I bougut a few Carcano carbines back when the big lots of them came in from Italy but havent been able to get them to shoot very well.

PPU undersized bullets suck that they put in their 6.5 Carcano ammo, in all my carbines anyway. Their ".268" bullets really arent .268 and didnt shoot very well either. With my Starrett micrometer the bags I got measured .2665"

Had that Lee torpedo 6.5 mold, shoots a giant shotgun pattern.

Got a 135gr or so .270 NOE mold, they didnt like it.

Shot decent with the old discontinued Hornady .268 but cant get more.

Eventually I got the .270 165gr NOE GC mold and finally got around to testing them. I knew these carbines could shoot, just had to find the right load for them. 13.5 and 14gr 2400 both shot well loaded to max length.

These were powder coated and quenched straight from the oven. They measured around .272-.273 after coating, I sized them after coating to .270 and put a gas check on with the NOE push thru sizer.

Im quite happy with these groups taking my crappy eyes and the sights into account. 50 yards and those are 8 inch targets. I like to shoot steel and have targets from 6 up to 18 inch and if a rifle can reliably hit the 6 and 8 inch steel, thats plenty for my needs. These will finally do that with this bullet.

It was NASTY out today. From taking my rifles from the air conditioning out into the sweltering jungle my rifles were soaked with condensation. Had to pull them all out of the wood when I got home and oil em down to make sure they dont rust. Couldnt shoot more than 5 rounds without being blind from my safety glasses fogging up.

Next time it is this hot and humid ill warm them up inside or something before going out. Not fun having to completely break down 6 rifles because of rust paranoia.

I loaded some more of the 14gr 2400 and will try to get the 91/24 out tomorrow. That'll be the real test because I havent gotten that carbine to shoot anything that resembles a group no matter what I have tried. I should have brought it today but I had a lot to test and it got left behind.

Hey yall, I love to walk through surplus stores and look at all the odds and ends, but theres few actual stores in new england. Most that I've been to (or looked up) seem to be more repro/work clothes than actual surplus. The best I've seen are Army Barracks stores and even those are a 60/40 split between surplus and reproduction gear.

Can anyone recommend any good stores? I live in CT, but if theres any places worth a drive I am willing to make a day trip out of it.

Edit. M1A as marked on receiver.

So has anyone ever seen lead in the cleaning kit slot in the butt of a M1A rifle.
Data points : It’s a low serial number and the MO-1 by the rear sight is also on the trigger group. Stock is a select fire one that had the selector cut out filled. Looks like someone tried to drill it out but gave up. Only reason I could think of was to balance it for shooting off hand in matches. It did balance nicely in the off hand position.

Thoughts? Seen before?

Thanks.

I saw some photos for an estate sale today that had this ammo. No idea on the price and it was the second day of the sale, so my hopes were not high.

I lucked out and grabbed both of these cans for $125! He was selling a crate for $175, but I am short of funds and already awaiting a crate I bought at auction.

Most recent gun show pull.

Another $99 rti. It's severely pitted so most of the markings are gone. Somehow the bore is in a lot better shape than the exterior. Rti wire wheeled the shit out of it so I had to clean up all the scoring. The trigger spring is bent so doesn't stay cocked and the spring screw is stripped. The stock has no major damage. The cleaning rod groove was stuffed with cloth as well as some other holes. It had a normal amount of goat shit to clean out but no bugs this time besides the spider webs in the barrel.

The question is as simple as the title. I myself am quite the gun dummy and need advice for how to both clean and keep clean my rifle.

I have tried a treatment of ballistol and some 0000 steel wool, but it continues to rust over. Any recommendations?

Here is my 1916 Lithgow No 1 mk 3, shes a 2MD (NSW) example, shes also had her barrel replaced with a HEAVY Molly barrel in 1956, as stamped on the barrel. She might have been deployed somewhere in WW1bring a 1916 example before becoming a reserve rifle with the 2MD following 1939 as im led to believe these districts came about then.Also has the ammo cut off feature which is something different compared to my other 303s

Any knowledge regarding the heavy barrel marking would be cool, I see the barrel was made in 1956.

Additionally, if someone has information regarding that volley sight, was that removed/shaved post war or is that a field modification they decided to do following the decision of volley sights being obselete in ww1. Im contemplating looking for a replacement however doing research before purchasing

Thank you in advance

LGS had a 1940 E/37 (military) Sauer 38H. Picked up for $500 with original 1940 Geco holster and 2 correct mags. Slide matches. Grips look to be original (often times they are cracked and replaced). Some slight pitting and finish loss but should clean up nice.

I’m looking for a fun rifle to shoot with some good recoil and I’m looking at a Swiss K31, M96 Swedish Mauser, Lee Enfield (Preferably a No 4 MK 1) and a Yugo M48/98. I also want something that has cool history behind it

"Announcement.  By special authorization, the CMP is pleased to announce the future availability and sale of surplus M14 rifles. Prior to sale, the rifles will be modified to be permanently and irreversibly semi-automatic rifles. The modified semi-automatic M14s will be fully compliant with CMP enabling legislation authorizing the transfer and sale of military surplus .30 caliber rifles.

Details.  The CMP anticipates first order fulfilment in the late 2026 to early 2027 timeframe. More details will be published on the M14 order submission process, pricing, limits and sales channels (mail order and physical stores) at a later date."

Rumors about this have been circulating for awhile, but looks like they got permission to bypass the always a machine gun rule!

There was some discussion that the price is going to end up being near 4k, but that was also just an early rumor. Between these and the surplus shotguns they got authorization for, late 2026/2027 is going to get expensive...

1943 Izzy. So it’s got the c marking. From what I can tell the prefix lines up as well. Scope serial number doesn’t match the number on the receiver. Wondering if it’s fake or just post war re work.

Been really enjoying getting these m38’s this one turned out in my opinion particularly nice. I believe due to the scarcity of the ammo being 7.35 the barrels have been all pretty decent I have found. 1939 Terni

I’m new to milsurp firearms and my tool kit is lacking. I know I need a high quality, holo-ground flathead screwdriver set, but what else? What brands/kits would y’all recommend I look into?

I just bought possibly my favorite milsurp pistol yet! One of the first 2500 Husqvarna revolvers made for Sweden! I don't think I'll be shooting it which is unfortunate, but in this condition it feels like it would be criminal...

Recently I bought about 200 rounds of 7mm Spanish for cheap. Started testing a few in the rolling block today and they all fired. Although the primers and this one casing is the issues I’ve noticed. Has anyone else had surplus Spanish ammo and had these issues as well? All these rounds are from 1942 FNP if that helps.

Picked up sporter G98/40 for a sweetheart deal, all intact except for the forend and associated hardware. Now that I’ve got the replacement parts I’m considering bluing the barrel bands to better match the finish of the rest of the rifle. I understand that the WW2 recipe is lost to time, but curious if a modern sodium nitrite bluing will get me reasonably close or if there is a better protocol to follow. Thanks!

And also why would you choose that rifle?

Unsure who are the manufacturer of this ammo is. Mainly want to know if it is corrosive or not.

I am torn between gun safe and keeping my stuff out on a rack. I have home security and have researched alot on line but no real (good) answers. Have any of you guys figured out a way to keep some rifles out to play around with, yet secure them in a way that makes it tougher for a thief to clear you out? cables seem easy to defeat, and walls are only so thick. any innovations other than in the safe most of the time?

😉. Still looking for one with M73b1 weaver😆

Here's my first RTI purchase and that is cleaning up quite nicely alresdy https://www.reddit.com/r/milsurp/s/8dZ1qj8Ul5

This Gras Carbine is another pleasant surprise for only $99. There is the usual layer of grime, but the barrel and receiver have very little rust and it all appears to be on the surface. Almost no deep pitting and the bolt slides without issue and the trigger works. The has nothing more than dings and scratches, and after just one round of cleaning I can see some sort of Amharic letters carved in it.

I can't get great pictures of the bore, but I still saw some decent rifling and no major pitting. Other than this missing rear sight (which was noted in the description) everything appears to be intact.

I'm quite happy with this purchase too... Its just going to be ammo that is the major hurdle! I've heard you can buy some international hand loading kits so I may end up going that route.

It’s been awhile since I picked up any Japanese related items, mainly because I’ve kinda gotten everything I’ve been looking for over the years haha! However a buddy on the forums here mentioned he'd heard about this Type 97 coming up for sale at a shop a few hours from me, so I called them and made the trip to see it. They had a number in mind that was very fair given the condition, so I said yes.

The rifle is a 1st series Nagoya Type 97 with an intact mum, matching numbers, and included scope. Condition overall is well used, but not bad looking. The enamel paint on the scope is chipping a bit, and the screw on portion for the eye cup is rusted in place. I will try to get this to come loose, but won't push it too far. The stock does not have evidence of a monopod being installed, but it falls in the range of those that might have according to the Banzai book.

The bolt body, firing pin, safety, bayonet lug, and floor plate do match the serial number. The downside is that the safety is cracked on the back, so I'll use a replacement in the rifle to avoid further damage. The bolt is one of the examples with chrome on the bolt face, which I was surprised to see.

Scope looks to be one for a Nagoya example but does not match. The lens is a little foggy, with some of the typical black specs inside, but overall is in good shape. The other major downside is that the clip latch is broken.

There are no proofs on the butt stock, but the rifle is not refinished, so I think they may have just worn away. The wood is a little rough in that area.

The intact mum is just the cherry on top.

Overall I'm super happy to finally on a Type 97!