Looking for some 19th century Mil Surps

[Salty Possum]

Hi folks, I'm looking for some late 1800's military surplus guns (preferably long guns) to start collecting. Any leads? I know these obviously are in limited supply, but I know some places like Recon Ordinance Company sell what I am looking for. What else ya got? Thanks in advance.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You might keep an eye on these sites:
https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/ltc-default.asp?
http://www.allans-armory.com/aa.php
Empire Arms Home Page

Of course if you have a specific gun in mind, gunbroker is also a good option.

 

[rob63]

Antique Firearms Listing

Firearms - I realize this is mostly Civil War, but they will occasionally have later guns as well and usually at a good price since it isn't what they normally carry.

 

[indy1919a4]

You might keep an eye on these sites:

Empire Arms Home Page

Those 1889 Schmidt-Rubins He has do have a nice come-hither look...

 

[BogWalker]

A Gewehr 88 is a good start and can be had for around $300-$400 easy. Don't use surplus 8mm in it.

 

[LarryC]

Might also determine what particular 1800's firearm you are interested in and doing a web search. Since any firearm produced prior to 1898 is considered an Antique and not considered a "firearm" under the BATF rules, many may be found in antique shops, pawn brokers not licensed to handle firearms and other sites.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Those 1889 Schmidt-Rubins He has do have a nice come-hither look...

Yes they do, but I'm curious... it says they are chambered in 7.5x53, not 7.5x55 which is what the model 1911's and K31's are chambered in, so I'm not sure if they really are two different rounds, or just different nomenclature for the same round, kind of like how 7.65 Argentine is sometimes referred to as 7.65x53 and 7.65x54 interchangeably.

 

[mkgr22]

Yes they do, but I'm curious... it says they are chambered in 7.5x53, not 7.5x55 which is what the model 1911's and K31's are chambered in, so I'm not sure if they really are two different rounds, or just different nomenclature for the same round, kind of like how 7.65 Argentine is sometimes referred to as 7.65x53 and 7.65x54 interchangeably.

According to my "Cartridges of the World", the 1889 rifles were built with a bore diameter of 0.299", and the Swiss changed to the .308" diameter for the 1911.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

According to my "Cartridges of the World", the 1889 rifles were built with a bore diameter of 0.299", and the Swiss changed to the .308" diameter for the 1911.

Well shoot (or not!)... Guess I won't be getting one!

 

[Leadeye]

1887 Martini Enfields are rifles with real history, they are around in various conditions. 450x577 ammo and good rifeling can be a challenge to find though.

 

[indy1919a4]

You guys want to see a real nice 19th century Mil surp...

[h=1]1871 Ward Burton Rifle[/h]
Springfield 1871 Ward Burton Rifle .50-70 : Black Powder Rifles & Muzzleloader Rifles at GunBroker.com

Model 1871 Ward-Burton bolt-action rifle - YouTube

The National Firearms Museum: U.S. Springfield Model 1871 Ward Burton Rifle

 

[indy1919a4]

1887 Martini Enfields are rifles with real history, .

gosh what a wonderful rifle, 1st you could go broke trying to collect all the variations on those guns and to be fair History wise they have been used in just about every conflict since the 1870s. Including the latest battles in Afganistan.. And those Mountain Paki and Afgan gunsmiths have keep those things running with hammers and wire..

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You guys want to see a real nice 19th century Mil surp...

1871 Ward Burton Rifle


Springfield 1871 Ward Burton Rifle .50-70 : Black Powder Rifles & Muzzleloader Rifles at GunBroker.com

Model 1871 Ward-Burton bolt-action rifle - YouTube

The National Firearms Museum: U.S. Springfield Model 1871 Ward Burton Rifle

That is just too cool...

 

[Gunaria]

IIRC those old 1889 swiss shoot the GP90 while the K11, K31 and so on shoot the GP11 stuff.

 

[Gunaria]

There's plenty of old mauser's old there you just have to get out there and look. What sucks is when seller's have an antique and won't sell it as such.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

IIRC those old 1889 swiss shoot the GP90 while the K11, K31 and so on shoot the GP11 stuff.

Yep, you're right. I did see the GP90 reference now that I think about it. Is that still available at all or would you have to make your own brass from something else?

*edit* Looks like it's semi-available, but it was going for 5 bucks a round as recently as 2012.

 

[Beowulf]

I've got a few. A 1873 Springfield, a 1886 Martini converted to the Enfield .303 by the Egyptian government under British rule, a Remington Rolling Block in 7x57 Mauser, and an unfortunately sporterized .30-40 Krag.

The Springfield and Krag were lucky gun show finds (I paid $350 for the Springfield at the Lafayette gun show because it was broken, but it only needed $18 in parts and about 15 minutes to fix). The Martini and the Remington were finds on Gun Broker.

 

[BogWalker]

1887 Martini Enfields are rifles with real history, they are around in various conditions. 450x577 ammo and good rifeling can be a challenge to find though.

Aren't the Martini Enfields chambered in .303 British? I thought 577/.450 ammo was dropped with the Martini Henry.

Anyways, IMA has Martini Henrys of various makes and models for sale in restorable condition. You can get a British made example for $500 or a Nepali example for $300.

 

[Leadeye]

That's correct, old people tend to confuse calibers sometimes.

 

[indy1919a4]

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