Any of you guys thought about picking up or maybe already have some old military rifles?

I see lots of SKS's for sale but never really wanted one...an old M1 Garand, Springfield 1903, maybe an m2 carbine would be nice tho!

What are some other good options out there maybe not as spendy as these??

Oh and I have been in love with the dragunov since I was 12 so one day I need to pick up one of those for the wall if nothing else

1917 and 1914 Enfields as well as some of the other Enfields are still pretty inexpensive. Moisin Nagants especially the Finnish ones are good rifles.
I actually owned a real Dragunov war trophy once.

[Exclusive] US allows import of 86,000 M1 rifles from Korea <img src=http://110.45.173.104/www/news/images/ic_korean.gif>
Don't let your money burn a hole in your pocket. If this is correct, I'm stocking up on M1's this year!!!

I learned today that, after much wrangling to overcome the ban instituted by the State Dept, S. Korea will be able to ship back to the US (to FFL distributors) about 80k US-made M1 Garands. The distributors will then make these available to FFL gun shops for sale to the law-abiding public.

Unfortunately, wiser minds have not yet be able to overcome the State Dept's ban on US-made M1 Carbines being sent back to the US to FFL distributors from S. Korea. The carbines have detachable mags and the leaders of the State Dept are apparently worried that gang-bangers will use curios and relics in drive-bys.

I'd love to get a Garand and a M1 carbine.... They top my wish list of milsurp rifles.

Politicians never cease to amaze me... That is very interesting though thanks! Would it be worth it to get my C&R license btw? I think it's only like 25 bucks

My personal favorite milsurps have always been the mausers. I have a $40 Turkish Mauser that is a great rifle. I purchased a BUNCH of ammo (@2500 rounds or so) when it was cheap. Its fun to shoot and cheap. I have had several Yugo 24/47s that were great, as well as a really nice Yugo M48.

I have also had good luck with the K31 Swiss rifles. They are an unusual design and ammo is NOT cheap, but they are phenomenally accurate.

Would love a Garand or carbine......

Pete

One of my favorites (although not cheap, necessarily plentiful, nor uses cheap ammo) is the MAS 49/56 (or the earlier MAS 49). I would avoid any of the re-chambered rifles in .308 and stick with the original 7.5 mm French version. They are neat odd rifles that are not too common around my area.

In regards to the surplus US-made Garands and Carbines that S. Korea gov't wants to get rid of by selling to US FFL distributors, having a C&R will make no difference.

C&R will only help for purchase and possession of historic and antique arms already in the US. The sticking point with the US-made Carbines and Garands currently held by the S. Korean gov't is that the State Dept must approve their re-importation and it is blocking that move. The current leadership at the State Dept cites the potential for these antiques to be used in crime.

Under pressure, the State Dept will allow some (not all) of the Garands to come home, but none of the Carbines. Some folks on Capitol Hill (Sen. Tester of Montana - plus others I can't think of at the moment) have introduced legislation that will allow the importation of US-made milsurp rifles classified as C&R to bypass the need for State Dept approval for these fine pieces of history to come back home.

Most of the US-made Garands and Carbines in S. Korea are in mint condition - never issued and still in the crates and packing grease. They have been sitting in storage with the S. Korean gov't ever since the Korean conflict ended. I want one... My grandfather carried a Garand in WWII and my dad trained extensively with the Carbine during the Korean Conflict era.

Yeah my dad carried the M1 I'm in Korea and later the 03. Would love to get him one as a present if I could find one in good shape.

About those m1's sitting in storage...not only for a personal collection but if one had a chance to pickup up a large quantity of those and hold/sell over time, that would like a nice little return on investment I bet!

Most accurate milsurp has to be the Swiss K31. I know the 1903 Mafia will put a note out on me for saying so, but it's the truth. The Chinese SKS rifles can be very accurate, certainly far better than the imported AK clones. The US built AKs are a different animal.

The P14 and Model 1917 rifles were very underrated and available at good prices until quite recently. Now the market has woken up about them.

Mosin Nagants offer the best variety from $80 Ukrainian refurb mixmasters through to incredibly rare variants that fetch prices in the high hundreds. Also, the Mosin can be a very accurate rifle either straight out of the box (Finnish rebuilds) or by using some simple bedding tweaks.

HEY NOW! That's exactly what I DON'T want the distributors to do. I hope they come home in bulk and the distributors flood them to FFL gun shops so that the higher supply drives the prices down a bit.

I want one of each and the lower the price the better.

It is a good idea you have tho. If you could get your hands on several mint M1's and sit on them, the price will only go up in time. Not only are they great pieces of history, they would make an excellent investment.

For now, I just hope the State Dept gets outta the way and lets these C&R milsurp rifles come back home. Many of our fathers and grandfathers relied on the M1's as their battle rifle and it would be meaningful to own a piece of personal and national history.

I don't recall if it was the latest G&A or my NRA magazine, but there was a nice article about milsurp bolt guns and their use afield by sportsmen in the US. It was a good read....

Several years ago my son was in the early stages of his career path, which was looking at the gaming industry. His primary interest at the time was some of the war video games. Being the supportive Dad like l am, l figured there's nothing like holding the real thing if you want to model it on a computer. So... I picked up a Garand and an M1 carbine (a Winchester, no less!). Then he discovered the smell of perfume and gasoline! So much for the gun stuff. Now he has two degrees and is working as a 3-D lab instructor; his primary focus outside of his job is cars, gears and games. Oh well... at least l tried. ...and l gotta keep both rifles.

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

I love my Garands and '03s but for pure accuracy, its hard to beat a good Swede!

How about the FN 49? Even with my old eyes 1 1/2" groups (100 yds)with the peep sights.

todd

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Blessed, not lucky

I like all my mil-surps..and own a bunch.

My favorites would be a 1881 trapdoor rifle..and a 1942 M1 carbine.

I really love shooting those two.

Handgun mil-surps...I like my Lugers.

My favorite is my 1943 Garand, great sights, accurate and deadly on bowling pins at 200 yards.

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Always bet on stupidity.

Mausers have began to climb in price, but I do like them.

Right now, you can get a fair Mosin Nagant for a C note, and ammo is reasonable as well. Something cheap and fun to shoot, and I believe they will appreciate in value once the supply dries up.

I love my Garand but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the Greek M1903/14.

Pasifikawv I think you are wrong If the Garands get imported they will still be C&R 's just like year's ago when Blue Sky and others imported them. The differance will be if they go to a importer they will be import stamped not unstamped like the ones from the CMP. A C&R license is a great deal at $30.00 for 3 years you don't ever have to buy a gun to save as Brownels,Numerich ,Midway and many others will give a discount if you send them a copy.Also it is great to get guns delivered to your door including some nice older S&W's.
P/S I don't think the Korean guns will be in unissued condition as most of the ones that did go to Korea were reworked WWII guns till late in the war. Also the korean's were not known for taking real good care of there weapons just ask anyone that had one of the Blue Sky or other early imports.

The South Koreans had unissued carbines and Garands? All the ones that came out of their years ago had seen forty odd years or so of conscript use since the S. Koreans rarely tossed anything. They were still using some old WW2 tank destroyers (in at least a limited capacity) at least as late as the turn of the century.

Anyway, the problems with reimport of the weapons in question had nothing to do with concerns that they might be used in crime. It was and is literally a political matter. The U.S. government gave (either free or subsidized) those weapons to the Korean government, and there's some issue with the Koreans now trying to sell them back to us at a profit.

The Garand I'd had from Korea circa 1994 had the finish worn off and was a mix of parts. The carbine, ex ROK, that I got later was interesting in that the bbl had been shot until it was almost smooth. I'd never seen that before. Even after much tinkering and having several people try to work on them, neither ever worked right.

Anyway....Carcanos. Most underappreciated former military guns out there. The Italians used them circa 1890 through to about 1982. Extremely strong actions, generally accurate and fairly quick firing. The 6.5mm versions still have ammo semi-readily available and actually makes a good game getter. The 7.35mm will require reloading, though my modified carbine is a wonderful shooter in that caliber.

Also overlooked are Krag sporters. These were sold commercially early in the 20th century and were a lot of gun for the money (at the time). Collectors tend to ignore them since they are no longer original, and some beat up old ones can be bought back to life nicely. Ammo is still to be had, albeit that it is a seasonal item, but it is an easy choice to reload for.

My true favorites to find? Sporterized Carcanos. Even nice ones generally sell for relatively little.

You guys have given me a lot of stuff to lookup thanks!

I was trying to find that article someone commented about...found this on G&A

Popular Surplus Guns | Guns & Ammo

I'm partial to M1 rifles and M1 carbines.

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The M1 U.S. Rifle is without equal. Even Gen. Patton said as much. It weighs scant more than a tricked out M4 carbine carried today, but th3e Garand is a true battle rifle, and makes a dandy club in close combat.

The sights are superb, the balance is as close to perfect of any rifle ever made, and it is scary accurate. Even though it is shooting a full power 30 cal round, it is very soft shooting and doesn't beat up the gunner.

Most of the inaccuracy of individual specimens today is a result of "cleaning them to death" as they were used for decades as training guns for raw recruits, both in this country and countries we lent them to. Bur a little knowledge of where to look for wear, some fresh parts, and a little adjusting, the accuracy returns to these fine guns.

If one thinks the Garands aren't anything special, just watch a shooter fire one for his first time.

I keep to bolt actions, I think the "grail" milsurp for me is an excellent condition non-sporterized 1903, I keep looking. Next would be an excellent condition Isreali Mauser, I have seen quite a few but none in one piece - they really used them. Then I have an excellent Ishapor Enfield and Mosin Nagant. I may get a few more Nagants while they are so cheap, they are excellent firearms for the price.

According to that linked article on the Garands, a Korean official said they went for $220.

For that, I'll take a half dozen!

BTW, one of the best shooters I ever owned was a 1943 Remington '03A3. 3/4" groups at 100 yards. I'm also fond of the Lee-Enfields, the Swiss K31, and the Spanish FR8.

One of the handiest rifles I own is an Indian version of the SMLE Jungle Carbine, in .308.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I would say, one of the most accurate milsurps would be the K31.

I would put a Swedish Mauser and Finnish M39 Mosin-Nagant as being just as acurate on any given day. The Swede will often outshoot the K31, with the M39 bring up a close 3rd.

I really like my Spanish FR8, a small carbine length 308. It is perfect for brush hunting and placing in a vehicle as a "nice to have around" gun.

bob

Faulkner:
You will soon have enough for a muster! Nice collection.

I have both an M1 Garand and an M1 Carbine as well. I like 'em both equally. Wish I lived in a State that would allow Full Auto then I could get a Colt Thompson Sub Machine Gun which is my all time favorite Military weapon. I have fired one a few times ( in other States where hey are legal) and they were more fun than should be allowed......



Chief38

+3 on the FR8, handy little bugger.
I'd rate it close to my FAL as far as
favorites go.

C6

In 1979 several wonderful things happened. I married my wife. I started seminary. And I discovered the New Orleans Public Library. There I found The Rifle in America by Phil B. Sharp as well as The Rifle by Wheelen along with books by O'Conner and Carmichael. By the time I graduated seminary, I had a profound appreciation for the Mauser 98 and the Springfield 1903 and 1903-A3. These have been my constant companions on the range and in the field for 30 years. When M-1 Garands first began to come into the country during the Reagan administration (oh happy days!), I began to buy and shot that wonderful rifle. I must say, those I now own have been sourced from CMP. How wonderful that the demokrats efforts to destroy U.S. military rifles as well as the DCM have been happily turned around to make outstanding U.S. military rifles available to qualified American citizens... as well as ammunition, etc., all to fund civilian marksmanship. Excellent. So... today my absolute favorite military surplus rifles are the M-1 Garand... the Remington and Smith Corona 1903-A3 (aging eyes and bi-focals make the sights much more usable) and my Springfield and Remington 1903's. I have a single KAR-98 ... a 1939 Mauser that is all matching... beautiful rifle. Here is a link to some pictures... KAR-98K - a set on Flickr .

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My favorites are my MkI* SMLE and a CLLE both by BSA & Co commercially marked. Still set up for the older mk6 ammo.
A 1943 mfg M1 and a '98 Krag also get alot of range time. A Winchester M1 Carbine comes out too but not as often.

I've had plenty of 1917's and they are great shooters, most w/ cast bullet loads too. I'd take another if the price was right. Should have kept the beauty of a Remington DCM rifle I found at an OGCA show for $125! We've all got a few memorys and storys like that though.

The Finn39 was a great rifle and very accurate. A VKT with a perfect bore. I'd recommend one of those to anyone wanting a nice milsurp in that caliber. Another 'shoulda' kept it'...

Amoung the off the beaten trail, probably the Dutch and Romanian M95 and M93 Mannlicher bolt action rifles in 6.5x53R.
Currently just one of the Romanians but that was built into a full stock carbine DST sporter in Europe post WW1. A WW2 GI bring back.

Here's my Springfield 1903 Mark 1. My grandfather, who died 8 years before I was born, bought this as a WWII surplus for $42.50. I have the gun magazine article describing how to "sportsterize" the Springfield. I also have his hand-written list, with prices, for all the parts and services listed in the magazine article. Not the prettiest rifle, but it was his hunting rifle for at least a few years, probably 1947 - 1953.

RE Korean Garands
Ive read more than once that they are in HORRIBLE shape. They are so bad that the CMP after inspecting them said they didnt want them. The "Blue Sky" imports didnt get rave reviews either. Really today the raw parts are worth a bundle so who knows what we will get. I look forward to them coming worn out or not

Ive got 3 Garands 1 Win and 2 Sprignfields unfortunately they are mix masters.

Also I have a an IBM carbine, Smith Corona 03 that been over restored but looks beautiful, just not correct. It was blued not phos coated. A pile of Mosins and more should be here on monday

I love the U.S. Rifles and own one or more of each of the following: M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, Model of 1903, Model of 1917 but these are getting pricey as is any U.S weapon.

Some of the sleepers out there are Finnish M39, Swiss K31, Swedish M96 and M38. These are all deadly accurated shooters.

Other fun C&R rifles are SKS's and shoot reasonably well. Many different countries to collect, Russian, Albania, Romania, etc. Enfields are neat also but ammo is pricey. I have both the No1, MKIII and the No4, MK1 and the .22 No1,MK4.

A down and dirty C&R is a Carcano M38 which I sold and never shot.

The .22 trainers that haven't reached the stratosphere yet are the Mossberg M44 U.S., Remington 513T, Savage 416T. The other stuff is getting out of sight.

the Japanese stuff is pricey too.

Swiss K31 and its predecessors, the 1889, 1911, and K11 carbine. The Swiss surplus ammo is match quality and non-corrosive although Berdan primed. The fun part with the K31s and some older ones, is that sometimes there is a tag under the buttplate with the soldier's name and home town. I found one, and got in touch with a very nice guy in Geneva! Oh, and clamp-on scope mounts for the K31 are available from Brownell's; very strong and do not damage the rifle at all. These rifles are Accurate!

Garand, period.

A little over 10 years ago the sheriff's office I work at purchased a batch of these and the price listed above. These were in pretty decent shape and after some cleanup and reworking we issued them to deputies for patrol carbines.

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