7.62 TOKAREV

[Vikram]

Thanks for all the work you put into your posts Timmy. I appreciate them.

+10

[m24]

You, my friend, definitely need the whipping and beating, not for the stories but for not getting the guns that are so readily available there. When somebody from the States come up with an excuse for not fulfilling their dreams w.r.t guns, i am like . Here in India, where, to get a license and then acquire a weapon, is like a lifetimes work, you , don't realize how blessed you are.

So, shake those cobwebs off, and let us know what long guns you plan to invest in .

Regards

Deepak

[timmy]

Deepak, I think my gun investment days are over with for quite some time.

The one exception that I may be able to make is to buy a youth .22 for training some of my grandkids.

Unfortunately, I must tell you this, in case you aren't a family man or if you are, and your kids are young. You raise your kids a certain way (we raised 4) and then they go off and get married. Sometimes, when they get married, you breath a sigh of relief. (Then in later years, you wish you had them back.)

But when your kids get married, their spouses always bring in different ideas. So it appears that I won't be able to train all of my grandkids in the great way of guns. There are some folks who think that guns are only owned by hoodlums and goons... and the grandkids who are being raised to love guns are many miles away.

Also, I have an Ace up my sleeve, or should I say, 4 of them: Before my economic circumstances grew severe, I found a sale. Many Mosin Nagant bolt action rifles have been imported to the USA and many of them were stripped for parts to finish off other rifles. I bought 4 barreled actions from M91 Mosin Nagants. They were $5 each! I have one pretty much ready to go out to the range. The other three, I have plans for. One is quite interesting: The barrel is marked with the Tsarist crest, yet the receiver is marked by the Bolsheviks (It is 1918). That one, at least, I'd like to find a real M91 stock for. The others might get sporterized somehow.

I have come across some real interesting guns (to me, at least) over the last few years. The three most memorable were:

A M59 Mosin Nagant. These were usually cut down M91/30s, and were evidently used by rear echelon units (sort of like RFI 2As of late). The one I found was a very pristine example with the octagonal receiver (1937 or before). It was only $135.

A very nice K31 Swiss rifle -- these were pretty common here a few years ago. I confess to not being keen on straight pull bolt rifles, but these K31s are famous for their accuracy and are THE gun to have for curio and relic military shoots. The only thing that will stay with them regularly would be some of the Swedish rifles. My M39 Finnish Mosin Nagant will shoot quite well, but perhaps not quite to the level of these other guns. These were also going for quite reasonable prices. The downside to these K31s is that they have a very short stock (makes them kick and are hard for an ape like me to shoot) and the ammo is very expensive, including the surplus (tho it is match grade -- all of it!)

Finally, I had found a French Berthier rifle. This one, I understood, was one made for the Turkish forestry units and it had an obscenely gorgeous mannlicher-style full stock and the 3 shot magazine. I think they wanted abotu $185 for it and it was in great shape. Ammo would be a problem, for sure, but it was one beautiful rifle!

But, no more sob stories. I will try to get after getting some pics of the long guns for you.

[m24]

Ah, Spouses!! Now, as soon as that word gets attached with guns, the whole scenario changes. Now, I am a married man, no kids as yet. I only own an air-rifle and haven't had the privilege of owning a fire-arm. But my wife, she looks and treats my air-rifle as if it is some alien creature which will come to life as soon as she looks at it, or touches it. Anyway, let's leave it at that.

Here's to hoping that your grand kids take up interest in guns, and spend time with their grand-daddy learning more about them, cause if you were my grand-daddy, i won't be going anywhere else .

Now as for the three guns that you've mentioned, I can only look them up on the net and read about them. It doesn't rain guns here as much as it does there. And from what I've read so far, all three of them are really great guns. I especially liked the M59 (from whatever I could read), over the other two.

Do post the pics of the Nagants, with the Tsarist crest, and the one that you plan to take to the range. That story, I 'm sure would be another interesting read.

Regards

Deepak