Collecting Older Military Small Arms

[Old SAR pilot]

Anyone else a collector? Up to 80 now (5 Garands, 9 1903/A3s, etc.)...Coming across things like a Luxemburg FN49, M1911 Argentine Navy Colt, Colt System 1927 conversions to .22lr, Commercial Colt System 1927, Norwegian M1914 .45, Egyptian Hakim, Spanish M43 Mauser (some of which have no import marks).
Too many good deals to pass up. Did the C&R thing, which helps out.

Also, has anyone else noticed the price spike on certain U.S. military arms, such as the M1 carbine and M1911/A1s? Seems like some of the later stuff has decreased in price, while the earlier items have gone waaaayyyy up! (Saw a real DOG M1911A1 Remington Rand go for $100 at recent show).

[Old SAR pilot]

..Oops..since there's no "edit" her, make that $1100 for the Rand.

[shrike]

I have had a collection of small arms - mostly non-US carbines - but have been trying to divest myself of them.

Prime in the collection is a Nagoya made Type 38 carbine (NCO) in 95%+ condition (which I think is as good as they were when issued really<G>), and a non-commercial SKS VN bring-back that cost an embarrassingly large sum of money before they tarted importing them and you could buy one at 7-11.

The arms room of my old reserve unit had a mint Remington Rand 1911A1 in inventory. It had never been issued, as our CO preferred to carry (and use with annoying regularity) a large orange squirt gun, our XO carried a BB gun, and both of them qualified with a hotrod commercial .45 I had built up (and still have). I tried convincing him to officially 'lose it' to pay for NCO club renovations, but nogo. Perhaps if i'd been a better poker player (which is how I DID get issued an M3A1 instead of an M-16)

[bdk]

I've got a little bit of many things. Enough to have lost count anyhow. Hard to get anything of interest in this state now due to the asinine laws, so I seldom buy. I've got a number of Garands. Sold a few but mostly nobody is buying the good stuff. Everyone wants a $500 Garand which ends up being a real piece of mix-master junk.

[TimAPNY]

I have a few at this point. 1903A3, M1, M1 carbine, Bushmaster version of the M4.

I'd love to get a few more, M1A would be very high on the list as well as a 1911. I'd love to get a BAR.

I'm looking into building a Mk12 Special Service Rifle. Maybe sometime soon I can start getting part for this but money is tight so that is not in the cards right now.

I also need to get a membership at a local range so I can get out and shoot, what a great stress relief shooting is.

Tim

[Pat]

I had a few, but lost them in a tragic boating accident.

[Pat]

BTW, did any of you guys get any of the M1 bayonets recently imported by the CMP?

[Pat]

Anyone else a collector? Up to 80 now (5 Garands, 9 1903/A3s, etc.)...Coming across things like a Luxemburg FN49, M1911 Argentine Navy Colt, Colt System 1927 conversions to .22lr, Commercial Colt System 1927, Norwegian M1914 .45, Egyptian Hakim, Spanish M43 Mauser (some of which have no import marks).
Too many good deals to pass up. Did the C&R thing, which helps out.

Do you know where I could find an Argentine 1927 .45acp reasonably priced?

[Misterg97]

Two pictures of a WWII hand gun taken from a German Officer ... the first is a collage while the second shows the Swastika (sp?)

[Old SAR pilot]

Do you know where I could find an Argentine 1927 .45acp reasonably priced?

Mmmm, these days, define "reasonably priced"...

[Jollygreenslugg]

Being an Aussie, my interest is mainly .303 related. I have about thirty Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfields from the one of the first Lee-Metfords of 1889 to the a late No4 Mk2 of the mid 1950s. I also have British and Empire/Commonwealth service arms going back to the Brown Bess flintlock musket of the early 19th century.

The rifle in my avatar is an Aussie-made SMLE of 1915, in its original wood. Great fun!

Cheers,
Matt

[Old SAR pilot]

Nice, Matt! Have a No1 MkIII* (a MkIII, actually - replaced the magazine cutoff) BSA 1916, a Fazakerly No4 Mk1, and a Webley MkVI (1916).

[TimAPNY]

BTW, did any of you guys get any of the M1 bayonets recently imported by the CMP?

I did not see those but I bought one back in the 90's when they were cheaper. I started to collect Bayonets back them as I also picked up rifles. Still don't have the M7 but have most of the others.

On second thought, I think I lost my firearms in the move to TN

Tim

[agent86]

I've had a few fine firearms over the years.Kids and upset ex-caused most of them to go by by.SVT40 Tokarev ,was a real beauty,numbers matching G-43 with O.E. scope and mount was cool but the quality kinda sucked.I think that they collected all of the shot down airplanes and threw them into a pot and casted guns. The Broomhandle Mauser is one I really miss. If you have never seen one fire,its something you must see. The 30 mauser is the same as the russian 7.65x25? its a very hot round and blows a ball of fire like you wont believe.the russian round is even hotter and not suggested to fire in the Broomhandle.One day I took my Broomhandle to the local indoor range.There were a few guys that I'm guessing might have been gangbangers.they were shooting their wonder nines.I pulled out this antique and loaded it with a 10 round stripper clip.they were facinated. I then fired it and scared the cr-p out of them.they couldnt believe this antique. Now that the kids are grown and the ol lady is an ex.time to rebuy some guns. the broomhandle mauser is 1st on the list.still have a stock of 30 mauser ammo somewhere

[shrike]

I had a Chinese import Bolo (small frame Broomhandle) in 9X19. It was a hammer-biting little handful. I'd like to get another large frame one. this time if the bore is bad I'd like to rechamber it in 9mm Mauser Export (9x25)