Remeber or Have Your First Milsurp?

majspud

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With all the guns I've moved over the last year, about 50 I think, I made it a point to keep the first MilSurp I ever got. Not worth that much, I paid $100 for it in 1995, but it's sort of priceless like your first girlfriend. The rifle has import marks "GERMANY" and N.A. C.C. Ringefield NJ, so it came across the pond after 1968. It's a DOT44 a-block K98, made in February of '45 and rebuilt in the East Block after WW2 from three different rifles (stock/bolt/metal) into its present configuration, save I've removed a modified rear band/stock dorsal swivel. I still have those parts. The matched Sauer bolt is slick as snail snot after 24 years, and I've put between 750-1000 rounds out of it. It's well worn and not super accurate, but I shimmed the action to get the barrel to float, and it can still do the job.

As a side note if I've confused you, the Germans had invented an automated receiver milling machine that pumped out more receivers at the Czech Brunn I plant than they could complete into rifles in 1944. Despite years of bombing, 1944 was Germany's biggest production year.

I assume all of you can remember your first MilSurp, but how many of you HAVE your first MilSurp? So what was it, how long have you had it, and How much was it?

Let's see them.

t
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Now that I think about it? Yes and no.

I bought a JJCO (Jovino) SMLE around 1998, maybe? Around $100. I hung onto it until a couple years ago. It was a gorgeous rifle in perfect shape, smooth and accurate like any SMLE, but the Jovino guns are often "bitsers," assembled from Aussie parts and, therefore, of no historical significance. Matching numbers scarcely mattered to me in 1998, but they came to have more importance as the years went on, so I let it go to a good home.

My first milsurp pistol was a Webley Mk IV .38, and yes I've still got it. It's the one on the far right of the grouping in my avatar; I've since found it six older brothers, all the .455 service marks. I'm not letting any of them go. The .38 is a War Finish model that came via Israel, with IDF markings. I bought that one around 1999, and I technically had to go AWOL from the 82d to make the trip to track it down; we were on two-hour recall and the gun shop was almost two hours away, so I'd have been in severe trouble if the balloon had gone up while I was at the shop.

I watched the news for the week before, though, and the international situation seemed stable. It stayed that way until I got back within an hour of Ft Bragg, at which point I relaxed and enjoyed the drive. Funny what you remember.
 
My first milsurp was my 1943 Izhevsk Mosin Nagant; I still have it, and actually fired it on Monday. I paid $165 for it and it came with the pouch, bayonet, tools, etc. Just no sling.

The shop I purchased it from did go out of business, however.

Interesting thread, curious what others will add.
 
Mine came to me free. My dad handed his 1939 USN blued Colt 1911A1, holster, brown military belt and mag holder to me in 1964. I still have it and have no idea what it is worth. I've seen some absurd prices on these. It was his bring back as a WWII USN Navy Officer.
 
A Remington '03A3 I bought from a Sharon police officer. Made the deal in a Shaws parking lot. Wife thought I was nuts. Still have it.
 
A Type 56, arsenal 26, SKS spiker in the 20 million serial number range, circa 1975. It's non matching, in good shape, but what drew me to it was the 20 round blued steel magazine. Not a star magazine but the rarer one identifiable only by "Made in China" written in cursive on the bottom of it. I figured I'd sell the mag on eBay but once I got it I'm having a little trouble parting with it.

And I still haven't shot it yet :D
 
Russian SKS bought at kittery for $89 IIRC. No idea what "mil surp" was then. It was just the cheapest semi auto rifle and cheapest ammo at 18 years old. i got a 1770 round crate of corrosive ammo for free. Not long after They hac mak90s on sale with a case of ammo for $129ish. You could buy the russian non corrosive hunting ammo for about .06 rnd
Still have them both. Lots of fun with both.
tree stump removal, metal shredding, learned that most things dont blow up when shot. Muzzle blast does not buff out.
Fun times.
 
T53 from Brian in Framingham. I think it was a group buy through NES when they were about $100. Of course I have it! Redid the stock, Timney trigger from an NES karma win and a scout scope. Last time out i was pinging 20 pound propane tanks at 300 yds standing using the sling.

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Not the best picture but I got the milsurp bug from a pretty typical Russian capture K98k. 1938 dated with a 27 code (Erma). She has a solid bore and shoots well. I still take her out to the range occasionally even though I have plenty of other milsurps to shoot.

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HRA M1 Garand (CMP Service grade $600ish)
Everyone loves the Garand.

2nd K98k was a DOT44 am block mismatched bolt, stock, upper band. Had a replaced beatup Gustloff stock. Likely sporterized vet bringback somebody later swapped a K98 stock onto. I replaced the stock with a "dot" marked stock and handguard.
Got me hooked on late war milsurp.
 
M1917 Enfield built by Remington in 1918. Paid 550$ for it and it is still a massive favorite!
Always looking for the next thing. Lately I’ve been trying to get my hands on Steyr handguns like the M1912
 
I just remembered that I replaced the trigger/sear assembly. It had been shaved to single action. I wasn't too fond of it as I couldn't figure out when it would go "bang." Not until my second (Gew88 in '96 ($50) and third Mauser (Gew98 in '99 ($225), did I realize it was supposed to be a 2-stage trigger. I was reminded of this when I looked in my parts bin the other day and found the original electro-penciled SN assembly.

t
 
Mosin 91-30......same as most folks first milsurp. Still have it. Shoot it 2-3 times a year for fun.

I've never sold a gun ever and don't plan to ever sell. My boy will get them all when I'm gone.
 
yes, I got it on a dark night next to a dumpster in an empty parking lot in a ghetto from a dude I never met before in a beat up ride. Still have it and love it. CZ 86.
 
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