Gun talk

@Ithikial - That's a bummer. Well, there's always Plan C: a 1:1 cardstock MP44 you can build and put on your wall! http://www.papercraftsquare.com/wwi...g-44-rifle-free-gun-paper-model-download.html
Meh I'll survive. Grand Theft Auto and being a virtual kleptomaniac in ARMA 3 scratch that 'gun itch.'

@Bootie - Wow, that's interesting. You would think it would be the other way around. I also find it interesting what different countries consider to be the main parts that make a firearm a firearm. It seems like in Europe the barrel, and apparently the bolt face and some internals, are what constitutes the firearm; meaning if those are welded, it's deactivated. Here in the US it's the receiver. To deactivate a firearm over here, the receiver needs to be torch cut into pieces before the ATF considers it no longer a firearm. In short, what y'all would consider a deactivated firearm over there would still be seen as live over here, even if there was a welded rod in the barrel and the bolt face/internals were welded.
I think it's got to do with the same reasons we can't have airsoft guns over here. Anything that isn't a gun but on quick inspection can pass for a gun is looked upon harshly. It may not be a proper firearm but can still fool people if used in a robbery or to threaten people.
 
@Meat Grinder - Nice! Channeling your inner cowboy, huh? Need a range report with pics now.

You know that's gonna happen, brah. I just need a sunny day off and I'm gonna punch some .44 magnum holes in some man sized targets at 25, 50, and 100 yards. I have a nice selection of paper targets....from the traditional circles, to generic man shaped silhouettes, to bearded terrorists, to Zombie Clowns.

Now if only I could get Sam Elliot to narrate.
 
Ok, show and tell time. I'm a milsurp guy to the core, so that's mainly what I collect and shoot.

Left to right:
Kokura Series 23 Type 99 - This rifle has provenance as being captured on Tinian. It was taken from a dead Jap that was killed by a mortar round. There's still visible shrapnel in the stock. Unfortunately, the vet who captured the rifle refinished the stock. However, it is all matching, and it still has its matching dust cover.

dot 43 (Waffenwerke Brunn., Brno, Czechoslovakia, 1943) MG34 - Original WW2 parts kit (All parts of the firearm except the receiver, which was destroyed by torch cutting) I built on an 80% receiver (meaning it's not live, just a 25lb paper weight of awesomeness). This MG found its way into Yugo service after the war. It was later imported into the US as a parts kit. Sling is WW2 German as well.

Izhevsk 1944 M91/30 PU sniper rifle. Details can be found here: http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/thefgmforum/threads/mosin-nagant-m91-30.21745/#post-189588

Maltby 1943 No4 Mk1 - Nothing much to say about it other than it's a bolt mismatch, and it has probably the smoothest action of any bolt action rifle. And the pig sticker bayonet is awesome.

Russian Capture K98k - As the Russians steamrolled west, they captured many K98s that were then put into storage. At some point during the cold war, all of them were taken apart, rebuilt, re-blued and put back in storage. As a result, none of the parts are matching. Some of these K98s did make their way to various nations the Soviets supported during the Cold War, though. This particular rifle is a bnz 41 (Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Austria, 1941) barreled receiver with a true cornucopia of various early, mid and late war German parts. Oh, and the red on the stock is shellac the Russians applied to it for preservation purposes (It's why the PU's stock is red too). Forums are littered with the flame wars of whether or not to remove or keep the shellac on RC K98s. I opted to leave it on, as it is now part of that rifle's history.

Springfield Arsenal June 1943 M1 Garand - This M1 was rebuilt at Raritan Arsenal in New Jersey shortly after the war, and it retains all war era parts except the barrel. It is dated 1946 (most likely when the rifle was overhauled). Notable parts are the late war Type III lock bar rear sights, a Winchester gas cylinder and front sight, a very early bullet guide and an early -3 uncut oprod. This rifle, and thousands of others, were later loaned to Denmark as part of a post war military assistance program. Denmark eventually returned them to the US in the late 90s/early 2000s. The US Army then turned them over to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), a government chartered entity that sells legal US military surplus firearms to US citizens meeting certain criteria.

Springfield Arsenal November 1942 M1 Garand - This M1 was rebuilt in the 1950s, and it has a combination of war time and post war parts. It spent its service life here in the US. The most notable part on this one is an IHC (International Harvester) oprod. Yep, the tractor company made M1s for awhile post war. The other interesting thing about this rifle is that it has a lead dipped receiver. During the war, a number of receivers weren't heat treated properly and the heels became too hard (This is a part of the receiver that takes a lot of stress. The bolt slams into the heel during operation, so you don't want to have brittle metal there). To solve the problem, the heel of the receiver was annealed by dipping it in molten lead. When the receiver was parkerized, the area that had been dipped in lead had a different tone then the rest of the receiver. This is also a CMP rifle.
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Thanks! Yeah, I love M1s, and they're a joy to shoot. The CMP still sells Garands if you want to go that route. Rumor has it they're getting 86,000 more from Philippine MAP returns some point in the near future. Here's their latest catalog with prices and what's available: http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/catalog.pdf?ver=032717

Edit: I spoke to soon. Found the M1 sales page on their site and they all say sold out for now, unless you want a special or sniper: http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/m1-garand/
 
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@Rambler - You're M1's have traveled across Europe in the hands of my pixeltruppen. ;)
Indeed they have! :D

@Rambler Yea, I think I had a "special" before (new stock, new barrel, reparkerized receiver and other metal). So they still have those for $830 huh? I guess they aren't nearly as collectible as an all original M1 in excellent condition.
According to their website they do. Yeah, your dyed-in-the-wool collectors probably wouldn't touch a special with a ten foot pole, as they're usually all about originality. They're really nice rifles, though. Especially if you plan on shooting it a lot. You don't have to worry if you'll get a rifle with some worn parts either. Specials weren't even an option when I got mine through the CMP (2006 and 2007).
 
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With all the North Korea events atm, noticed this pic in a newspaper here, and was intrigued as to what the large cylinder below the assault riles is.

(Caption: Commandoes march across Kim Il-sung Square during Saturday's military parade in Pyongyang. Photo: AP).

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A little google-fu later...

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/150-rnd-north-korean-helical-ak-magazines.188959/

&

http://www.guns.com/2013/04/01/o-ho...-helical-magazines-for-defense-of-motherland/

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For those (liek me) with no idea about helical magazines:

http://imgur.com/gallery/uFGzs


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I recently bought a 1917 U.S. Enfield in pristine condition for $600 U.S. The U.S. Enfield has an interesting history in WWI
 
@Gnarly - And here I thought that's where Jong Un required his minions to store his salamis and other sausages in case he ever got hungry. Food would always be near at hand for him to stuff his face with. :D

@Ithikial - Standard run-of-the-mill war era Lee Enfields, even those including bayonets, go for $350 - $425 USD or so here in the states. The M1917 Herroberst is talking about goes for more since it was produced here in the states and was a US service weapon (He actually got a really good deal on it). US firearms are higher priced.
 
I have the bayonet too but that was separate purchase but also period.
 
Shot my Henry for the first time today at the Unaka Rod & Gun Club. I'm a new member and everyone was very friendly and helpful. They have a 200 meter rifle and pistol range with about 20 covered concrete benches. I was surprised to see the number of people there at 10:30 am on a week day. I think I was the youngest person there (I'm 51) so now I know where all the old guys go when they finish their breakfast at Hardees. ;-)

I also brought along my Ruger 10-22, as I haven't shot it in several years (shame, shame!) and I recently replaced the stock with an aftermarket Hogue rubber stock. I did the .22 shooting at 50 meters, aiming at the head of my target silhouette (which drew some laughs from the old guys who were all shooting at traditional concentric circle targets). I was aiming right between his eyes and I have a 4X scope attached. I was shooting low and to the left at first, so I adjusted the windage control and got it placing rounds in his neck. Then I adjusted the elevation and got it dialed in pretty well (again, look at the head).
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After I finished with the .22, I brought out the Henry. I attached a sticker to the target's sternum for these shots and aimed at that. Took me a few shots to learn the iron sights, but once I figured that out I was able to hit the black pretty consistently. Those are (I believe) five to eight shots in the black, because some of those appear to be two holes very close together. The .44 magnum makes much bigger holes than the .22. ;-P Then I stood up and shot a magazine full (or more, I forget) just offhand and, of course, was much less accurate. It looks like I was shooting quite a bit to the left on those. Got a couple of killing hits though.

The Henry shot well, with no malfunctions. Very smooth lever action. It drew some compliments from the old guys, who were mostly shooting blackpowder rifles (it seems Wednesday is blackpowder day, though they don't mind you shooting something else).

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I'm very pleased with the range.


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