Cyrano 4747
11-26-2007, 02:41 AM
Here's the collection as it stands today. I'll actually be adding another Garand to it in a month or so (CMP order that's being processed) and I've got a special project that I'm saving up for.
First off, my favorite rifle, my K31. It may be expensive to feed, but goddamn if there isn't something just viscerally satisfying about exploding water bottles and pop cans at 300 yards. It's looking a bit different than here, right now, since I removed the scope and put a bipod on it to work on distance shooting with irons.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC00702.jpg
Here's my Finnish m28 Mosin Nagant. These are really interesting rifles since they represent a period in Finnish history where they were armed with basically anything that would shoot, from Japanese Arisakas to German Mausers to, of course, Russian Mosins. The m28 was the first successful attempt at standardization and was a re-work of existing, Imperial Russian rifles to a new, more accurate standard. The receiver is a 1914 Tula and still has the Imperial eagle on it. The barrel is thicker than a normal Mosin barrel and was manufactured, and installed, by SIG. Yes, that SIG. The stock is an old Russian stock from an m91 that had the fore-end cut off due to the wider channel needed by the thicker barrel and replaced with a section made of Finnish wood. The double sling holes at the back were for securing the rifle in situations where the hands were not free, such as on skis. The m28 was the primary rifle of the Civil Guard in the early 40s and saw extensive service in the Winter War. There were only 28,000 or so M28s produced, making this a fairly uncommon model of mosin, as well.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/m28.jpg
I got some of the Russian 7N1 ammo for it and wow, it's one accurate rifle.
Here we have a 1943 Izhevsk m91/30 Mosin Nagant. It is as common as the m28 is interesting and unusual. It's fun to shoot, though, and everyone needs a Mosin. Plus, you know, it was $60.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/russianmosin-1.jpg
German K98k, manufactured in 1939 at the Mauser Obendorf plant. It's one of my favorite rifles to plink with and is damned accurate for something that saw as much use as it did. It was also the third gun I ever bought.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/k98.jpg
British No.IVMkI Enfield. It's a 1943 Maltby that, according to the stock marks, was issued to the Navy. Not exactly a rare gun, but fun to shoot and with a really smooth action. I got this one for $60 at a pawn shop, which was a pretty good deal at the time.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/done.jpg
This is a stripped K98k (bcd, 1941) barreled receiver that I picked up a while ago for only $30. It's slowly becoming a Mauser again as I add parts that I get here and there cheap.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01038.jpg
m1903, manufactured by Remington in 1942. It's got a pristine stock with all the cartouches from the various rebuilds it went through intact, gorgeous rifling, and shoots stupidly well with the crazy sight that they put on those guns. It represents the transitional phase between 1903 reworks and 1903A3 production at the Remington plant having, for example, the 1903 style sights but a receiver serial that's in a range usually seen with 1903a3s and provisions for the rear-receiver mounted sight that was used on that model.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01074.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01094.jpg
A Yugo SKS. The only thing even remotely interesting about it is that it has a serbian cross carved into the side, some other unintelligable writing, and has obviously seen use. I just recently fixed the stovepiping problem it had, though, by making a better seal for the gas valve.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01109.jpg
Australian NoIMkIII* Enfield, Lithgow 1942. It's a cool gun with a lot of well-preserved stock markings and the original sling that came with it. No import stamp to be found, either, which probably means it was shipped ot the US in the 50s sometime. All matching serials, including the stock. It's also pretty damned accurate. Right now the stock has a crack that needs repair, but all indications are that it will fix up just fine.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/SMLE-2.jpg
SIG SAUER p6 (P225) West German police pistol. One of my only non-milsurps and a damned fine general purpose pistol. It's my only handgun, covering both range duties (I'm getting pretty accurate with it) and nightstand use. I've yet to get a jam in about 2000 rounds and it's in utterly pristine condition. The importer mark may be ugly, but it was a great price for a really good pistol.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01131.jpg
Tula TOZ. It's a crazy little Russian .22LR bolt gun made by the same people that brought you the Mosin, the SKS, and the AK. Not only is it stupidly accurate and fun to shoot, but it also has so many features the same as old russian military guns that it's eerily milsurp-esque. The front sight in particular looks just like the SKS sight and the magazine/trigger guard is VERY mosin-esque. Damned fun little gun and it's entertaining having a .22 with insane moon-writing on it.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01156.jpg
Mauser Kar98a made at Erfurt in 1910. The numbers on everything but the stock and bolt match. Both the stock and bolt are for a late-war K98k. The barrel bands that were used on it are of a type seen only on last ditch rifles. There is no importer stamp. It was probably a late-war rebuild of an obsolete Kar98a for use by second-line troops and either brought back by someone or imported in the 50s. It shoots fine, but needs a new extractor.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01436.jpg
Springfield M1 Garand, manufactured in 1944 and re-barreled in 1954. This is a Blue Sky import, so it came from South Korean use. It's pretty much the definition of a "beater." The Koreans did a shitty re-park job on it and there's a significant ammount of pitting in the barrel from improper storage. The stock is walnut, but utterly lacking in stampings or markings and beat to shit. The crown may also be damaged. It shoots reliably, but only makes about minute-of-pumpkin at 50 yards. Once my CMP Service Grade Garand shows up I'll make this into a project gun, rebarreling it, adding a match trigger and sights, and turning it into a target rifle.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01440.jpg
This is an old group shot and the only photo I can find of my two Turkish Mausers. They're both the m38 pattern and can be seen 2nd and 3rd from the right. One was made in 1943 and the other in 1944, both at the K. Kale armory in Kirrikuk. The 1944 rifle doesn't headspace properly, so I'm looking for a new bolt for it. The one that is safe to shoot was my first gun and was basically the way that I got into milsurps. It shoots pretty well and is entertaining because of how stupidly long it is, coming out even longer than the m91/30.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/familypic.jpg
And, as fun as milsurp guns are, what you can do with them is far more entertaining.
Here, for example, is what the successful application of 3 propane tanks, 4 road flares, and a multi-shooter barrage of .30-06, 8mm Mauser, 7.5 Swiss, and 7.62x54r to an old server and computer monitor produces:
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/IMG_0612.jpg
First off, my favorite rifle, my K31. It may be expensive to feed, but goddamn if there isn't something just viscerally satisfying about exploding water bottles and pop cans at 300 yards. It's looking a bit different than here, right now, since I removed the scope and put a bipod on it to work on distance shooting with irons.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC00702.jpg
Here's my Finnish m28 Mosin Nagant. These are really interesting rifles since they represent a period in Finnish history where they were armed with basically anything that would shoot, from Japanese Arisakas to German Mausers to, of course, Russian Mosins. The m28 was the first successful attempt at standardization and was a re-work of existing, Imperial Russian rifles to a new, more accurate standard. The receiver is a 1914 Tula and still has the Imperial eagle on it. The barrel is thicker than a normal Mosin barrel and was manufactured, and installed, by SIG. Yes, that SIG. The stock is an old Russian stock from an m91 that had the fore-end cut off due to the wider channel needed by the thicker barrel and replaced with a section made of Finnish wood. The double sling holes at the back were for securing the rifle in situations where the hands were not free, such as on skis. The m28 was the primary rifle of the Civil Guard in the early 40s and saw extensive service in the Winter War. There were only 28,000 or so M28s produced, making this a fairly uncommon model of mosin, as well.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/m28.jpg
I got some of the Russian 7N1 ammo for it and wow, it's one accurate rifle.
Here we have a 1943 Izhevsk m91/30 Mosin Nagant. It is as common as the m28 is interesting and unusual. It's fun to shoot, though, and everyone needs a Mosin. Plus, you know, it was $60.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/russianmosin-1.jpg
German K98k, manufactured in 1939 at the Mauser Obendorf plant. It's one of my favorite rifles to plink with and is damned accurate for something that saw as much use as it did. It was also the third gun I ever bought.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/k98.jpg
British No.IVMkI Enfield. It's a 1943 Maltby that, according to the stock marks, was issued to the Navy. Not exactly a rare gun, but fun to shoot and with a really smooth action. I got this one for $60 at a pawn shop, which was a pretty good deal at the time.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/done.jpg
This is a stripped K98k (bcd, 1941) barreled receiver that I picked up a while ago for only $30. It's slowly becoming a Mauser again as I add parts that I get here and there cheap.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01038.jpg
m1903, manufactured by Remington in 1942. It's got a pristine stock with all the cartouches from the various rebuilds it went through intact, gorgeous rifling, and shoots stupidly well with the crazy sight that they put on those guns. It represents the transitional phase between 1903 reworks and 1903A3 production at the Remington plant having, for example, the 1903 style sights but a receiver serial that's in a range usually seen with 1903a3s and provisions for the rear-receiver mounted sight that was used on that model.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01074.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01094.jpg
A Yugo SKS. The only thing even remotely interesting about it is that it has a serbian cross carved into the side, some other unintelligable writing, and has obviously seen use. I just recently fixed the stovepiping problem it had, though, by making a better seal for the gas valve.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01109.jpg
Australian NoIMkIII* Enfield, Lithgow 1942. It's a cool gun with a lot of well-preserved stock markings and the original sling that came with it. No import stamp to be found, either, which probably means it was shipped ot the US in the 50s sometime. All matching serials, including the stock. It's also pretty damned accurate. Right now the stock has a crack that needs repair, but all indications are that it will fix up just fine.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/SMLE-2.jpg
SIG SAUER p6 (P225) West German police pistol. One of my only non-milsurps and a damned fine general purpose pistol. It's my only handgun, covering both range duties (I'm getting pretty accurate with it) and nightstand use. I've yet to get a jam in about 2000 rounds and it's in utterly pristine condition. The importer mark may be ugly, but it was a great price for a really good pistol.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01131.jpg
Tula TOZ. It's a crazy little Russian .22LR bolt gun made by the same people that brought you the Mosin, the SKS, and the AK. Not only is it stupidly accurate and fun to shoot, but it also has so many features the same as old russian military guns that it's eerily milsurp-esque. The front sight in particular looks just like the SKS sight and the magazine/trigger guard is VERY mosin-esque. Damned fun little gun and it's entertaining having a .22 with insane moon-writing on it.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01156.jpg
Mauser Kar98a made at Erfurt in 1910. The numbers on everything but the stock and bolt match. Both the stock and bolt are for a late-war K98k. The barrel bands that were used on it are of a type seen only on last ditch rifles. There is no importer stamp. It was probably a late-war rebuild of an obsolete Kar98a for use by second-line troops and either brought back by someone or imported in the 50s. It shoots fine, but needs a new extractor.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01436.jpg
Springfield M1 Garand, manufactured in 1944 and re-barreled in 1954. This is a Blue Sky import, so it came from South Korean use. It's pretty much the definition of a "beater." The Koreans did a shitty re-park job on it and there's a significant ammount of pitting in the barrel from improper storage. The stock is walnut, but utterly lacking in stampings or markings and beat to shit. The crown may also be damaged. It shoots reliably, but only makes about minute-of-pumpkin at 50 yards. Once my CMP Service Grade Garand shows up I'll make this into a project gun, rebarreling it, adding a match trigger and sights, and turning it into a target rifle.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/DSC01440.jpg
This is an old group shot and the only photo I can find of my two Turkish Mausers. They're both the m38 pattern and can be seen 2nd and 3rd from the right. One was made in 1943 and the other in 1944, both at the K. Kale armory in Kirrikuk. The 1944 rifle doesn't headspace properly, so I'm looking for a new bolt for it. The one that is safe to shoot was my first gun and was basically the way that I got into milsurps. It shoots pretty well and is entertaining because of how stupidly long it is, coming out even longer than the m91/30.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/familypic.jpg
And, as fun as milsurp guns are, what you can do with them is far more entertaining.
Here, for example, is what the successful application of 3 propane tanks, 4 road flares, and a multi-shooter barrage of .30-06, 8mm Mauser, 7.5 Swiss, and 7.62x54r to an old server and computer monitor produces:
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/cyrano4747/IMG_0612.jpg