Milsurp Collecting Interests
- Thread starter RangeRover
- Start date
Rifles that shoot full power cartridges but only cost $200 
Really though, i just like old stuff. Plus, factor in the price. How much does it cost for a all steel and hardwood bolt action rifle nowadays? Too much for me. But in the last year, I've managed to acquire an SKS, 1916 Spanish Civil Guard Short Rifle, and there's a no1mkiii sporter in the mail. I thik i'll have a lot more fun and gain a lot more experience reloading, shooting, stripping and maintaining these rifles than I would one that cost as much as all 3 and then some
Really though, i just like old stuff. Plus, factor in the price. How much does it cost for a all steel and hardwood bolt action rifle nowadays? Too much for me. But in the last year, I've managed to acquire an SKS, 1916 Spanish Civil Guard Short Rifle, and there's a no1mkiii sporter in the mail. I thik i'll have a lot more fun and gain a lot more experience reloading, shooting, stripping and maintaining these rifles than I would one that cost as much as all 3 and then some 
None of the above. I go for milsurps that have great potential in milsurp and service rifle competitions. My big 3 consists of a post-WW2 Garand, a Swiss K-31 with target micrometer sights and a DCRA Mk.4 in 7.62mm. Lots of reloading components and load recipes to choose from is also a big plus.
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I haven't really developed a direction yet, but I do seem to be working towards WWII era rifles of all types and countries. Maybe one day a particular vein will strike me as the one, at the moment I like them all.
Mark
Mark
I didn't vote. I simply like well made old firearms and I like shooting them. There was no selection for that. I like the history of old firearms regardless of any particular conflict or country of origin, and like to keep them original with all the accessory items that go with them.
MapleSugar
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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I didn't vote either.
I buy whatever is interesting to me. Generally, it is firearms that are well made and reliable, that I can still get ammo for.
Nearly all of my milsurps are in mint condition. I have no use for guns that can't shoot, or aren't safe to do so.
I buy whatever is interesting to me. Generally, it is firearms that are well made and reliable, that I can still get ammo for.
Nearly all of my milsurps are in mint condition. I have no use for guns that can't shoot, or aren't safe to do so.
I would also add that every milsurp firearm I purchase, I can hunt with them. As said above, what use are they if you can't shoot them? Every milsurp that I have, I have a photo of it next to an animal. It may be a wonderful thing for collectors, but I for one don't really have any ambition to have firearms I can't shoot.
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Deltasilver
Regular
- Location
- Right behind you...
'Sactly. M1, k31, k11, k98, Hakim, AG42B, Mosin Nagant, SKS, 1904/39, M96, M38, P14/17, SAFN 49, M14, the Enfields... So many choices. Why limit yourself?
I like the fact that milsurps, or at least the milsurps I'm interested in, are solid, well-made rifles that pack a serious punch and are a hoot to shoot. Plus, I dig bayonets. I'm not really driven by an urge to collect any particular period or country's arms; I'm as much interested by technical interest and shootiness as I am historical interest. And I look for condition as much as anything; I want shooters primarily, not museum pieces.
To date I've acquired a 1945 Izveshk M44, a 1928 Tula ex-Dragoon, a 1942 Long Branch No.4 Mk.1*, a (Norc) SKS and a Type 38 Arisaka. Next rifles I'm planning on buying are a No.1 Mk.III, a K31, and some sort of Mauser (probably an M48BO, vz.24, or maybe a Swede).
I'm definitely not ruling out more Mosins; I really like the Mosins for some reason; they seem to fit me, and I find them comfortable to shoot. I especially like the carbines, and would like to get an M38 to round out the carbine collection.
I don't really have much interest in US, French or German arms. Snipers don't really turn my crank; I like shooting with irons. And I prefer bolt actions to semis.
To date I've acquired a 1945 Izveshk M44, a 1928 Tula ex-Dragoon, a 1942 Long Branch No.4 Mk.1*, a (Norc) SKS and a Type 38 Arisaka. Next rifles I'm planning on buying are a No.1 Mk.III, a K31, and some sort of Mauser (probably an M48BO, vz.24, or maybe a Swede).
I'm definitely not ruling out more Mosins; I really like the Mosins for some reason; they seem to fit me, and I find them comfortable to shoot. I especially like the carbines, and would like to get an M38 to round out the carbine collection.
I don't really have much interest in US, French or German arms. Snipers don't really turn my crank; I like shooting with irons. And I prefer bolt actions to semis.
I didn't vote, but that was because the categories aren't quite wide enough.
My interest is the developing technology of firearms, being that defence is the basis and the benchmark point for a country's entire industrial output.
There was an international race in small-arms that started in 1865 with the Snider and went right through to the development of the FAL, which is about the time it slowed down. This is my area and this is what I collect.
My main interest is in the mechanisms themselves, how they evolved, in what directions and why they did so. Look at a complete series of Mauser rifles ('71, '71/'84, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93-'94-'95, '96, '98) and you can see exactly how Paul Mauser's mind was working. Another great study is the development of the Lee system since the first rifles were sold in 1879. There are still a few I don't have in one form or another, but they are none of the important ones from a developmental point of view: those are the ones I have.
Still, it would be awfully nice to happen upon a lonely 1888 or 88/90 Mannlicher straight-pull or a Werndl........
I like to bounce tin cans around with the junkers I actually have, but that's about it as far as shooting is concerned. I did do some competition shooting and was having fun at it, but then my FAL, which I had spent 2 years accurising, was discovered to be a Terrorist Weapon, so that put an end to that...... and for that, I will NEVER forgive the Government of Canada or the maggot-infested Liberal Party which trained me how to use the FAL to protect THEIR corrupt butts.... and now say that I can't be trusted to shoot a piece of paper with one. I don't hunt, this for several reasons, including my own decreasing mobility, but I have nothing against hunting so long as you believe in 1-shot kills. I view it largely as wildlife managment with yummy side benefits and definite improvement in driving safety.
There are few things in this life yummier than a Moose Stew... and there are far worse ways to waste an afternoon than with a Snider, a Ross or a Lee-Enfield and a few tin cans.
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My interest is the developing technology of firearms, being that defence is the basis and the benchmark point for a country's entire industrial output.
There was an international race in small-arms that started in 1865 with the Snider and went right through to the development of the FAL, which is about the time it slowed down. This is my area and this is what I collect.
My main interest is in the mechanisms themselves, how they evolved, in what directions and why they did so. Look at a complete series of Mauser rifles ('71, '71/'84, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93-'94-'95, '96, '98) and you can see exactly how Paul Mauser's mind was working. Another great study is the development of the Lee system since the first rifles were sold in 1879. There are still a few I don't have in one form or another, but they are none of the important ones from a developmental point of view: those are the ones I have.
Still, it would be awfully nice to happen upon a lonely 1888 or 88/90 Mannlicher straight-pull or a Werndl........
I like to bounce tin cans around with the junkers I actually have, but that's about it as far as shooting is concerned. I did do some competition shooting and was having fun at it, but then my FAL, which I had spent 2 years accurising, was discovered to be a Terrorist Weapon, so that put an end to that...... and for that, I will NEVER forgive the Government of Canada or the maggot-infested Liberal Party which trained me how to use the FAL to protect THEIR corrupt butts.... and now say that I can't be trusted to shoot a piece of paper with one. I don't hunt, this for several reasons, including my own decreasing mobility, but I have nothing against hunting so long as you believe in 1-shot kills. I view it largely as wildlife managment with yummy side benefits and definite improvement in driving safety.
There are few things in this life yummier than a Moose Stew... and there are far worse ways to waste an afternoon than with a Snider, a Ross or a Lee-Enfield and a few tin cans.
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Don't feel bad, half of my ancestry fought on the wrong side, too.
I put myself down for "one of everything" but I tend to reserve my purchases for firearms that were more widely used by bigger combatants over the years. So that tends to be: British, American, Russian, German, Italian, and Finnish... and maybe Japanese or possibly French one day.
If the Swiss and Swede rifles weren't so accurate and cheap, I probably wouldn't bother, but the older the better for me.
As for the love for milsurps: As others have said, they are durable, accurate, cheap, and very well made. You just don't see that in modern rifles that cost less than a $1000 or more a piece. That, and most milsurps respond well to minor tinkering and reloading to get them back into shape and shooting well. That's a perfect chance for me to disassemble and reassemble all of my rifles and mess around with them. You just don't get the same satisfaction with a rifle that's fresh from the box.
Primarily Springfield Armory Firearms, though has developed into any U.S. Military issued arm.
This spun of into U.S. Military issue uniforms and equipment which has surpassed the gun collection by several hundred thousand dollars in value.
This spun of into U.S. Military issue uniforms and equipment which has surpassed the gun collection by several hundred thousand dollars in value.
