I seek the wisdom of the forum members

[Bionicback321]

I ran across an Arisaka Type 38 made at the Koishikawa arsenal ( no series number ) with a very clean bore at a local gun here in central Florida a couple months ago and the owner was asking $180 for it. That is when I broke the first rule of military surplus gun collecting...I bought first and then did my homework. I was lucky this time and ended up with a very nice example of Japanese military hardware. It’s a sweet shooter with low recoil and is very accurate. That got me thinking...and you know what happens when you start thinking...you start buying. I decided to start collecting bolt-action rifles of World War II. Within a month I added a 1932 Mosin ( with a hex receiver ), two months later a 1945 Turkish 8mm Mauser took up residence in my safe. Last Sunday I really got lucky and found a 1944 1903a3 in great condition for $500. I did my homework first and felt that was a good price. So the question is ... what’s next ... that’s the question I ask of the members of this forum ... what would you add next?

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[Vincent]

Enfields, K98 Mauser, BREN, STEN, MP-38, MP-40, MG-42, PPSh-41, PPS-43, Tokarev SVT-40, M1 Thompson, Suomi m-31, De Lisle Carbine, Lanchester, StG44, BAR, M1919, M1 Garand, M3A1 "Grease Gun",......

[Patrick Chadwick]

So you already have designs that are Japanese, German, American and Russian.
Whether you look at it from the point of view of a selection of WW combat rifles or a selection of different approaches to bolt-rifle design, there is no question - an Enfield is missing!

[Aragorn243]

Japan - Arisaka type 99, Germany - K98, Italy - Cavalry Carbine, Model 1938 short rifle, Commonwealth - SMLE, No4 Mk, No5 Jungle Carbine, Soviet Union - M44, France - MAS 36, Minor Axis allies - Styr M1895

[smellie]

You definitely NEED an SMLE and a Number 4. That will bring you "up to speed" on British rifles of the two great Wars.

And you must have a 98 Mauser, ideally 3 of them: Gew. 98, Kar 98aZ, Kar 98k.

Once you have those, you get the Perfect Rifle: Mark III Ross.

PS: I am not the LEAST bit biased!

[Bionicback321]

Thanks for the input. Keep it coming. The thought occured to me ... what about one bolt-action from each of the major ( minor ) combatents of the war, four down and I see an Enfield in my future, and maybe a .... what ????.....not sure. (Yes, I would love to add a K98 to the collection but the Turk will have to do for now.)

[Aragorn243]

Thanks for the input. Keep it coming. The thought occured to me ... what about one bolt-action from each of the major ( minor ) combatents of the war, four down and I see an Enfield in my future, and maybe a .... what ????.....not sure. (Yes, I would love to add a K98 to the collection but the Turk will have to do for now.)

Then you're looking at an Enfield, probably a No4, a Carcano short rifle for Italy, A MAS 36 for France and the Steyr for the Baltic axis powers.

Personally, I don't think any WWII bolt action rifle collection is complete without getting the Swiss K31. While the Swiss obviously stayed neutral, this is probably the best rifle bar none to come out of that time period. It is a straight pull, but then so is the Steyr.

[Bionicback321]

Then you're looking at an Enfield, probably a No4, a Carcano short rifle for Italy, A MAS 36 for France and the Steyr for the Baltic axis powers.

Personally, I don't think any WWII bolt action rifle collection is complete without getting the Swiss K31. While the Swiss obviously stayed neutral, this is probably the best rifle bar none to come out of that time period. It is a straight pull, but then so is the Steyr.

An Enfield is at the top of my list. There is a local gun shop in town that is owned by a Brit who has a number of Enfields in various stages of refurb and a few he hasn't even started on. I'm going to try and convince him that I could save him a great deal of time and effort if he would just sell one of the un-refurbed Enfields to me ( at a reduced price of course ), and let me do all the work. I'll let you know how that works out. I almost bought a Carcano at the gun show I bought my 1903a3 at, but it was in pretty rough shape and the seller would not budge on the price. I guess I should apologize to the French because they kind of slipped my mind when I was listing the countries that I wanted to collect from so thank you for the proverbial slap upside the head.

[enbloc8]

I would also recommend a pre-WW2 or very early WW2 1903 Springfield. Be it from Springfield Armory, Rock Island Arsenal or even Remington Arms, the quality is such that it's almost a different arm from a 1903A3.

[Anzac15]

SMLE, SMLE, SMLE, oh, and did I mention an SMLE? Seriously, the variations and history will keep you busy til the cows come home. And those darn cows have yet to come home...at least here.