BridgeWalker
Member
Actually, I wasn't scared off. I did destroy a shoulder in judo, grappling with marines twice my size, after all. I'm not ezackly looking for ladies' guns here.
Can I get some intro info on surplus guns?
- Thread starter BridgeWalker
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Actually, I wasn't scared off. I did destroy a shoulder in judo, grappling with marines twice my size, after all. I'm not ezackly looking for ladies' guns here.
BridgeWalker
Member
Ack! I don't want to know! I already bought two guns in the past several weeks and the bank is officially broken.
Thanks for the info though. It's a whole new world of old stuff out there.
yeah, I'm catching on. There's just something about revolvers though...
Well now, that does sound like fun. So, ya gonna help me fund this adventure? I am but a poor law student...
jwxspoon
Member
That's a good thing, because the K-31 will introduce itself to your shoulder with a bang as well. Come to think of it, so will the SMLE, the K98... I love it.
jw
Cacique500
Member
And a couple of other good sights for milsurp info:
www.surplusrifleforum.com
www.gunboards.com
Definitely get the C&R - didn't see anybody mention this yet but you will also be able to get nice discounts from Grafs, Brownells, MidwayUSA, etc. You'll get your $30 bucks back from the C&R on your first purchase.
Dies are available for a large number of milsurp calibers.
Start budgeting for a second safe (even if you don't have your first safe yet) - somebody went and filled mine up with M-39's...
www.surplusrifleforum.com
www.gunboards.com
Definitely get the C&R - didn't see anybody mention this yet but you will also be able to get nice discounts from Grafs, Brownells, MidwayUSA, etc. You'll get your $30 bucks back from the C&R on your first purchase.
Dies are available for a large number of milsurp calibers.
Start budgeting for a second safe (even if you don't have your first safe yet) - somebody went and filled mine up with M-39's...
Cosmoline
Member
Here's my hot picks:
--Swiss straight pulls. K-31's, 1911's, 96/11's and all variants. These were never made in large numbers and are all excellent shooters. The prices are already heading north fast. A few years ago it was very hard to find reloadable ammo, but that situation is improving very quickly. The 7.5 Swiss is basically a .308 Ackley Improved, though it was designed half a century before the .308. The Swiss were generations ahead of us. The round is astonishingly accurate. Loaded properly it can easily give sub-MOA groups. Don't buy into the rumors about weak actions or vulnerability to field conditions. The K-31 in particular is as strong as an M-98, and the 1911 is strong enough for GP-11.
--Finnish Mosin-Nagants. The pre-war variations are already getting spendy, but can be found if you look sharp on the secondary market. The importer market has some wartime and post war M-39's, M-91's and M-30's, but supplies are limited. Now is the time to buy these. Some of the subtypes are incredibly rare and all have a good rep as shooters. They're very different from Soviet Mosins. The 54R is an ancient warhorse of a cartridge and there's plenty of it to be found.
--South American Mausers. These are mostly limited to the secondary market, but you can still find some for a reasonable price. There's a lot of growing collector's interest in these and they include some fine rifles.
--Swedish Mausers. These are getting really hard to find. They're fast in the hand and hit a lot harder than the paper ballistics would suggest. They're very accurate, of course. The 6.5 Swede is probably the best deer cartridge ever made.
--Great War rifles. The WWII rifles get 90% of the attention, but IMHO the better choice for a collector is often the WWI rifles. These are mostly on the secodary market now and a lot of them have been hacked up by bubba or importers. But if you can find one intact for a good price, grab it up. These include the 98 Mauser G's, the Swiss 1911's, the Imperial Russian M-91's, Eddystones, the old SMLE's, and a lot of other long, long LONG rifles. If they're not hacked, grab 'em. You may even find an old American Enfield with an "EK" stamped on the side of the stock! I found one once but the owner was saavy to what that stood for and wouldn't sell.
--Weird old stuff. Keep an eye out for weird old rifles. Mannlicher-Schoenauers, Siamese Mausers, Austro-Hungarian long rifles, etc. My general rule is that if it's fully intact and cheap, it's a buy. I don't keep a C&R license because if I did I'd be awash in these things.
--Swiss straight pulls. K-31's, 1911's, 96/11's and all variants. These were never made in large numbers and are all excellent shooters. The prices are already heading north fast. A few years ago it was very hard to find reloadable ammo, but that situation is improving very quickly. The 7.5 Swiss is basically a .308 Ackley Improved, though it was designed half a century before the .308. The Swiss were generations ahead of us. The round is astonishingly accurate. Loaded properly it can easily give sub-MOA groups. Don't buy into the rumors about weak actions or vulnerability to field conditions. The K-31 in particular is as strong as an M-98, and the 1911 is strong enough for GP-11.
--Finnish Mosin-Nagants. The pre-war variations are already getting spendy, but can be found if you look sharp on the secondary market. The importer market has some wartime and post war M-39's, M-91's and M-30's, but supplies are limited. Now is the time to buy these. Some of the subtypes are incredibly rare and all have a good rep as shooters. They're very different from Soviet Mosins. The 54R is an ancient warhorse of a cartridge and there's plenty of it to be found.
--South American Mausers. These are mostly limited to the secondary market, but you can still find some for a reasonable price. There's a lot of growing collector's interest in these and they include some fine rifles.
--Swedish Mausers. These are getting really hard to find. They're fast in the hand and hit a lot harder than the paper ballistics would suggest. They're very accurate, of course. The 6.5 Swede is probably the best deer cartridge ever made.
--Great War rifles. The WWII rifles get 90% of the attention, but IMHO the better choice for a collector is often the WWI rifles. These are mostly on the secodary market now and a lot of them have been hacked up by bubba or importers. But if you can find one intact for a good price, grab it up. These include the 98 Mauser G's, the Swiss 1911's, the Imperial Russian M-91's, Eddystones, the old SMLE's, and a lot of other long, long LONG rifles. If they're not hacked, grab 'em. You may even find an old American Enfield with an "EK" stamped on the side of the stock! I found one once but the owner was saavy to what that stood for and wouldn't sell.
--Weird old stuff. Keep an eye out for weird old rifles. Mannlicher-Schoenauers, Siamese Mausers, Austro-Hungarian long rifles, etc. My general rule is that if it's fully intact and cheap, it's a buy. I don't keep a C&R license because if I did I'd be awash in these things.
RUN! RUN NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
Now that I am done with my obligatory warning, a hearty welcome to poverty and the world of milsurp firearms.
I started a few years ago, with a common gateway drug, er, firearm, an SKS. Thought that would be it.
Now I have Mosins, Mausers, Swiss, and US rifles of every flavor. You will get a bigger kick out of this than I can tell ya...
I get some strange looks at the range, 5'2" woman with the long, long, old rifles, but it's more than worth it.
Just be aware-crack cocaine would be less addictive.
Now that I am done with my obligatory warning, a hearty welcome to poverty and the world of milsurp firearms.
I started a few years ago, with a common gateway drug, er, firearm, an SKS. Thought that would be it.
Now I have Mosins, Mausers, Swiss, and US rifles of every flavor. You will get a bigger kick out of this than I can tell ya...
I get some strange looks at the range, 5'2" woman with the long, long, old rifles, but it's more than worth it.
Just be aware-crack cocaine would be less addictive.
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