what WAS grandpa holding in that pic?

[Vasilia Zhietzev]

hello!

anyone out there have any good places to start researching what types of firearms were in common use during the period of 1870 to 1917? i have been writing up some family history, and i'd love to include specifications, pictures, & illustrations of what my great great grandmother was shooting, what my grandfather carried in the croatian war, etc...

websites, historical collections, books, people, anything welcome. figured this a good place to start!

many thanks,
VZ

 

[P95Carry]

hey ''VeeZee''!

I'm not much on the history stuff but ... you could start looking here ..

http://www.cruffler.com/

May lead you further.. not sure.

 

[Jim K]

That period in Europe is pretty tough to research in this country. There are few books in print and those cover mainly the major military arms.

If you have pictures, a good magnifying glass is the best help in trying to identify the weapons that were carried, but if you have nothing to compare them with, the pictures are not much help.

If you do have pics, try to take digital pics of them and maybe we can help identify the weapons.

Jim

 

[Mike Irwin]

Well, a common rifle from the 1870s onwards would have been the Model 1868 Berdan, firing the 10.6x57R cartridge.

There was also a carbine round with a 47 mm case.

 

[Jagermeister]

VZ:
I may be able to help, don't know, but will try:

http://members.tripod.com/firearmsresearch

JM

 

[Crimper-D]

At that time period in the Balkins, Grandpa could have been packing ANYTHING!

If he was luckey, he might have gotten his hands on a captured Turk Mauser - Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece were setteling old scores against the Ottaman Turks, pushing them out of their holdings in Macedonia.
Practically every surplus military firearm of the preceeding couple of decades were being run into forcesin every country in the Balkins.... Martinis, Rolling Blocks, Berdans, Mannlichers, = without pics, the possabilities are pretty much unlimited.

 

[Crimper-D]

At that time period in the Balkins, Grandpa could have been packing ANYTHING!

If he was luckey, he might have gotten his hands on a captured Turk Mauser - Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece were setteling old scores against the Ottaman Turks, pushing them out of their holdings in Macedonia.
Practically every surplus military firearm of the preceeding couple of decades were being run into forcesin every country in the Balkins.... Martinis, Rolling Blocks, Berdans, Mannlichers, = without pics, the possabilities are pretty much unlimited.

 

[Vasilia Zhietzev]

thanks one and all for the posts, i will be checking the sites & i have requested the photographs & letters from the family. this will be really interesting, LOL!

i'll bore all of you with it someday, too! (and that's a threat! ;-) )

VZ

 

[P95Carry]

i'll bore all of you with it someday, too! (and that's a threat! ;-) )

Make that a promise - and we'll let you back in!

 

[Vasilia Zhietzev]

ok....i promise....hope you guys are up for 'the man who fenced the west' & assorted tales of seduction, betrayal & heartbreak, LOL!
see ya soon!

VZ