Ballad of the Old Irons

[FlyinBryan]

that k31 right up there got me excited.

ok, since the o.p. says garands qualify, heres some old iron.

 

[happygeek]

My 1944 M1

 

[dak0ta]

My 1945 Swiss K31 Short Rifle with Walnut Stock:

 

[AethelstanAegen]

If the Garand counts, I'll have to add once I can take some new pictures (all the old ones were deleted when my computer crashed). That said here are some that add me to the Mauser club (though I plan to add a Finnish Mosin as soon as possible and then possibly a Persian Mauser). My Yugo M24/47 (though somewhere along the way it picked up an M48 stock):

In it's natural habitat.

Down the iron sights...which I actually prefer to scoping my rifles, but then again, my eyes are fairly young so I suppose I have an advantage.

There's just something about the proof/inspection marks on a surplus rifle that bring the history alive for me...it's something you never see on commercial firearms. This particular Mauser also has a crown stamped on the bolt handle, which reveals it's history as an M1924 when Yugoslavia was a monarchy, but the receiver bears the stamp of communist Yugoslavia...those are some cool clues to the life of this rifle and the history it's seen.

Nice thread idea by the way...it's always great to see other milsurps!

 

[BrocLuno]

Lynxsnare - I like that pile o iron

 

[fireman 9731]

Lets see some more!