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Was at the Birmingham Arms Fair (that's the one in England for Conec's benefit:D) on Sunday and one of the vendors was offering for sale a S.M.L.E Sniper setup with Purdey mounts. Although the scope had its original rings and the bases were also 100% genuine it had all been lashed together (Bubba'd for our American friends) onto a 1915 Enfield which was De-activated:crying:. And what was he asking for this deact lash up? £5000:yikes: yep that's right £5000 :thdown:
Cheers,
Simon.
What was the S/N of the scope as I had just recently been offered a genunie SMLE sniper scope with mountings?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon
I couldnt get down as it was the Wifes birthday, (feel a bit guilty as I should of least gone to see if I could find her a nice bayonet or two) was there any other bargains?
I saw this rifle at the fair, but did not ask him the price. Most of his recent stuff has come out of zimbabwe or S.A., So it's possible this was put together there.
The piece de resistance was the frankenboyser anti tank rifle creation. You've gotta give someone credit for having a vivid imagination but Geez it looked awful, little bits of boys rifle bolted to bits of No4, No5 and drilled sheetmetal that had been painted in Bullsh*t black paint. All yours for a paltry £2500!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
Simon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
Hey! :surrender:Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon
There are obviously customers feeding these prices.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon
What I don't understand is who they are. I move in the world of classics that still go bang and have no contact with deact collectors with big bucks to spend. I''l reiterate who are they?
Sorry, couldn't resist :thup:Quote:
Originally Posted by conec
Cheers,
Simon.
I dont know who they are, but I enjoyed my deacts when I had them, but mine were mainly SMG,s, LMG,s and the odd vickers, the prices back then were very reasonable, deact rifles never interested me as these could be purchased with a FAC, and for £5000 (if I had that to spend) I,d be taking a trip to the midlands and haggle over a live L42 with all its bits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beerhunter
Prices are daft nowdays and it seemed to stem from the old spec semi auto,s and the SMG,s becoming more soughtafter and along with the price,s of these it esculated onto the LMG,s and bolt action rifles also.
I cringe at times when I see some of the rifles that have been deactivated and I regular turn down jobs requiring deactivation and conversion work due to the rifles being a good honest Milsurp and have saved a few from death row in the last few years, but at the end of the day I,d rather see deacts in someones collection rather than at the bottom of the smelting pot.
Going back to the price, there is talk of deactivating all deacts to the 95, spec and If the approval goes ahead, then I feel sorry for the guys who have a lot of money invested in them.
It's supply and demand in operation. Outside of Soviet / Eastern Bloc stuff, there's little available in wholesale quantities anymore. As an example, Bren guns were relatively cheap 5-10 years ago as a large quantity had been imported from Greece. They're now all gone and Bren prices are climbing steadily. The 'good old days' of various desirable WWI / WWII British, German and US guns being plentiful and relatively cheap are long gone and probably won't returnQuote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
As for requiring pre-95's to be redone, it was an idea posited in a Home Office committee report last year, but as far as I'm aware it hasn't gone further. As there's no register of who owns what, the scope for creating a black market is obvious.
Same here. I have precisely two deacts: a Bren and a Lanchester. All my other stuff, other than a few Section 58s, goes bang. I own the Bren because it is the only way that I can keep a an example of something that was such an iconic part of my early life. (And, oddly, I already had a tripod.)Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
I bought the Lanchester (donkeys year back) on a whim and, having seen the prices that people are asking for them these days, I wonder how much longer I shall be keeping it.
Just where do all these 'old spec' deacts sell at these sky high prices I've been hearing about?
Have a browse through these for private sale prices:
Deactivated Weapons - MILWEB Classifieds
Deactivated guns for sale | GunStar
Dealers usually charge more.
Wow! A Universal M1 carbine for 750 quid! You can a non-deac for less than $300 here.
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Perhaps so, but the two markets aren't comparable. In itself a live M1 Carbine in the UK has only a limited value as only a small number of people (mostly firearms dealers) have the authorisation to hold them. An illegally held one is worth five years in prison.Quote:
Originally Posted by gsimmons
I see your point. I just found it ironic that a commercial carbine which is not very collectable here would bring so much.
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I often go to the International - not normally a great deal of interest to the discerning shooter - the odd sight/scope - not normally many 'live ones' although the last time I went (the last time but one I think) there was a nice looking L42 with bits - no doubt the one you mention bigduke!Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
Never seen a smle sniper there tho - even a blocked up one, so it would have been interesting to see, esp the scope.
Re deacts - I'd love a bren, but with regards to buying them, it does seem a bit pointless as I usually feel - what would I do with it? In my job/social circle/general environment (this isn't unusual at all in the UK) anyone owning a gun is regarded as being unhinged/strange/potentially about to go 'postal' (as the septics have it) so sticking even a deac on the wall probably isn't a good idea... Sad but true.
Looking at it another way: What would a UK deact MG - which has the receiver intact - be legally worth in the USA? Anything?
Mmmmmmmmmm........ just looked on that site Peregrine. The man with the SA80 A2 seems to be telling a few porky pies if I'm not mistaken. Especially as I see the real McCoy most days........ hundreds of em!
:DWhen I had mine I was single, living the goodlife, with a gun room well stocked, a large garage complete with pit, 5 motorbikes and a well stocked fridge with a fine selection of beer..............Quote:
Originally Posted by PrinzEugen
I do understand. Due to amount of room it takes up (in its box), my Bren may well have gone years ago but I found a use for it, "dressing" the HBSA tent at NRA Open Days and similar events.Quote:
Originally Posted by PrinzEugen
On the subject of Melton Mowbray's, check out these two 'L4' Brens...:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Second hand Bren Gun L4 LMG 7.62mmx51 NATO Machine Gun for sale | GunStar.
Used Bren Gun L4 LMG 7.62 mm Machine Gun for sale | GunStar.
A deact with an intact receiver in the USA would bring 10 years and a $10,000 fine if caught. US import law requires that the receiver be torch cut in three places with 1/4" of metal removed per cut. I was at an air and ground show several years ago in Columbia, SC, (Owen Field), and a guy had a lovely Ferret with a nice deact Lithgow Bren Mk.2 sitting on the hood. Some military vehicle collectors from Florida who were also legal MG collectors were freaking out about it. He told them it was thrown in on the Ferret deal in the UK and they just stowed it in the vehicle and shipped it over. Needless to say, after they were done scaring the poor guy to death, he promptly made it disappear! It was a nice gun too done to the older British deact specification.
Hey Brian, maybe that's the answer to the man on the Bren forum, wanting to import a deact Bren to Australia. Just buy a Ferrett in the UK, sling a Bren into the stowage bin and there it is, Australia in a month with the Bren.............. easy!
But I reckon it's a crap shoot whether or not the Customs boys look inside! The inspectors in Charleston certainly didn't!!
It's really simple here to own a legal full automatic weapon so I don't really want to think about why someone would want to bring one in with all the jail and fines that could happen. It's also legal, with the correct permit, to take a demil and revive it and keep it for yourself to shoot. It is basically a manufacturer's license for the individual. I see them all of the time. Usually friends so have shot most of them.
It is too bad you folks in England and Oz can't own weapons more easily. Sad sad sad -
So how do you get to keep the SMLE's and shoot them? Or do you?
Be well,
Steve
......Hey Norton 1. It might not be great here in the UK but it could be worse.....
ATB;);)
That chair looks a bit worn?Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Payne
I didn't mean to imply that it is a bad place to be. I spent a bit of time in Australia and loved it there! I just meant that here we really do scrap about our gun rights. And for me it would be a deal breaker as to whether or not I could own, and shoot, firearms when I wanted to.
In Oz my Cobber's son-in-law shoots Roos for extra money and has a real nice bolt gun. I could live with that one. That's why I was wondering whether you could even own weapons that fired over there. And then of course have a place you could go most anytime you wanted and shoot them.
Be well
Steve
I fear that unless we get a big time regime change here in November, we'll all be sitting in the same boat. The current regime has BIG plans for we folks in the firearms trade and gun owners in general. So much for the so called "free" western world.
We're working on it here - that bum we currently have is horrible. And our Secy of State is worse. I'd vote for me before I voted for our current president - grrrrrrrr
I'm still curious though - do you have a place to shoot all those beautiful rifles?
I think we should leave the politics to one side chaps... but, on the other question, in the Uk there are many (well some) ranges available to enfield lovers such as myself. Generally, aside from collector's firearms certificates, to own a firearm in the UK one must be a member of a shooting club and attend fairly regularly, using all owned firearms (we have to justify each weapon). For me this means a local Ministry of Defence range - which is used by many clubs as well as my own.
Steve,
Yes, here in the UK it's pretty much as Prinz Eugen says. There are some privately owned & run ranges but most people have to use Ministry of Defence ranges; & bookings are usually shared between several clubs. However, we do at least get to shoot our SMLE's, No4's, Mausers, Springfields etc. Although getting a fireams certificate is not that difficult in principle (so long as you have a reasonably clean record & medical history), it is protracted & tedious, so many people tend to go for deactivated weapons. Indeed, if I had a pound for every rifle I've nearly got sold at an arms fair....until the prospective purchasor realises it is functional....... I'd be a millionaire.......
ATB
Slightly off the subject but many years ago I was in Reno NV for the Air Races and there were a few Mig's sitting on the tarmac. When imported they came with operable machine guns (12.7's ?). Bought surplus and I was told that ATF just about crapped their La Senza's when they were discovered.
That SMLE sniper was for sale a number of months back on a well known site for a lot less than £5000.
The 2 L4 guns are (As most will know) the South African conversion. The dealer knows exactly what they are as so many people have told him, but he keeps his prices high in the hope he will get the full amount. The Mk3 conversion was sold to him at less than half the price he asking, I know as I was offered it first.
Its really irritating me the way dealers in the UK are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, and becoming overly greedy. For example, this Boys AT rifle spanner sold on ebay recently, I was thinking of placing a bid as it would make a nice addition to my boys. I didn't bid and it sold for £23
World War 11 RIFLE , BOYS MK 1 ANTI-TANK RIFLE SPANNER | eBay
A week later it appeared on this site at for £125
http://wdmilitaria.co.uk/viewphoto.p...h=15844&phqu=3
I know dealers need a profit to survive but isn't £100 for one item and no hasslea little bit of a **** take?