US Troops using AK-47s

B2431 wrote:

From: "ian maclure"


Late war production weapons were like that.
Prewar or early war production are OK or so I understand
I gather the Arisaka/Type 99 was a popular conversion for hunting
rifles here after the war. Why, I cannot imagine.


Simple, there were a lot of them, the good ones are hard to destroy, the 6.5 mm
Jap was a tidy small hunting round and they were cheap.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
excellent small caliber hunting rifles.

George

"George Shirley" wrote in message
...
| B2431 wrote:
|
| |
| I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
| the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
| the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
| rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
| long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
| Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
| navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
| mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
| for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
| on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
| today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
| excellent small caliber hunting rifles.
|
| George
|


The Carcano was an interesting piece. Referred to by the Italian Army as
"Il Humano" , because it never hurt anyone, it featured a progressive
twist on the rifling. Didn't make it any more accurate, just harder
to manufacture.


One of the local councils around my way, post WWI, used thousands of K98
and G98 Mausers (war reparations) as reinforcing for concrete roadways and
footpaths.

In case you're wondering, it works well under those conditions, but it's
pretty hard on the metalwork.




Cheers


Dave Kearton

Dave Kearton wrote:

"George Shirley" wrote in message
...
| B2431 wrote:
|
| |
| I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
| the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
| the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
| rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
| long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
| Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
| navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
| mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
| for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
| on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
| today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
| excellent small caliber hunting rifles.
|
| George
|


The Carcano was an interesting piece. Referred to by the Italian Army as
"Il Humano" , because it never hurt anyone, it featured a progressive
twist on the rifling. Didn't make it any more accurate, just harder
to manufacture.


One of the local councils around my way, post WWI, used thousands of K98
and G98 Mausers (war reparations) as reinforcing for concrete roadways and
footpaths.

In case you're wondering, it works well under those conditions, but it's
pretty hard on the metalwork.




Cheers


Dave Kearton



I guess that counts as beating them into plowshares Dave. VBG

George

(B2431) wrote in
:

From: "ian maclure"


Late war production weapons were like that.
Prewar or early war production are OK or so I understand
I gather the Arisaka/Type 99 was a popular conversion for hunting
rifles here after the war. Why, I cannot imagine.

Simple, there were a lot of them, the good ones are hard to destroy,
the 6.5 mm Jap was a tidy small hunting round and they were cheap.

Sounds like an explanation to me.
Much like the Lee Enfield in the Commonwealth.

IBM

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(B2431) wrote in
:

From: "Bill Phillips"
Date: 7/21/2004 2:48 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

I think you are confused by the method of measuring barrel length in
calibers,

Thus a 5 inch, 50 caliber gun has a barrel 5 x 50 = 250 inches long.

I think that the US Navy had a 5in 50 caliber gun in WW1.

5"/51. I think they were removed from battleships.
The SS Jeremiah O'Brien has one of these I think.

IBM

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The Worlds Uncensored News Source

From: George Shirley
Date: 7/21/2004 7:41 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

B2431 wrote:

From: "ian maclure"


Late war production weapons were like that.
Prewar or early war production are OK or so I understand
I gather the Arisaka/Type 99 was a popular conversion for hunting
rifles here after the war. Why, I cannot imagine.


Simple, there were a lot of them, the good ones are hard to destroy, the
6.5 mm
Jap was a tidy small hunting round and they were cheap.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
excellent small caliber hunting rifles.

George

George, I used to do gunsmithing too. Most of the 6.5 calibers made excellent
hunting rifles. I agree with you on the carcanos. I liked the Springfield
action over that of the Enfield. Either one was a smooth action that was hard
to mess up in the field.

The one modification I did that I wish I had made another of was converting a
garand to take BAR mags. I made several that would take M-14 mags after I
rebarrelled them to .308.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

"Dave Kearton" wrote:

Nice collection, you don't have a 'still in the back yard as well ?

No, but I know somebody who does ;-) It actually tastes like bourbon and the
equipment is from NZ!

-- Charlie Springer

Another picture

www.regnirps.com/NYMM14.jpg

That's Not Your Mother's M14

Made the stand yesterday and it goes on the block Sunday. Gotta pay the bills.
It is an early Super Match with, ...sob... I can't go on :-(

-- Charlie Springer

"Regnirps" wrote in message
...
| "Dave Kearton" wrote:
|
| Nice collection, you don't have a 'still in the back yard as well ?
|
| No, but I know somebody who does ;-) It actually tastes like bourbon and
the
| equipment is from NZ!
|
| -- Charlie Springer
|



Sweet


Nothin' like sitting on the front porch with a glass or three of rocket fuel
and watching the weekend go by .....





Cheers


Dave Kearton

B2431 wrote:
From: George Shirley
Date: 7/21/2004 7:41 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

B2431 wrote:


From: "ian maclure"


Late war production weapons were like that.
Prewar or early war production are OK or so I understand
I gather the Arisaka/Type 99 was a popular conversion for hunting
rifles here after the war. Why, I cannot imagine.


Simple, there were a lot of them, the good ones are hard to destroy, the

6.5 mm

Jap was a tidy small hunting round and they were cheap.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
excellent small caliber hunting rifles.

George


George, I used to do gunsmithing too. Most of the 6.5 calibers made excellent
hunting rifles. I agree with you on the carcanos. I liked the Springfield
action over that of the Enfield. Either one was a smooth action that was hard
to mess up in the field.

The one modification I did that I wish I had made another of was converting a
garand to take BAR mags. I made several that would take M-14 mags after I
rebarrelled them to .308.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

Never did that one, Garands were still pretty costly in the early
sixties and M-14's were the standard so there wasn't much surplus on
them. After the M-16 became the standard I could bid on scrap iron at
the Navy base that consisted of Garand and M-14 operating rods, cleaning
sets, Garand clips, M-14 magazines, etc. Lots and lots of big boxes of
..30 carbine magazines with bonus mags included pretty regularly. things
like Colt Ace magazines, selling at the time for about $20 each. I do
love DOD surplus sales, sometimes you find unexpected things in the
mixed bag.

I still smith on my guns and those of my family but gave up doing it for
a living when my management job in the oil bidness got to taking up most
of my time. Met a lot of nice folks working on their guns.

George

George