Thoughts about Russian arsenal M1911-A1

[Rival]

Did you guys know that USA send A LOT of government 1911s over to Russia during WWII, as part of the Lend Lease program - to help Soviets fight off the Germans on their side. US send a lot of Thompsons over as well.

Russians did not use most of that stuff, but did not return it after the war was over. They still have piles of brand spanking new 1911-A1s and Thompsons stored in their arsenals.

I got this information from Russian friends who served on some of those arsenals and saw those American made weapons in brand new condtition... Whole shelves with those guns, from one end of the storage to another.

.45ACP ammo was provided for all these weapons as well. Some of that ammo made it back to US not long ago, and was sold at bargain prices, in original crates.

Maybe some day Russia will allow those 1911s to be imported back into US? I mean they must have A LOT of them.

 

[MrMurphy]

There's a picture in the Time-Life series of books on WW2 about the Russian front. Bunch of Russians marching from somewhere to somewhere in wintertime. There's a Russian right in front of the camera with an M1928 Thompson in excellent condition at shoulder arms. <sigh> Wish I had it.


As to reimports, there's a lot of Danish and Greek M1s coming back into the country, so I wouldn't be surprised if the 1911s came back.

 

[Trebor]

They won't be coming back anytime soon. The U.S. prohibits the reimport of weapons given as foreign aid or sold to a foreign govt. The exception is that .30 rifles given as Lend-Lease can be returned by the foreign govt to the U.S. military and then can be given to the CMP. That's where those Dane and Greek Garands and Greek Springfields the CMP sold came from.

But, the CMP is prohibited from selling handguns so those 1911's won't be coming home unless the law changes.

 

[Jim Watson]

Yeah, they probably still have racks of Colt Berdan single shot rifles and No 3 Smith & Wessons, too.
I once read an account of Americans being shot at early in Korea with a Russian Gorlov Gatling gun copy.
There was an article in an old, old Shooting Times about a watchmaker who fixed Nikita Kruschev's watch on a US visit. He casually mentioned that he was a Luger collector and had heard that there had been a Russian contract. A while later a Luger with crossed Moisin Nagant crest shows up in his mail.
Seems they don't throw anything away. And since we are friends, now, maybe we can get some of that obsolete gear someday.

 

[Silent Bob]

The Russians still maintain warehouses of WWII-era artillery pieces and other weaponry, in case they ever need them again. They are military packrats.

 

[Drjones]

Russians did not use most of that stuff, but did not return it after the war was over. They still have piles of brand spanking new 1911-A1s and Thompsons stored in their arsenals.

I got this information from Russian friends who served on some of those arsenals and saw those American made weapons in brand new condtition... Whole shelves with those guns, from one end of the storage to another.

Drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllll.............

 

[Master Blaster]

Maybe EAA could get a license to import them?????

If they can import .45 1911's from the Phillipines why not from Russia, especially if they were made in the USA

 

[Parker Dean]

The U.S. prohibits the reimport of weapons given as foreign aid or sold to a foreign govt.

Well, we're just going to have to get that changed, won't we? Or at least some sort of variance allowance. No doubt somebody's got a financial issue with having a bunch of M16's and whatnot coming back and killing new rifle sales, so they'll keep the political pressure on unless they're assured it won't affect them.

I also suspect the Russians would sell these .45's no problem if they could get some decent money for them. And that would just about require a U.S. market.

 

[armoredman]

Why stop there? I wanna look in Uncle Joes' underground garages! Somewhere in there is at least one Panzer III, Panzer IVG, and Panzer V, (Tiger), in good shape! I am also willing to bet a Panzer VI, AKA Tiger II, AKA King Tiger, is hiding in there! Now that would be a collectable! BTW, there is one (1) running Tiger II in the entire world, that we know of right now.
I would drool for hours in places like that. The wife would be pissed - i'd be gone for days.....

 

[Trebor]

There's also a bunch of Winchester 95's in 7.62x54 in Russia. These could come back, but so far no one has been able to strike a deal. The problem is that the Russians now want near full retail price for the rifles and no one can afford to buy them to import for that. There just wouldn't be any room to make a profit.

 

[Mk VII]

see this thread for crate of the Russian Thompsons
http://www.machinegunbooks.com/foru...x.php?act=ST&f=3&t=2226&hl=russia,or,russian&

 

[Brian D.]

Actually, about two-three years ago a place called Cole Distributing managed to import a small batch of 1911s with Cyrillic writing on them--they were certainly issued in Russia at some point in the past. You might ask the Cole folks if they have leads on any more. I've certainly kicked myself a time or two for not picking one up during the short time they were available. (They weren't inexpensive, but Gary Cole told me at the time that these might be a one-time deal.. )