A military weapons story, or soul

[Greasemonkey]

Ok, I'll admit I own some very nice condition milsurp weapons, but at the same time, I do own some that show use. Things that make you think, what did this poor guy and a particular weapon go through. The horrors that existed on many battlefields through time are mostly documented, but looking, you can find it in your own gun safe. Imagine what a forensics lab could discover if they went to town on some.

For instance, lets look at 2 of my M91/30 Mosins, a  '39 Izhevsk and a '38 Tula. Yea, your thinking, run of the mill M91/30s, right. well, look harder.  There is a story, a gruesome story behind each one. Both are also Finnish [SA] marked as well.


First the '38 Tula, this is as it has been described by many weapons collectors as "blood etching". The entire exposed metal surface is etched in this way, the action all the way to the front sight. Was this pulled from under a partial rotten corpse, a bloody trench, who knows?




Now, the '39 Izhevsk, nice Finnish handguard, till you peel it off. And what does one find, well it's shrapnel damage, damaging wood is one thing, but to leave marks in metal is a complete different thing. This damage show the poor fellows last moments, or simply be damage from something else, like a bomb going off near a stack of weapons, we will never know.





Now from the other side of the world, a Mum bearing Type 99 Arisaka bring back. This shows operator use, how many rounds did this solider fire to leave fingernail marks at the bolt?


They are more than just looks, it's the history, the ghosts they carry and only they know that's important as well. It's also a respect for those who carried and suffered for their country and beliefs, however bad they were, these guys were following orders. And sadly, it's a reminder that war is truly hell when you find stuff of this nature.

If you got battle scars, damage, lets see it.

[Dannyboy53]

Fascinating Greasemonkey, thanks for sharing this. With the exception of some rust pitting beneath the wood of my two /26\ guns, our three Chinese carbines are in very good condition. Battle damage is always an interesting aspect of these firearms we have collected.

[John Galt]

Nice rifles!  I love the story that they tell.  I was just cleaning the junk out of my sino-banian butt plate screw slots when it struck me…maybe it wasn't cosmo, or grease, or just dirt.  Maybe it was some "junk" from the back of some dudes head?

I can only imagine what the guys that carried this rifle saw.

John Galt

[Phosphorus32]

Well stated GM.  Collecting and preserving these military surplus firearms is so interesting, and so important, not only for their part in history, but also because they represent a concrete memory of the soldiers who suffered and died while carrying them. It makes war less abstract and more tangible to hold on to something that was actually used by someone's son in some near or distant war.

Those are intriguing examples you present.  The blood etching is rather macabre, yet it elicits a sense of reverence for the poor soul who was injured or killed while carrying it.  I would guess a high percentage of the Finn rifles would have some sign of a violent involuntary surrender of the arms, since all of the receivers (and bolts and magazines) were from captured or surrendered arms.

[xtriggerman]

 Yes, very nice write up on the pair of Vintoka's. Vintoka is what a Russian calls em.

[Garand1957]

Just sold this Type 99 Arisaka about two weeks ago that has some unique battle damage. It has a .30 round stuck into the barrel.
Rifle had full mum , AA sights , mono pod and even had a serial # matching action cover.
Bought it at an estate auction when the vet who brought it back died.
Got it for $225 and figured no one else there wanted it because it was a unshootable wall hanger.
Sold it to a serious collector who displays his collection at shows with uniforms on manikins etc.
He had to have it and payed $500 and I used the money to help pay for my Mk47 Mutant.

[xtriggerman]

How cool is that?  That round must have either hit from a distance or already went threw a bunch of soft cover to have just enough nut to imbed and not go threw. Could imagine the guy's face when he saw the bullet in there. A friend of mine once shown me his grand fathers WWI helmet with an FMJ round stuck in the side. You could just barely feel it touch your head but the inner webbing was getting pretty dry rotted. Great stuff.... thanks for posting it.

[Dannyboy53]

Fascinating photo Garand, thanks for sharing!