New to Milsurps - Need Help Choosing

[13 + 1]

Hello all,

I am new to milsurp rifles but I've caught the bug you could say. I already have an M1 Garand and a 1903a3 and I am now looking towards Mausers and curious about the Finnish captured Mosins, for romantic political reasons. I am looking to buy 2 more rifles for the rest of the year but I can only buy one more for the time being and I need your help deciding between 3 rifles currently being offered to me:

1. A Swedish Gustaf "target model" M96 1908 (diopter sights) all matching in VG condition $900.

2. A 98/28 Persian Mauser all matching in VG condition $900. Is the all the hype deserved?

3. An Argentinan 1909 DWM all matching in VG condition for $650.

Forth is a wild card: a Finnish M28 with Sig barrel (not tikka) and Westinghouse receiver with average to good bore $450 (I have a thing for war trophies especially when used to fight off communists, I am ol' guard Cuban sorry ).

I want to cherish these rifles and display them on my wall but I also want quality/durability as I want to shoot them and create memories with my son and hand them down. I also want them to hold their value, or appreciate, so if any one of these is a rarer opportunity than the others which are more common, and could be found easily later on, it would be great to know.

I am attracted all of these rifles but I keep hearing these stories of $50, $75, and $179 milsurps in the not too distant past and it makes me wary of making a foolish purchase both practically and financially.

Any and all wisdom you can provide will be greatly appreciated and put to use.

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.

[Singer B]

Hello all,

I am new to milsurp rifles but I've caught the bug you could say. I already have an M1 Garand and a 1903a3 and I am now looking towards Mausers and curious about the Finnish captured Mosins, for romantic political reasons. I am looking to buy 2 more rifles for the rest of the year but I can only buy one more for the time being and I need your help deciding between 3 rifles currently being offered to me:

1. A Swedish Gustaf "target model" M96 1908 (diopter sights) all matching in VG condition $900.

2. A 98/28 Persian Mauser all matching in VG condition $900. Is the all the hype deserved?

3. An Argentinan 1909 DWM all matching in VG condition for $650.

Forth is a wild card: a Finnish M28 with Sig barrel (not tikka) and Westinghouse receiver with average to good bore $450 (I have a thing for war trophies especially when used to fight off communists, I am ol' guard Cuban sorry ).

I want to cherish these rifles and display them on my wall but I also want quality/durability as I want to shoot them and create memories with my son and hand them down. I also want them to hold their value, or appreciate, so if any one of these is a rarer opportunity than the others which are more common, and could be found easily later on, it would be great to know.

I am attracted all of these rifles but I keep hearing these stories of $50, $75, and $179 milsurps in the not too distant past and it makes me wary of making a foolish purchase both practically and financially.

Any and all wisdom you can provide will be greatly appreciated and put to use.

A. Those prices are never coming back

B. Buy the one you like best. I dont think you can go wrong with any of them (but the 4th one sounds the most interesting to me).

[Flying10uk]

My advice would be to not to appear to be too keen to buy when approaching any of the vendors. If the vendor doesn't want to play ball with their pricing then look elsewhere.

I was once told that, "If you go to a horse fair with a wad of cash in your hand and state: I want to buy a horse!, the chances are that you will leave with a horse and not much cash but it probably won't be a very good horse."

[Aragorn243]

The most interesting is the fourth and it is also the only one reasonably priced. Rifle number 1 might be worth that but it wasn't used in combat that way or even issued that way and yes I realize Sweden was neutral. Persian is priced pretty high unless it's mint, Argentines can be found for half that price.

[Daan Kemp]

No 4.

[13 + 1]

A. Those prices are never coming back

B. Buy the one you like best. I dont think you can go wrong with any of them (but the 4th one sounds the most interesting to me).

The most interesting is the fourth and it is also the only one reasonably priced. Rifle number 1 might be worth that but it wasn't used in combat that way or even issued that way and yes I realize Sweden was neutral. Persian is priced pretty high unless it's mint, Argentines can be found for half that price.

No 4.

I went with the M28 gentlemen. You guys reminded me of why I became interested in this in the first place, and that is the history above all else. I might still snag the persian (it is mint) or the Swede target (fine) but with your help I realized that I shouldn't pass up that M28 - it was $525 by the way and he wouldn't budge - you guys still fell the same about it?

---------- Post added at 02:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:47 AM ----------

My advice would be to not to appear to be too keen to buy when approaching any of the vendors. If the vendor doesn't want to play ball with their pricing then look elsewhere.

I was once told that, "If you go to a horse fair with a wad of cash in your hand and state: I want to buy a horse!, the chances are that you will leave with a horse and not much cash but it probably won't be a very good horse."

LOL! Great advice to live by Flying10 - Thank you.

---------- Post added at 02:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 AM ----------

The most interesting is the fourth and it is also the only one reasonably priced. Rifle number 1 might be worth that but it wasn't used in combat that way or even issued that way and yes I realize Sweden was neutral. Persian is priced pretty high unless it's mint, Argentines can be found for half that price.

I can see you and I think the same when it comes to what all this is about. Thank you.

[pocketshaver]

not everyone has access to the guns with the "price the forum feels is acceptable for that particular make or model".

look at 91/30s Not being imported anymore whatsoever. Any retailer with one automatically jacked the price from the old 150-175 for a standard ww2 made gun, to 450$+. No matter WHAT the forum members would say is the "real or right price", unless the buyer wants to accept that price, you wont get it at that price.

[Aragorn243]

$525 puts it at high end but considering the prices for the others, it was still the best bet. I have to admit to being about two years behind on prices these days as I haven't been searching for anything for about that long and it is so uncommon to see older guns at the shows anymore. I've basically moved on to handguns as I have most of the rifles and prices just got so high the high priced handguns don't seem so high priced anymore. I'm just glad that I bought what I did when I did. Couldn't afford a lot of this stuff today.


Admittedly odd that I can afford pistols these days but the timing was right and I got two of them for points at Cabela's so no out of pocket expenses on a Luger and a Type 94 Japanese. Couple of smaller ones fell into place also.

[Atticus Thraxx]

I have a Swede M96 and while it ain't much to look at it is by a good margin the most accurate rifle I own. Absolute tack driver and you can get a lot out of the 6.5X55. Honestly any of them would be good addition to your collection.

[Ovidio]

I would have gone with no's 2 and 3. Also 4.
I own both the Persian and the Argentine, and they are wonderful rifles. The Persian is perfect and mechanically so tight, I can't chamber anything that is not his own brass of full length resized.
But the nice thing here is that the aim is going in and getting out happy. With a new rifle. No matter if it was a tad or even much more expensive. Once you make friends, she'll be there and make you happy.
And if others don't like it...never mind. It's yours, not theirs.
If I had cash enough, I'd go for every rifle that seduces me...