Yesterday's Weapons Forums

_________________


██ █ ████ everything ███ █████ is █████ ████ ████ fine ████ ███ █ ██████ love. █████ ███████ ███ your █████ ████ government.

_________________
__________________
Mike

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

"ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ" - King Leonidas I of Sparta

Visit "Smokeless Powder", my firearms and 2nd Amendment blog: http://fingolfen.blogspot.com

It was explained to me recently that it depends on the reason they left in the first place (loaned-lend lease), country or if they could get the weapons into a free trade zone.

A friend who use to import thousands of guns (remember the Australian rifles years ago), told me the US arms were going to be coming in and the above was the reason for the imports.

I also cringe every time my friend shows me the photos of piles of Thompson, Sten, Sterlings and other complete machine guns that they got into free trade zones and CUT THEM UP!!

_________________
Mark

Resident of the Northern Republic of Free California

"People should not be afraid of their Government, the Government should be afraid of the people." - V

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" - Ben Franklin

Why would anyone buy one from century when yoou can get one not import marked and cheaper from CMP.

Any competition would be good for the consumer!!

_________________
Mark

Resident of the Northern Republic of Free California

"People should not be afraid of their Government, the Government should be afraid of the people." - V

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" - Ben Franklin

Century arms M1 carbine is $575 import marked
CMP M1 carbine is $575 No import mark

The same goes for the M1's

I am sure they all shoot, but if your collecting, the import mark is like a bad tatoo you wish you never got!

Not necessarily a crook... Last month I bought one Inland M1 Carbine with original barrel. The stock came off an NPM and the bolt from an M2. It had been re-worked.

The two M1 Garands on the other hand, though re-arsenaled, had original parts including original barrels, with two exceptions: The H&R had an SA op rod and the Springfield had an H&R op rod.

It is unlikely that many of those parts originally came with each rifle.

All three pieces could be put back to what they were like originally. I know that does not make them original, but it is about as close as I could get. Making the claim that they are original would be disingenuous, but I don't think a crook... a crook is someone who offers Senate seats for sale on eBay.

I saw an '03-A3 last time I was at the CMP North Store. RA, appeared to have all matching parts, (Remington's little 'R's were clearly stamped on the parts) original blue on the stock hardware, magazine and trigger guard, sights and bolt parts. There was no evidence of the stock having been scraped. The cartouche was correct as were the stamps forward of the magazine base at the stock. The barrel date matched the serial number range and the bore gaged +0 at the muzzle. I had just spent all my $$$$

Bruce Canfield mostly agrees with your position, but he also mentions that though very unlikely, some original rifles occasionally turn up at the CMP.

I think hard evidence is needed to prove a rifle is original.

im with pete on this one ,

if they didnt intend to profit from missrepresentation they wouldnt use the direct and incorect statements of originality , and it offends me even more when i hear 'never been fired' we all know that to be a lie ,

even if only by proof fireing , but its inconceivable that many came off the line and went into storage [particularly in the peak of a war] only to be discovered so oppertunely as to be purchaseable by you .......


if there is no intent to defraud why not use terms like 'all parts correctly marked' or 'matching parts' , instead of 'never been fired' ?

I'll bet because of ignorance and pride.

I rail at hearing guys at gun shows tell me 'it's bran new, ain't never been fired!' I confronted such a seller over this once, telling him that it had to be test fired by the maker, and probably had at least a hundred rounds put through it. "This here gun ain't never been fired an I can prove it", he said. Sure was stubborn. I just let it go and thanked him for his time.

Just the same, there are sellers out there who really believe the stuff they say.

There's a story about Beethoven, (I don't think he ever owned a firearm) where his publisher was angry with him over a matter of changing his mind about a composition, and wanted his revenge. So he told Herr Ludwig that a wonderful lamp by which blind people could read had been invented in Leipsig.

Beethoven, excited by this news, told everyone he met at higher social gatherings about this wonderful invention. He never noticed the polite laughter, and believed in the story until he died.

I agree that if a rifle has matching parts, it is safe to say that it has matching parts, and not safe to make any further claims about it regarding its originality.

It's true that many of the M-1 carbines and most of the M-1 rifles have experienced mixture of parts at some time in their history. M-1 rifles were used longer than the carbines in US service; accordingly, they were surplused later and had longer to get used up and rebuilt. Some of the M-1 carbines were surplused out through the DCM in the 1960's. Of the DCM-sourced carbines, some were very nice original pieces. I had an early Inland with the rear flip sight, beautiful reddish stock about 97%, all original condition that came from DCM. They're out there, but don't change hands very often. Greasy, mis-matched junkers are more often seen.

M-1 rifles have been expensive relative to other mislurp rifles for as long as I can remember. When I was a teenager in the 1960's, you could get a very nice original Mauser 98 for $25-30, but an M-1 cost $100. I don't know if the DCM was selling the M-1 rifle then; M-1's were still heavily used by the reserve components and the ROTC.

The best deal on an M-1 rifle that I can recall was when I bought one of mine in the 1980's for $165 from the DCM, but when the CMP came along that all changed.

When the DCM was selling them, I don't recall them offering them in grades. People I knew who bought them in the 1980's might have gotten a late-date Springfield that was nearly unissued; a reconditioned WW2 rifle with a new 1960's barrel; or a banged-around M-1 that had seen much service in the ROTC.

I remember when the Korean surplus M-1's were imported, and a knowledgeable friend of mine said, "This will knock the floor out from under M-1 rifle prices." It didn't. I don't think a number significant enough can be imported to do that now. The population is constantly expanding, and it seems like within that expansion there are always a certain number of re-enactors, gun collectors, WW2 fans, etc., who will want an M-1 rifle. Yet, the supply remains finite.

Legislation could always dim the attraction of owning an M-1 rifle. However, all models of this kind of law currently in force or under consideration target detachable magazine design weapons, not the fixed magazine of the M-1. In fact, this feature might make the M-1 rifle more attractive if people are limited in buying detached mag semi-auto rifles. All bets are off if some significant legislation comes along that targets all semi-autos.

CMP prices might seem high to some, but at least they sell an honest rifle that won't have a rewelded receiver.