surplus rifles

[Nicodemus38]

what do you do if you want a surplus rifle that is actually usable, in 6.5 swede, 8x57 mauser, 7.65x53 mauser, 7x57 mauser, 7.5x55 swiss?

the most affordable ones are all mitchells mausers, and even though they are not always actual german production, they have most of the right physical requirements, and the right dimensions. any suggestions please? i cant afford an original one costing 1200.oo

 

[AH-1]

my fav is the finn mosin nagants.ammo is cheap and the rifles are very accurate.the K-31 is also a great rifle.I really enjoy shooting mine.
pete

 

[DougW]

The 6.5 Swede is AWSOME! Wish I could find a nice one.

OK, I think I have my geography straight now!

 

[R.W.Dale]

You educate yourself on the mechanics and characteristics that you need to know to select safe shootable a rifle in the calibers you list.

None of which you mention that can't be had all day long in VG condition shootable examples for more than $400

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

It depends what you want.

If you are looking for a historic shooter than you may try a local gun show or look at web sites like AIM or Classic Arms. (Google them). you can find many historic guns in good to very good condition. Many will tell you to stay away from mitchels mausers. Due to price and in the past there have been concerns about misleading advertising. Currently they seem to be fairly straight forward about what you are getting, prices still seem high IMO. If you are looking for just a good rifle in those calibers and dont want or care about any historical value, then a post war yugoslavian rifle might just be the ticket. They tend to be in very good to like new condition (wernt drug through a war).

Just know that for many mil-surplus rifles 2" at 100yds is doing pretty good. Where a new savage at wally world will run you 300-350 can be had in 308 or 30-06 and will often shoot sub 1" at 100. It will be drilled and tapped for a scope, and may even come with one. However it will likely have a synthetic stock and Zero History.

All Depending on what you want....

 

[SCPigpen]

Please give us more info on what you mean by "usable".

I have a Yugo M48 that shot this target from 50 yards with the iron sights. It was $150 and I have used it to take deer.

 

[Gelgoog]

what do you do if you want a surplus rifle that is actually usable, in 6.5 swede, 8x57 mauser, 7.65x53 mauser, 7x57 mauser, 7.5x55 swiss?

the most affordable ones are all mitchells mausers, and even though they are not always actual german production, they have most of the right physical requirements, and the right dimensions. any suggestions please? i cant afford an original one costing 1200.oo

*** are you smoking? Mitchels are more expensive then the originals and not even half as good. You can get Milsurps in VG conditions ( especially mausers) all day long under $500. Hell I got a M1917, 1909 argentine, 1896 swede, etc...all in VG-unissued condition for under $500. There is absolutely no reason why you should ever have to buy a mitchells anything.

 

[arappmem]

I'm thinking about one of the Mosin Nagants...has anyone though put a modern tac stock out for the rifle?

 

[SCPigpen]

Like these stocks?
http://www.atigunstocks.com/m-11-mosin-nagant.aspx








What a thread Hi-jacker!!

 

[nathan]

Mitchell Mausers are known to be overpriced. AImsurplus and Classicarms have reasonable prices on different ones.

 

[KDS]

Gelgoog, where do you get those for under 500? I have another thread going about starting a milsurp collection but am worried about the condition of guns bought online. Did you get them from internet vendors or gun shows? The prices on gunbroker seem high to me. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Gelgoog, where do you get those for under 500? I have another thread going about starting a milsurp collection but am worried about the condition of guns bought online. Did you get them from internet vendors or gun shows? The prices on gunbroker seem high to me. Any suggestions are appreciated.

a good collector draws on ALL sources

he scans the internet constantly (gunboards will be invaluable to you)

the scours gunshows

and hits every pawnshop and gun store within a 200 mile radius

I've bought from all these sources

 

[SCPigpen]

Just to tease you.

 

[SCPigpen]

If you get a C&R license you can buy from the distributor, not pay retail and have the guns sent to your house. You don't get to look the gun over before you buy it but most places have a return policy. It only cost $30 bucks to the ATF and a little time. It is well worth the trouble.

I paid $101 for the SKS, $59 for the turk mauser, $99 for the enfield and $150 for the M48. This M91/30 was only $78 bucks.

Ps. All those prices were with shipping. Yeah, you can't find those prices anymore but what you do save will be well spent on ammo. You will need a lot!

 

[Nicodemus38]

i refuse to buy any rifle sight unseen unless i have a written warranty that states, i can send it back due to unhappiness with material condition once the barrelled action is pulled from stock. Dont wish to end up with a junked up rifle with more rust then a used YUGO car pulled from a swamp.

usuability, id like to get that 2 inch group at 100 yards. heck, a 6 inch group at 2-300 would be GREAT. i hunt deer, not squirrel.

 

[R.W.Dale]

i refuse to buy any rifle sight unseen unless i have a written warranty that states, i can send it back due to unhappiness with material condition once the barrelled action is pulled from stock. Dont wish to end up with a junked up rifle with more rust then a used YUGO car pulled from a swamp.

Then I'm gonna be frank here and say that collecting milsurp rifles is NOT for you. It doesn't matter where you look to purchase from NOBODY is gonna let you take a gun apart and then return it.

 

[SCPigpen]

I understand your concern about the condition. I was the same way. Like I said most places have a return policy. I have ordered guns from 5-6 different places and have yet had somthing I thought about returning. The enfield, with the right load, will shoot to 3 inches @ 100yrds. Took a doe with it. The M48 is real good with a 220gr hornady and some H4350, took 2 small bucks with it. One was @ 65yrds the other @ 70-somthing paces(didn't have a rangefinder that time). The SKS was pristine. The turk, well what can I say about the turk, it was 49.99 if you ordered 2. It shot about 4-8 inches with various surplus rounds. I got rid of it cause it was taking up too much space, never shot it that much. Sold it for 160 though.

 

[Gelgoog]

well most of my best peices came from a small gunshop that I would frequent. Every so often a very nice rifle from a collector who is getting old or a widow selling off her husbands stuff. I also found a lot of nice guns on gunbroker and some of them were very rare like a Moroccan Gendarmerie carbine ( less than 1000 made) or a Argentine 1909 mountain carbine. Both of which I got for under $500 on gunbroker.

I have never found **** at a gunshow and would never waste my time or money going to another one. Everything is overpriced and picked over even before the doors open.

So yea, you really don't have to look very hard, great condition milsurps are all over the place, you just have to look for them. Unless your collecting rare and popular milsurps, then there is no reason why you should be paying more then $500.

You can get all matching 90% swedish mausers (which are some of the best mausers) all day long on gunbroker for around $350. South American contracts mausers that can be found in excellent- unissue condition can be had for around $500 all the time, and even very nice persian mausers can be had for less than $500.

Just shoot me a PM and I'll take a look around for some good deals.

 

[XxWINxX94]

DONT GO WITH MITCHELLS MAUSERS.

I bought the "service grade" Kar98k for $400 + ffl fee + shipping.
I am not satisfied with this gun at all. The only 2 numbers that match are the bolt and the reciever. It's pretty beat up, but it shoots with no problem.

If you are collecting, I would avoid mitchell's at all costs, they're are plenty of other specimans out there.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The 6.5 [Strike]Swiss[/Strike] Swede is AWSOME! Wish I could find a nice one.

The only rifle in this photo that cost me over $300 was the M1903. All of them are perfectly useable rifles. The M96 Swede (6.5x55) and M93 Spanish (7x57) are my two favorite shooters after the '03. I think I paid $125 for the M93.

You can find lots of good Mausers and other mil surps for not a lot of money if you know where to look

 

[Gelgoog]

there is also a difference between people who enjoy milsurps and collectors. I am not the pickiest collector, I have several "bubba" milsurps and they are actually some of my most prized guns. I am not a picky collector who wraps all of his weapons in silk and never fires them. However a bubba does not mean a fudd gun, it just means something that was altered. I also have unissued guns in 99% condition all matching that I keep stashed away. You can collect for authenticity or you can acquire them to have fun with...I do both.

Frankly I couldn't imagine buying a gun and never firing it....that would be like buying a classic muscle car and never driving it.

 

[madcratebuilder]

First get your C&R, then set up dealer accounts at all the on-line gun supply shops. I spend 4 or more hours a day on the net looking for rifles and parts. There are good deals out there. You need to know what you are buying. All this "don't buy a Mitchells Mauser" is BS. I would not buy from Mitchells, but they have released some excellent rifles, along with a boat load of crap. Educate yourself so you know the difference.

 

[paducahrider]

Where to find'em?

Howdy!
The military surplus rack at a local gun store was where I found an all-numbers-matching(with the exception of the handguard and missing cleaning rod) M-1896, 6.5x55, Carl Gustafs-built Swedish Mauser.
Once removal of the cosmoline, steaming out a few dents, block-sanding and re-oiling the walnut stock had been done. it looked almost brand new, even to the metalwork and pristine bore. There wasn't a deep scratch on the stock, and no dents, scratches or worn bluing on the metalwork.
The buttstock information disc indicated that the bore was tight and this was born out by measurement. It actually appeared almost unfired.
It set me back $149.99+tax, and shoots as good as my eyes will let it.
It would be a true tack-driver if I could bear to have it drilled and tapped for a scope.
The gunshop owner didn't believe I had bought the rifle from him, when I showed it to him, after it had been cleaned up.
I haven't seen one to match it, at any price.
There are some bargains still out there, but there is lots of junk also, so don't jump in too quickly without close examination and some research.
Thanks for your time.

 

[Smokey Joe]

What to do...

Nicodemus 38--You asked

what do you do if you want a surplus rifle

and the answer is the same as it always is when you want something: First, you study up on it so you know what you are about. Except for pure, blind, luck, that is the only way IMX, to get, nicely, what you want, without vastly overpaying for it. And even then, a little luck never hurts.

I think that is what the above posters are trying to tell you. I'm being blunt, but there is a long tradition. As Pythagoras said to the king who wanted to learn a branch of math, but wanted a quick, easy, way of learning, and skip all the boring details, "Sire, there is no royal road to geometry."

www.surplusrifle.com is a wealth of info. Go there and read and learn. There are also sites that specialize in each different milsurp, e.g. www.sksboards.com Study up and then you will be able to answer your own question, from a well-informed basis. There just isn't a simple, quick-and-easy, universal answer--and if there were, somebody would be selling it for a profit.

Now, if you're rich, and just want to throw money at the milsurp question, then and only then go to Mitchell's Mausers, buy their presentation grade or whatever they call it, and you'll have a nice, cleaned-up, prettied-up, non-collector-grade, and very expensive milsurp. And it will shoot well. But you pay $$ for your lack of knowledge. You might just as well buy a brand-new Savage in whatever cartridge you're interested.

Sorry if that wasn't the answer for which you were hoping.

 

[SaxonPig]

I don't think you need to pay $1,200 for a shootable military collectible rifle. Look around and I think you'll find many good deals on various rifles. I favor the M98s myself but the Russian WW II rifles are very popular.

This was $81 off GunBroker:





Paid $235 for this "Russian Capture" Mauser that has all markings intact.