable of producing.

I'd love to have a Swedish Mauser, but I'd end up sporterizing it and you guys would hate me

Yes we would. Put the nice old Mauser down and slowly back away...

6.5 Swedish is a nice cartridge though; if I ever take up deer hunting that might well be the round I choose - in a modern purpose-built hunting rifle though.

Put the nice old Mauser down and slowly back away...

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Funny, that's exactly what my local gun dealer told me as I was fondling one he had for sale, because he knew what was going through my mind.

Don't worry. I appreciate tradition and history as much as you guys.

Having said that, there are some really beautiful customized Mausers out there