Around 1990, when milsurps and ammo were still very available I acquired my C&R. I immediately started collecting rifles across the board from different models from different countries .
Just recently I started thinning them out.
It was tougher than I imagined.
I elected to keep only six.
These were an Enfield #1 mk3 and a #2 MK4, a Swede M96 and a CZ24 along with a Mosin 91/30 and a Model 1944.
Whenever I see posts about regret and selling, of all that I sold, I think of my Brazil 1908 in 7mm.
Any others out there with milsurp regret ?

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" I don't recall, senator."

If I had kept all the military surplus rifles that passed thru my hands over the years I would have had to buy a bigger house! I enjoyed what I had while I had it and have no regrets over what's passed out of my hands. I am sure some new owner is now enjoying them. In the final analysis; we are just temporary caretakers of these items and will have to eventually give them up anyway.
Jim

I've had hundreds over the past 30 years. I do regret selling/trading some of the 98's but such is life. I still have several 98's, 03' Springfields, Swedes, Mosin-Nagants, K 31's, Endfields in all the variants, 1917 Enfields, to name a few! Don't get me started on the Mil-Surp pistols/revolvers I've owned and still acquire from time to time!

I've had at least a dozen over the last thirty years that I sold. This includes Swedes, British .303s, SKSs, Mausers, and Springfields. No regrets.

I wish I had bought a 96 Swede carbine!

I wish I still had my Remington rolling block carbine in .43 Spanish. It was my first centerfire rifle. I traded for a .30-40 Krag & I wish I still had the Krag. The friend I sold it to still has it, but won't sell. At least I know it has a good home.


Others that I wish that I had kept include a Trapdoor Springfield .45-70 rifle and a Steyr straight pull carbine that I re-barreled.

Had to take a break; the wife needed the 'puter.

The Steyr was bought for $30, but had a bent barrel. A few years later, Numrich had barrels for sale and I bought one. After removing the bent one, I discovered the "new" barrel was oversize. I didn't have the money to pay a smith with a lathe, but I did have a vise and a mill b*****d file. I laid the barrel on top of the vise and filed, turned the barrel a bit and filed, over and over until it was the correct diameter. But, the barrel still won't fit because the threads were flat topped. So, I found a triangular file and filed and turned, filed and turned, etc, until it fit. That bugger kicked a mite.

I also miss my Remington built '03A3. It was a tack driver.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

We all reach the point when we have to start thinning out the inventory. I kind of regret selling my last Garand, even though I hadn't had it out of the house for nearly 10 years.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Not quite the same situation but I once had a fairly large collection of MG's including MG34 and MG42. It was hard to see them go at first but now do not regret selling them off. Really enjoyed them when I had them but decided as I got older it was time to move on.

I'm with H Richard in I can't seem to get my last Garand moved out even though my son sold his mini farm years ago so I have no more outdoor place to shoot. Don't have any regrets on selling the 1903-A3, the Colt and Remington WWII 1911A1's, but the Ithaca 1911A1 seems attached to my safe like the Garand, the Ithaca Model 37 "duck gun", even the old Stevens 12 ga. SXS.

Haven't exercised any of them in years and don't see anything up coming so will have to move them on to new owners soon, but not any of the S & W's.......yet.....

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	Ithaca 1911-1.JPG (25.5 KB, 51 views)
	1903A3-1.jpg (207.8 KB, 52 views)
	Colt 1911A1-1.jpg (33.2 KB, 42 views)
	Rem-Rand 1911-1.JPG (23.6 KB, 39 views)

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

I only truly only miss one milsurp. I had a butchered M98 that someone had tried to make a hunting rifle out of it. The metal was not really messed with just the stock. I worked on the stock for a while and got it to resemble a hunting stock. The rifle was now lighter and packed a wallop with surplus ammo. I put a shotgun recoil pad on it and that tamed it. I used it as a plinker from then on. Got stupid and traded it off for something I don't even remember.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I too am thinning the Mil-surp heard! The ones that I can't let go art the single shots! The Martini's, the Rolling Block's, the Trapdoor's and the my Champlain in 7x57. I had about 75 various military rifles and am down to less than 40. It was always easy a one of the son's birthdays, just pull out an old rifle and a hundred rounds of ammo, and they were happy!

I remember being in an argument with a store owner over $10 on a Khyber pass copy of a Snyder. I'm still kicking myself for walking out without it! (He probably still thinks I'm an *** too!)But to make the first 10 rounds of ammo was 3 or 4 times the cost of the gun!

When I was a teen I passes on a "Coffee Grinder Sharpe's" because it was percussion and paper cartridge, and I wanted metallic cartridges only! That ship sailed a long time ago! That's as bad as when at an OGCA show (circa 1980), I passed on cloth Maxim machine gun belt at $4 each!

Hind sight is always perfect!! Oh well!

Ivan

Over 50 yrs. ago I had a bolt action saddle ring carbine that was stocked to the muzzle and chambered in 7 m/m. That's all I remember but I wish I still had it but it's hard to keep everything and I probably traded it for something I liked better. Larry

I need to thin the herd a bit myself. I have too many things that were snagged on a whim because they were cheap or all but given to me while doing other deals. I have acquired far more Mausers than intended, particularly Turk models for some reason. I could let go some of my odder Mosins too.

There are a couple of Enfields I'm still half looking for. A Pakistani No.4 Mk1 would come close to rounding out my No.4 collection, as would a No.4 Mk1/3 from both Longbranch and Savage factories.

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Release the Kraken

Can't bring myself to cull any military yet

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

15 Mausers, they're like children. I won't let the Swedish m/41s go ever or the FSR 1908 m/96 and then the 1937 Sauer and Sohn K98k. Oh heck I might as well keep em'.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I looked at my small milsurp collection one day a couple of years ago and realized (a) I was never going to shoot them and (b) I could get enough money for them to buy a couple of guns that I really did wants. So I sold all but one, a 98 Mauser that had all of its German markings removed by the IDF, and it bore a small IDF symbol impressed into the wood. Rebarreled to 7.62 Nato. A great shooter - but it was one of the few guns I lost last April in the fire.

Overall, I sold a Swede, a Spanish 92, and a Czech 98 Mauser still in the cosmolene. Also sold several 94 Winchesters. Brought home a Browning HP, and several S&Ws. No regrets.....not counting the one lost in the fire.

I'm down to my m-1 carbine and 1917 Enfield. Oh, and a Krag.

One of my friends says he could have armed his own army if he had kept them all!

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Possum—The other white meat!

Aahhh, in the good old days...

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Mosin-Nagant-Arm-5-people.jpg (107.4 KB, 85 views)

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Release the Kraken

Sold a bunch but still have a bunch. Regrets? Purchase wise I regret not picking up a MAS 44 when I had the chance. Selling wise I guess two Garands, (one was a Dane with VAR barrel), two SVT -40s, two Finn M27s and a Finn 91/24.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

I have one milsurp—a 1943 Ithaca M1911A1 that is earmarked for my son in law:












If I were to sell it I would regret it.

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Buy American
Vote Responsibly

I collected Milsurp handguns for years but just got into long guns with great gusto several years ago. Some stay, some go.
I miss them all when they go.

I've owned a lot of mil-surps over the years and still own a bunch. I've
sold a lot of them over the years also and I've reached a point where
I really need to downsize and sell several more. One gun I really regret
selling though was a near mint 6.5 Jap Carbine. I sold it back in the
late 70s when they were common and dirt cheap. Not anymore! I have
always wished that I had kept it. All military carbines are neat.

I had also bought a lot of milsurps in the 1990s, prices for guns, and even more so, for ammo were very tempting but I sold the E.G. Makarov, Yugo and Chinese SKS, Mosins, Hakim, Swedish M38 and M96, Enfields, M1 Carbine, and most of my K98ks but kept the three best ones.

With surplus ammo, especially in 8x57 IS and 7.62x39, gone it has become expensive to shoot surplus rifles.

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	98er.jpg (43.8 KB, 29 views)
	SKS.jpg (84.8 KB, 24 views)

Not enough pictures.

Swedish 96, bought for $75.00 at a Roses department store in the early 90's, all matching numbers. Wish I had bought more, it shoots great. I also had a model 38, but sold it recently:



Swiss K31 straight pull. Remember when these flooded the market for about $100.00? I bought one; it shot so well, I bought two more. I've since given one away, and would give another one away if I could find a deserving person:



I've had a couple of SKS's, but they just don't do it for me.

I started out with Milsurps for long guns, but for shooters, the new guns work better for me as they are easier to clean and ammo is easier to acquire. I bought all of two (Mosin Nagant (Tula) and SME (Ishapore)) before I switched to newer guns. If I win the lottery, I may hunt down that mint Springfield 1903, Garand M1, M1 Carbine, Krag and German Mauser to keep them company.

Attached Images

Mosin Nagant & Ishapore Enfield Rifles.jpeg (132.4 KB, 10 views)

"I've since given one away, and would give another one away if I could find a deserving person:"

HEY BRO!!!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I just sold a small Mauser collection of 6 guns for $4000 doubled my investment, and 3 other military rifles for about $1400. I do not regret selling them i enjoyed each one, and the hunt, but it was time . I am going to use the funds to help buy a classic truck to enjoy.

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Randy

I have this Custom Mauser that is in the 25-06 Caliber. I bought it many years ago for $500.

fyimo's custom Mauser reminds me that I did keep one milsurp. I just don't think of it as military any longer. And I have no photo. A Yugoslavian 98 Mauser that is on custom wood, jeweled bolt, etc. Rebarreled to .35 Whelen. I promise a photo when my guns come back to me.

Sidebar - does a Springfield M1A with all TRW parts qualify as milsurp?

Only milsurp rifle I regret getting rid of was a 1943 Australian Lithgow SMLE .303

It had all matching numbers, a good bore, and no "FTR" markings - meaning it had never been back to the factory for repairs or parts. The only "issue" it had is that someone had carved their wife or girlfriend's name in the stock. Either that or the guy had named his rifle "Margy".

The first time I ever took it to the range, the first shot I ever fired from it - and I swear this is no joke - was dead center bulls eye at 100 yards. It penetrated the Shoot-N-See target so perfectly I couldn't have made a better hole in it if I had walked right up to it and poked a cartridge through by hand. I kept looking through my binoculars thinking I had shot a flyer until I noticed it was dead on. The following shots weren't that perfect, but they weren't that bad either. Never should have sold it and I pretty much gave it away, at that.

Umm, please get in line.

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Release the Kraken

I've accumulated mil surps for over 40 years. No one else in my family is a shooter best thing is to let them go a few at a time. Probably keep the Persian 98/29 in 8mm, my old cutdown Krag, my 1903A3 sportered way back when and possibly one nice Swedish mauser and my 1935 Finnish Moisin Nagant. I'll have to make a decision regarding my handguns as well. hate to see them go but would get a better price from a private buyer than some jamoke at a gun show. I'll leave a nice post 64 Winchester in 30-30 for my nephew and a few boxes of 170 grain power points. Maybe a nice Marlin 336 set up with a scope instead of the Winchester. His dad's a LEO so should be able to teach him how to shoot.Frank

The Persian 98/29 is a beautifully made firearm. Bought mine back when Samco had then for $199. Along with a couple of my Finnish Mosins and a Remington 03A3 it'll be the last to go.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

I have had a C&R for some time. Before I relocated to Texas my best friend also was a FFL and owned a major gun shop and he mostly catered to older firearms and military surplus. He travelled around the county a lot to many different gunshows and was able to find a lot of really interesting firearms. I bought a lot of military surplus firearms from him, both newly imported and older imports and bringbacks. Then life happened and I had the great divorce collection sale. I had about three hours to decide what to keep, what to let the ex have and what to sell. I packed up and let my dealer friend take over 100 firearms that night to sell on consignment. I did not have the luxury of time to sell them myself. I kept 4 Mauser 98’s, a No1 MkIII, a CLLE, a Ex Dragoon 91/30 MN, a 91/30 MN sniper, a MAS 49/56, A M1 Garand, a couple of C&R pistols and a bunch of non C&R firearms that I thought would be useful to me in my new life in Texas. Over the years since the collection sell off I often wondered why I kept some and didn’t keep others. I have been able to acquire some new pieces for my new collection, and replace some that I sold that I had missed.

Life sometimes is about adapting to our changing environment. I am glad that I was able to own what I did and learn from them a little bit about the history of the times and the men that they played a part of on the world stage.

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Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

This M38 Mosin that I "Bubba'd". Turned out ok I guess, had a lot of fun with it and sent a coyote to his grave at about 150 yards. Put it back in the original stock and sold it for three times what I paid.



Former IDF BHP after I refinished it. I still have it, thinking of selling it but I know I'll regret it once I do...

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Isaiah 41:10

im down to only 3 milsurps in my collection
1 is a old effort mauser action that has been mated to a pre 1950 model 70 Winchester 30-06 brl with a custom plain walnut stock, I have a Bushnell trophy on it and shoots under 1 inch with anything I have put threw it.

2 is a 1891 argentine mauser

3 is a French 49/56 mas semi in 7.5, great gun have not shot it in years

I never caught the milsurps bug, but I do have an M1 Garand made by International Harvester. I've only shot the thing once in 20 twenty years it was when my Nephews were over.

A beautiful Mauser,what is it worth today?

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Life is short,live it fully.

Sold one with no regrets. A 1944 BYF 98K total mix-matcher bought back in 90s when it seems large shipments coming from CAI importers. Only paid $225 and sold it for $400 3 years back. Heard mil-surps especially 98k are bringing big bucks even if bolt mismatched these days. Often wonder what my friend's Type 99 in 7.7 might fetch today. He paid $25 for it in 1972! Many milsurps sportered back in the 50s and 60s.

I don't know what it's worth today as I have no plans on selling it. When I bought it had a Leupold Vari-x III 3x9 40mm scope on it. The gun was built by students at the Colorado school of trades. The gun now has a 3x9x40mm Redfield scope on it. I killed several Deer with it during the past few seasons and I like the 25-06 caliber.
This is another Mauser I bought from them that is a 30-06 and it was the same price.

I had a local auctioneer sell about half of mine for me. It brought in about $10,000 so I do not feel too bad about it. I kept the Winchester Garand I assembled myself from a stripped receiver, my two best K31's out of the 8 I had and a few assorted others. If the election had gone the other way I probably would have sold a few more of the semi-auto rifles I have left. That may still happen in the future, but I will keep about a dozen handguns and rifles to pass down to my sister's grand kids.

Sure, why not?

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!