MachIVshooter
Member
Oh boy, you're in for it 
. Very few of us have ever been successful at limiting the mil surp collections. The things breed like rabbits. You get a particular model, and you wind up wanting each variant, or ones with different aresenal marks, etc.
Lot's to be said, but I'll condense it a bit. The 7.7mm type 99 is the most often encountered, usually with the 'mum (crysanthemum; emperors mark) defaced and the dust cover long since discarded. They're usually in the $200-$300 range in decent shape. Type 38 (6.5x50mm) is next for availability, and a little more likely to have an in-tact mum. Type 44's are less common and bring a bit of a premium. There are other variants as well, but these are the one's you're likely to actually find without searching very carefully.
The British SMLE is probably the most fun to shoot out of the European armory, maybe save the (awesome) K-31. The No. 4 Mk III is most common.
The French MAS 36 is a cool rifle, with brutal recoil. But 7.5x54mm ammo is hard to find, best done as a reloading venture.
The Italian Carcanos are gonna be easy to acquire and generally very cheap, with the 6.5mm M91/38 short rifle being most common. The 7.35mm M38 commands a little more cash, and ammo is not widely available, mostly being 70+ year old surplus stuff. They also require en-bloc clips to function, FYI.
As Mausers go, the Swede's are certainly the nicest, IMO. I kinda prefer the M96 long rifle.
The best way to grow your collection without going bust is to know how to identify them, what the values are and to have enough disposable cash to pick them up quickly when the opportunity presents. I've scored alot of them at really amazing prices because the shop was too lazy to research it and I had the funds to jump on it. Think Original G-98 for $100, SVT-40 for $200, and so on.
Good luck and welcome to the addiction!
. Very few of us have ever been successful at limiting the mil surp collections. The things breed like rabbits. You get a particular model, and you wind up wanting each variant, or ones with different aresenal marks, etc.Lot's to be said, but I'll condense it a bit. The 7.7mm type 99 is the most often encountered, usually with the 'mum (crysanthemum; emperors mark) defaced and the dust cover long since discarded. They're usually in the $200-$300 range in decent shape. Type 38 (6.5x50mm) is next for availability, and a little more likely to have an in-tact mum. Type 44's are less common and bring a bit of a premium. There are other variants as well, but these are the one's you're likely to actually find without searching very carefully.
The British SMLE is probably the most fun to shoot out of the European armory, maybe save the (awesome) K-31. The No. 4 Mk III is most common.
The French MAS 36 is a cool rifle, with brutal recoil. But 7.5x54mm ammo is hard to find, best done as a reloading venture.
The Italian Carcanos are gonna be easy to acquire and generally very cheap, with the 6.5mm M91/38 short rifle being most common. The 7.35mm M38 commands a little more cash, and ammo is not widely available, mostly being 70+ year old surplus stuff. They also require en-bloc clips to function, FYI.
As Mausers go, the Swede's are certainly the nicest, IMO. I kinda prefer the M96 long rifle.
The best way to grow your collection without going bust is to know how to identify them, what the values are and to have enough disposable cash to pick them up quickly when the opportunity presents. I've scored alot of them at really amazing prices because the shop was too lazy to research it and I had the funds to jump on it. Think Original G-98 for $100, SVT-40 for $200, and so on.
Good luck and welcome to the addiction!
