Deactivated milsurps.

midnightpossum

midnightpossum

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When I see deactivated milsurps… I often think it would be neat to own one or two, however I can't seem to get over the price. Personally I don't feel something that does not function as intended, has no business fetching the same amount of $$ as a functioning unit.
Anybody else feel this way?

I am unfamiliar with how firearms are deactivated.. and would like to understand this better.
 
It's about the unobtainable of it all. Personally I do not see the point in tying money up in a useless piece of metal. However if I had the spare coin I might pop on a Tommy gun
 
some time ( all the time) its the only way to have a ( mp-30.thompson, ppsh, stg-44,mg-42 and much more) in your hand and have the story in your safe

if i had the money a maxim and and japanese type 99 lmg :)
 
I have bought guns which were either full auto or C/A and had the seller send them to my gunsmith for deactivation. As such, they cost just as much as a live gun, plus the shipping and deactivation fees. While I hate to do it, there quite frankly is no other way to have them in my collection. Going to a museum and looking at them through glass just doesn't do it for me.

I am primarily a military vehicle collector, so the dewats are ideal for public displays of my vehicles. They fit within the historic perspective of the vehicle, and are not subject to the storage or transportation laws. As such, I have some non-restricted guns deactivated as required.

If they are live, then they are relegated to a safe. If they are deactivated, they are available to be seen.
 
midnightpossum said:
When I see deactivated milsurps… I often think it would be neat to own one or two, however I can't seem to get over the price. Personally I don't feel something that does not function as intended, has no business fetching the same amount of $$ as a functioning unit.
Anybody else feel this way?

I am unfamiliar with how firearms are deactivated.. and would like to understand this better.
Click to expand...

I'll try to answer your question from my perspective. Others may not agree with it but we are free to choose how we pursue our hobbies and spend our money.

I own a few deactivated firearms now because I am assembling a collection of firearms for a WW2 military display. Some firearms will be full functioning rifles and pistols. But to truly show the weapons that were used I have to purchase some dewats. That's the way it is due to Canadian firearms laws.

Now I could chose not to represent some of the firearms that were used (and due to either cost or some being truly unobtainable, that will have to be) or use photos and airsoft/plastic models in their place. But I think its more interesting for people to actually hold in their hands what was really used even if it is no longer full functioning.

So that explains my rationale for purchasing deactivated firearms. Now to cost. Price varied from a low of $100 for a dewat Bayard 6.35 Modele Depose 1908 to $325 for a deactivated Sten. I've also paid for prohibited pistols that were fully functioning and then paid more to have them deactivated. These usually cost me around $125 to $175 each. I am not licensed to own prohibs so that's the only way I could obtain them. This bothers some people but the alternative might be the smelter as scrap.

I find that the price for a dewat is basically like the price for anything. Supply and demand. I have been able to negotiate a lower price on some dewats/prohibs because the sellers wants to sell them and few want to buy them. This goes for individuals on the EE and for retailers. In one case I made an offer on a prohib that the seller had listed for 6 months and had not sold. On the other hand, I've had to pay the asking price (Sten) because that was the going price at the time and the seller was not going to negotiate. It was pay or go away. And I have walked on dewats/prohibs because the price is more than I'm willing to pay.

The seller is free to sell it if he can for what he wants. There are still people licensed for prohibs and I'm sure they trade amongst themselves. And there are people with deep pockets who will pay whatever it takes to get what they want. Again supply and demand. I still occasionally kick myself for passing up on a $600 dewat Bren a few years back. Now they go for at least twice that. But at the time I was buying a few other firearms and had to make a choice. Ce la vie.

Hope this helps.
 
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fugawi said:
I'll try to answer your question from my perspective. Others may not agree with it but we are free to choose how we pursue our hobbies and spend our money.

I own a few deactivated firearms now because I am assembling a collection of firearms for a WW2 military display. Some firearms will be full functioning rifles and pistols. But to truly show the weapons that were used I have to purchase some dewats. That's the way it is due to Canadian firearms laws.

Now I could chose not to represent some of the firearms that were used (and due to either cost or some being truly unobtainable, that will have to be) or use photos and airsoft/plastic models in their place. But I think its more interesting for people to actually hold in their hands what was really used even if it is no longer full functioning.

So that explains my rationale for purchasing deactivated firearms. Now to cost. Price varied from a low of $100 for a dewat Bayard 6.35 Modele Depose 1908 to $325 for a deactivated Sten. I've also paid for prohibited pistols that were fully functioning and then paid more to have them deactivated. These usually cost me around $125 to $175 each. I am not licensed to own prohibs so that's the only way I could obtain them. This bothers some people but the alternative might be the smelter as scrap.

I find that the price for a dewat is basically like the price for anything. Supply and demand. I have been able to negotiate a lower price on some dewats/prohibs because the sellers wants to sell them and few want to buy them. This goes for individuals on the EE and for retailers. In one case I made an offer on a prohib that the seller had listed for 6 months and had not sold. On the other hand, I've had to pay the asking price (Sten) because that was the going price at the time and the seller was not going to negotiate. It was pay or go away. And I have walked on dewats/prohibs because the price is more than I'm willing to pay.

The seller is free to sell it if he can for what he wants. There are still people licensed for prohibs and I'm sure they trade amongst themselves. And there are people with deep pockets who will pay whatever it takes to get what they want. Again supply and demand. I still occasionally kick myself for passing up on a $600 dewat Bren a few years back. Now they go for at least twice that. But at the time I was buying a few other firearms and had to make a choice. Ce la vie.

Hope this helps.
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I really appreciate your response .. I am always intrigued to understand how, or why people collect the things they do.
 
On the EE, you will find a variation in price of up to 3 times for the same item depending on the sellers asking price.

It pays to shop around.
 
The vast majority of the Enfield manuals and books I have came from someone in the UK, and he has a wide verity of Commonwealth military weapons from handguns to machine guns.

All his firearms are deactivated and he has never shot a firearm in his entire life but he could tell you anything you wanted to know about these firearms.

We are lucky here in North America to be able to shoot the firearms we do have but my friend in the UK has a policeman come to his house once per year to inspect his deactivated weapons.

And here in the U.S. a few years ago a person bought a deactivated Enfield rifle that had been "reactivated" by a gun store that had a 1/2 inch hole drilled in the receiver and blew the end of his thumb off.
 
I get goosebumps when I see "Deactivated" as many of the norwegian K98's are now sold as deactivated. The procedure is this: drill a 10mm hole the full length of the barrel, insert a steel rod, weld it in both ends, cut the receiver 45 degree angle making sure the bolt and firing pin in severed. Maybe even more, and the funny thing is rifles are advertised as fully functional or for a couple hundred they can deactivate. I have been trying to get one over, lots of them still available, unfortunately they are not that popular for hunting anymore so people get them deactivated and use them for wallhangers. Siigh...
 
DEWATs are pretty much firearms that are welded completely shut these days. High priced paper weights. I don't get it either. Mind you, I don't get collecting dinner plates or Coke bottles. Gotta agree putting 'em in a vehicle display is better than turning 'em into cars though.
 
FALover said:
As much as I would like Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night on my wall it ain't happening. So it is with dewat firearms. Sometimes we to settle for copies.
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Show me where you are going to find a Bayard 6.35 Modele Depose 1908 copy?

sunray said:
DEWATs are pretty much firearms that are welded completely shut these days. High priced paper weights. I don't get it either. Mind you, I don't get collecting dinner plates or Coke bottles. Gotta agree putting 'em in a vehicle display is better than turning 'em into cars though.
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Some are completely welded. My dewat Bayard is. But three are #### and click, and the mags release. Mileage will vary. I certainly wouldn't collect coke bottles either. (though I'll bet you could make a profit if you had the right ones) Each to their own. But if someone wants to drop 7 bills for a dewat AK-74 that's his business.

I wouldn't drop nine for an AR except if its an SP1. Can't really see spending lots of money on a rifle I can only use on a range. But lots do.

NL-Hunter said:
I get goosebumps when I see "Deactivated" as many of the norwegian K98's are now sold as deactivated.
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Personally I don't agree with any non restricted firearm being deactivated unless its unsafe. Why its done - well I suppose the owner sees an advantage in doing so. There are/were a few dewat non restricteds at Collector's Source.
 
fugawi said:
Show me where you are going to find a Bayard 6.35 Modele Depose 1908 copy?



Some are completely welded. My dewat Bayard is. But three are #### and click, and the mags release. Mileage will vary. I certainly wouldn't collect coke bottles either. (though I'll bet you could make a profit if you had the right ones) Each to their own. But if someone wants to drop 7 bills for a dewat AK-74 that's his business.

I wouldn't drop nine for an AR except if its an SP1. Can't really see spending lots of money on a rifle I can only use on a range. But lots do.



Personally I don't agree with any non restricted firearm being deactivated unless its unsafe. Why its done - well I suppose the owner sees an advantage in doing so. There are/were a few dewat non restricteds at Collector's Source.
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I have absolutely NO IDEA how the Collectors Source gets away with deactivating NR/R firearms! Like why the #### would you deact a KAR 91 or Gew 88??????
 
Yep im with stencollector, deacts are a necessary evil when wanting to have the authentic look on a military vehicle. I finally have found all the machineguns i needed for the halftrack. Most shows will not allow for live guns, some not even deacts.

stencollector said:
I have bought guns which were either full auto or C/A and had the seller send them to my gunsmith for deactivation. As such, they cost just as much as a live gun, plus the shipping and deactivation fees. While I hate to do it, there quite frankly is no other way to have them in my collection. Going to a museum and looking at them through glass just doesn't do it for me.

I am primarily a military vehicle collector, so the dewats are ideal for public displays of my vehicles. They fit within the historic perspective of the vehicle, and are not subject to the storage or transportation laws. As such, I have some non-restricted guns deactivated as required.

If they are live, then they are relegated to a safe. If they are deactivated, they are available to be seen.
Click to expand...
 
well I can tell you one reason. I restored a 1918 MK3 star bar and traded it to them in a package and they deactivated it because the barrel was almost completely roached out. the gun was in top shape but you couldn't really shoot it anyways. so that's why the deactivation. it was a looker not a shooter.
also I am sure they sell to over seas places were they cant buy any guns so this is a way to open to a wider market.
in the past I have had them deactivate an AK47 for me and I can tell you there deactivations are top notch! if you read there listings they will tell you if someone else deactivated the gun or not. so if you see an NR gun deactivated on there site its possible some one had ordered it that way and they picked it up from a trade or what ever.



Recce21 said:
I have absolutely NO IDEA how the Collectors Source gets away with deactivating NR/R firearms! Like why the #### would you deact a KAR 91 or Gew 88??????
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But the deactivated guns say on the site that they can only be sold and shipped within Canada.
JTF# said:
well I can tell you one reason. I restored a 1918 MK3 star bar and traded it to them in a package and they deactivated it because the barrel was almost completely roached out. the gun was in top shape but you couldn't really shoot it anyways. so that's why the deactivation. it was a looker not a shooter.
also I am sure they sell to over seas places were they cant buy any guns so this is a way to open to a wider market.
in the past I have had them deactivate an AK47 for me and I can tell you there deactivations are top notch! if you read there listings they will tell you if someone else deactivated the gun or not. so if you see an NR gun deactivated on there site its possible some one had ordered it that way and they picked it up from a trade or what ever.
Click to expand...
 
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