Old Military Rifles

[joed]

I constantly see threads on here about Mossin Nagents, Mausers and other extremely old military rifles. And I just have to ask what is the draw to these rifles?

Personally I wouldn't care to own one but that's me. I can understand we all have different likes and just because I wouldn't own something there may be someone else willing to die for it.

But what makes these rifles sought after? Can't be ballistics, newer cartridges have much better ballistics.

One of my friends collects old Mausers. I can't even stand to take him shooting as he has so many mishaps shooting corroded ammo or stripper clips that get stuck that he is a danger to others.

 

[Jeremy2171]

It's called history....

I can't personally stand Remchesters.....most guys with those only shoot them at sight in day for hunting season....I don't go near them as they generally are an unsafe bunch...

 

[joed]

I can't personally stand Remchesters.....most guys with those only shoot them at sight in day for hunting season....I don't go near them as they generally are an unsafe bunch...

Point well taken and couldn't agree more.

I'm not trying to insult anyone for owning these old rifles but just want to know why you buy them.

 

[M-Cameron]

because they are cheap and fun to shoot.........do you really need another reason?

 

[bigedp51]

Over six years shooting and studying a strange rifle made by people who also speak English and enjoying their history.



You can study the rifle in detail and know what to fix.



You can even cry when you have two fliers after all your bedding work.



You get to meet new friends with common shooting interests.



Plus if you loose a postal shooting match to the Australians you can still get even.

Below a koala bear target and bayonet practice.



Are we having fun yet.

 

[vaupet]

couldn't agree less about quality and balistics.
apart from my Mosin, wich is just for fun, my 1909 Carl-gustav in 6,5x55 and my K31's in 7,5x55 are acurate rifles in (very) acurate calibers, still used even today in long range competitions. Rifles are produced by Grunig & Elmiger, Unique, Tika, Sako and others in these calibers.
This combined with an advanced traight pull action or a very nice CRF Mauser action makes for great fun.
I would dare to match my Mauser with any modern bolt-action rifle. It is smoother and has a better trigger than a Browning X-bolt I recently shot.​

 

[Smoovbiscuit]

whats not to understand? Guns such as mosin nagants are often cheap to buy, and cheap to shoot if you get your ammo at the right place. I don't know if Ive ever been as pleased with a $100 purchase as I am with my 91/30. For the money, I still can't believe how much rifle I got, not to mention the historical value it holds.

So for under $100 I got a reliable, powerful, accurate rifle, with affordable ammo (costs around $90 for 440 rounds). Oh and did I mention it was made in 1942 and was ready to be issued in ww2? I don't see how any gun entheusiest could go wrong with that! You don't need to be a collector to appreciate history.

 

[joed]

Geez, that's cheap ammo! Are all those old calibers that cheap, and are they easy to find?

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Not all. Try finding .303 British, or 8x56R, it's almost non-existant. My SMLE Jungle Carbine hasn't been shot except once since I bought it, the only ammo I could find was a half-empty box of 55-year-old UK surplus at a gun show for 30 dollars. Of course I bought it! And that gun was a disappointment, but it makes a pretty wall-hanger and I kinda wanna keep the little bugger.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

8mm Mauser isn't too bad where you can find it, neither is GP11 (7,5x55mm). 7.62x54R is too damned cheap to not to buy a rifle chambered in it, and hey, that saves you money too! The Mosin is cheap!

I was going to do a project on a Savage 110, but I need one chambered for .30-06 insteat of .243 Win (Mine is old, so it's got the universal long action, but not a long enough mag) I was going to do a heavy barrel chambered for 8mm Mauser.

 

[mokin]

The history! Think about the places those rifles may have been, the men who carried them and what those rifles and men were called to do, the possibility that when you see an old photograph, that a rifle in your collection might be in it. As far as ballistics go I also like the idea of keeping that technology alive.

 

[Devonai]

.30-06 has been getting it done for over a hundred years. 7.92x57mm is no slouch either, and I've seen what 7.5x55mm can do in my friend's K31. He has been lusting over something in the (53 year old) 7mm-08, however.

I own a M1 Garand and M1 Carbine, and have owned an Enfield #4 and a Yugo Mauser M48. All four rifles are rich in history, very accurate (shot-out barrels notwithstanding on abused examples), and in my area none of those calibers are rare or prohibitively expensive.

 

[Mals9]

I bought my M1 because of the history. I could have gotten a less costly historical rifle, probably 4 or 5 Mosin's, but the M1 was the American battle rifle of WWII. You can surplus ammo from the CMP for around $.50 around and reload for a little less.

Mals

 

[CornCod]

For me it all boils down to cheap ammo. In intermediate cartridges you can buy cheap stell-cased .223 and 7.62X39, but if you want to practice with a full sized .30 cal cartridge. the best way to go would be to get a Russian Mosin-Nagant or a Serbian Mauser. Compare the prices of surplus ammo to fancy hunting cartridges and you will understand why.

 

[CMUnderWoody]

The fact that I don't have to drop three grand on a rifle. I've recieved more free mausers and mossins and boxes and boxes of ammo than I could shoot in a day, and while they aren't overly impressive I am always drawn to what was built back then and how. Simple bolts like the Arisaka just can't be argued with. These rifles often fought battles, thats more than I can say for 95% of gun owners. I was given a Sharps Rifle 45-70gvt by an old neighbor a few years back. I would give hand-fulls of guns up before that old beast. New technology and all the possible bells and whistles, there is no cooler gun to shoot...

 

[spartand003]

I personally love the history. Part of it for me is also the work that has to be put into some especially dirty/neglected ones. Nothing more relaxing for me than to sit down and clean the dickens out of an old surplus rifle.

 

[BobTheTomato]

Buy a few.....you will quickly understand.

 

[nathan]

These old rifles speaks to me . THe new ones have no soul. Just kidding. I love them all. its all about money .

 

[joed]

The closest I ever came was when I wanted an M1 Carbine. I just couldn't find one in decent shape for a resonable price.

But I actually do understand what draws you to these rifles now. In my friends case I think it's more because he collects WWI and II memorabilia.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

Military surplus guns are not just "cheap". They are very high values in my opinion. The price tags on most quality milsurp rifles are very misleading.

while it is true that quality suffered to varying degrees during wartime productions, the vast majority are still very well built guns, and the fact is that most models of prewar and interwar rifles were very high quality guns.

Look closely at peace-time Enfields, Mauser, Manlichers, and even some types of Mosin.

What do you think it would cost in today's dollars to completely encase a forged control round feed action from muzzle to butt in nicely figured old growth English Walnut? Far more than the $300 commanded by most Enfields in good condition.

Even the lowly Mosin would cost far more. A forged hexagonal reciever alone would cost as much or more than the $120 price tag of a prewar Tula Hex 91/30.

When you buy a milsurp you not only get a supremely rugged and reliable rifle, which has been battle proven, you get a rifle which is intrinsically 'worth' far more than what you paid for it.

 

[SaxonPig]

Personal tastes.

Many young guys are all about tacticool. Others have different preferences. The military rifles are relatively inexpensive and bring a sense of history as well as nostalgia.

I like old guns that load one round at a time.

Don't understand it? That's OK. It isn't necessary for any of us to understand what another man desires.

 

[Shadow 7D]

I'm not looking for a hunting gun,
I looking for a piece of history, and that draws me

BUT, that I can use a mosin, which may be cruder than a Mauser action (99.99% of hunting rifles) to drop the same damn animal, at the same damn range, in the same damn place as some guy with a 5K safari gun... Priceless. I prefer not to have to amortize the price of my gun in the meat I hunt.

 

[bigedp51]

Rubber_Duck
Not all. Try finding .303 British, or 8x56R, it's almost non-existant. My SMLE Jungle Carbine hasn't been shot except once since I bought it, the only ammo I could find was a half-empty box of 55-year-old UK surplus at a gun show for 30 dollars. Of course I bought it! And that gun was a disappointment, but it makes a pretty wall-hanger and I kinda wanna keep the little bugger.

Google .303 British ammunition and stop crying, $13.95 for a box of 20 it would be hard to reload for that price. Plus Prvi is the best .303 ammo you can buy for your Enfield rifle, it has thicker rims, the base diameter is larger and the case wall are .010 thicker than any other brand.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=25&name=.303+British


Prvi Partizan factory and Prvi Partizan un-primed cases.



History 1945





History November 27, 1940, five months after the Battle of Dunkirk and preserving the remaining Enfield rifles from rust in combat.





Enfield lubrication.



Excess headspace.

 

[Dr.Rob]

There is nothing wrong with your friend's rifles. If he's shooting corroded (not corrosive mind you, almost ALL surplus WW2 era ammo is corrosive) ammo he's taking a risk there.

Milsurp bolt guns are meant to be fired with iron sights and worked rapidly in a way that you might not treat your glossy stocked Weatherby or Winchester.

They are often a less expensive way of teaching the fundamentals of marskmanship with a high powered rifle.

And they are just FUN. My old Mauser has seen as many rounds through it in the first year I owned it than my 30-30 saw in the 4 years I hunted with it.

 

[BrocLuno]

Not so bad after all ...

Not all. Try finding .303 British, or 8x56R, it's almost non-existant. My SMLE Jungle Carbine hasn't been shot except once since I bought it, the only ammo I could find was a half-empty box of 55-year-old UK surplus at a gun show for 30 dollars. Of course I bought it! And that gun was a disappointment, but it makes a pretty wall-hanger and I kinda wanna keep the little bugger.

jeez, 303 ain't that hard to find. Look on this page http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/237? for Prvi Partizan and it'll be below a $1 a round. Free shipping with just a minimal handling fee.

8x56R ain't that much more?