The Militaria Thread: Collecting and Identification

I heard this last night and considered making a separate thread in GD. Some people are really panicking and all sorts of things are being said!

I agree that the tightening up of EU deactivation standards is good as this will mostly be bringing things into line with the UK's current standards, anyway. I strongly disagree that the deac collectors should be hit YET AGAIN, though, and banning certain models is utterly bizarre. A deactivated AK47 is just as useless as any other deactivated gun.

Let's be clear: deacs are a good thing. These items can longer hurt anyone and are owned by hundreds of reputable dealers and thousands of law-abiding collectors who understand their historical significance. Each deac is another real gun out of circulation, and criminals will always be able to source actual firearms, anyway.
 
Different firearm types are deactivated in different ways and UK-standards are pretty harsh. Some are welded solid.
 
maccapacca said:
That's a bit Daily Mail isn't it? It wants to ban the most deadly firearms and ensure deactivation is properly carried out.
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The "most deadly firearms" are already heavily restricted. They are looking to ban certain semi-auto rifles, not so applicable here in the UK, but other countries allow them under licence.

As for the deactivated firearms:

The proposal to introduce shortly, through an implementing regulation, stringent minimum common guidelines regarding the deactivation of firearms will render reactivation much more difficult. It cannot be excluded that deactivated arms will be reactivated despite stringent rules. Consequently, for the most dangerous firearms (category A [military]) stricter rules have been introduced – even if they are deactivated. This means that deactivated firearms from Category A [military] will not be allowed to be owned nor traded (except for museums)
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Non-military ones can be deactivated, but even the magazine has to be welded to the receiver.

dr_volki said:
awesome thread :cool:

knowing not a lot about guns, what is a deac exactly? (I take it, it's not just the pin missing? :p )
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Items that used to be firearms, but are no longer capable of discharging a shot.

It varies between firearm types, and when they were deactivated as standards have increased over the years, but usually:

  • Drill, slot and pin barrels.
  • Weld barrels to receiver.
  • Remove feed ramp.
  • Weld up gas systems.
  • Cut away at and weld or entirely remove bolt carrier.
  • Weld up trigger group.
 
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maccapacca said:
1943 German Mauser k98 7.92

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I completely missed this! Looks like a Russian capture?
 
My latest addition:

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First introduced in 1931, the Walther PPK has a long and interesting history. It was compact and reliable, making an excellent weapon for undercover and intelligence work. Of course, it’s iconic as James Bond’s weapon of choice and this isn’t far from reality as many of the post-war intelligence agencies, from MI5 to Mossad, apparently standardised on the PPK.

It’s less well known that the PPK was used extensively in Nazi Germany too, with many high-ranking Nazi officials, SS officers, and Luftwaffe pilots using it as their sidearm. There was also a ‘Party Leader’ version made, presented by Adolf Hitler himself to those deemed worthy enough. I think Hermann Göring carried a gold-plated one, but perhaps the PPK’s biggest claim to infamy is that Hitler committed suicide with a PPK in the Führerbunker.

This particular PPK was made in West Germany in 1962 during the Cold War, and is a lightweight version in .22LR—much rarer than the standard PPK. It is in excellent condition for its age and the serial number tells me it was about the 500th made. It doesn't actually fit into my collection, but I'll keep it for a bit.

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It's a lovely gun, shame I'll be letting it go but a Walther collector would love it more than I do. There was a good SMLE on FB recently - £350. Dunno if it's gone already. They are super deacs! How much did you pay for your Kar98K?
 
I love popping back into this thread to see what you guys have bought :) Are they the Bakelite grips on the PPK?

I keep eyeing up the Enfields on Gunmart and drooling. Need to get my FAC application sent off and then pray to the policing gods.
 
Nice collection macca. Is that a miroku/browning with the surveying company logo on the barrels?
 
maccapacca said:
It's is yes a Miroku MK38 32" barrels teauge chokes and a walnut stock
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Shot with one of those a few times, very nice handling guns. I was more of a Beretta guy myself but I've heard their build quality has slipped a bit in recent years. Mainly shot DTL trap here.
 
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