Milsurp collecting: foresight and self-control, where does it come from?

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Robert Nicholson

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There have been some wonderful old milsurps displayed on the forum recently and I am wondering how it is that some of you
guys have both the foresight to pick out certain rifles and also the self-control to keep them preserved.:confused:


What made you choose the right kind?.......How did you acquire the self control so that it is still wrapped and in grease?
 
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Self control is easy when you're able to buy a shooter-grade equivalent. I bought a pair of Swedish Mauser weapons officer's rifles - an M94 and M96 - that were both manufactured by the same officer (unheard of). I acquired a spare M96 and a Spanish 7mm version of the M94 to satiate my desire to put a round through them.

While I typically have no qualms about shooting the guns I own, those two particular rifles I view more as an investment both financially and historically. I'm obviously free to do as I will but I was cautioned about depleting their rather significant value and it made sense to me.

Even if you can't find an equivalent shooter you tend to amass enough of a collection that you are comfortable taking something else out and leaving the trophies at home.
 
Even the most rare rifles were shot to ascertain accuracy. Even Gryphon's example had to be shot. A example like that would have to be examined to determined that it indeed works. Shoot 10 rounds through it a year and I don't think you would wear it out, not in your lifetime or any of your grandkids.
 
I grew up the son of a milsurp collector and shooter. They bought cases and investor packs of rifles when others said they were cheap junk like sks rifles are today. They were LE, Mausers, ect at ten bucks each in the crate. Many of them never had the cosmo taken off. I still have unopened crates of 303 ammo.

Whether or not they had foresight to leave them new? or did they just have too many rifles to get around to shooting?



I have my shooters, and usually have a pristine example or two in the safe. Its the best of both worlds
 
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Shooting 10 rounds a year won't wear it out but it will put wear on it. I'll use my collecting focus as an example. Say I take my minty svw45 out to the range on occasion. I guarantee there will be wear marks in the phosphate on the bolt, and follower in a short time. Then there is the possibility, even though its small, of parts breakage. Stock could split at the tang or the number matching firing pin could break. Then what?

This has been argued on here so many times and to each their own but I think that people should just consider saving and preserving some examples in the condition they were when they were made. There are so many refurbished or reworked mislurps out there or ones that have been shot a lot already and you can get the exact same experience shooting one of those.
 
Almost always if there's a rare gun, you can get a shooter grade version of it too. When you get into the ultra rare guns, they tend to be a pain to shoot in one way or another anyways, so you don't shoot them as much. And since they're so rare, unless you have a catastrophic failure, a little shooting here and there won't affect their value.
 
I have had quite a bit of luck. In fact luck is a very important thing when you're collecting. I won't reveal what the luck was, just that is important. I find I need to restrain myself a lot. Keep things from my wife (bless her). And really pick & choose. Have I spent too much on certain items, you bet.
 
What I have learned so far is: 1. Get a shooter example along with the ''good" example so that you are less tempted to shoot the good one.
2. Buy lots of guns and maybe you will be fortunate enough that some of them will become rare.

I guess the heyday of milsurp collecting is drawing to a close with few rifles being plentiful and yet not prohibited. 30 years ago would have
been a good time to collect whatever rifle interested you without caring if they would become rare - such as LEs and Garands, then sit back
to enjoy watching whatever happened.
 
I don't dispute that my two Swedes were test fired, but I strongly doubt most people count that when a firearm is advertised as being "unfired". They're full of the grease that they left the factory with so after proofing they've never seen a round.

If proofing/factory testing were considered a part of usage rather than a manufacturing step no gun maker on Earth could legitimately sell " new" guns; all of them are already used...
 
Robert Nicholson said:
There have been some wonderful old milsurps displayed on the forum recently and I am wondering how it is that some of you
guys have both the foresight to pick out certain rifles and also the self-control to keep them preserved.:confused:


What made you choose the right kind?.......How did you acquire the self control so that it is still wrapped and in grease?
Click to expand...
You should have been around when a BREN or MG34/42 was just a rifle one could shoot anywhere and the pages of Access to Firearms and the "Gunrunner" where chock a block full of milsurps of every flavour. Little self control way back then.
 
XRCD011 said:
You should have been around when a BREN or MG34/42 was just a rifle one could shoot anywhere and the pages of Access to Firearms and the "Gunrunner" where chock a block full of milsurps of every flavour. Little self control way back then.
Click to expand...

I guess the answer to my questions is, "you had to be there", when things were good so that you acquired your fill of all the good stuff and had
plenty to store away for later enjoyment. In a way, that option is still open because there are a few wonderful old milsurps available in "the grease"
you just have to be willing to pay for them. I still need to find a fool proof way to stop myself from shooting every gun that I get my hands on!
 
I'm with jbmauser on this one. Although I am not a real picky "collector", I have stumbled on a couple of gems in my travels. I was around when the old Gun Runner and Access to Firearms were full of Mausers, Enfields, etc., to be had for a decent, affordable price.

I own a couple of rifles that I won't be firing. I will, however, be happy to show them. I took one extremely rare rifle to a gun club meeting and set the hook good and proper, let everybody convince themselves it was just another one of "them old army rifles". When I explained about the rifle the room fell silent, then they wanted to hold the rifle and were full of questions. The rifle is already somewhat banged up, so people handling it won't knock the value down.

Luck - pure, unadulterated luck - has played a significant part in my gathering. Nowadays, however, the ability to instantly research on the net with a smart (?) phone has changed the game somewhat. Lady Luck still sits on my shoulder though! :)
 
Rob, trust me, Milsurp collecting/owning/using is sadly a shadow of its former self today. I LOVED getting flyers from International and subscribed to both gun rags, had two FACs (you had to mail it to a vender back then, and yes you could have two, or more, at $10 a pop) so I would not miss out on something good.
 
I acquired self control by becoming more interested in my other hobbies and putting my money and time into those instead.
 
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