any collectors of WW2 era firearms?

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fish2xs

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I missed out on the opportunity to get a German K98 with Nazi markings
on it. I had not really thought of collecting WW2 era firearms, but now that
I have the space (safe) I am thinking about it.

Anyone here collect them? Do you have any photos? Any insight for someone
who wants to start collecting? How easy is it to collect? Any idea on price ranges?
Any relevant web sites?

Please share your stories & photos.

Thanks!
Phil
 
In my WW2 collection I have:
2 Mosin nagants (M44 & M1891)
An Underwood M1 carbine
German K98 Mauser
Enfield SMLE
Carcano m38 (converted to 8mm by the Germans)
Wather P38
S&W lend lease revolver in 38 S&W
2 Nagant revolvers dated 1941 and 1943

Still looking for a Garand without going through CMP
 
Get a C&R license first.

That will save you a boatload of money on transfers and discounts, and allow you to spend even more money in the end by getting cheap rifles.

Mausers have many, many variants. Know what you are doing before you spend a lot of money on a "genuine German" one. There are a lot of Russian captures out there that can be had for good prices. That would be a good one to start with. They are German, some still have Nazi proofs, but they also have Russian stamps.
Turk mausers can be bought for less than $50, and nice Nazi mausers can be well over $1000.

Russian Mosin-Nagants, British SMLE's, and Japanese Arisakas can still be had on the cheap. U.S. Rifles go for more. German are in between.
 
Yep

91/30 Mosin Nagant
Enfield Mk.4 No.1
Arisaka T.38

Not Exactly WWII, but before 1950 is a Yugo M48
Not Exactly WWII, but does a Springfield WWII repo 1911 count?

My Christmas present to myself this year will probably be a CMP Garand, Greek or Danish Service

Here are some pics

Arisaka:

arisaka_whole.JPG


My Mosin, and M48 (and Yugo SKS)

milguns002small.jpg


P.S., sorry if the pics go down, working on my server right now
 
A 1903A4 is a MUST get if you a collector (hard to find), and umm a 1903A3, M1, M1 Carbine, and if money is no object 1918A2, M2 Carbine, M3...

P.S. There is a semi-auto 1918A3 for only $3150...
 
Yep.

Currently have M1 Carbine, M1 Garand, M1903A3, Mauser K98, Enfield #4 Mk1, Enfield #5, Mosin-Nagant M44, Mannicher-Carcano (6.5mm) and a M1895 Nagant.
 
If you are just looking for a representative example, a Russian capture rifle is probably your best option. These can be had for $200-$400. These are rifles that were pieced together by the Russians from captured weapons after WWII. They are generally in very nice shape and make great shooters. Here is a company currently selling them.

AIM

If you are a purist collector and want a GI bringback, all matching, original K98k you are probably looking at $700+ with price depending upon maker, year, etc.
 
I've been collecting WWII arms for about 9 years. I have a whole bunch.

As already stated, get a C&R license.

Alos, get a garand or two or three from CMP..and M1903A3 etc.

Get books, read all that you can, learn the prices and conditions.


Lots of fun
 
Seems like I might have one or two around here somewhere

Best thing to do, as previously stated, is get a C&R, send copies to everyone who counts, and clear out some serious closet space.
 
It seems most of us around here have one or more WWII-era guns. The usual suspects are:
  • 1) Mosin-Nagant
    2) Mauser
    3) Lee-Enfield
    4) Rifle, Caliber 30, M1 Garand
My specific list is:
  • 1) Polish M44
    2) Yugoslavian M48a
    3) No4Mk2
    4) Winchester of 1943 vintage
 
Sten MKII.

I'd like to get a Garand, but I can't spare the $600 right now. Oh well.
 
Yeah, i've got a couple of enfields, couple of mosin's, a mauser somewhere in that crowded safe too. I'm still workin' on the US rifles. They will come soon....:D It's addicting! Stay away from WWII milsurp rifles. Your wallet will never forgive you.
 
Just to clarify. In spite of what some ads imply, the Yugo M48/M48A was not used in WWII, is not German, is not a 98 Mauser, and has little historical value.

Destructo, your Nr. 4 Mk 2 is not WWII; the No. 4 Mk 1 and No. 4 Mk1* were used in WWII. Neither was the Polish M-N. Poland used the Mauser 98 (Polish Vz-29 or 98a) prior to and in the opening days of WWII. Russian arms were not adopted until the USSR "liberated" Poland and turned it Communist.

Russian capture K.98k's may be less than pristine, but there is absolutely no doubt that they were used in WWII, and in some of the heaviest fighting in that war. They are well worth a place in a WWII collection.

Jim
 
I'm gradually working on getting one of each of the main battle rifles of the major combatants.

Thus far I have:
A No.4Mk.2 (Yes, yes, Mr. Keenan, I know; I stumbled across a screamin' deal on an unissued Fazakerley recently, and haven't seen a wartime No.4 in a while that didn't have a bore that looked like a mineshaft in coal country. Someday my No.4Mk.1 will come, until then, my '54 Fazakerley will have to do...:D )
A '42 Springfield Garand
A '44 Izhevsk Mosin 91/30
A '43 byf 98k
and a Type 99 Arisaka.

Only an MAS-36 and a Mannlicher-Carcano to go. :)
 
Just to clarify. In spite of what some ads imply, the Yugo M48/M48A was not used in WWII, is not German, is not a 98 Mauser, and has little historical value.
Click to expand...

Very true. But where else can you get a nice (sometimes new) rifle for under $100? And since it has little historical value, I dont have to worry about taking it out and messing it up.
 
C&R is for "Curio and Relic."

Someone posted a link about how to get your C&R license--not that difficult, from what I understand.
 
Sure I have a WWII collection, doesn't everyone ?

M1s, 1903s, 1903A3s, M1 Carbine, K98, MN91/30, MN 44, MN 38, and of course plenty of stuff from the "other" countries: Sweedes, Finns, Swiss................
 
So far I've only got a Garand. I want to have the battle rifle of the major non-Axis countries, so I'll be getting a K-31, an M-39 and an Enfield at some point. Yeah, the Swiss didn't fight, but that's because about 850,000 of them were armed with the K-31 and its older brother, the K-11. The M-39 is the same design as the Russian Mosins, but far more accurate (though I may get a "former sniper" M91/30, just to have it). I don't know about buying the M-1 Carbine, as it is quite expensive compared to the rest and doesn't have either the accuracy or punch of a real battle rifle.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: I have no interest in any French gun, even if it was never used and only dropped once (or, more accurately, because way too many of them were never used and only dropped once).

As far as a list of dealers, here's a good thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=86466&highlight=armory+aim+sog+c%26r
 
I don't know about buying the M-1 Carbine, as it is quite expensive compared to the rest and doesn't have either the accuracy or punch of a real battle rifle.
Click to expand...


A 110 grain bullet at 2100 FPS is nothing to scoff at.

With a 30 round mag I can rapid fire all of them into a pie plate at 50 yards.


I do agree with you about the price. A nice matching mumber carbine runs almost the same as a garand.
 
There was a WWI joke about the Swiss. Supposedly, the German Kaiser visited Switzerland and spoke with the colonel who was commander of the Swiss army. (They have generals only in wartime.)

The Kaiser asked how many men the Swiss could muster in an emergency. The colonel replied that maybe they could round up a million men. The Kaiser then asked haughtily, "What would you do if five million Germans marched across your border at dawn tomorrow?"

The Swiss officer replied, "Each of my men would fire five shots and we would go home for breakfast."

The story is a myth; the Kaiser never visited Switzerland. But it is not a myth that the German army never did, either.

Jim
 
The story is a myth; the Kaiser never visited Switzerland. But it is not a myth that the German army never did, either.
Click to expand...

One of my favorites! :D

(Except I always thought it was Goering that didn't visit Switzerland before WWII. Nobody ever tells me the right myths! :scrutiny: ;) )
 
U.S. : I've got an RIA 03A3, Springfield M1 Garand, and an IBM M1 Carbine

Russian: 91 and 91/30

A bunch of Finns (but they don't exactly count as WWII since they had their own little war going on with the Soviets)
 
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