What are/ were your LEAST favorite milsurps and why?

As much as I wanted to love it...

The 03-A3 Type-writer.

With the Mil stock it was a kicker.


That... and the "Last Ditch" Type 99 Arisaka.

Compared to the early Type 99's and 38's... it's a dog.




GR

I once had a 7.35 Carcano that my uncle gave me. He won it in some sort of raffle at a country store. It was stolen when my house got robbed in 1991. Of all the things that were taken it’s the one I miss the least.

Crude, fixed sights, hard to find ammo, awkward clip loading/feeding system. It was probably one of the worst rifles of the war.

Those french, italian, and japanese rifles.

I collect bolt guns from the main powers during WW II but a jap anything will never grace the inside of my safes.

Bill

Carcono’s do nothing for me.

Don’t care for any of the 7mm mausers either honestly.

I don’t really get the K31 Swiss either. It’s a neat mechanical curiosity but I don’t like them as a rifle that I would actually use for anything.

And nothing French for me thanks.

Re-arsenaled M95 Styer rifle- wacky action, wacky ammo, wacky clip. Bought it for $89 at a pawn shop in the '00 - '01 timeframe. Auctioned near $500 a few months ago on GB.

I am with .455 Hunter on the m95/30 Steyr Mannlicher carbine. Nasty recoil, lousy trigger, bolt action ain't smooth, and hard to find ammo. Rugged rifle but not fun to shoot.

Ironically, I actually like my late Model 91 Fusil (long rifle) Carcano--it was one of the last made in the 1930's with the gain twist barrel and it is pretty accurate and light recoiling in the long barrel--no so great sights though and the Carcano clips can be a bit of bother to get now.

Second least favorite would be a tie between the GEW 88 Commission Rifle and the Mauser 93. Of all the military smokeless Mauser series, I think that the m93 as made by Spain demonstrates relatively crude workmanship, deficient design, and a clunky sticky action compared with the 91, 94&96, and 98 actions.

someguy2800 said:

Carcono’s do nothing for me.

Don’t care for any of the 7mm mausers either honestly.

I don’t really get the K31 Swiss either. It’s a neat mechanical curiosity but I don’t like them as a rifle that I would actually use for anything.

And nothing French for me thanks.

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Ditto for the K31, the bolt is rather clunky and the stock too beefy and unbalanced offhand. I hear the K11 is better in both departments.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Since we have a thread going for the gems of the surplus world, how about the lemons?

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Mine's simple, aside from 7.62x54 and 39, I have ZERO interest in any milsurp rifle or carbine not already in a U.S. military caliber, past or present. Carbines excepted for aesthetics.

Single least favorite is my Carcano 91/24 which I only bought to go with my other carbines. Also explains the exception granted my No. 5 Mk I SMLE. I just had to buy the Carcano on looks alone. Shooting it with its diminutive stock and Manlicher clips plain sux. Never mind the weird rounds which look a ballistician's nightmare.

I absolutely will not entertain any new-to-me calibers anymore without SIGNIFICANT inducement.

Todd.

Lotta hate for the carcano. Makes a decent x39 conversion though.

Worst milsurp I've had was a mosin m44. Made using potatoes, plenty of vodka, and a blemished set of harbor freight files. The front sight on that rifle make an AK fsb look as though it was precision milled by sober men in lab coats.

My short-owned 1917 Eddystone Enfield was probably the worse mil-surp rifle I have had. One of those you see, you fall in love with from a distance, then when you get up close and personal, its not as neat of a project as you had imagined. Mine was already sporterized, and I left it like that. Never shot it either, thought it was unsafe for full powered 30.06 rounds.

The least favorite I have ever experienced was the Japanese T99. What a step backward from the T-38! The stupid pear bolt handle, stupid safety, and action that seemed to run with sand in it even when well cleaned, greased and oiled. Crude sights, overpowered round for a relatively light rifle with a poorly designed stock. Ish. My T-38 carbine is a joy to shoot by comparison, and that one falls well short of the better European designs.

I hear Carcanos in all flavors are truly awful as well, but have never personally experienced. The MAS is just ugly, but I hear they're pretty decent rifles.

6.5 mm Carcano.
Only got 2 things to say:

1.-That gaping hole, where the clip ejects out the bottom of the rifle, must have been a joy, to anybody in a muddy trench, during wartime.

2.- Lee Harvey Oswald, my ass.

MosinT53Hunter said:

Never shot it either, thought it was unsafe for full powered 30.06 rounds.

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What led you to believe that? The p-14/m1917 is one of the strongest military bolt actions ever turned out. You can build a 458 win mag on that action.

fireside44 said:

What led you to believe that? The p-14/m1917 is one of the strongest military bolt actions ever turned out. You can build a 458 win mag on that action.

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The receiver had been "modified" by some long past "gunsmith" welded or soldered the rear sights down to the receiver, heavy pitting where the wood was, and I felt it would require more cash then I would want to spend on an old gal like her. Just had a feeling, and I follow those feelings.

MosinT53Hunter said:

The receiver had been "modified" by some long past "gunsmith" welded or soldered the rear sights down to the receiver, heavy pitting where the wood was, and I felt it would require more cash then I would want to spend on an old gal like her. Just had a feeling, and I follow those feelings.

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Rear sights on that look factory to me. Unless they were rewelded, which would be strange. I have a p14 action but as you said, the expense of building it is too much for what it is.

fireside44 said:

Rear sights on that look factory to me. Unless they were rewelded, which would be strange. I have a p14 action but as you said, the expense of building it is too much for what it is.

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Pictures are not too good, but the adjuster was welded/solder on the sight latter. Replacement wood is almost impossible to get, and 3 times what I paid for the rifle to begin with, if you can find the right kind of course. Who ever bought it from the gun dealer was happy enough, and life goes on.

MosinT53Hunter said:

View attachment 881264 View attachment 881265 Pictures are not too good, but the adjuster was welded/solder on the sight latter. Replacement wood is almost impossible to get, and 3 times what I paid for the rifle to begin with, if you can find the right kind of course. Who ever bought it from the gun dealer was happy enough, and life goes on.

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That mod as shown, won't affect the artillery-grade receiver at all and is easy and relatively cheap to back out of.

Todd.

Trapdoor Springfield Carbine. The lighter weight combined with a sadistically designed curved metal butt plate made it very uncomfortable to fire.

Interesting design, historical, but not fun to shoot. Down the road it went.

Speedo66 said:

Trapdoor Springfield Carbine. The lighter weight combined with a sadistically designed curved metal butt plate made it very uncomfortable to fire.

Interesting design, historical, but not fun to shoot. Down the road it went.

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Mine too. Cute to look at, handy to handle.... NO joy in shooting - for me.
Off it went. Plus side, Californians are paying CRAAAAZY money for single shot .45-70s these days due to rules and such.

Todd

I will say that the mosin nagant is not a beauty.
When they were $70 you pick them I think the price matched the product. I know there are several variants and some are ''nice" and ammo is cheap by the barrel full . but that 5 foot long cosmoline monster would be close to my last choice for a milsurp.
Yes, I'm ready for the backlash.