I get the impression that most folks round here have been around milsurps for a long time & I though it might be nice to relate how a guy from toronto(gasp) became a gun nut. Might also be relevant to the anti's reading this wondering why these "so called collectors"(man that pissed me off) aren't happy with just a "huntin gun" but insist on owning many vintage pieces of wood& steel including some full automatics
(lucky bastards).
It all started in Aug 2004. I was getting married in Sept & my friends planned a weekend at a buddies property for the boys. 15 guys, lots of steak, booze & beer, a good time was had by all. They also brough a clay thrower & two shotguns. Well folks that was my undoing. I had not laid hand to gun since I was twelve & had completely forgotten how much fun it was to go shooting.
The week after one of the guys who brought the shotgun sugested I get my pal. I told him I liked it but not enough to go through the bother of getting a pal & all the other stuff that goes with it, now if you could buy old military guns that would be different. I love history & it would be really cool to hold & use stuff that had been present at some of the most pivital events in the 20th century. So what does he do? Shows me Marstars web site & took me to epps. Well that opened the flood gates. I could not believe you could legaly own something like a svt 40. Got my pal & tried to order the svt. No stock, ok send me a m59. Two weeks later it arrived at my door with 200 rnds of ammo. It was dripping cosmo & I loved it! Cleaned it up & went to the same place as we shot the clays. 50yrd target & it was all in the black. Next I cut a broomstick in half with 3 shots. I could not believ you could get something this good for a lousy $300!. I was hooked! Started reading evething I could on the web about milsurps. A month later Epps had two mosins for sale, a refurb laminate 91/30 & a finn tikka 91. Went up to epps, looked them over & boungt the 91/30 & twenty rounds of ammo. Took it to our shooting spot, set up the target & pulled the trigger. BOOM! The echo rolled through the valley & back & I was giggling like a 5 year girl. Went back a month later & bought the finn & haven't stopped since. Its not just a gun its a time machine! When you pull that triggger, you might be the first since that thing was last in combat & that(in my case) brings you closer to those events & greatly heightens your respect for the people that carried them in combat. Rememberance day is every day for me. I am facing alot of financial problems right now but there will always be at least one milsurp close at hand, just can't imagine going without. Just for fun I will include a list of surps I have owned in the last two years, most gone now but not forgotten.
Mosin's 1939 isvhesk laminate 91/30, 1942 isvhesk 91/30(that thing had beautiful wood), 1944 tikka 91/30(best bore I have ever seen), 1947 isvhesk m44, 1953 radom m44( stock painted black at arsenal, don't know why), 91,59 ishvesk parts mostly, 1932 m-28 tikka, 1934 m-27 tikka early version, 1943 tikka m91, 1917 remington m91, 1916 tula m91, 1894 tula m91 original flat sight & no sling hole stock & two sporters
Enfields 1918 bsa desporterized smle & a savage no 4
carcano, 91/41 & cavalry carbine
Steyr m95 rifle & carbine both in 8x56r
semi auto, m59, fn49, svt 40 1941 ishvesk with all early parts & a garand I never got to shoot because I traded it on a m305 that promply blew up(stupid)
1904/ 39 verguiro carbine
1945 dou m98 Israeli used in 8mm
1916 erfurt gew
Thats all I can remember right now & I loved every one of them & would still have them if I could.
(lucky bastards).It all started in Aug 2004. I was getting married in Sept & my friends planned a weekend at a buddies property for the boys. 15 guys, lots of steak, booze & beer, a good time was had by all. They also brough a clay thrower & two shotguns. Well folks that was my undoing. I had not laid hand to gun since I was twelve & had completely forgotten how much fun it was to go shooting.
The week after one of the guys who brought the shotgun sugested I get my pal. I told him I liked it but not enough to go through the bother of getting a pal & all the other stuff that goes with it, now if you could buy old military guns that would be different. I love history & it would be really cool to hold & use stuff that had been present at some of the most pivital events in the 20th century. So what does he do? Shows me Marstars web site & took me to epps. Well that opened the flood gates. I could not believe you could legaly own something like a svt 40. Got my pal & tried to order the svt. No stock, ok send me a m59. Two weeks later it arrived at my door with 200 rnds of ammo. It was dripping cosmo & I loved it! Cleaned it up & went to the same place as we shot the clays. 50yrd target & it was all in the black. Next I cut a broomstick in half with 3 shots. I could not believ you could get something this good for a lousy $300!. I was hooked! Started reading evething I could on the web about milsurps. A month later Epps had two mosins for sale, a refurb laminate 91/30 & a finn tikka 91. Went up to epps, looked them over & boungt the 91/30 & twenty rounds of ammo. Took it to our shooting spot, set up the target & pulled the trigger. BOOM! The echo rolled through the valley & back & I was giggling like a 5 year girl. Went back a month later & bought the finn & haven't stopped since. Its not just a gun its a time machine! When you pull that triggger, you might be the first since that thing was last in combat & that(in my case) brings you closer to those events & greatly heightens your respect for the people that carried them in combat. Rememberance day is every day for me. I am facing alot of financial problems right now but there will always be at least one milsurp close at hand, just can't imagine going without. Just for fun I will include a list of surps I have owned in the last two years, most gone now but not forgotten.Mosin's 1939 isvhesk laminate 91/30, 1942 isvhesk 91/30(that thing had beautiful wood), 1944 tikka 91/30(best bore I have ever seen), 1947 isvhesk m44, 1953 radom m44( stock painted black at arsenal, don't know why), 91,59 ishvesk parts mostly, 1932 m-28 tikka, 1934 m-27 tikka early version, 1943 tikka m91, 1917 remington m91, 1916 tula m91, 1894 tula m91 original flat sight & no sling hole stock & two sporters
Enfields 1918 bsa desporterized smle & a savage no 4
carcano, 91/41 & cavalry carbine
Steyr m95 rifle & carbine both in 8x56r
semi auto, m59, fn49, svt 40 1941 ishvesk with all early parts & a garand I never got to shoot because I traded it on a m305 that promply blew up(stupid)
1904/ 39 verguiro carbine
1945 dou m98 Israeli used in 8mm
1916 erfurt gew
Thats all I can remember right now & I loved every one of them & would still have them if I could.
