tark
Member
Anyone out there ever been to the Rock Island Arsenal Museum? If not, it is well worth your time to go. They have six guns on display that were picked up after a minor battle during the Indian wars. Some obscure place called "The Little Bighorn".
They have General John Buford's saber (Gettysburg fame) on display. They have Early Garand prototypes, Pedersons, Every prototype from the Garand to the M-14, every U.S. Martial Arm from the flintlock era forward.... I could go on forever. You like Pederson's devices? They have a couple, complete with all accessories. They have about a thousand guns on display.
But three are very special. Yes, the Springfield in the middle is R.I.A. 1903 serial number 1. You can barely see the serial# in the close up. tag # 6797 is serial # 2, a Model Shop Garand.
I don't have a pic of the 1892 Krag carbine, but it is the only one in existence. The army made two, as an experiment, trashed one, and the other one is here. The Holy Grail to Krag collectors.
The most intriguing thing about the place is this....they have several hundred guns in storage, in the basement.
And no one seems to know exactly what is down there....
They have General John Buford's saber (Gettysburg fame) on display. They have Early Garand prototypes, Pedersons, Every prototype from the Garand to the M-14, every U.S. Martial Arm from the flintlock era forward.... I could go on forever. You like Pederson's devices? They have a couple, complete with all accessories. They have about a thousand guns on display.
But three are very special. Yes, the Springfield in the middle is R.I.A. 1903 serial number 1. You can barely see the serial# in the close up. tag # 6797 is serial # 2, a Model Shop Garand.
I don't have a pic of the 1892 Krag carbine, but it is the only one in existence. The army made two, as an experiment, trashed one, and the other one is here. The Holy Grail to Krag collectors.
The most intriguing thing about the place is this....they have several hundred guns in storage, in the basement.
And no one seems to know exactly what is down there....