Okay, back full swing into Milsurps.... what to buy

[Miami_JBT]

Since the market is still all frakked up from the panic buying I am back into Milsurps (never really left). So since that's the case I'm looking at expanding my collection into parts unknown. I'm looking at getting a French MAS-36, a Swiss K31, and lastly a Indian Ishapore Enfield. The Ishapore I know; the other two not so much. I do know that I waited to long for the good deals on guns or ammo. But hey... I'm still looking into them.

[kilimanjaro]

Steal a Swiss K31 if you can't buy one. Never really wanted one until a local pawn shop had one for $375, now I love mine. Figuratively, anyway.

[tahunua001]

welcome back to the dark side. my LGS has an Ishapore7.62 right now, I don't remember what they were asking for it but it seemed a little steep but then again I don't know the prices that they usually net. NO1 style enfields never held much interest for me... too front heavy.

either I'm a dumbass or there is a serious problem with all the K11/K31s in my area, every one I pick up seems to have the bolt locked up on it. that is one rifle I have no interest at all in owning.


one very cheap option that is not so cheap to feed is a Steyr M1895 straight pull. JG sales has had them constantly for less than $100 ever since I've started looking at milsurps. 8x56R is pretty tough to getahold of but grafs has lots of reloading compenents. I got dies, 100 brass and 100 208gr FMJs all for about $100 so it's not a very expensive prospect to invest in reloading for them... after all the brass and dies are a 1 time expense unless you shoot a lot.

as for MAS36. they are kindof in the same boat as the M95 though they command higher prices and the ammo/brass+dies are just as hard to come by. at least they shoot a 308 bullet so those are easier to get ahold of. my MAS36 has the smoothest bolt of any of my milsurps but I have still yet to find what range that thing had to have been zeroed for and accuracy is pretty poor for my liking. I'm trying to sell mine so I can put the money towards something else.

[Miami_JBT]

Got a Steyr M95 Long Rifle already... Enfields are fun but I have nothing French or Swiss in the stable.

[4V50 Gary]

Yugo Mausers. I saw one that was refinished by the Yugoslavs and it was beautiful. The interior where the bolt ride was well polished - something you expect from a custom gun.

[Slowhand]

I’ve got 3 Old Military Style Rifles in my collection.

Last summer, I bought an Arisaka Type 38, manufactured in 1905. The Mum is missing but it’s in great shape.

Later on in the Summer I bought two Mosin Nagants 7.622x54 M91/30s. I had loads of fun cleaning the Cosmoline off. One was made in Tulia Arsenal in 1938 and the other in 1939. I traded off the one from 1938.

This year picked I up an Argentine Mauser Model 1891; from bolt face to muzzle it’s now 21 inches. The stock is now 31 inches, with the barrel bands, top hand guard and wire long gone. She was manufactured in 1894. She looks like one of those classic “Sporterized” that Montgomery Ward was selling back in the days you could mail order one.

I found the Mauser designs that were incorporated into each of the two later models interesting.

When Mauser starting his production of the Model 1891s South America was a busy country with all kinds of wars raging. His next customers were the Turks and Spanish as the world passed through the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78 and the Spanish Civil War 1877-78 along with other wars fought between empires that no longer exist.

All this led up to WWI and WWII. The development of bolt action rifles with magazines that could be loaded with clips. Then along came semi-automatic and real assault rifles that changed everything.

[FMJ1911]

I had a lot of mil surp rifles and...by far...two were my very favorite, ok, three:

M1 Garand
M1 Carbine
Lee Enfield.

The others? Meh.

But those three were/are awesome.

[Enfielder]

Pssst! Look at the shows and online sites like ARMSLIST and Gun Owner's Club, and find yourself some sporterized milsurp rifles for about half of what the untouched, pristine military versions bring. You can shoot them as is, or embark on restoring them to their original military state. The "bubba'd" ones are usually the cheapest. I picked up a No. 4 Mark III * that had "U.S.PROPERTY" on it for $125. I got a pretty decent Carcano for $100. You won't find any M-1 Garands or M-1 Carbines like that. but there are still plenty of bolt guns out there. Good hunting!

[tahunua001]

I picked up a No. 4 Mark III * that had "U.S.PROPERTY" on it for $125.

ok I'm not going to say you're full of it but... the only enfields marked US Property were made by Savage under the Lend Lease Act and those were No4 MK1*s, I've never heard of a MKIII* number 4.... heard of NO1 MKIII* but those were australian if memory serves right.

either way $125 for an original condition enfield aint a bad deal at all, I got my US property NO4 for $150 and I've been offered $350 for it. as for getting a bubba'd rifle and refurbishing it, that's not going to happen cheaper than just buying original. I once bought a 1903A4 barreled action for $150 dollars, I spent over $1,000 returning it to snuff and ended up having to use a lot of reproduction parts. original, correct would have cost well over $2,000. given that the average price for a barreled 1903A4 action is $2,700 these days it would cost you 4,700 to build a rifle that only blue books at $4,000. the same can be said for less expensive more prolific models. a $400 sporterized mauser would cost about $900 to refurbish yet you can still get them for around $1000 in perfect condition if you look hard enough.

[chiefr]

4V50 Gary posted:
Yugo Mausers. I saw one that was refinished by the Yugoslavs and it was beautiful. The interior where the bolt ride was well polished - something you expect from a custom gun.

_________________________________________________________________
Concur
Some of the 24/47s and Model 48s being sold by Samco and other wholesalers are almost mint. Many I have seen appear to have new barrels installed. These guns also shoot MOA groups with the iron sights.
IMHO, these guns are bargains. Get one before they are sold.

[AssaultTortoise]

Ive found a few decent deals at gun-shows lately on some mil-surps. Ive never really stopped collecting since college and have amassed a few dozen specimens. Try to get a K31 first while you can and a few hundred rounds of GP11 surplus when its available. I just won bolt gun group at a veterans rifle match with my K31 scored 233/300. First time shooting a match and 3rd time shooting the gun. I have at least one of all the guns your after. I don't care much for my Mas36 but you can still get surplus ammo for them. Be careful though 7.5french and 7.5swiss are dangerously similar. I really like my Ishapore 2a enfeild as far as im concerned its the best truck gun you can get. Mausers are always good and there is the ubiquitous and cheap Nagants everywhere. Good deals can still be had on Arasakas and SMLE enfields if you keep your eyes open.

[Ignition Override]

As for ammo prices, here is a quandary, at least based on my impressions.
I bought a batch of 8mm Yugo and Czech ammo back in '10 for my Yugo 48A. Only have 2,000 rds.

Swiss 7.5 at about .50/rds. is Berdan-primed, Not reloadable by most of us. Seeing the reloadable Swiss ammo at about $1.00+/round, it seems really high.

My Prvi .303 ammo was .75/rd. Saving my surplus heap ('43 Brit., some later Aussie and POF) for retirement.
The POF is not bad (I've read a Lot about milsurps....).
The CMP's M2 Ball is .50/rd. and reloadable. Other than falling for a nice MN rifle (.20-.25/rd.), the Garand seems the way to go.

[couillon]

As said already. Get a K31. It was not that long ago they were being imported, so the prices are not so bad on them. Unique and one of the more accurate mil surp rifles out there.