Unissued / Unfired questions..

ghostntheshell

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How does one obtain an unissued / unfired milsurp?

In my searches for a Mosin Nagant I have come across a few that are advising unissued / unfired.

How I would interpret this is:

The rifle was used at some point, refurbished and brought up to acceptable standards - and then put into cosmoline for storage.
The buyer then purchased the rifle - and it would be considered unissued since refurbish?

Or would this mean never issued - never fired period?

I realize I will have to ask the owner to clarify - but generally in the gun world what are these terms supposed to mean?
 
...The rifle was used at some point, refurbished and brought up to acceptable standards - and then put into cosmoline for storage.
The buyer then purchased the rifle - and it would be considered unissued since refurbish?

If it's a Russian? Pretty much. I'm not going to say there are no really really "unissued/unfired" Mosin Nagant rifles out there, but the ones that do exist are snuggled down in a collector's cabinet. There are still shiny new Polish M44s to be had tho.

Unissued rifles will have the correct stock, cleaning rod, NO electropencil markings, all matching numbers etc. www.7.62x54r.net is a terrific resource for researching these rifles.
 
All rifles have one proof cartridge fired through them at the factory, such as Mausers, for example.

So unless you stole it off the production line before this happened, you wouldn't have an unfired rifle technically....all depends where you start counting the rounds, at the factory or after being issued or in stores/warehouse(unissued).

If the refurb or rebuild has a new barrel put on a used receiver (also such as a Mauser pre 1945 Nazi rebuild), then it might only have 1 round through it as well, providing it was never issued.

But, you can also have an issued rifle, but unfired (except for the proof cartridge).

Unissued, Unfired (except for the proof) - Like the New, Mint 1909 Argentine Mausers that came here in the 80's in
metal cans (3 rifles per can packed in cosmoline) that opened with a key like a sardine can.
 
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FWIW, in close to 50 yrs of handling a wide variety of MILSURPs and owning close to 400 of them over the years I have aquired the following ones which were either newly made/un-issued or arsenal overhauled/re-built then un-issued. I only buy the nice ones. Most others I've owned have exhibited varying degrees of service use as evidenced by wood and metal finish condition and bore wear or condition.
1x No5 Lee-Enfield,un-issued, bought in 1962
1x M1 carbine,un-issued,bought in 1965
1x m1917 Enfield,un-issued, bought in 1974
Several No4 Savage Lee-Enfields, new in grease, bought in 1972/73
1xM98 Mauser re-barreled to 7x57 and arsenal overhauled, bought in 1972
1x M1 Garand,arsenal overhaul, then un-issued, bought in 1976
1x No4 Lee-Enfield, un-issued in wrap, bought in 1984
5x P08 Lugers, arsenal overhauled, then un-issued bought in 1985/86
1x M1896 Swedish Mauser, arsenal overhaul,then un-issued, bought in 2010

I have also handled the following types of MILSURPs in the same categories; No5 Lee- Enfield, No 4 Lee-Enfield, various South American contract Mausers, M1 Garands, and Swedish Mausers.



Over the yrs I have also made a hobby of re-building a variety of MILSURPs, incl M1 Garands, 03 Springfields, No 4 Lee-Enfields, and M1 Carbines using both NOS and re-finished parts that would appear the same as arsenal overhauled pieces. Nowadays there is a possibility of locating arsenal overhauled rifles, incl Mosin-Nagants, but chances of finding one in original, un-issued condition as it left the assembly line are quite slim, kind of like locating a virgin over age 18:eek:. Some collectors do have these squirreled away and they do turn up at times. Many of the descriptions that you get from sellers are overly optomistic/creative in terms of a firearm's provenance and condition.;) As always, the it's "caveat emptor" or let the buyer beware.
 
Aye, although the rifle may have never been issued, even if it is 50 + years old, normally most storage armories will have a regular period testing. Say every 5 years they will be cleaned, tested, fired then back into the grease and into storage until the next time for example.
But even then I personally consider a rifle like that to be "new" if it hasn't ever been put through regular use and ownership.
 
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