Military surplus?

[Mendel]

I was looking at getting a military surplus rifle strictly for shooting (not admiring) and was thinking about an Enfield No 4 in bolt action or an SKS in semi-auto. My questions:

Which one? Where can I find the best prices? What's the cost per round for each of them?

I saw a No 4 at my local gun shop for $175, but he said he'd sell it for $150. He seemed to eager to drop the price. There were no pop-up sights on it, and I'm pretty sure the serial numbers didn't match (which I don't really care about, as it's to shoot, not admire).

I'd like to use the new rifle primarily for target shooting, but also as a complement to my pistol and shotgun for home defense in case the BGs get too near. I like the idea of having the pistol for carry, the shotgun for inside (very near) the house and a rifle to take care of things up to about 250 yards, if necessary.

I'm anxiously looking forward to responses.
Thanks!

[sa1126]

SKS all the way. You can find yugo's at gun shows for anywhere from $100-200. Expect to clean off the cosmoline though...thats no fun. www.aimsurplus.com shoudl have some shooter's grade yugo's for about $110+shipping. They probably have dark bores, but who cares...its an SKS. I put 300 wolf rounds through my chinese sks, came back three months later w/o cleaning it and ran another 200 rounds through it w/o a problem. SKS is probably one of my all time favorites

edit: aim didnt have any so try www.classicarms.us

They have shooter's grades for $100. I have ordered from them and they are great people!

[The Knight Of Light]

Bolt action or semi auto? That is up to you
English rifle or russian most likely chinese rifle? Yugoslavian? That is up to you


Now the rest of the story. Make damn sure you inspect that No4's bore hard!!! 150 for an english gun is just kind of a crappy gun IMHO. Better spent on a SKS Yugo first, russian if you can find one, chinese if all else fails. I would really recomend just going to the shops and asking to look at different rifles, going to gunshows and looking at different rifles. This is a training excersise. To get you familiar with the weapon you want to buy. It also lets you see the little quirks and differences the weapon platforms have. Remember there are many different places in town and they will all let you hold the guns and check them out a little bit. If they don't then they don't need or want anyones bussiness.

[Brickboy240]

I love my SKSs...I have three so I must like them alot.

Still, I also have three Enfields. The Enfield is the Rodney Dangerfield of military surplus rifles...no respect at all. Too bad, because the ones I have are fantastic shooters.

My No4 Canadian Enfield is very accurate and will group as good or better than my German 98k Mauser and 03 Springfield at the 100yd bench. The Enfields have a more pleasant recoil for a powerful centerfire rifle round...better on the shoulder than any 8mm Mauser or the 30-06 03 Springfield. Part of the reason I think my Canadian Enfield out-groups the other more well thought of rifles is because of its great sights (great as it is, the Enfield will not keep up with a Swedish Mauser or Swiss K-31). The No4 Enfield has an adjustable rear peep sight and a nice, thick front post. That makes for better sight acquisition than any Mauser or Springfield. The peep sight is similar to the one on the Garand and is an aid to fast, accurate shooting.

I also like the 10 round magazine on the Enfield and its short bolt throw and cock-on-closing action. No other WWI or WWII era boltgun has that fast of a bolt. The Krag comes close, but who can afford one and 30-40 Krag ammo is scarce as hens teeth.

If you can find a decent No4 Enfield with a good bore, I think you'd be surprised at how good of a shooter they really are. The 303 round is easy on the shoulder and has the power of aroundthe 300 Savage or 30-40 Krag - plenty for deer or wild pigs. 303 ammo is not hard to find or outrageously expensive, either. Its not SKS ammo cheap, but not as high as 30-06 ammo.

You should be able to get a decent Enfield for around 150 bucks. Again, condition will dictate how good of a shooter it is. Spare parts are very easy to find and the Enfield is a very simple, robust rifle that is easy to work on and hell for stout.

Would I put my Enfields up against an SKS at the 50 or 100yd range? Absolutely! The Enfields I own all have better triggers than any SKS, hold 10 rounds like the SKS and have better sights. With 2 5 round 303 stripper clips, the Enfield can be loaded very fast and the bolt is fast as well.

Do some research...you'll find the Enfield is NOT a bad rifle at all. its not like the Italian Carcano, but a very viable battel rifle that has stood the test of time and was standard equipment for many armies throughout the world for decades.

Sorry, but I have run thousands of rounds through my 3 Enfleids and feel obligated to stick up for this very underrated and misunderstood rifle. Its far from junk.

- Brickboy240

[TA]

A Swiss K-31 is a real tackdriver and can be had for under $150. The ammunition is more costly than the SKS diet, but 7.62 prices are still climbing. Another option would be a Mauser. The 8mm is still holding at pretty reasonable prices. Ahhh, the smell of cosmoline...

[beardman2]

My advice... if you think you might get into milsurps just start saving your money. in a year I've ended up with...8. It can turn into an addiction in a big hurry.

[Timmy44221]

Not sure if this is what your lookin for, but my M44 (Mosin Naget) was only 34$, and is in great gondition and shoowts well. If you looking for a cheap great bolt action I sat go with a Mosin, and 7.62x54r is dirt cheap to shoot.

[kayl]

Originally Posted by Timmy44221

Not sure if this is what your lookin for, but my M44 (Mosin Naget) was only 34$, and is in great gondition and shoowts well. If you looking for a cheap great bolt action I sat go with a Mosin, and 7.62x54r is dirt cheap to shoot.

Where did you find that?

[The Knight Of Light]

Originally Posted by TA

A Swiss K-31 is a real tackdriver and can be had for under $150. The ammunition is more costly than the SKS diet, but 7.62 prices are still climbing. Another option would be a Mauser. The 8mm is still holding at pretty reasonable prices. Ahhh, the smell of cosmoline...

And when you get bored with it do this to it.
http://www.collani.ch/Karabiner-K-31-Custom-e.htm

[sa1126]

Originally Posted by kayl

Where did you find that?

+1



Cheapest I ahve found in person was $69