What Milsurps do you collect and why?

What Milsurps do you collect and why? Choose one of more.

  • If there's lots of cheap milsurp ammo

    Votes: 17 16.3%

  • If I can buy commercial ammo or the components, dies, etc.

    Votes: 11 10.6%

  • From specific countries or regions e.g. Canada, South America, Allied, etc.

    Votes: 38 36.5%

  • Must have an "honourable war record"

    Votes: 16 15.4%

  • Must be from the "safe list"

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Whatever is a good investment

    Votes: 5 4.8%

  • Good shooters only

    Votes: 18 17.3%

  • If I like it, I'll buy it

    Votes: 59 56.7%

  • All of the above - I want a variety

    Votes: 18 17.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 6 5.8%
  • Total voters
    104
Andy

Andy

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Location
Ottawa
What Milsurps do you collect and why?

I collect a great variety, but generally stick with bolt guns, the Llungman being an exception as it completes my Swede collection, but I do regret selling my FN49.

I like having shootable, representative examples, and would generally rather have two different Good examples than one Excellent. I confess to being a sucker for Swedes, big bores, and nice stock wood.

I not only don't mind making up weird brass and bullets, I like it! I know that whatever milsurp ammo exists today will disappear within a very few years, so I'm prepared.

I have to confess that the chase is half the fun for me, but I also love the clean-up and repair, and making brass and loads for some of the more unusual like the Vetterli, Kropatschek and others.

I'm not in it for the money, but it is a comfort to see how values have gone up.
 
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I've only begun just over a year ago when I convinced a good friend of the family to trade me two bubba Lee-Enfields for a case of Molson Export. The process of re-militarizing those rifles was really enjoyable for me as I'm an avid hunter/shooter and a bit of a history buff (especially WWII).

From there I decided to build a collection of the main battle rifles used by active countries in WWII that I could rake out and actually shoot. I've so far covered the Commonwealth, the U.S.A, Germany, France, Italy, the Soviet Union.
By my thinking I only need Finland and Japan still.

Having collected these rifles has really increased my knowledge of the milsurp rifles, and not only the ones I own, I've become interested in milsurps from all periods of history, but as a way to save my wallet I've still tried to limit myself to my original plan. ONce I've filled the remaining holes in my collection I plan to maybe pick up a few odd-ball rifles that intrigue me (steyr m95, hakim, etc.) as some fun shooters, and I'd like to get further into collecting quality K98k's as a bit of an investment.

I'm not even out fo University yet so I've got a good while to go, and I don't see myself getting out of the collecting scene anytime soon.
 
I collect mostly semi auto's.....Rifles and pistols.....I do have a number of bolt guns.....One of my favourite is 1903A3 springfield....for a bolt gun.....1919A4 in semi with the SVT-40 a close second...And my holy grail that I am still looking for is a '41 Johnson.

Russ...
 
I have a bias towards Commonwealth and Soviet milsurps. They're 2/3 of my rifles.

I'm biased toward the shooter side as well. I'm not interested in finding the best example of anything. I want rifles that are in decent, good shootable condition and I can take to the range without having to swaddle them in bubble wrap.

Edit: Andy, what do you consider to be on the "safe list"? Or maybe I should say the "unsafe list", it's probably shorter.
 
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Stevo said:
Edit: Andy, what do you consider to be on the "safe list"? Or maybe I should say the "unsafe list", it's probably shorter.
Click to expand...

That was a bit "tongue in cheek". I'm referring to those who avoid the various milsurps reputed (usually wrongly) to be unsafe, e.g. all Carcanos, Rosses, Krags, etc.
 
Andy said:
That was a bit "tongue in cheek". I'm referring to those who avoid the various milsurps reputed (usually wrongly) to be unsafe, e.g. all Carcanos, Rosses, Krags, etc.
Click to expand...


Gotcha. I thought the AG42b might end up on the "list" after all the stories in the KB thread.
 
I like historically significant guns. Espescially Commonwealth and Soviet. Don't get me wrong, Swedes are beautiful rifles and I have an AG42 and M/38, but I won't be getting more (except maybe an SA marked M/96). All they were ever used for is training. Same goes for K31s and the like.
 
I find myself attracted to Commonwealth weapons. Any version of the Lee-Enfield, The Lee-Metford, The Snyder-Enfield, The Martini-Henry, and even the old Muzzle loaders. :cool:

My next gun purchase will hopefully be a .577-450 Martini-Henry :)

Although to be honest I only own a FN49 now since I got my PAL a few months ago :)

Dimitri
 
I'm a milsurp collector.

Period.

I have stringent time periods that I try to follow, but aside from that, I don't particularily care what country, calibre, action, or whatever it is. So long as it's all original.

Though I do prefer them to be in good shooting order, and all matching, those are qualities that are wanted, but not required. I'll gladly pick up a bit of a beater of a rarer rifle until I can upgrade to a better specimen.
 
I got my grubby hands on my Gido's .303 several years ago and put full wood back on it. Then i got Mosin because it was cheap, and so was the ammo. Then I heard a neglected No.5 calling me at the Calgary gunshow. And now I want to get an FR-8 for something different that takes cheap ammo
 
I started by acquiring an FAL from a relative who passed away.
At the time I thought that I would create an armed genealogical chart of my family's involvment with the military which, as far as I can document, goes back to the Indian Mutiny of 18 somethingorother.
After discovering just about all the sidearms and long guns used by my families during WW2,(LE sniper, LE carbine, M1carbine (uncle in the Canadian artillery - go figure), Inglis Hi-power, Enfield 2 etc.
I rationalised that surely some relative had been in the first war which led to 1917 LE, Mauser, deac Maxim 08-15, Luger etc; someone was probably in the Boer war (Mauser) and someone should be serving now (no kids, so I replaced them with a 5.56 Colt law enforcement carbine).
At this point I've pretty much given up on rationalising why I continue to buy.
This is what caused all the trouble.
fal1.jpg

Regards,
Maxim08
 
WW1 WW2 Canadian ,American ,Brit,Russian ,Finnish,German ,must be matching(within reason) ,and in excellent condition .yes you could find them once and reasonable but it's getting harder.Why ? because I have my grandads metals from both sides and they both won the MM one with Bar and it started me getting interested in history of the wars they were in and what weapons they carried and what the enemy used plus i was intriged by Canadas out of proportion war effort (in both wars really)and was amazed at what this country achieved .I got very interested in Longbranch when I worked by it and saw all kinds of interesting stuff and even got to walk around inside and outside when it was a postal outlit and I found lots of stuff out on the old range .the guns from other countries i had to have as an example of what they used with and against us .
 
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