What piqued your interest about military surplus?

[Workaholic]

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd say the title pretty much says it all. What got you interested in military surplus? Over the past several days of perusing this forum, I've noticed several people that have what to me looks to be an exceptional amount of knowledge on one type of rifle or another, or bayonets, etc. So, the question begs to be answered. I know for sure, I have 3 milsurps, and thinking about it, they are all WWI weapons. Only one of them is original, however. I also have 2 that may be milsurp, or may not. Eventually, I will be picking your collective brains on those, too. I look forward to your input. Thank you in advance.

Oh, mods, if I have mistakenly put this in the wrong area, please feel free to move it.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Ovidio]

I started with my Grandpa’s Carcano. He won it in 1932 at a shooting contest. It is a very rare (especially for the production year, 1931) prize rifle. 100% military and with crossed rifles over the bullseye, with dedication from the Ministry of War and his name engraved. Back from the “naja” (military duty in Italian slang), I noticed that shooting “wooden rifles” was more fun and more of my liking. So…

[mrclark303]

For me it was the trench art made by my Grandfather in WW1, Canadian 28th Infantry Division veteran.

Interest already peaked, a healthy dose of Warlord and Battle Action comics in the 1970's sealed my fate and led to a deeper interest in both World Wars and the start of my Militaria collection in my teens.

That waned in my 20's and re-started in my 30's as I settled on collecting and shooting British and US Milsurp firearms. Now in my mid 50's and still enjoying it....

[lawrence_n]

I always loved history and felt that Canada had been too self-effacing in teaching the facts surrounding Canada's contribution during both world wars and the Korean conflict. My dad, my uncles, and later both my brother and I all served in the military. I fell in love with the history of milsurp arms and wondered at the stories they could tell. Add to that, in my youth surplus ammo and firearms were cheap as dirt compared to today and I used to do a lot of shooting.

[Bob Womack]

I grew up surrounded by veterans and military "stuff." My father served in the Navy in WWII. He qualified at Sharpshooter level on the M1, shot at the top of his class, carried his company's guidon, and took the salute of General George Patton when the general visited the facility. My father was the kind of guy who was interested in... well, pretty much everything. I grew up with Churchill's The Second World War series in the bookshelf as well as many other related titles. We had Milsurp rifles around the house and my father taught his sons to shoot and respect them. I wanted to serve in the military but the timing wasn't right: the post-Vietnam draw-down was happening and even the recruiters were advising everyone to step back. I served in an Air Force auxiliary, got to fly courtesy of the Military Airlift Command, and caught a love of all things olive drab. Churchill said, "Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result." One of my humorous stories is that while wearing the country's uniform I had the distinct honor of being spit at... and missed. It was the era.

So there it is, poor stuff at best.

Bob

[champ0608]

For me it was Saving Private Ryan. I was 11 year old in 1998 and already showing interest in history. My grandpa, who was a WWII veteran of the 35th Infantry Division took me to see the movie three times that summer. The first time he wept through the Normandy invasion scene, but he appreciated the movie as much as I did, and was happy to answer the thousands of questions I had. That was also the summer he introduced to me to firearms, and the US National Matches at Camp Perry, which my family has a nearly century long competition track record at. It was a pivotal summer in determining who I was to become.

[30Three]

It's difficult to pinpoint any particular event; it was more a mixture of multiple influences during my childhood.
We all had toy soldier's and Action Man; war films and Dad's Army; plus we learnt about WW2 from various sources; my Mum was a teenager, but told us of the squadrons of bomber's flying over on the way to Germany, rationing and life in general.
In my teen's I got to know some veterans who came to my Dad's garage; Arthur who was with the 8th Army Desert Rats, and Lawrence who hated the Jap's due to being a POW on the Burmha railway.
My Father would tell me that the Lee Enfield Rifle was the best in the world; and that the Bren was his absolute favourite at the range. He was in the Irish Army in the 50's. He taught us to shoot with an air rifle in the garden.

However it took until my mid 40's to actually start collecting memorabilia and some firearms. My only regret is that my Father became ill with Altzheimers before I started and never has the opportunity to shoot the Enfields with him.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Having always been interested in history I picked up and Arisaka and a SMLE some years ago and dived into researching them via the internet. The rest is history. I really enjoy picking up a new piece and coming here to soak up knowledge form those wiser than I.

[RASelkirk]

WWII got me by the short-hairs, it was the last real war that was fought under the premise of actually winning by unconditional surrender. Certainly no offense to those who were involved (or worse!), but everything since then has been more or less a "dance" by the political ruling class for purposes foreign to me.

Russ

[Workaholic]

Thanks for the replies so far. So far, I am not a collector. The only milsurp I personally have bought so far was a P14. Researching that is what brought me here. The rest are inherited for my dad. Unfortunately, his Parkinson's and Post Polio have caught up to him the point that being able to ask questions are difficult for him more often than not. I look forward to hearing more.