Defintion of Milsurp?

[djmay71]

Long time admirer of the firearms posted in this section.

Anyways, I recently asked myself- "What is a milsurp?" and I found that I couldn't answer it. So I ask what is a milsurp?
Is a milsurp a firearm that has been used/issued to military units? Does it have to be dated to the proper era? Does the definition of milsurps include firearms that look similar and/or are of similar platform? IE: Norinco M305s are similar design as Springfield M1As.

 

[tiriaq]

"Military surplus" would suggest something that was government owned and was subsequently privatized.
The powers that be use the term "commercial version" for something similar, but not the real deal.

 

[zuke]

Mil = Military
Surp=Surplus

 

[Cdn303]

Mine definition :

A firearm that is at least 30 years old, previously in the military but now declaired obsolete. So everything newer would be modern military/black or red gun. (AR15 and AK varients are not, b/c they are still serving in one form or another, so they are modern military/black or red)

So bascially, anything that was used buy the military from about 55 and backwards. I include SKS in this to. And usually FAL as well.

 

[fugawi]

For me there are a few grey areas in considering which firearms fit into this forum for discussion.

IMHO a milsurp by strict definition would be 'a military weapon surplus to the needs of the military it was manufactured for and not currently in production.'

Example would be the Garand. But in this forum we also discuss commercial copies of military weapons such as the SSD MP38 or the TNW 1919A4 which are semi auto versions of fully auto milsurps!

Then there are the Accuracy International sniper rifles. Not surplus, used by the military all over the world. Where to discuss these - not in the Hunting and Sporting Rifles forum.

 

[smellie]

Dating is a problem, as is the bore diameter. I was recently informed on this forum that my Sniders and my Enfield 1853 aren't Milsurps, but Antiques. They certainly have military markings on them, as do my blackpowder Mausers, Vetterlis, Beaumont and a bunch of others.

I like the definition as above: former Military firearms which have gone out of service and have been Surplussed.

The hobby is close to 2 centuries old, fuelled at first by all those Besses and Charlevilles surplussed after Waterloo. The 1911 Adolf Frank catalogue has pages and pages of them...... all military, all surplus to requirements.
.

 

[fugawi]

To complicate matters sometimes surplus military firearms are returned to service either from war reserves or by being put back into production. Case in point: the M14. It certainly went out of favour and production with the American military but was resurrected for Iraq and Afghanistan in the DMR role.

I believe some 'nutz here own and can discuss the M14 as a 12.x milsurp. Or we can discuus the M14 in the Main Battle Rifle forum, though much of the discussion there is not really about the M14 but about civilian commercial copies made by Springfield and Norinco .