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emcon5 · February 13, 2012, 01:29 PM

Resale value never enters into my thinking either, but what does is acquisition cost. I just pointed out the the price doubling of rifles that aren't currently considered "collectible" by traditional standards means that those standards can change.

I see each rifle as the historical artifacts they are, and appreciate them as such.

My CMP M1 was made five months before Pearl Harbor, who knows what events it was involved in. It could have been carried ashore in Tunisia, Anzio, Normandy, Peleliu, or even Inchon. It could have been used to defend Bastogne, or the Chosin Reservoir. Or it could have been carried by a bored camp guard in Montana. I really don't know, but it could have been at any of those places. It was certainly well used, as it was rebuilt along the line to the point that no parts seems to be original.

The same goes for my K98, which was made in 1940, when the war was going very poorly for the allies. It could have been used in the invasion of France, or fighting in the Balkans, or the push toward Moscow. I will never know if was captured at Stalingrad, or Kursk, or if it sat unused in a warehouse for the entire war, but it could have been any of those. It could also have been used for unspeakable evil, which is quite sobering. It was later rebuilt by the Soviets to be used in the defense of the Motherland in the event of war with the Western Capitalist dogs, and ironically, was later sold to them.

My Mosin 91/30 was made in 1943, and could have been used at Kursk, or the liberation of Kiev, or any of a hundred other battles driving the Soviet drive to and eventual fall of Berlin. It has blonde stock, and is noticeably darker on the wrist of the stock, almost as if some oily handed Russian conscript spent a long time holding it there defending the Motherland from the fascist invaders.

And I shoot all of them, regularly.

February 13, 2012, 01:29 PM	#88
emcon5 Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 1999 Location: High Desert NV Posts: 2,850	Resale value never enters into my thinking either, but what does is acquisition cost. I just pointed out the the price doubling of rifles that aren't currently considered "collectible" by traditional standards means that those standards can change. I see each rifle as the historical artifacts they are, and appreciate them as such. My CMP M1 was made five months before Pearl Harbor, who knows what events it was involved in. It could have been carried ashore in Tunisia, Anzio, Normandy, Peleliu, or even Inchon. It could have been used to defend Bastogne, or the Chosin Reservoir. Or it could have been carried by a bored camp guard in Montana. I really don't know, but it could have been at any of those places. It was certainly well used, as it was rebuilt along the line to the point that no parts seems to be original. The same goes for my K98, which was made in 1940, when the war was going very poorly for the allies. It could have been used in the invasion of France, or fighting in the Balkans, or the push toward Moscow. I will never know if was captured at Stalingrad, or Kursk, or if it sat unused in a warehouse for the entire war, but it could have been any of those. It could also have been used for unspeakable evil, which is quite sobering. It was later rebuilt by the Soviets to be used in the defense of the Motherland in the event of war with the Western Capitalist dogs, and ironically, was later sold to them. My Mosin 91/30 was made in 1943, and could have been used at Kursk, or the liberation of Kiev, or any of a hundred other battles driving the Soviet drive to and eventual fall of Berlin. It has blonde stock, and is noticeably darker on the wrist of the stock, almost as if some oily handed Russian conscript spent a long time holding it there defending the Motherland from the fascist invaders. And I shoot all of them, regularly.