E-Shops for Milsurps?

It takes time to build up a decent collection of milsurps, especially when you're after specific items.

Gun Shows become your home away from home. Accept it. Tell your wife and kids to accept it.

The other thing to try is the Facebook buy and sell groups. There's more product moving on FB now than there is here in the EE, when you take all the different groups into account. There's general gun buy and sell groups that move a lot of milsurps, but also some dedicated milsurp groups. The downside to the FB auction and Buy/Sell groups is you have to really be paying attention - prices can get out of line, and there are scammers as well. But if you're paying attention, you can do well.

Cheers.
 
There hasnt been any new imports of surplus guns for many years because the ww2 stuff is done except for the com bloc. The Americans will get it first if it can be imported.
 
GoodDoomguy said:
stickhunter - Thank you sir, for not judging me and pointing out my problems. I guess I will start with Yugo or RC Kar98ks, M91/30s, and mismatched rifles. Sigh, the reason I asked for the specific ones is because I always hope to have ONE of each rifle in my collection. Guess that's not so easy to do in real life. I will start there I guess, while waiting for my dream ones to eventually show up, and hope sellers can take me seriously by then. Sigh, and thank you sir.
Click to expand...

Part of the fun (or angst!) of milsurp collecting is always being on the look out for ways to improve your collection. Collectors are constantly "upgrading" their rifles; it's not uncommon to see a really nice rifle go up on the EE with a statement like, "Only selling because I found another in better condition."

You also have to be on the ball with your research and ready to jump immediately when a rifle you want is listed. If it's in demand and reasonably priced, it will likely sell in very short order (minutes sometimes). But beware, because not everything is as it seems... "matching" rifles are sometimes faked (K98's being a prime example), so you do need to know how to sort the good from the bad. That's another reason why I recommend starting with "lesser" rifles as there's less risk, both in terms of cost and authenticity (or lack there-of), and examining them and being able to see what details set apart original or refinished rifles while help build up your knowledge in the area.

I find looking through the past messages on this forum, particularly those that have pictures and talk about what to look for in specific rifles, to be extremely valuable --- I've learned so much from the members on this forum.

P.S. If you're particularly interested in "all-matching" and mint condition K98's, do some reading on the Portuguese K98k's (1941). These were built by Mauser Oberndorf and are every bit as "true to form" a K98 as you're going to find. Many of them are in near-new condition, and they do pop up from time-to-time, but like everything, prices are creeping up ($1400+).
 
Last edited:
I saw your add, and realistically you want the cream of the crop with it. That is not a bad thing, however it will likely take a while to find what you are looking for. If I were you, I would recommend trying to find a local collector and ask them if you would be able to take a look at what they have, just to see what you like. It took me a fair bit of time and money to learn what to look for and what specifically interests me.

The EE is a good place to start, for looking for milsurps.

Other stores I frequently check is P&S Militaria, Collectors Source (they tend to be pretty overpriced but they do get some interesting things in), Tradeex, Joe Salter, and SFRC (you have to call the store to ask what they have, but they sometimes have some really cool stuff, the only time I was in there, they had two Long Lees in full stock configuration, and a Lee Enfield Carbine in there). Occasionally Marstar has some interesting things in there used section, as does General Gun (be careful with this one, sometimes they don't fully know what they have).
 
There's another HACS show coming up in Chilliwack.....come with $ in your pocket and haggle for anything you see which appeals...Might just be something there you want...If not at least talk to some of the traders and get some lines of communication going. Its worked for me...
 
Thank you all for the suggestions, I took notes on everything you guys said. Just paid for my second rifle this week (money order in transit as we speak), can't wait to show you guys when it arrives. I guess CGN Forum IS after all the best place to find the cream of the crop. Thank you guys again, have a nice weekend!
 
Very nice choice, I happen to have one and it is one of my favourite rifles to shoot. If you do decide you want to shoot it, the brass can be found on Trade-ex, and I would recommend ordering the dies off ebay (when I bought mine earlier in the year it was cheaper to order it from the states than it was to get it in Canada). Bullets are just standard .323 diameter 8mm bullets, the ones I recommend are the 198grn PPU fmj boat-tails.

They definitely have a neat bit of history, and you can't deny the quality of them. From a realistic standpoint they were already outclassed when introduced, but were still a improvement over the Lebel. I wish I had started my collection with something that nice.
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Very nice choice, I happen to have one and it is one of my favourite rifles to shoot. If you do decide you want to shoot it, the brass can be found on Trade-ex, and I would recommend ordering the dies off ebay (when I bought mine earlier in the year it was cheaper to order it from the states than it was to get it in Canada). Bullets are just standard .323 diameter 8mm bullets, the ones I recommend are the 198grn PPU fmj boat-tails.

They definitely have a neat bit of history, and you can't deny the quality of them. From a realistic standpoint they were already outclassed when introduced, but were still a improvement over the Lebel. I wish I had started my collection with something that nice.
Click to expand...

Hello Eaglelord17, thank you for the information on the brass, duly noted! I'm sure your collection is better than mine, I only have two rifles thus far (including the soon to receive Berthier).
 
GoodDoomguy said:
Hello Eaglelord17, thank you for the information on the brass, duly noted! I'm sure your collection is better than mine, I only have two rifles thus far (including the soon to receive Berthier).
Click to expand...

Its not a race or competition, its about getting to whatever your goal is/learning on the way. Sometimes I find myself more interested in the search than actually getting the firearm. I have had plenty of firearms, and I have sold plenty as well, as my tastes have changed and I have learned what I like. From a realistic standpoint collecting is just organized hording, however that hording is still fun.

To give a idea, I just ordered a 1889 Swiss rifle, I have wanted one for the past 4 years, but I finally got around to saving up for it, locating the example I want, and ordering it. That doesn't mean I haven't bought anything in that time period, it just means that I finally decided it was time to acquire it.

Like I said, the 1907/15 is a excellent rifle, very high quality, and tons of history. Most people tend not to really have much of a French side to there collections, but they are honestly one of my favourites. I also forgot to mention if you ever decide to shoot it, there are repro-clips at P&S Militaria for it (3rds). They are basically required to use them as they are a mannlicher clip based rifle.
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Its not a race or competition, its about getting to whatever your goal is/learning on the way. Sometimes I find myself more interested in the search than actually getting the firearm. I have had plenty of firearms, and I have sold plenty as well, as my tastes have changed and I have learned what I like. From a realistic standpoint collecting is just organized hording, however that hording is still fun.

To give a idea, I just ordered a 1889 Swiss rifle, I have wanted one for the past 4 years, but I finally got around to saving up for it, locating the example I want, and ordering it. That doesn't mean I haven't bought anything in that time period, it just means that I finally decided it was time to acquire it.

Like I said, the 1907/15 is a excellent rifle, very high quality, and tons of history. Most people tend not to really have much of a French side to there collections, but they are honestly one of my favourites. I also forgot to mention if you ever decide to shoot it, there are repro-clips at P&S Militaria for it (3rds). They are basically required to use them as they are a mannlicher clip based rifle.
Click to expand...

Dear sir, I was going through my posts just now and came upon your reply, sorry I missed your post! I totally agree with you, it's not only the goal, but the journey that's fascinating as well. I used to read mainly WWII but these days I'm reading more on the WWI topics now, mainly the French side of the story. And it really helped me in regards to how WWII came about and why some decisions were made by the Allies during the period. And yes organized hording is indeed fun!


A Swiss 1889 Rifle sure sounds nice, is it the Schmidt-Rubin? Came across the name a few times in the past, are they of superb quality and workmanship like the German rifles?

I too find the WWI French rifles to be among my favorites, after the German rifles... Well maybe they're both my favorites, I really can't decide! :) Thank you about the info on the repro clips too, duly noted! I'll also buy a stacking pin while I'm at it, are these easy to install by the way?

Cheers! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom