Rifle as Halloween prop?

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Der Stro

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After deciding to dress up as a WWII era Russian conscript, I find myself debating a lot about wether or not to take the centerpiece of this costume with me: A Mosin 91/30.

I was planning on disabling the rifle by removing the firing pin, and then slinging it over my shoulder with a period-appropriate sling and ammunition pouches, however I do recognize that it is a legitimate firearm and some could see this as a Very Bad Idea.

How do you, the folks of THR, feel about this idea? I'll be on private property for the night, however my state (NC) does have open carry laws so I feel I would be within my rights should I want to be seen in public (as long as I'm not going "armed to the terror of the public").
 
You know the area and the folks you will be around so trust your judgment.

That said, given all that goes on these days I'd probably use a plastic rifle with a nice orange tip unless I was participating in some actual "reenactment" sort of thing.

The makeup of the crowd would probably weigh heaviest for me.
 
Probably a bad idea. Since this IS Halloween, there are bound to be kids around you. If you must "carry" go to the toy store and find a cheap plastic, and obviously fake, rifle to tote with you. The presence of a gun, disabled or not, is a recipe for trouble.
 
Since I was a kid, I've seen a lot of costumes that include a real [unloaded] firearm, and it seems to get discussed here once a year. It is neat, but not really necessary. Of course, you might have to go out and buy a toy, rather than just carrying a gun you already own. If I were going to do this, I'd leave the bolt at home, and maybe keep a dowel in the barrel with a little Russian flag at the end; just to keep the sky from falling.
 
I think it's awesome... But then I'm not going to be at your party... I know a guy that went to a church party with his kids as a cowboy complete with his SAA .45... Nobody asked him to leave, but it could have turned out badly depending on who was there. I wish we lived in a society in which we could do stuff like that.
 
Not a good idea. A removed firing pin isn't going to convince LEO, and open carry laws won't necessarily help you. Open carry will typically work for a handgun - it can remain easily holstered the whole time. With a long gun, you'll almost have to hold it with your hands occasionally, and that could be construed as brandishing.

Advice: go buy a toy gun and have fun. Costumes are costumes for a reason. When I went to a party as a viking a few years back I carried a plastic sword despite having an un-sharpened metal sword at home. It's just common sense.
 
open carry laws won't necessarily help you.

Depends on state law. In PA, rifles aren't even considered "firearms" for the purposes of carrying, and thus are de facto legal to carry openly or concealed on foot anywhere in the state outside of Philadelphia with no license or permit required.

That said, your state laws may vary.


As to carrying a slung rifle as part of a costume... All legalities aside, you have to be prepared to accept all consequences of your actions. Little kids will not care and will likely think your costume is really cool, but their parents are the ones who might call the cops, thinking you're doing something illegal (whether they're right or not). They might also make a scene about how you're a monster for attracting young children with an eeeevil gun like that. So be forewarned.
 
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I'm not sure if I would do it or not. The decision rests on you. But if I were to do it, I'd leave the bolt at home, I also like the idea of putting a little Russian flag hanging out the muzzle.

I don't suppose you have a 1895 Nagant revolver and holster to substitute the rifle with do you? It might be a little more under the radar than a four foot tall rifle.
 
its pretty simple to make a realistic prop.....

go to the toy store and buy a bunch of toy guns...a bit of everything.....

then stop at the hardware store and buy a bunch of different glues...epoxy,super, hotmelt........buy a ton of spray paint...steel wool and brushes....and buy some pvc pipe....

spend an afternoon cutting glueing and painting.....let dry and yer done....

shouldnt cost more than $30 and youll have a great costume piece that wont get you into any trouble.
 
If you already have a 91/30, another option might be to remove the barrel and action from the stock, buy a long wooden dowel that is the approximate thickness of the barrel, and affix that into the barrel/action channel. You could paint the dowel dark blue/black and put orange at the top. Then, you have the realism/size of the real thing because of the stock, but its obviously not a firearm.
 
You do not need to carry even a prop to be authentic. The only WWI Russian conscript whom I ever knew personally went to war without a rifle. There weren't enough to go around.

The objective was to pick up a rifle when a soldier who did have one fell in battle. He became ill and never fired a rifle.
 
its pretty simple to make a realistic prop.....

go to the toy store and buy a bunch of toy guns...a bit of everything.....

then stop at the hardware store and buy a bunch of different glues...epoxy,super, hotmelt........buy a ton of spray paint...steel wool and brushes....and buy some pvc pipe....

spend an afternoon cutting glueing and painting.....let dry and yer done....

shouldnt cost more than $30 and youll have a great costume piece that wont get you into any trouble.
Agreed - build your own fake rifle. Or in a pinch, go find a toy one...if you can.
 
Probably a bad idea. Since this IS Halloween, there are bound to be kids around you.

If the rifle is in his immediate posession the whole time, and missing a critial part required to fire a round, who cares if kids are around? If anything, they'd probably think it was cool, and ask him questions about it.

The presence of a gun, disabled or not, is a recipe for trouble.

Care to explain that? How is toting a gun, especially a disabled one, a "recipe for trouble"? Hundreds of thousands of people tote guns every day, openly and concealed, without a hint of trouble. I'd wager that many of them will be carrying on Halloween, whether it's part of their costume or not.
 
You do not need to carry even a prop to be authentic. The only WWI Russian conscript whom I ever knew personally went to war without a rifle. There weren't enough to go around.

The objective was to pick up a rifle when a soldier who did have one fell in battle. He became ill and never fired a rifle.

They actually showed that situation in the movie "Enemy at the Gates". At the beginning of the movie the Russian soldiers were sent out in pairs - with 1 rifle. The man without the rifle was to pickup the rifle and fight in the event that the one with the rifle was killed.
 
Also, can you imagine how uncomfortable you are going to be lugging that thing around???

Heavy, huge, and in the way.
 
How is toting a gun, especially a disabled one, a "recipe for trouble"? Hundreds of thousands of people tote guns every day, openly and concealed, without a hint of trouble. I'd wager that many of them will be carrying on Halloween, whether it's part of their costume or not.
Nervous police officers responding to a nervous parent seeing someone with a rifle, it's dark...there's definitely potential for confusion/trouble, and on a night with kids running around.

Halloween night can get very weird for those in law enforcement.
 
@ Kingpin

The reason I mentioned is that kids = parents. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe and having fun. A guy carrying a gun, a very real looking one, is likely to raise flags and put them into code red.

I understand that guns in public are common, open or concealed. I often spread the good word that guns are not evil and are not a danger in the hands of a responsible person. That being said, there are bound to be folks looking for danger with their children around. It only takes 1 person to call 911 and say "man with a gun" to turn a night of fun into a an evening you would like to forget. I don't know the people in the OP's neighborhood, but mixing a night of kids and people in disguise doesn't sound very HighRoad to me. There are certainly avenues to press RKBA and a positive message but, for me, Halloween might not be the best time and place for it.
 
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It seems like Halloween would be the least likely night for someone to do a "man with a gun" call considering how many people are out wearing costumes. There are usually a lot of people carrying prop guns, some quite realistic airsoft types.
I've open carried a 1911 as part of a costume. It was unloaded but I did have a loaded Glock IWB.
 
I know it's legal but why not put something orange in the end of the barrel to resemble a toy rifle? I'd carry it that way just to see what the reaction is. My friends/relatives probably wouldn't react much at all but people surprise me at times!
 
I know it's legal but why not put something orange in the end of the barrel to resemble a toy rifle? I'd carry it that way just to see what the reaction is. My friends/relatives probably wouldn't react much at all but people surprise me at times!

if im not mistaken....i believe it is actually illegal to put an orange tip onto an actual firearm...
 
Just look scared to death and carry a stripper clip with 5 rounds in one hand.
that got quite a chuckle out of me :D


I should have clarified at the beginning, there will be no children at the party I'm attending, so "man with a gun" calls are not really of a concern to me.

I thought of putting an orange cap on the end, but then remembered a story on the news here a few years ago where a lot of the less-moral folks were spraypainting the ends of their handguns orange, causing police to hesitate and getting a few of them killed. Since then its illegal to try to pass off a real weapon as a toy, (and I'm not willing to argue it isn't a "real" weapon because I can't fire a cartridge)

Lots of valid points in this thread, thanks for all the input guys.
 
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