WW2 Rifles

[TheMercinary60]

so a friend of mine mentioned that her grandfather had given her family three rifles from the WW2 era. from over the phone ive determined that im most likely looking at an akrista with bayonet, a 1903 springfield, and the last one i have no idea on. she said it was most likely a .22LR but id have no idea where to start. im having her take some pictures for me later today i beleive, so any information on what i should look for and have her photograph would be greatly apreciated

[curry1]

Are you asking for specific identifications of every single WWII rifle?  Post the pictures here and I'm sure any number of people will be able to identify them.

[Tec]

Are they supposedly all military weapons?  I don't think anyone fielded a .22 LR.  Possibly an M1 carbine?  Looks similar to the good old Ruger 10/22.

[saggs]

Are they supposedly all military weapons?  I don't think anyone fielded a .22 LR.  Possibly an M1 carbine?  Looks similar to the good old Ruger 10/22.

That was my thought as well.



Also what's an akrista?    Is that a typo for Arisaka, or something new to me?

[TheMercinary60]

Are you asking for specific identifications of every single WWII rifle?  Post the pictures here and I'm sure any number of people will be able to identify them.

no, as i said, im mainly looking at an Arisaka, and a 1903 springfield. and ifanyone might know of a gun chambered in .22lr from that period. im just wondering the types of things i should look at before i make an offer

[Gman]

Lee Enfield's in .22lr are available, at least they are around here in Canada.  They are "trainers" which are pretty much identical in operation and weight to the .303 main battle rifle the Brits and Commonwealth used in WW2, only chambered in .22.  I've not seen any other main battle rifles of the period which fit the bill.

[Xtirp8r]

Lithgow Small Arms Factory in Australia also made .22LR bolt action rifles for the Australian military. The models 1A and 1B were single shot. They were used for training regular recruits as well as cadets and later for reservists. I know some were used up until at least the mid '80s by some school cadets.

Some SMLEs were converted to .22 by Lithgow after WW1 and designated Rifle No2 MKIV. They were identical externally to the .303 rifle.

The Lee Enfields converted to .22 during WW1 were known as .22 Pattern 1914 Short Rifles.

Rifle No. 7, Rifle No. 8 and Rifle No. 9 were all .22 calibre as well, but made after WW2 and I think only cadet units used them, as well as civilians for target shooting and hunting.

There are probably heaps more conversions or training rifles out there in .22 calibre.

[Rich46yo]

Civilian Marksmanship program has always sold .22 rifles. They pretty much focus on .30 carbine, Garand, M-1903, surplus. I wouldnt be surprised if its a rifle from them. http://www.odcmp.com/Sales/22targetsurplus.htm

The Arisaka's were chambered in both 6.5mm and 7.7mm. The early ones were decent but after '42 they turned to crap. I had one of each many years ago, one, the 7.7mm was really nice. It must have been made in the '30s. If it still has the Emperors chrysanthemum marking I'd hang on to it in original condition. Most of all if it still has its bayonet.

[R 105]

 I own both the NO.1 MKIII and NO.4 MK1 Lee Enfields along with 22cal versions an M-1 Garand a 1903 & 1903A3 two K98 Mauser s and an M1 Carbine. I have had both the the type 38 & the type 99 Japaneses rifles along with Russian Mosin Nagants and the Tokarev M40 (Best Russian Rifle of WWII) I had and sold a German G-43 just a few years ago. I shot all these WWII military rifles and others. For just plain great workmanship and beauty I like the German k-98 Mauser.

 If I were going to war with a bolt action rifle I will take the Lee Enfield in ether versions. It holds 10 rounds and is the fastest bolt action rifle ever made. It is well made and robust and works in the mud just fine. Over all WWII rifles I would have to take the US M-1 Garand. Gen George Patten called the M-1 Garand the greatest battle weapon ever made. I have owned six over the years and have fire thousands of rounds out of the M-1 and I competed at camp Perry with my national match M-1 in the 70s and I love the M-1 rifle.

[Widewing]

Anyone considering collecting WWII battle rifles should consider that it is not an inexpensive hobby.

Where to start? Mosin-Nagant 1891/30. Inexpensive, and even during the current ammo shortage, 7.62x54R ammo is plentiful and low cost. These are crude, but rugged and reliable rifles. The 7.62x54R cartridge is on par with the U.S. M1906 (.30-06).

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=A76254R&name=Russian+7.62x54R+147grn+FMJ+440rd+Can&groupid=40



Next? There's still plenty of Mausers on the market. You'll pay more for a wartime 98k, but Czechoslovakian vz.24 Mausers are plentiful and inexpensive. A good rifle to get one's feet wet with. I own three Mausers, all variants of the 98k.

Enfields... I own three. Not as inexpensive as they used to be, but great shooters. No.4 MkII models are probably the least expensive. WWII vintage No.4 MkI types are more costly, with the U.S. made No.4 MkI* rifles commanding high prices. There are a fair amount of Lithgow No.I Mk111* SMLEs out there. I own one dating to 1916, and another dating to 1917. Beautifully made, they are superb, shootable collector rifles. One of mine was traced to a Light Horse unit in the Middle East. I also have a Savage-Stevens made No.4 MkI*, Stamped U.S. Property on the receiver. Arsenal refinished just after the war, this rifle has all matching serial numbers and is to nearly new condition.

Of course, there are many different rifles you can buy, from mint condition expensive Garands to dirt cheap Chinese made M44 Mosin-Nagant carbines. However, all are fun to shoot and provide a certain historical ambiance when shooting them.

[Eric19]

any military rifle chambered in 22LR was probably a training rifle used for cadets or something along those lines they're very collectible if in good shape

[Rich46yo]

I remember what I could pick up these military rifles for back in my Air Force days and I just want to cry.

[saggs]

On the topic of older firearms; anybody here have a C&R license?

I've got a couple older rifles, but there are a lot more I'd like to get and most of what I'm interested in is past the 60 year limit.  So I've been considering applying for a C&R... heck the cost of a couple transfers would pay for it, plus the convenience of shipping straight to me.

Just wondering if anyone here has firsthand experience, seems pretty straightforward as I understand it.

[tmetal]

I think the french underground also used a "gun" chambered in .22lr for covert, close quarters assassination attempts. the thing was olny about a foot long and was basically just a silencer with a .22lr chamber on the end of it.

[cpxxx]

Well the OP hasn't come back and confirmed if the last one was a .22lr SMLE. But I hope so. When I served as a reservist in the eighties we used Lee Enfield No4's as the standard rifle. But we also used a .22lr converted SMLE on the indoor range. Mine was dated 1917. Single shot. Accurate though. I was good. I remember firing on a target at 25 yards. I couldn't see where the the shots were hitting because it was dark. I asked the range officer to tell me where the bullets were hitting. He said and I quote: 'You are knocking the toejam out of the bull'. I still have that target and as I sit here the trophy I won that day is sitting on the shelf just across the room.

I was taught to shoot the old fashioned way. One technique was to place a penny on the rifle and dry shoot without the penny falling off. You soon learned to squeeze that trigger real smooth. Try that all you hot shot gun nuts.

The old ways are the best!

Damm the censorship on this forum. My Lieutenant never said 'toejam'. He used the S word. Bloody Americanisms.