View Single Post
  #42  
Old July 22nd 04, 01:48 AM
Dave Kearton
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"George Shirley" wrote in message
...
| B2431 wrote:
|
| |
| I was a part-time gunsmith from 1962 until 1976. In the early sixties
| the local GI surplus store sold me entire cases of Arisaka rifles, 12 to
| the case, mostly the 6.5, at 9 bucks each. I converted them to sporting
| rifles, of a sort, and sold them for 50 bucks. Paid the same price for
| long SMLE's, Carcano's, and the odd P-14 Enfield that came by.
| Springfield 03-A3's cost me 15 bucks each as did 1917 Enfields. Local
| navy base was mothballing WWII ships and would sell me large boxes, I
| mean about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet of carbine and 1911-A1 magazines
| for 6 cents per lb. I could resell them for a buck apiece and make money
| on them. Damned if I don't wish I had kept a bunch of everything until
| today. Most people thought the Carcano rifle was junk but they made
| excellent small caliber hunting rifles.
|
| George
|


The Carcano was an interesting piece. Referred to by the Italian Army as
"Il Humano" , because it never hurt anyone, it featured a progressive
twist on the rifling. Didn't make it any more accurate, just harder
to manufacture.


One of the local councils around my way, post WWI, used thousands of K98
and G98 Mausers (war reparations) as reinforcing for concrete roadways and
footpaths.

In case you're wondering, it works well under those conditions, but it's
pretty hard on the metalwork.




Cheers


Dave Kearton