C&R rifle questions

K

Kharn

New member
I'm looking at starting a collection of old C&R guns , starting with: 1. SKS,
2. 2 Turk Mausers (Going to give one to my GF to see if she can remember to clean the barrel reliably before I give her anything more expensive, change the stock on the other one),
3. a Yugo M48,
4. a Mosin Nagant of some type,
5. an Enfield of some type
6. and some other guns (Isaphore enfield, FR-8, etc).

The SKS and the Turk with a new stock are probably going to be shot the most, the others will probably be shot about 100 rounds a year.

The problem is, I dont know much about the differences between the different Mosin Nagants and the different Enfields, could someone please make some suggestions?

Also, are there any other C&R rifles that I absolutely must have for my collection to be complete?

I dont have the cash for M1 Carbines, Springfields and the like, but I'm trying to scrounge the cash for a Garand or two (One to save, the other to rebarrel to .308). Suggestions on fair price ranges (and which dealers to get the rifles from) would also be very helpful.

Kharn
 
you should seriously consider adding a swedish mauser to your list. it is a small ring action made in swedish steel and is unbelievebly accurrate

my sks is russian and is beautiful, but they are getting pricey

i like the #4 mk 2 enfield because i like the way the barrel sticks out of the muzzel cap but don't like the #5 because of too much barrel. i think the enfield is a great battle rifle due to it's 10 round capacity and rapid bolt stroke design
 
If you are giving your girlfriend a 8mm Turk to shoot as-is, then either:
1. She loves abuse and will take care of the rifle that puts bruises on her shoulder.
2. She doesn't like abuse and will leave the corrosive chemistry in the barrel and chamber on purpose ... just to accelerate the demise of the stupid rifle attached to that stupid piece of metal that hit her so hard that it put those stupid bruises on her shoulder. She also might include you in that stupid theme. ;)

Seriously, though, at least put a recoil pad on her Turk ... I have a .308 lever action Browning that is REALLY light and the 8mm Mausers with their original metal butt plates really DO kick ALOT harder. I know that I am not the only person who feels this way. If she already shoots and likes magnum rifles, maybe you can disregard my caution, but your comment seems to indicate that she is not too experienced in this stuff. I wouldn't even risk one shot if she is not experienced and you really do want her to continue to shoot with you ... and not AT you ;)

Other than that ... you are on the mark with your list. I got a Garand in .308 from AIM Surplus a while ago and have been thrilled with it ... it is worth keeping an eye on their specials. My experience is that they are also very straight forward about telling you exactly what you should expect so that you are not surprised. One of the guys was so conservative that he ended up talking me out of a surplus Hi Power ... my brother ended up getting one and in my opinion, he was WAY too harsh on the pistol. I would not have been dissapointed at all if I had purchased one ... except that I wouldn't have gotten my Sig!

Remember ... buy and install a recoil pad!
Saands
 
Saands: My GF loves shooting a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Rem Mag one of the guys at the range has, I believe its bone stock except for the optics, but I could be wrong. I never looked into 7mm RemMag, how does that compare to .30-06 and the like? Thanks for the pad suggestion, I'll look into it.

Kharn
 
7mm Rem Mag should kick more than the 8mm ... but the existance of a recoil pad might still make it feel more kind ... I have seen some recoil pads that lace on or slip on ... that might be the easy solution. If you are going to eventually toss the original wood on the Turk, then you might just cut it down to size and screw a real recoil pad onto it. Just a thought.
Saands
 
My recommendations:

A Model of 1914 and/or 1917. .303 and .30-06, respectively. These are fine shooting rifles and have a lot of aesthetic appeal. Priced from $400 on up.

A Mosin Nagant M-44. These are carbine length with a side-folding bayonet. There are plenty on the market, and a fine one can be had for around $100. Easy to tear down and refinish, like all Mosins.

An Enfield No.4 Mk 1 or 2. The Enfield action is superb and these are fine shooting rifles. For a decent one you'll pay around $185 on up.

Buy these and we'll talk some more...

Noban
 
Sounds like you are new to C&R firearms. There are some great websites that are dedicated to C&R guns. You can start at www.mosin-nagant.net this is the largest website/forum for C&R guns on the net. Lots of info here on Nagants. They also have a good links page to find other sites. www.gunandknife.com is another great forum. Look at the archives at gunandknife and you'll find enough reading for the next couple of years!

Hope this helps,
Gino
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the wonderful world of C&R

While we may get into collecting with a C&R because we like battlerifles, we are also preserving history a little piece at a time. Without us, literally hundreds of thousands of perfectly servicable and historical rifles would be cut up for scrap. So, the C&R is a great tool. The biggest problem is rearranging your budget to buy just one more this month.

I started my list but only put semi-auto rifles on it. I love semi autos and have a growing collection of them. So, it that light, I'd like to add:

SKS (everyone's got one, why not you too?)
M1 (every serious collector has got to have at least one,)
Hakim (becoming harder and harder to find)
FN49 (they didn't make very many but your choice of 3 calibers)
VZ52 (get them now...they're going fast!)
MAS 49/56 (10 years ago cost $1000/today $250 in 7.5mm)
SVT-40 or 38 (again, hard to find and getting harder)


I could go on but these are the ones that are still "resonably" priced but climbing in price each and every year. The good old bolts are everywhere, most of them priced under a C note and here are skads of them everywhere. I've got some of those, too, including a very nice Swede M38 cavalry rifle I found in an obscure little gun shop for very little. The semi-autos, however, are disappearing really fast so I'd recommend considering those first. Takes a lot of patience and reading. I'd also recommend another website which will help a lot: www.milsurpshooter.com run by Parallax. They've got a bunch of terrific forums. I've made lots of contacts and friends there.

Good luck. Every serious collector should have a C&R. I was hoping that this board would eventually start a C&R forum. Well, I can dream can't I?

Rome

A BIG PS: I agree with SAANDS. Don't alter the rifles after you get them. An old M44 with a new stock is just an old M44 with a new stock. An original M44 shooter, even rearsenaled and no matching numbers, is a piece of history. Clean it up and make it safe to shoot, certanily, but don't replace items unless absolutely necessary. Just my 2 pennies.

R
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top