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  1. #1
    Legacy Member Anzac15's Avatar
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    Interesting Berthier

    Bought this Delaunay Belleville 1907-15 today. Its interesting.
    First off, seller said he believed it was a Vietnam bring-back. No papers, but you buy the rifle, not the story.
    It is a long rifle cut to carbine length. It definitely has that 'dragged through the bush' look to it. Crude crowning, no front sight,
    It is an all matching example. Stock, bolt, everything matches.
    Decent cartouche left on the bolt. Not 'N' marked. Forward sling swivel is on the wrong side, and looks to have been for a looong time.
    Its an interesting piece, but the really interesting bit are the markings on the underside of the butt..I've never seen these on a Berthier. Cyrillic??
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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

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    Contributing Member oldpaul's Avatar
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    I agree that they look like Cyrillic letters but perhaps they are the Greek letters phi and pi as Greece received Berthiers from Franceicon during the Great War and I have read that they cut them down to carbine length in the early 1930s. Your rifle is certainly rough enough to have been in SEA but of course rust has no borders and if it does have a Greek history I don't know how it would have made its way to Vietnam. Someone here must know more than I about this. Anyway, very interesting firearm. Tom

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    Legacy Member Merle's Avatar
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    Does it appear safe to shoot? I wonder about the accuracy ( or lack thereof) with the general condition - and lack of a front sight....

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    Legacy Member Anzac15's Avatar
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    Offhand it seems to be mechanically sound, but as stated above, it is not 'N' marked. Right now it's disassembled, needs a quick cleaning..absolutely filthy. I have doubts about the Vietnam story. Its full of very fine sand. More along the lines of rifles I've seen brought back from Afghanistan or Iraq.

    ---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------

    A friend who is Greek just got back to me and said it was indeed 'Phi Pi'. Can't make out the other.

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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    Fine sand could mean it visited North Africa or somewhere like Syria. The Foreign Legion were quite active in such paces. See also Cambodia for a "rough time".

    Unless you have enough sand for a friendly soil scientist to analyze, you may never know.

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    Contributing Member mmppres's Avatar
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    Did not the Frenchicon have out posts in SEA could it not have been with one of the natives ??

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    Legacy Member Biillaire1's Avatar
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    This one is most likely a Serbian Berthier .

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