WWII Guns
 

Greetings.

Used the search button for "gun rack" or "gun storage" and did not come up with anything. Am asking because I inherited my Uncles WWII guns recently, and brought them home. (1930's model auto's, I was told?)

Want to have a rack built for them, as there are five very long "rifles", that I will post pics of here very soon.:o

Was curious if anyone had ideas on how to go about commisoning a gun rack to be built for personal storage/display?

Hope it is okay to ask here...and thanks for any replies.

Holly

1st have someone check to see if the weapons are empty...

My 2nd suggestion is to have them apprised for insurance purposes. Little gems occasionally pop up in this sort of transaction. I don't want to get your hopes up but some turn of the century weapon can be very valuable.

3nd display racks are simple affairs and can be found at any good gun shop. But be advised they are far from secure and only invite the curious to touch and fondle,, and the criminal to steal. A moderate investment in a safe for well under 1K$ is a better idea. Beside the security a safe gives,, it also keeps the greasy little hands off the metal. A safe can be environmentally controlled with a simple light bar that drives out the humidity. This is especially prudent in the North where you Yankees don't run you AC 24/7, like we do.

4rd,, don't clean the weapons until you have had competent appraisal. People have taken 20K$ weapons and scraped off 100 yrs worth of patina, reducing them $1.380 wall hangers.. Clean lint free linen rag, light oil, nothing more.

Good Luck...

Very good advice. Buddy of mine purchased a WWII demolitions kit bag from a widow at a garage sale, it still had real blasting caps in it... careful with that WWII stuff!

Echos - Follow JJ_BPK's advice. Unless you have a walk-in vault (Charlton Heston's place anyone?) storing firearms in display racks is criminally irresponsible, especially today. Personally, I'd recommend spending a little extra for a quality safe; they'll store a lot more than just firearms. Bottom line - WWII doesn't mean demilled. I've got a couple Garands that're still formidable weapons. I certainly wouldn't want a gang banger to get its hands on them.

To secure weapons,...
 

Take a look at these.

FYI, it is for sale.

WD

Alas, it's a different world and the days of showing off your guns on the wall have passed. A safe is the only way to go. I have one. Send the gunz to me and I'll look after them.:D

Looking forward to pics. Love those old World War Twice rifles!:o

I found this in my grandfather's basement after he passed away. I have not had time to clean it up right, just clean the bolt, barrel, and bolt assembly.

Arisaka Type 38...... story behind it, from my grandmother is that my grandfather's brother picked it up and brought it back as a "souvenir." He used it to hunt deer in South Alabama. My grandfather got it when his brother passed away and its been in his basement hiding behind junk for 40 years. We found it after cleaning the basement up for my grandmother.

The markings are all on the weapon, along with the "mum."

Good find,, Must be an early return, as I understand it, after the war the chrysanthemum had to be ground off the frame??

Thank you gentlemen, for all the replies. Good points to consider about storage, safety, and handeling. (They are loaded at this point, but will stay locked up in a closet that has limited access, for the next week.)

Looking forward to posting the pictures of them, and some photos from Germany, with my Unlce and his friends sitting on the back of Hitler's car, the day after we bombed.

Again, Thank you!

Holly

That's correct. Because the flower was the imperial symbol of the emperor, they were all ground off once the war ended. I have one myself that was given to me by a friend that still has a full mum. Gun show types get pretty excited whenever I bring it around and they see the mum. I've been told that with it, the rifle is certainly worth a few hundred more dollars. The 6.5x50 JAP is NO cheap round though. And hard to find.

Nice find. Those Type 38s are pretty pricey these days.
An old fellow I worked with about 20 years ago said he had an old gun he wanted me to see. Next day he brought in a Type 99 with bayonet and monopod in excellent condition. I asked him where he got it. "A place called Tarawa. You probably never heard of it", he said.
I shook his hand and I assured him I had.

Here is picture #1 of Hitlers Benz. There are many more to scan, but have this one done, and thought today was a good day to post it.

Holly

Hey echoes,

If you have any nice '03 Springfields in that collection I'll galdy buy one off you.

dou. 43

F.B. RADOM 1933

O.F. MOSSBERG & SONS

BROWNING ARMS COMPANY

MODEL 8 MONTREAL P.O.

MADE IN BELGIUM

My Uncle.

Miss you so much Uncle Bug.

Holly

RIP Uncle Bug..

Holly,,

Your treasures need a little TLC. Simple link free cloth and light oil wipe. QUICKLY. Looks like they have been neglected for a while.. Also,, wash your hands before handling. The oil and salts in our perspiration while turn steel to rust overnight..

From the looks,, you have a very nice collection.

98' large ring Mauser, 7mm cal, German WW II trophy
Browning .22 cal auto, brake-down (the barrel can be unscrewed)
F B RADOM, kbk.s.wz.31, Polish target rifle??
Mossburg Model 46B-3, .22 cal target rifle,, A well liked and accurate rifle, may be the "find", in a modest fashion..

Congratulation,, your now a "GUN MOLL"..

:D;):eek::rolleyes:

JJ,

Sir, thank your the advice! No, I have not touched them with any cleaning products yet. Weather they are worth a dollar value or not, they are so special to me, because they were his. ;)

Holly

Echoes,
I wanted a custom built gun cabinet for myself and found this website. I liked the look of the cabinets and had one built similar to the ones shown on this website by a local guy in my area. It can give you an idea anyways if you choose the display route.

http://www.handcraftedtraditions.com/
Sorry about that. Here is the direct link

Hate to disagree, JJ, but unless I missed something, the K98 Mauser is actually an 8mm (7.92x57 Mauser).

I agree that they need a good oiling, above everything else. Motor oil will work fine in a pinch, if you do not have gun oil. Make sure you get all of the meatl parts thoroughly. I recommend a shaving brush and a cotton rag, but you can use anything you like.

I would clean and lube them as soon as possible afterwards.

Congrats!

TR

Disagree because your correct,, no apologies needed..

:D

My uncle has a Type 99 that still has the mum. I'm not sure how he acquired it but I thought it odd to not be ground.

ECHO:

Take pics of the top of the receivers of the M-98 and the RADOM. The part of the rifle where the bolt enters the barrel. The M-98 should have either dou or dot and the year under it.

These among other things are what determine the values.

Look at the bolt handle, safety and the bottom of the magazines. Your M-98 has a ser. #1028, if these numbers or parts of the numbers (usually just 28) are repeated in the places Ive mentioned, this is a big plus regarding value.

The pics below are from a Radom I had. hopefully it will give you an idea of what to look for.

T.R. is right on the M-98 It is indeed a LARGE ring 7.92. The dou indicates it was made in the Deutches Waffen Werke Brunn, Bystrica in 1943. A very desireable weapon among Mauser collectors.

RE: WWII Rifles this one is probably my favorite. Although its rough on ears and arms. Its been called a Mountain or Fallshirmjager Karibiner.

old gun cleaning
 

Had to put my .02 in. I have a few old guns in my collection ( WWII lee enfield and mauser) While I love to use remington oil for a refurbishing oil, Hoppes is probably the best. I would also take a good look at the barrel. If large pitting is noticable it may be unsafe to fire. If there is fine pitting and you are not going to use it as a show gun but rather a hunting rifle instead of a bore brush there is a simialar brush called the tornado, found in walmart, that did the trick.