Historic Firearms

Bandit LOAF said:
My real interest would be something older -- I would like to learn to fire a muzzle-loaded Civil War rifle. I'm not sure where you start; can you buy a real 1861 Springfield? A replica? What's the process?
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You should start at gunbroker.com. They have a whole category just on civil war weapons (many swords, a bunch of guns). It's like eBay, so look around at what you like and what the prices are. If there is something you want to buy, you buy it and have it sent to a local gunstore to process the paperwork.
 
I've got a 1942 vintage SMLE No. 4 Mk. 1, my dad has a Mosin Nagant M44, and my brother has the M9130. The bolt on the Mosins is a little too stiff for my tastes, but it's nice having both because you can interchange the bolts if one malfunctions, and the M44 has this ungodly muzzle flash even in the daytime (which makes it kind of fun to shoot especially at night.). My brother also has a WW2 Russian revolver, but I don't know the model.

Out of them all I love my Enfield, for the same reason others have posted already. I bought mine on a whim. I went out hoping to find a cheap modern SKS like my brother's, but the store was sold out of them and I saw the Enfield so I bought it.

I really want to get a Garand, an M14, and - if I had loads of cash - a BAR.
 
Shaggy said:
I've got a 1942 vintage SMLE No. 4 Mk. 1, my dad has a Mosin Nagant M44, and my brother has the M9130. The bolt on the Mosins is a little too stiff for my tastes, but it's nice having both because you can interchange the bolts if one malfunctions, and the M44 has this ungodly muzzle flash even in the daytime (which makes it kind of fun to shoot especially at night.). My brother also has a WW2 Russian revolver, but I don't know the model.

Out of them all I love my Enfield, for the same reason others have posted already. I bought mine on a whim. I went out hoping to find a cheap modern SKS like my brother's, but the store was sold out of them and I saw the Enfield so I bought it.

I really want to get a Garand, an M14, and - if I had loads of cash - a BAR.
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If it's a Russian Revolver, then you're looking at a Nagant 1895 7 shot. That's a tough one. It has no kick, but it's ammo is very hard to find and it's a pain to reload.

I've never known the bolt on the mosin to be that bad, it may need a little extra oil. SKS is really overrated, just get an AK-47 if you're looking for a fun gun like that.

If you do get a Garand, make sure it's a Springfield armory, and MAKE SURE YOU MAINTAIN IT! There are way too many things that can go wrong with a Garand. That means grease and oil it on a regular basis whether it's been fired or not. I make sure all my guns get cleaned once a month at least. The way I do it is I clean and oil immediately after a shoot, and then on a once a month basis as well. Also, try to steer clear of corrosive ammo. If that's all you can find, then that's all you can find. But it can be a little rougher on the merchandise and isn't always reliable. If you do wind up using it, make sure you put the gun through an extra cleaning.
 
Shaggy said:
I've got a 1942 vintage SMLE No. 4 Mk. 1, my dad has a Mosin Nagant M44, and my brother has the M9130. The bolt on the Mosins is a little too stiff for my tastes, but it's nice having both because you can interchange the bolts if one malfunctions, and the M44 has this ungodly muzzle flash even in the daytime (which makes it kind of fun to shoot especially at night.). My brother also has a WW2 Russian revolver, but I don't know the model.

Out of them all I love my Enfield, for the same reason others have posted already. I bought mine on a whim. I went out hoping to find a cheap modern SKS like my brother's, but the store was sold out of them and I saw the Enfield so I bought it.

I really want to get a Garand, an M14, and - if I had loads of cash - a BAR.
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Well, It might not be the real deal, but, for less then 4,000$ you can buy a modern day Semi-Automatic BAR replica in here:
XXXXXXXXXXX

It is made as an SLR (Self-Loading Rifle - hence, semi-auto) in order to comply with US firearm laws.
Personally, I'd love to buy one of these, or better yet, a true original, however, local firearm rules in my country are, well... lets just say it's not easy to be a firearms collector in my country.

Edit: Just realized I'm making an advertisement - so, I removed the link. Just Google "M1918A3 SLR".
(If the posting of a direct link IS ok, I can re-post the link)
 
The reason I say "If I had the money" is because in Utah you can legally purchase a fully automatic BAR. It takes extra paperwork, and you have to get clearance from your local police chief, but it's possible. The problem is that any full auto firearm has to have been produce prior to 1986, which in a lot of cases makes them collector's items, so the BARs I've seen liosted and available are upwards of $22,000.00 and for that kind of money I could get me a new pickup. I've even seen Browning M2 heavy machine guns listed.

Frostytheplebe, I think you are right about my brother's revolver being the Nagant 1895. His is seven shot and we usually get .32 H&R magnums for it, instead of the original stuff.
 
Shaggy said:
The reason I say "If I had the money" is because in Utah you can legally purchase a fully automatic BAR. It takes extra paperwork, and you have to get clearance from your local police chief, but it's possible. The problem is that any full auto firearm has to have been produce prior to 1986, which in a lot of cases makes them collector's items, so the BARs I've seen liosted and available are upwards of $22,000.00 and for that kind of money I could get me a new pickup. I've even seen Browning M2 heavy machine guns listed.

Frostytheplebe, I think you are right about my brother's revolver being the Nagant 1895. His is seven shot and we usually get .32 H&R magnums for it, instead of the original stuff.
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I'd be careful with the 32 Mags, they tend to damage the gun. Best to go with the Remington .32 Long Barrels, or if you can find it... 7.62x38mm, good luck with that one though. You'd be better off because the 32 longs tend to be hard to remove from the chamber because they balloon out a bit.

Shaggy, I would seriously recommend against getting anything fully automatic. It requires a federal permit and pretty much eliminates your right to privacy. You're pretty much allowing th Gov't into your home whenever you feel like. Is the difference between getting a semi auto model and a fully auto model THAT worth it?
 
frostytheplebe said:
Shaggy, I would seriously recommend against getting anything fully automatic. It requires a federal permit and pretty much eliminates your right to privacy. You're pretty much allowing th Gov't into your home whenever you feel like. Is the difference between getting a semi auto model and a fully auto model THAT worth it?
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It's mainly the collectible factor that would prompt me to go that route. I mean I could spend a few thousand dollars and get a fully automatic AK-47 or M-16 but the BAR has a lot of history behind it. Besides, my life's about as boring as you can get, so privacy isn't much of an issue, I don't think the government really cares what time I take a dump everyday and even if they do they're welcome to that information. I mean privacy's good if have something to hide, or if you have something embarassing that you actually care about, but I'm really not that interesting.

Now if they sold my E-mail address off to a bunch of spammers then I'd be pissed.
 
Shaggy said:
It's mainly the collectible factor that would prompt me to go that route. I mean I could spend a few thousand dollars and get a fully automatic AK-47 or M-16 but the BAR has a lot of history behind it. Besides, my life's about as boring as you can get, so privacy isn't much of an issue, I don't think the government really cares what time I take a dump everyday and even if they do they're welcome to that information. I mean privacy's good if have something to hide, or if you have something embarassing that you actually care about, but I'm really not that interesting.

Now if they sold my E-mail address off to a bunch of spammers then I'd be pissed.
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If only it were that simple... a machine gun license means they can come in when they want and inspect the guns and how they are housed. If the police (for w/e reason) don't like how they are housed, they take the guns (ALL of them), and serve you with some pretty serious charges. It happened to a guy I knew, he put a few of his guns in a case, locked with trigger locks on them, but he missed one stray round. The police came in and inspected the guns, found that bullet, and boom. In the end the guy was let off, but not without spending a fortune for a lawyer, and pretty much making it impossible for him to buy another gun as that now comes up every time he tries to get one and he either gets denied or put on a waiting period.

Sorry, I know I sound like an alarmist, but I'd rather not have anyone else go through that if possible. As it was said in an earlier thread, we're a community, so at least we gotta look out for each other where possible.

Also, fully auto AK-47s highly illegal in the US, permit or not. You're not even allowed to bu the russian AK. My Romanian model is semi auto.
 
Shaggy said:
Besides, my life's about as boring as you can get...
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There's a certain 'famous last words' factor in this. Crap happens whether you're a saint or a sinner. Just because you have nothing to hide doesn't mean some cowboy cop in a bad mood couldn't find something to go ape on you about - like the single loose bullet in frostytheplebe's story.
 
Hey everybody, thought you guys might appreciate this, especially you Loaf, given you seem to love the older, more historic stuff.

This rifle is the pride and joy of my collection. It is a Dutch Beaumont Rifle modified from a single shot into a multi shot bolt action. It was one of the first bolt action rifles ever made. The rifle is about the size of a standard flintlock rifle and weighs considerably more. It still takes ammo that is loaded with black powder and given the rarity of the round, I still have yet to test fire it.

This particular piece is in collector's grade condition with a matching bolt, barrel and bayonet. The likes of which are not easy to find.

I apologize for the lack of quality pics, but I was working with the camera on my phone.
 

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HammerHead said:
Edit: Just realized I'm making an advertisement - so, I removed the link.
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In general, when the link is directly relevant to the thread, it's fine.

(How is "directly relevant" defined? If you have to stretch like Mr. Fantastic to reach the connection, it's not directly relevant. :p )
 
This particular piece is in collector's grade condition with a matching bolt, barrel and bayonet. The likes of which are not easy to find.
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Good job, their museum(Delft, Netherlands) is not that far from my house, and I'm going there this winter with some friends who are more into firearms than me.
 
ChrisReid said:
You should start at gunbroker.com. They have a whole category just on civil war weapons (many swords, a bunch of guns). It's like eBay, so look around at what you like and what the prices are. If there is something you want to buy, you buy it and have it sent to a local gunstore to process the paperwork.
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Thank you so much for that! You've just made my Dragoon hunt so much easier (hopefully).

Mace said:
Good job, their museum(Delft, Netherlands) is not that far from my house, and I'm going there this winter with some friends who are more into firearms than me.
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Let me know if you find the same rifle. I'd be interested in comparing the condition.
 
frostytheplebe said:
Thank you so much for that! You've just made my Dragoon hunt so much easier (hopefully).
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Yeah, it's a great place to look. I've gotten a few things from there, and it's fairly easy if you have a local gunshop that's flexible and friendly to work with.
 
Ridgerunner said:
LOAF:

Might I suggest a M1911A1.

Dang near 100 year old design.
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Yeah and finding an original of you're not next of kin to someone who served in the Army is pretty near impossible.

(Apologies for the crappiness of the images, I was using a camera phone.) So here they are my babies:
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Rifles bottom to top:

1.My grandfather's 1944 M1 Garand, complete with 16" Bayonet. The strap however is Korean war as I have had no luck finding a WW2 one.

2. Lithgow Arsenal Stamped 1918 Enfield 1 Mk 3. Definitely one of my favorites. This Australian rifle came to me a little beat up but I considered it a bargain for >$300. I've since cleaned it up, and given it a little TLC.

3. The pride and joy of my collection. An Izzy 1928 Ex Dragoon in really great shape all around. Haven't fired it yet, but will have it at the milsurp shoot in Nov.


4.1935 Mosin 91/30 Nagant. Definitely a fun-gun, it's also on of the most accurate guns of my collection.

5. M44 Mosin with the folding Bayonet. Every time I take this thing out, I always wonder why after. This carbine has the biggest kick and makes the most noise out of any of my rifles. People tend to give me a wide birth at the range after dealing with the blast from this thing.

6. K98 Mauser, gotta love German engineering.

7. Dutch Beaumont, this beauty has a few minor marks on the stock. No pitting anywhere on the barrel, matching bolt, stock, and even Bayonet. It's another one i've yet to actually try out. I have been able to find some ammo for it, so once that arrives, I'll hopefully be able to try it out.


Rifles from left to right:

1. Romanian AK-47 SAR-1. Nothing too special about this one yet. Just the standard model. However I would qualify this as a "fun gun" while definitely a collection piece for lovers of Russian rifles, I could use this one all day without much trouble. You can literally feel it absorb the recoil.


2. Swiss Rubin k31: The Karabinger... I don't particularly care for it. While I like the straight pull BA, the kickback and the style of the stock hurts my hand. It just doesn't feel stable, so I don't use it.

3. Type 99 Arisaka. This one had the seal shaved off of it. While pretty accurate, with almost no kickback, it shoots a smaller round and is otherwise unimpressive.

The Pistols:
Purchased before I got my license, from a southern mass antique dealer, I've had a hard time figuring out exactly the model. What I know: 1861 Remington Single Action Navy issue. From what I can figure out, it posses traits of both the old action and the next model pistol used. These were called "Old Army Conversion models." In case anyone is wondering, yes it is original.
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Nagant model 1895. Barrel stamped Tula Arsenal 1935, double action. I've never been able to find any 7.62x38mm rounds... so I've stuck using 32 Longs. Not a big fan of this as they have a tendency to bulge out slightly and be a bit more difficult to get out of the cylinder. Otherwise, a great gun!

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I love this gun. DWM Luger. My only complaint is that it does not have an original clip. I need to find one for it.

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Well that's everything. Although I do have a "retired" Springfield 1873 that hangs on my wall.
 
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