| Joe's Arsenal Page 2 |
| You've seen some modern handguns; now I bring you a small collection of historical small arms. |
| I recently purchased this highly sought after Chinese-made SKS rifle from a local gun store. This rifle was the predecessor to the AK-47 and fires the same 7.62x39mm cartridge. |
| Here is a peak of my fledgling Curios & Relics collection... |
| From Top to Bottom: 1. German K98 Mauser from WWII. The mainstay of the Wehrmacht, it fires an 8mm round. This rifle has all of the original Nazi markings/stampings from 1943. 2. Springfield 1903. This fine specimen was built in 1903. The legendary .30-'06 cartridge speaks for itself. 3. Enfield No. 4 MkII. This WWII rifle fires the oddly tapered and necked-down.303 British cartridge. 4. Japanese Arisaka Type 99 rifle. This fires a 7.7 x 58mm round. The Japanese used this rifle through the end of WWII. |
| The Curios and Relics hobby is something a little new to me. I have had the Arisaka rifle for some time, handed down from Grandad, but for years it sat by itself in a closet collecting dust with the beautiful gun rack that Grandad made himself. Now, I have a Federal Firearms Liscense to collect "Curios & Relics". I have aquired some fine specimens, and I plan to collect many more. The Browning M1919 pictured left is actually a reproduction, and thus is not actually considered a curio/relic. However, represents a classic American machine gun used in WWII and thus deserves mention. |
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| "The finest battle implement ever devised" That is how General Patton described the venerable M1 Garand. I recently acquired this fine specimen and it shoots like a dream. I believe mine was built in 1944 judging by the serial number. |
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| Since David was gracious enough to allow me the use of his gun rack, it was my duty to acquire enough firearms to stock it. From Top to Bottom: 1. Russian Mosin-Nagant 91/30 which fires the 7.62x54r. It was used from the Russian revolution through WWII. 2. Russian M44, a shortened version of the 91/30 with side folding bayonet. 3. Khan 12-g semi-auto shotgun used for sporting clays 4. I assume this one needs no introduction. This is a Yugo AK-47 with a 20 round mag, featuring a teakwood stock instead of the usual laminate wood. |
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| The magic of John Moses Browning... |
| Perhaps my most intriguing rifle is this Browning M1919. This was built especially for me by my good friends at Flat Creek Range, and chambered for the less costly .308 (7.62 NATO) cartridge. This is a semi-automatic rifle, but I plan to trick it out with a crankfire adapter, a tripod, an MA2 style grip, with butterfly trigger, and other goodies. "Happiness is a belt-fed weapon"!!! |
| I have a few new additions that I need to add to this page. Admittedly, I am a bit behind. 1. CZ-52 (pistol) 2. Nagant Revolver 3. M38 (MN 91/30 carbine) 4. Mannlicher Steyr M95 carbine 5. Smith & Wesson "Victory" (.38 S&W) revolver |
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