Problem for me from the get go is I'm relatively young and the time I could've gotten into anything nothing was really cheap besides a Russian 91/30 at $180 and that was only 4 years ago.
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Problem for me from the get go is I'm relatively young and the time I could've gotten into anything nothing was really cheap besides a Russian 91/30 at $180 and that was only 4 years ago.
I was lucky enough to catch the very tail end of the good ol days of Mil Surp. Back when 54r spam cans were under $100 and 91/30s were about $100. Those days are sadly gone. I wish I had the money back then and scooped up more dime a dozen items because it ain't so these days... I still keep a nose to the wind for a good deal but they are harder to come by anymore.
Welcome to Poofa! Stick around and learn some things. Some folks on here are old and can be a bit crunchy in their opinions so don't get offended and leave right away. Give it time and figure out the crowd, you will have a good time just reading some of these posts.
Yeah a lot of older people are mainly thr ones into military surplus. Not many people in their early 20's are about it like myself. Was going to decide to reenact next year for the Second World War.
I did a small concrete job fore a friend years ago, I think the materials were 25 bucks.
He gave me a #s matching russian sks.
And you got ripped off......mine was $88. The early 90's were truly a special time for milsurp collectors. People think the 50's was the golden age but in the early 90's they started importing all kinds of surplus arms from around the world. The best part was Americans didn't warm up to the Commie stuff yet. SKS's and Makarovs could be found everywhere for under $100 (even the west German Maks). Mausers of all types were $100. My favorite place to go at the time was Woolworth. They sold firearms and had a section with at least a hundred rifles on racks you could just walk up and touch. They also had a 20% off coupon where everything was 20% off around once a month. You could get Garands for $200 and carbines for $160. Picked up a 1900 mint Swedish Mauser for $90.
Oh the good old days.......but it did have its downside. For the last 20 years I have been kicking myself for all of the things I passed on. I had in my hands 2 carbines. One was an Inland in great condition and one was a Winchester in OK but not as nice condition. Both were $160. I decided on the Inland since I "just needed one".
Aaarrrrgggg!
What'd you want that old military junk for? Says the guy who hunts deer with a Swede and has his feet propped up on a case of Garand ammo while he's typing this.
That cosmoline gets on your skin and you're done. I still have a Swede in the grease. Saving it for a rainy day.
I'm an unrepentant milsup collector/shooter. The days of really cheap milsup may be gone, but gems are out there. Keep the faith and an open mind about jumping on opportunities when they show up and you'll find the bug is just as strong as in the good old days.
Sadly I was just a wee lad in the 80's but I have seen old add's from Shot Gun news that had mint Chinese SKS's and a full crate of Norinco x39 for $89.99. When I came into it about 12 years ago Mosin Nagants were still $79.00 for the pick of the litter and you could still find nice Russian, Romanian or Yugo SKS's for $300-$350.00 and Chinese were about $275.00 and picked from the Valley Forge gun show. Hell I picked up an original Romanian PSL and scope for $495.00 fro AIM surplus about 8 or 9 years back and now newly manufactured ones are $1600.00+ with repro scopes.
Times have changed a lot in the last decade for sure.
Well if an 1899 Broomhandle, a 1918 Luger and an assortment of Lee Enfields from WWII plus a few revolvers from WWI and II count, then I guess I am still a milsurp collector. One recommendation. Apply for a C&R licence, the best $30 you can spend. I recommended Cruzans a few years ago to get one and he has "cornered the market ever since. Dave_n