Complete WWII rifle collection?

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wyobohunter

New member
Does anybody have one? What would this include in the opinion of you collectors? If somebody has one I'd love to see pics and hear details. Maybe divide the group into "Axis" and "Allies" rifles and give some pros/cons of each weapon as a battle rifle. Sadly, we are nearly out of WWII vets and I've recently become more interested in the history of that war.
 
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Dragon55

New member
I too would like to see that. However, I seriously doubt any members here have that.

A quick look at Wikipedia shows more than 52 different rifles listed. Interestingly a bunch of countries on both sides list the Enfield .303 or variants.
 
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WeedWacker

New member
Considering some of the finest are NFA items, I suppose it would take quite a bit of green to finish it completely. (Most notable I am referring to right now would be either an authentic BAR or M1 Thompson)
 
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emcon5

New member
Considering some of the finest are NFA items, I suppose it would take quite a bit of green to finish it completely. (Most notable I am referring to right now would be either an authentic BAR or M1 Thompson)
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There are a lot more than that, just counting infantry weapons. I think every army fielded submachine guns of one type or another.

Here is the rather extensive shopping list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_World_War_II_infantry_weapons

If you limit it to primary infantry rifles of the major players, it is certainly doable.

M1
SMLE
K98k
Arisaka Type 99
Mosin-Nagant

A few years ago, I bet you could have put that list together (with serviceable rifles) for under $1000. It would be a little more expensive today, but still well within reach.

Tom
 
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MuzzleBlast

New member
I've got four of those five.
n_a

I just can't seem to get up much interest in the Japanese, so I don't have an Arisaka.
 
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Avenger

New member
A year or so ago, I started to amass a LIST of all the major variants of the main battle rifles for all the nations involved in WW2. I got up to about 60ish, and hadn't gotten out of Europe yet.....There were a LOT of countries involved, (they didn't call it a WORLD WAR for nothing!), and they all had their own particular issue rifles.

Shoot, the USA had the Garand, the Johnson, the 1903 and 1903A3, and even the M1917 was around. That's five right there, without even getting into all the variation within those types.

A full collection COULD be done, and I would LOVE to have one, but man would it take a lot of time and money to find them all.
 
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wyobohunter

New member
I spose I meant...

The more common main battle rifles. As in, the collection that muzzleblast has. So what are they muzzleblast?
 
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SIGSHR

New member
I would start with what was actually used by front line forces of the major combatants-remember that in 1944-45 the French used US ordnance and wore US uniforms with their rank insignias. Also the No. 1 Mark III was the standard for the British Army until 1942 or so when the No. 4 Mark I began to sppear in quantities. You might want to break it down by theater or campaign, or branch of service. An M1903 for a Marine landing on Guadalcanal and an M-1 for one lading on Iwo Jima or Okinawa. A No. 1 Mark III for a "Tommy" in the Western Desert.
 
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MEATSAW

New member
Nice muzzleblast! I have just started working towards getting a full collection like yours. So far I have the Mosin-Nagant, and the M1 Garand. I shouldn't have a problem with the K98k or the Enfield. The Arisaka's are a little hard to find but they are out there. I also want a Swiss K31, just for the hell of it.
 
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iamkris

New member
This isn't a complete WWII collection by any means but here are a few selections from the collection that have several WWII-related rifles (with some other stuff mixed in).

121suoh.jpg


1944 Springfield Armory M1 Garand, .30-06
1941 Springfield Armory M1 Garand, .30-06
1939 Springfield Armory M1 Garand, .30-06
Springfield Armory 1903A3, .30-06
Eddystone M1917, .30-06
Inland M1 Carbine, .30 Carbine
Springfield Armory 1898 Krag, .30-40
Springfield Armory 1873 Trapdoor, .45-70


10mk0op.jpg


Ishapore Enfield 2A, 7.62x51mm
Savage Enfield No. 4, Mk I*, .303 British
Fazerkly Enfield No. 4, Mk 1/2, .303 British
MAS 36, 7.5x54mm
Mannlicher-Berthier M96/13, 8 mm Lebel
Swedish M1896 Mauser 1900 Oberndorf, 6.5x55mm
Swedish M1896 Mauser 1903 Gustav, 6.5x55mm
Swiss K31, 7.5x55mm
Swiss K31, 7.5x55mm

25u1p8l.jpg


Yugoslavian M48 Mauser, 7.92x57mm
Mauser K98k, 7.92x57mm
Mauser K98k, 7.92x57mm
Type 99 Arisaka, 7.7x58mm
Mosin-Nagant M38, 7.62x54R
Mosin-Nagant M44, 7.62x54R
Mosin-Nagant 91/30, 7.62x54R
Finnish M39 Sako, 7.62x54R
Finnish M39 B-barrel, 7.62x54R
 
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wyobohunter

New member
^^^ Awesome

I really like the wood on the Finnish rifles, are those the original stocks? What were the Italians carrying err... throwing down during retreat:D
 
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Limeyfellow

New member
An M1903 for a Marine landing on Guadalcanal and an M-1 for one lading on Iwo Jima or Okinawa.
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We also have to remember that while the M1 Garand was considered the main official battle rifle, far more Marines and Soldiers used the M1 Carbine than any other weapon, including on Iwo Jima. Mostly this was due to ease of production and cheaper costs, but it is no different of how the M1903 gets all the credit in WW1, when 3/4s of the troops were armed with the M1917.

Strangely enough my uncle (Cpl in the USMC) lost his M1 Carbine and so borrowed an M1 Garand of the beach. Then he was made a forward observer who main job was to sit on top of Suribachi on a nighttime with a few fellow Marines and a couple of boxes of grenades and hope they lasted till near morning when they could come down again.
 
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PT111

New member
A year or so ago, I started to amass a LIST of all the major variants of the main battle rifles for all the nations involved in WW2. I got up to about 60ish, and hadn't gotten out of Europe yet.....There were a LOT of countries involved, (they didn't call it a WORLD WAR for nothing!), and they all had their own particular issue rifles.
Click to expand...

For a true collection you would also need to have all the minor variants. A true collection would focus as much or more on the minor differences than the major ones. To get a complete collection you would probably have 60 pages of listings rather than 60 rifles. Try to collect all the variants of rifles and handguns used by just the US you could probably get 60.

This would be a great collection but you would need some big dollars and a big room for displaying them. :D
 
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carguychris

New member
We also have to remember that while the M1 Garand was considered the main official battle rifle, far more Marines and Soldiers used the M1 Carbine than any other weapon, including on Iwo Jima. Mostly this was due to ease of production and cheaper costs, but it is no different of how the M1903 gets all the credit in WW1, when 3/4s of the troops were armed with the M1917.
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+1. Many of the major combatants had a number of battle rifles used in different theaters and at different times. The USA, the UK, and the Soviet Union had all recently adopted new battle rifles just prior to the war, which complicated the picture somewhat because they didn't have enough of them to arm everyone when major combat started.

The USA started the war without nearly enough M1 Garands to arm everyone, so the solution was to hand out leftover M1903 Springfields to many troops. As the war continued, many troops were armed with the M1 Carbine because it was cheaper to produce, and others were armed with M1903A3s because it was easier to dust off idle M1903 tooling than to build new tooling from scratch to produce the M1 Garand.

The UK started the war without nearly enough No.4 MkI's to arm everyone, so the solution was to hand out leftover No.1 MkIII (nee SMLE) rifles to many troops. (Notice a pattern?) As the war continued, No.1 MkIII production was restarted for the same basic reason that US M1903 production resumed.

The Soviet Union had recently attempted to replace the Mosin-Nagant with the newfangled semi-auto Tokarev SVT38, but field trials of the new rifle went quite badly, so it was hastily redesigned to create the SVT40. When the Germans invaded, there weren't nearly enough SVT40s to arm everyone, and most of them were in the hands of front-line combat units that were wiped out by the Nazi blitzkrieg in the opening weeks. To add insult to injury, the Tula Arsenal- home of the SVT40 production line- had to be shut down because the Germans were advancing too close. Soviet troops were initially armed with whatever Mosin-Nagants could be found in storage, including some minor variants that are seldom seen in the West nowadays. The Mosin-Nagant gradually replaced its intended successor, the SVT40, because it was cheaper and easier to produce, more resistant to dirt, and easier to train conscripts to use. (As a significant footnote, the Soviets made much wider use of submachine guns than the other major WWII combatants, arming entire battalions with them and using them in roles for which other nations usually used carbines.)

It's complicated. :)
 
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.351winchester

Moderator
On my 'one day..." list:
Enfield Jungle Carbine (even a repro on Ishapore would be acceptable)
Garand, (and .308 Tanker Garand)
M1 Carbine by Saginaw S&G

possibly
Mauser K-98k (those Mitchell ones in the ads are absolutely spectacular looking)

No Mosin 91 or 44 for me, could have gotten them for peanuts a few months ago, makes me unable to pay the current price (same with the Yugo SKS's) have to say the sniper version would be desirable after watching Enemy at the Gates

Thanks evryone for the great pics and info

Anyone know what Ishapore 2A's are going for right now? Pretty sure it's not 100. anymore (that was the deal of the century.
 
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458winshooter

New member
WWII rifles

I started a collection some years ago and so far I have K98,SMLE,1903 Springfield,M43 Mosin-Nagant,and an Arisaka type 99.I also have a few pistols:1911,P08 German Luger,and a 38 Webley.I hope to add a M-1 Garrand and a M-1 carbine to this as well as a Carcano if I can find one decent enough to shoot.I figure that this would be something good to hand down to my son when I leave this world.
 
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GringoGrande

New member
WOW, I am humbled by Iamkris's collection and bow to him as my new leader. Amazing collection. My fav there is that 30-40 Kraig and the K-31 Swiss. Those K-31's are just fantastic tac drivers.

The only decent things I have are a M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, 1903A3, 7 different Arisaka's and soon to get 4 more, Minty K98 from Mitchels Mausers, K-31 and a truly pieced together from Sarco stuff from the 1980's a Johnson Rifle, that was back when the kits were $89.95 and only needed minor seperate parts to complete (I have never shot it, some day though I will). I also have a new converted from milsurp stock a BAR and MG42 SEMI-Auto's.

The psitols I have are 6 differnt 1911's, 2 Lugers, 2 P-38s, SW Hand Eject .45, Colt .45, 1 Large Nambu, 1 small Nambu, 1 welded barrel Liberator from the Phillapines, 1 Webly, 1 Polish Radom, 1 Lahti, 1 Norway Kongsberg Colt .45.

Great pics everyone, fantastic thread.

Gringo
 
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