1872 Enfield

[mooreshawnm]

So my buddy is in Afganistan (high level officer with a Nato unit) and sent me this email:

They have some of these rifles here.

A good one for about $250

They are black powder. converted to cartridge style, with bayonette.

Some other rifles too


Is this a good deal? Should I have him pick me one up?

 

[YoungKiwi]

I don't know the value in the US.

But the value is not all in the condiition, the value is mostly in the markings on the firearm.
Also depends if it is real or a repro. So unless your friend knows what he is looking at, it a gamble.
If it is a specific model and the right markings and such, it could be worth it, I would imagine after going throught all the papaer work etc, the dollar value may not be worth it for a 'standard' Snider, But if it is something special then dollar vaule is hard to judge.

I assume that you are talking about a snider ?

http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php/cPath/29_115/products_id/575?osCsid=b32ed004b82515b5c5ba72049cf54c2f

 

[mooreshawnm]

Seeing as how it's from Afganistan I imagine its an original....probably just came out of service in that hell hole!

 

[Scorch]

Actually, I would bet it's a fake. The gunsmiths on the Khyber Pass are known as some of the best weapons counterfeiters in the world. They can copy anything you show them. I once saw a Luger that was entirely made by hand in Pakistan in a Luger collector's collection just because it was such a good replica. I have read that you can buy AKs, RPKs, SVs, pretty much any gun, any caliber, and usually for a very low price. If they want $250 dollars for it, I would think they see easy money coming their way.

 

[Trebor]

Go to www.gunboards.com and find the "Martini Henry" forum. They have a sticky at the top of the forum about the "Khyber Pass Specials." These are the locally made copies of British service rifles. These have been made for over 100 years, so many you'll encounter look "right" for an original gun as far as patina, wear, etc. The markings are often all wrong though, which makes it easier to spot these *if* you know what the original markings should look like.

The problem is that these are hand made copies made of questionable materials that are likely not safe to fire. $250 is a lot to ask for a wall hanger, in my opinion.

 

[oldbillthundercheif]

There are also large numbers of real-deal historical firearms over there. Just because they also make a few of their own does not mean that you should assume they are modern copies without looking into this a bit more.

$250 sounds crazy, but they love to haggle.

Dig up some detailed info, pass it along to your buddy, and if it looks kosher offer them $10 US. That should inflame their haggling spirit and you may be able to pick it up cheap.

I think it's considered an insult to conduct a sale without haggling over there. You wouldn't want to insult them, would you?

 

[44 AMP]

Pathan tribesmen

Are renowned in the shooting world for making, by hand, some of the finest copies of firearms anywhere. Exact mechanical copies, sometimes even copying the proof marks.

The are also known for not being picky about the steel they use to make these copies. Railroads to the area have had to replace a lot of steel rails over the years!

Anything you find over there could be an original, or it could be a well made copy made out of decent steel, or it could be a well made copy made out of inferior (for guns) steel. Sometimes even the experts get fooled. Use caution.

And yes, haggling over price is an old and generally respected form of doing business. So is taking a sucker for as much as you can!