The Enfield That Never Was

[Mortblanc]

I have purchased near mint condition Italian 6.5 rifles for as little as $10 way back in the day. Italian rifles required an en-bloc clip to hold and feed the ammo, which put them at a disadvantage, and the only ammo available over here was from Norma, and cost a bundle per pop. I think I still have a box of ammo with a clip taped to the box around here somewhere!

Mind you that was when a nice Mauser sold for $50, an Enfield for $35 and Mosins were considered expensive at $25. Back in the 1980s I purchased a SMLE without its magazine and wound up paying more for the replacement magazine than I did for the rifle.

I once bought a '95 Mauser in 7x57 for $20 right out of the cosmoline filled shipping barrel. It took me two days to clean it up but it was in like new condition.

Those 7x57 '95 Mausers were some of the most accurate military rifles I have ever dealt with and I converted several into excellent light sporters over the years.

In spite of all that I am still constantly amazed that the Mosin rifles shoot their surplus ammo as well as they do. Most of those 80 year old rifles will shoot their 30 year old surplus ammo better than many of the commercial rifles that cost three times as much.