It depends, if it has an intact chrysanthemum then it probably was captured in combat. However, for every rifle taken in combat dozens would have simply been surrendered by Japanese forces at the end of the war and were taken home by souvenir hunting Allied servicemen.
As in all rifles it depends on where you are at I`ve known of a few that were unissued . The 99 I have is most definitely never been issued It has all obvious signs of not been there and still has the mum. A lot of guns were captured from supply depots when the enemy had to retreat in a hurry.
I've honestly wondered about that. I've got two 99's with pretty roughed up stocks. You'd think that with all the last ditch rifles, any non-last ditch seems likely to have at least been issued and with a deployed soldier. Some show wear in certain places in the same place, even with one a buddy of mine has which suggests some sort of storage damage or some kind of damage sustained by carrying in a certain way. Hard to say. I don't dwell on it, but I do wonder.
Boomer fudd selling a 1955 Garand and yugo m48 for twice their respective values: “My pops shot a German out of a tree with his m1 and took both guns home Hahahaha”
I have a 91/30 with dried blood on it. Now sure one of the previous owners could've gotten a bloody nose and missed a spot when cleaning it, but I'd like to think that it saw combat
@@the_gaming_rabbit8017 Lol then you're wayyy too obsessed with that shit. You should ask what the phenotype and DNA pattern it is to really narrow it down.
@@MikeB128 I didn't buy it for the blood. I didn't even notice it until the first time I cleaned it then wanted to confirm if it was or wasn't. I got it because they guy who was selling offered it to me for $100
Never understood the fascination with guns that were used to kill someone. Not like it ever touched that person. Quite impersonal. I do have an old German hunting knife (bought new at the time, Edge Brand model 473) my dad bought in 1969 before he shipped out to Vietnam (volunteered), and that for sure has tasted human blood. Thing is, took my dad over 25 years to finally tell me about the history he forged with that knife, and that was only after a few glasses of wine, since he's not proud of what he had to do to survive combat, which got so bad he earned the Bronze Star in the process. He told me his position was overrun during the night one night, and by the grace of God, he somehow came out alive, but the toll for his life was the lives of other young men, more boys than men, really, and he said he still occasionally has nightmares of that night. He told me not to cherish the knife for having been used to take human life, their blood still staining the leather sheath, but if the knife must be cherished, I should cherish it for having served my dad well enough to allow his survival, and in turn allow my and my brothers' births. He told me that in a sick way, I exist because of that blade, and that's why he's held onto it. Most things related to the war he has thrown away or donated to local museums, as he wants nothing to do with human suffering and death. He doesn't even like hunting, saying he's already had to hunt the most dangerous game, and he wants no part in hunting. He likes fishing, but he always made my mom clean the fish we caught, because seeing even animal entrails makes him queasy and then he has those nightmares for about a week straight. He told me there is no glory in war, only glory in life, and if you hope for war and glorify death, you are sick and should be locked away somewhere. He doesn't mind that my brother and I want to go hunting for the first time this year, and that our uncle (mom's brother) is an avid hunter, and he has no qualm with eating animals. He says it's just the natural order, but he doesn't want to see the messy side of wildlife conservation or food preparation because of his time in Vietnam. So I get that, and I think he's right about cherishing a weapon, that it should be cherished for giving someone you love the means to survive and come home, not because it gave them the means to take life.
I have a 1941 finnish nagant...I know it's killed for at least one country because of the dead finnish dude that sometimes levitates it across my room at night.
About that death fetish thing, reminds me of that scene in the movie "Falling Down", when the pawn shop owner handles a can of Zyclon-B and is quite overly fascinated by it. "Dis was yooooosd. Like dis wus acshually YOOOSD maan!"
If you have any American military arm that you suspect was used in combat, I highly suggest you get in contact with Archival Research Services. You basically pay them a commission, and they go into the national archives every so often and search for your serial numbers and see what they can find for service record and such.
Brian Ross I actually also have an 03 I got around Christmas, and I just recently found ARS though am definitely planning on getting a report done. My 03 is a WW1 production, with a ‘42 dated barrel with the USMC stamp on it. When I bought it, it still had the original banged and somewhat rusty cleaning kit in the stock, and the stock itself has a large (almost) perfectly triangular piece of miscolored wood that looks like an armory repair. I am willing to bet money it saw service with the Marines in the Pacific, and I hope to find out specifically where and when sometime soon here
Let us know what you find out. There is a mystery of troops from the 2nd infantry division coming ashore at Normandy largely equipped with 1903s and there isn't any readily available information on how widespread this was through the division, was it line units or just support, and if or when they were swapped for Garands. As far as photographs, the 1903s disappear after the initial landing at Omaha Beach, but from pictures on the beach, tons of guys had them. I've wanted to get in the archives to try and figure it out.
A little story of a firearm I own. I live in the south of France and I collect French firearm. About 1 year ago I wanted to buy a Berthier M16 Carbine. The luck as it that I met an old men that tell me he has one. And his child don't want to have anything to do with this gun because they don't like gun. So he tell me if I would like to buy it. I told him "Yes of course can I see it ? " He gave me his address I I gave him a visit. I bought it for a small amount of money in comparison to what it was even worth at the time. When he handed me the gun this old men started shaking and a tear come down his eye. I looked at the Carbine and saw "Jeanne Je t'aime " carved into it and "FTP" Meaning "Jeanne I love you " and " Franc Tireur Partisans" the FTP were a communist resistance group in France at the time. When I saw the marking on the stock I ask him where did he get this rifle and if he knew who was Jeanne. He started crying and told me Jeanne was his mom. His father and her friend stole this Berthier from a Gendarmerie in the south of France near Toulouse soon after the Provence landing. When they heard over the radio that the allies had landed they "attacked" the Gendarmerie. With his group of friends he followed the advance of the allies in south France and along the way he met his "Jeanne" who would become after the war his wife and have a child... This old guy in front of me... He told me his father killed 2 German , the rifle also had 2 notch on the stock corresponding to the story. I spend the whole afternoon with this guy has he told me the story of his father , and his own during the Algerian war. It was a really incredible day. At the end he gave me the rifle for a fraction of the price , with a letter and a photo of his father. It brought me to tears...
I agree mostly however I'd be willing to be that if you own a mosin that was made between 1935 to 1944 and that they were Soviet made I'd be willing to bet that it was given to some troop somewhere. Now whether it was in combat is a moot point but youd probably have a better shot at saying my myosin saw combat than you would with some other surplus weapons
Yeah, I have a Chinese SKS for example that was made in 1965. The origin in the states was taken from Vietnam, so it is possible it was used in combat and has blood on it but I don't know at the end of the day.
If ya read Ian's book on French rifles, Lebels would have a higher percentage of combat seen due to rotations in the French army. I think the book says that most French soldiers were physically at Verdun at some point during the battle, though the points still stand on men participating in combat
Well I mean if it’s beat to hell and looks like it was dragged through a sewer... first impressions easily lead to the myth. Good video Mike! Always very informative.
That awkward moment when you blindfold her, get her to read your Tec-9 without having seen it, and she says, "I see children... playing hide and seek..."
“Used in the war” is a better term than “saw combat”. What I’m saying is that it could’ve been involved in the war but didn’t see direct frontline combat I. E. Backup troops who never made it to the front or cooks or mechanics or whatever you’d like to believe. Just my tidbit
There’s only 1 gun that I really 100% believe saw combat that I own and it’s a 1917 dated Enfield that looks like it was dragged behind a tractor twice then soaked in mud for a month
Very interesting and true. I don't really see that with guns but saw it a lot on AK related stuff. There was a dude selling a Romanian md.65 front handguard saying "it has death notches on the dong omglolol $100". Apparently, he didn't know that Socialist Romania was never in a huge war and that those notches were literally due to the underfolding stock resting against it when folded.
My Garand has 49’ and 53’ dated parts on it. I doubt it was in Korea. Most likely sat in a National Guard armory. Could’ve been used in the 60’s during riots maybe. No CMP Markings on it probably doesn’t mean anything though.
My very first rifle was at the time a recently imported early SKS. I purchased it out of a barrel at a gun shop in 1988. It was covered in massive amounts of cosmoline. Once I was able to clean all of the gunk off, I found a repaired 30 caliber bullet hole through the stock just ahead of the magazine. It was fixed with some weird orange epoxy stuff and sanded smooth. I never even gave it a thought until recently. I imagine the gun was damaged in combat, recovered and repaired in the field or at an armory.
I think you are right for the most part, and many collectors just assume their rifles has seen combat - which it may or may not have. However, there are instances where rifles have without a doubt seen combat. Those with capture papers or capture statements, presentation trophy plaques, or carvings like Boer rifles. Then there are also rifles with a high probability such as Arisaka's with mums or rifles with soldiers names on them etc.
Great video Mike. I have k 98 that was picked up by a GI that wanted one really bad. He was in combat and saw action and they took over a luftwaffe air base that was abandoned and he picked up my rifle from a pile that were taken as war trophies. He told me all the rifles were in pretty much used but very good condition.
Bought a post war/cold war era P38. Gun store owner tried telling me a luftwaffe pilot landed his plane at a US base and surrendered it. Lol yeah okay Lou
I'm going out on a limb and stating that my Arisaka type 99 PROBABLY saw combat or at least was in the "rear with the gear" but was captured anyways in a combat situation. I'm saying this because the chrysanthemum is still intact.
The only confirmation of killing gun i know of in my family was my grandpa’ uncles m1 that he used on midway but it was stolen from his safe in the 50s so idk where the hell it is
Well, you also have to think a lot of the rifles that actually did see combat how many were destroyed in combat, and the soldiers were issued with new ones.
"This probably killed somebody" is such an erroneous statement to begin with because it's the person that fired the rifle that killed them, and if you really have to attribute the kill to an object, it's the bullet that hit the person, not the rifle.
I have a mossin rifle that was stamped 1940. Was still in cosmoline, looks like it was never fired. To me it is more interesting that this thing sat in a crate the whole war.
Not necessarily. The extreme vast majority were sent to armories after the war and refurbished, including a new dip in bluing and everything. Your gun may have been in rough shape and had all worn parts replaced, including the stock. You can look up refurbish marks on a few websites and find them stamped on the gun usually on the barrel shank and/or the stock amd find out where it was performed.
I recently got a surplus Tokarev pistol from (i think) the 50's and it's in such good shape, I'm guessing it almost never left the arms room. I personally love that I recieved it in great condition. But I can also understand the fascination with wanting your surplus gun to have seen some action. For the sake of it having an interesting story or just being a conversation piece I guess. Realistically though, there's no way to know that kind of stuff.
My roommate got a Kai shek mauser that was beat to shit and looks like it was used as a club. With how bad the Chinese civil war was I assume it was used in combat
@@MikeB128 I get it. But I believe you left out some exceptions. There's plenty of guns that are easy to tell were in combat. The gun store near me specializes in military surplus and they've got Arisakas that are riddled with bullet holes and another one where the gun is completely burned on one side except for the outlines of the person's hands. I can't guarantee that they've killed someone but given the evidence that was provided I would say they've seen combat.
we could also argue that, since the rifles don't touch directly their target, it's the bullet that does the kill (more precisely, the bullet's projectile, the part that is, generally, a consumable, one use only) so, the only kind of weapons where the potential wound/kills made through it would change anything are technically the melee weapons.
Of my 4 military surplus rifles i think the only rifle that may have seen combat is my US model of 1917 and that’s a big maybe, the red paint on the forend let’s me know it least when over to the UK
I seem to recall reading some post-war analysis ... WW2 ... suggesting that there would be ONE enemy casualty for every 1000 small-arms rounds expended in a battle.
Theres a british guy with a channel called Lindy Beige and he talks about WW2 alot, and the actual reports that were recorded by different armies, on things such as artillery effect on enemy psychology and moral, the average weight of artillery munitions expended per enemy killed, number of small arms rounds fired per enemy killed, etc... pretty interesting stuff, and if I remember correctly, overall the average number of rounds fired per enemy killed was WELL OVER 1000, I'm thinking it was close to 5x that, but I cant remember for sure. Go check him out, and he'll give you the exact numbers!
My father in law was drafted into Vietnam but somehow managed to end up in Germany instead. But he still likes to say he was a killer for the government. So yeah wars are not all what they seem in some cases.
In my opinion the idea a weapon had the chance to have been used like in that regard is a somber reminder of what humanity is capable of, I prefer the idea my collection were used for training or a rear guard unit
Around 115,000. Most of them were actually put together with extra parts post war. There are some m39s made in in late '60s and early '70s. Looking at a shit ton of SA-kuva photos, m39s were not used often in combat.
If you have a Mosin Nagant with a barrel that wasn't counter bored more than likely it didn't see combat. And @Mike B the Finnish M91/24's a small portion were pre Winter war Aquisitions while the majority were captured in combat during the Winter war and Continuation war So yeah they saw action.
Welp. I saw trench art of tally marks on a m1917 stock. They are just tally marks sooooooooooooo... I think that guy killed 7 people or he wanted to show off to his trench buddies.
@@MikeB128 because people. Hell I don't know. But check out how much this thing went for. www.oldwestevents.com/highlights/2016/12/20/exceptionally-rare-indian-used-custer-battlefield-1874-sharps-rifle
I believe certain rifles used in certain wars yield a much higher percentage of use during combat best example is Winchester model 1895 Russian contract everyone I’ve ever seen looks like it’s been to hell and back.
For sure, and you have to think too of all the possible conflicts that a weapon like that could have been in during that time. An 1895 wouldn't have been a training rifle and could have been in WW1, Russian Revolution, any number of the Soviet conflicts in the interwar...
My great grandfather brought back an actual war used arisaka, he found it in a ditch and took it off the dead Japanese soldier he also took a katana that he found a few feet away I’m pretty sure he said that he actually shot Japanese soldiers with it but my memory could be going and there’s no way to tell because he passed
Got a Lend-Lease Smith&Wesson Pre Model 10 that may or may not have been used somewhere overseas before it came back and the chambers were reamed out to .38 special. An Enfield No4Mk1 that likely went somewhere during the WW2 years, but hard to say. A 91/30 Mosin from 1943 with a counter-bored muzzle from rearsenal (as well as some stock repairs) that could have been from shooting a bunch or from some green soldier who wasn't using a cleaning road correctly. Have a Waffen-marked P38 from mid-war that may or may not have seen action (the finish isn't too bad nor is the patina so who can say?) The only one of mine that likely did some nefarious deed (and it's hard to even get info on this since the records were destroyed during the liberation of Paris) is a sterile MAS-36 I picked up a while back-literally ONE serial number on the barrel shank, a 5-and the date of 1940 under the wood). Depending on who you asked, it could have been thrown together by the Germans after the invasion and given to the Vichy French Allies on the Atlantic Wall, it could have been used by French Resistance Fighters (rumors and rumblings exist of them finishing firearms they liberated from factories or stole from the Germans, and of course they didn't take the time to serialize them), or I've also heard that these things were cobbled together from leftover parts post war and meant for display purposes only. I've shot this one a fair bit, as did the previous owner whose father had it for a long time before he passed away and his son sold it. No import marks so it may have been picked up somewhere (or just imported before the 1964 laws that required it. If these pieces could only talk...
I would disagree on the eastern front. The M91/30 probably saw more combat than most others. The reason is due to the arms shortage. The red army was even pulling out old berdan rifles for rear guard duty. Now that said you do bring up valid points on many others.
I really hope you read this. It will make your day. I got the opportunity to buy a chinese type 56 sks. Never owned a rifle and I wanted to. Was told by a /k/ommando to get it and stop thinking about it. $600 including the cosmoline cleanup. I have learned so much about communist bloc weaponry and military strategies now and have spent tens of hours learning all I can about their history. Ive seen so many bubba sks's it makes me sad. She is so fascinating. I only added a spring assist firing pin because I know I am lazy and I got worried about slamfires -(no she never once slamfired. Am just 100% guaranteeing the impossibility of it since I wanna use it for LARPing by myself like the happy tard I am)- I told my family about the history of the rifle as a whole, specifically vietnam. I just assumed mine sat in a depot for 50 years and I was the first sucker to get it. Gun noobs will constantly say "oh so she saw combat?" -just logical thinking told me 'no she probably just say as a "just in case shtf rifle" and wound up finally being sold for surplus, but the sks as a rifle and a whole has def. Seen combat.' I thought that was common knowledge. I cant believe people would actually try to claim that one rifle saw combat wtf.
I had a 1939 Mosin 91/30 Finn capture that I believe was haunted. I bought it back around 2012. My wife said she didn't like it when I showed her. A few days later she told me that when she woke up she saw a man in a helmet standing by our bed. She said she closed her eyes and opened them a moment later and he was gone. A few days after that we were sleeping in bed and we heard a crashing by our door. We woke up startled, the dogs at the end of our bed started growling. I saw something cross in front of our bedroom door, it was kind of like a mist or a dark fog, don't really know how to describe it. I thought our house was being broken into. I ran into the living room and the dogs followed me. They immediately ran into the corner of the room and started barking at something I couldn't see. I didn't know what to think and went back into our room. The dogs wouldn't stop shaking for an hour. I asked my wife and she saw the same thing I did. This rifle most definitely was picked up off a dead soldier's body as those men in the winter war were shot down, not taken prisoner. One of the strangest things that's ever happened to us. I traded the rifle for some other gear and didn't have anything odd happen after that.
If someone wanted a rifle that likely saw service in a historical conflict anything from Spain that was built before the Spanish Civil War is a good bet. The thing is ALOT of guns that fit that era are beat to hell and were Spanish made, ironically making them worth less on the collector or shooter market. Think the 1916 Mausers that J & G had a few years back, rode hard and put away wet and were selling for less than $200, they were some of the most likely surplus to see combat as they look the part of a used up gun and Spain was torn up in that war and almost anything that could chamber a live round was used. The thing is many surplus guns are historical and connected to an important moment in history in that they were built during or before a conflict and that should, hopefully, be a major factor in why they are interesting. I guess what I'm saying is buy the history, not some crazy ass story about a specific gun.
Production of Finnish M/39 was about 105 000 (105 thousand). During the war, Finnish field army was about 300 000 (300 thousand). The active fighting force at its highest was about 155 000 (155 thousand). This means, that if your M/39 is stamped between 1941-43, it most probably has seen "action". If it is stamped 1944, it is still possible that it has seen action. If it stamped later, it is a peace time weapon.
My neighbor has a Type 56 SKS that he claims one of his family members killed a soldier and shipped the SKS pieces at a time. What runs through my head is this video at 9:10
I've got a numbers matching '43 Tula sniper that's finish is pretty rough. Wood looks like hell and there is some serious pitting on the scope mount, turret caps, buttplate, and receiver...could be chocked up to wet environment or being forgotten about for the last eighty years.
@@thomasreimnitz9849 Most mosins (like 95% or more) were refurbished after the war and completely disassembled prior to re bluing. No effort was made to keep all parts original to the gun and so the armory force-matched the numbers sometimes with electric pen or other times sanding the old numbers and re stamping. Very very rare to have a true matching gun not that they don't exist.
My mk3 has stamping from both world wars and a black and white photo of someone's family hidden in the tool kit, my yugo m59/66a1 had a bullet hole and blood soaked into the stock right at the rubber shoulder peice which I had to replace.
I have a couple Mosin Nagant rifles. They may not have been in combat. But the scratches, on the stocks, make me wonder how did they get there. Keep up the informative videos
I never thought when people say combat use they meant it killed an enemy soldier. I just thought they meant it was on the front lines. Like enemy at the gates all those mosins on the ground that haven't even been fired.
Have you ever read “On Killing” by Col. Dave Grossman? The information presented with in will probably lower your estimates up through Korea, but then raise them from Vietnam on. It’s a really good read if you’re into that sort of thing
Out of the 2 military surplus rifles maybe my gewehr 98 might have seen combat maybe.most likely just used in training.my mas 36 was in such good condition when I got it I'm fairly certain it was never used in actual combat.
I have a Russian Mosin that is a Finnish capture. So there is a possibility it saw action, at least it's more likely than the other 91/30 I have. However I don't know and I don't care too much. I just bought it because it was the only Mosin I could find under $200 where I live, and at the time I had spent two years trying to find a sub $300 Mosin. CA life, am I right?
I asked a 10th mountain div Veteran once about combat. He carried a Carbine. I asked him if he killed any Germans and his reply was “I don’t know, I always had my eyes shut when firing...”
I feel like you know that something was on even on the front lines is if someone had something like an EARLY pps43 chances are it was issued to defend Leningrad And that is just ISSUED but it is literally impossible to know if anyone was shot by that firearm
Funny one Beretta after the war was making M1 and M1 A1 for a long time 90% of Italian serviceman used them and more as national service was compulsory so you gonna get a 1950s made ww2 gun very well worn used by scores of soldiers but never seen combat or any daylight outside the guard hut
I have a few yugo rifles, my yugo sks is in mint condition, never saw use sat in a Slovenian armory for years until it was imported. My m48A rifle has most likely been carried, it is heavily graffitied probably by a Bosnian with the Islamic crest, a name and other tid bits. Has anyone been killed with it? Idk. Is it more than your average m48 in the US? Most definitely.
The wooden stock means the gun has at least one kill: a tree.
I think it is more a result of one
On the US market, I'd say Arisakas are the most likely to have been actually used.
It depends, if it has an intact chrysanthemum then it probably was captured in combat. However, for every rifle taken in combat dozens would have simply been surrendered by Japanese forces at the end of the war and were taken home by souvenir hunting Allied servicemen.
most likely is still unlikely as chris said most were stacked up and the servicemen were offered to take one home
As in all rifles it depends on where you are at I`ve known of a few that were unissued . The 99 I have is most definitely never been issued It has all obvious signs of not been there and still has the mum. A lot of guns were captured from supply depots when the enemy had to retreat in a hurry.
Mausers
I've honestly wondered about that. I've got two 99's with pretty roughed up stocks. You'd think that with all the last ditch rifles, any non-last ditch seems likely to have at least been issued and with a deployed soldier.
Some show wear in certain places in the same place, even with one a buddy of mine has which suggests some sort of storage damage or some kind of damage sustained by carrying in a certain way. Hard to say. I don't dwell on it, but I do wonder.
Boomer fudd selling a 1955 Garand and yugo m48 for twice their respective values: “My pops shot a German out of a tree with his m1 and took both guns home Hahahaha”
My Granddad told me on the boat back from the Philippines they were told to toss all their rifles overboard.
Shawn R whyyyyy
Shawn R same!!!
Bruh some dude near me tried something similar with a reproduction revolver
being listened to by a millennial that actually paid the asking price...
Mike, I know my Milsurp saw combat, the gun store owner told me so.
I have a 91/30 with dried blood on it. Now sure one of the previous owners could've gotten a bloody nose and missed a spot when cleaning it, but I'd like to think that it saw combat
@@the_gaming_rabbit8017 How do you know it's blood?
@@MikeB128 had it tested by a friend who works as a forensic science technician
@@the_gaming_rabbit8017 Lol then you're wayyy too obsessed with that shit. You should ask what the phenotype and DNA pattern it is to really narrow it down.
@@MikeB128 I didn't buy it for the blood. I didn't even notice it until the first time I cleaned it then wanted to confirm if it was or wasn't. I got it because they guy who was selling offered it to me for $100
One time saw a guy claim his AR15 was used to kill Vietnamese
That's hilarious
Maybe he isn't technically lying
Elijah Aitaok are you the guy?
@@elijahaitaok8624 Lol, yeah, he just said Vietnamese; never said nothin' about war. That assumption's all on you!
I know my surplus jericho murdered a palestinian!
I've personally used my mosin in the patriotic war of keeping the deer off the corn feeder.
Never understood the fascination with guns that were used to kill someone. Not like it ever touched that person. Quite impersonal.
I do have an old German hunting knife (bought new at the time, Edge Brand model 473) my dad bought in 1969 before he shipped out to Vietnam (volunteered), and that for sure has tasted human blood. Thing is, took my dad over 25 years to finally tell me about the history he forged with that knife, and that was only after a few glasses of wine, since he's not proud of what he had to do to survive combat, which got so bad he earned the Bronze Star in the process.
He told me his position was overrun during the night one night, and by the grace of God, he somehow came out alive, but the toll for his life was the lives of other young men, more boys than men, really, and he said he still occasionally has nightmares of that night. He told me not to cherish the knife for having been used to take human life, their blood still staining the leather sheath, but if the knife must be cherished, I should cherish it for having served my dad well enough to allow his survival, and in turn allow my and my brothers' births.
He told me that in a sick way, I exist because of that blade, and that's why he's held onto it. Most things related to the war he has thrown away or donated to local museums, as he wants nothing to do with human suffering and death. He doesn't even like hunting, saying he's already had to hunt the most dangerous game, and he wants no part in hunting. He likes fishing, but he always made my mom clean the fish we caught, because seeing even animal entrails makes him queasy and then he has those nightmares for about a week straight.
He told me there is no glory in war, only glory in life, and if you hope for war and glorify death, you are sick and should be locked away somewhere. He doesn't mind that my brother and I want to go hunting for the first time this year, and that our uncle (mom's brother) is an avid hunter, and he has no qualm with eating animals. He says it's just the natural order, but he doesn't want to see the messy side of wildlife conservation or food preparation because of his time in Vietnam. So I get that, and I think he's right about cherishing a weapon, that it should be cherished for giving someone you love the means to survive and come home, not because it gave them the means to take life.
I have a 1941 finnish nagant...I know it's killed for at least one country because of the dead finnish dude that sometimes levitates it across my room at night.
About that death fetish thing, reminds me of that scene in the movie "Falling Down", when the pawn shop owner handles a can of Zyclon-B and is quite overly fascinated by it. "Dis was yooooosd. Like dis wus acshually YOOOSD maan!"
Great movie. Actually was just taljung adout it at work a few days ago.
If you have any American military arm that you suspect was used in combat, I highly suggest you get in contact with Archival Research Services. You basically pay them a commission, and they go into the national archives every so often and search for your serial numbers and see what they can find for service record and such.
That is neat thank you.
Brian Ross I actually also have an 03 I got around Christmas, and I just recently found ARS though am definitely planning on getting a report done. My 03 is a WW1 production, with a ‘42 dated barrel with the USMC stamp on it. When I bought it, it still had the original banged and somewhat rusty cleaning kit in the stock, and the stock itself has a large (almost) perfectly triangular piece of miscolored wood that looks like an armory repair. I am willing to bet money it saw service with the Marines in the Pacific, and I hope to find out specifically where and when sometime soon here
SlavSupreme any specific company you’d recommend??
Do you have a link?
Let us know what you find out. There is a mystery of troops from the 2nd infantry division coming ashore at Normandy largely equipped with 1903s and there isn't any readily available information on how widespread this was through the division, was it line units or just support, and if or when they were swapped for Garands. As far as photographs, the 1903s disappear after the initial landing at Omaha Beach, but from pictures on the beach, tons of guys had them. I've wanted to get in the archives to try and figure it out.
A little story of a firearm I own. I live in the south of France and I collect French firearm. About 1 year ago I wanted to buy a Berthier M16 Carbine. The luck as it that I met an old men that tell me he has one. And his child don't want to have anything to do with this gun because they don't like gun. So he tell me if I would like to buy it. I told him "Yes of course can I see it ? " He gave me his address I I gave him a visit. I bought it for a small amount of money in comparison to what it was even worth at the time. When he handed me the gun this old men started shaking and a tear come down his eye. I looked at the Carbine and saw "Jeanne Je t'aime " carved into it and "FTP" Meaning "Jeanne I love you " and " Franc Tireur Partisans" the FTP were a communist resistance group in France at the time. When I saw the marking on the stock I ask him where did he get this rifle and if he knew who was Jeanne. He started crying and told me Jeanne was his mom. His father and her friend stole this Berthier from a Gendarmerie in the south of France near Toulouse soon after the Provence landing. When they heard over the radio that the allies had landed they "attacked" the Gendarmerie. With his group of friends he followed the advance of the allies in south France and along the way he met his "Jeanne" who would become after the war his wife and have a child... This old guy in front of me... He told me his father killed 2 German , the rifle also had 2 notch on the stock corresponding to the story. I spend the whole afternoon with this guy has he told me the story of his father , and his own during the Algerian war. It was a really incredible day. At the end he gave me the rifle for a fraction of the price , with a letter and a photo of his father. It brought me to tears...
So you bought a gun from a communist?
Im kidding - that was a wonderful read.
Didn't know you could just buy guns like that in France...or really anywhere in Europe at all.
I agree mostly however I'd be willing to be that if you own a mosin that was made between 1935 to 1944 and that they were Soviet made I'd be willing to bet that it was given to some troop somewhere. Now whether it was in combat is a moot point but youd probably have a better shot at saying my myosin saw combat than you would with some other surplus weapons
Yeah, I have a Chinese SKS for example that was made in 1965. The origin in the states was taken from Vietnam, so it is possible it was used in combat and has blood on it but I don't know at the end of the day.
I own a 1941 mosin I love that rifle
Especially compared to Swiss surplus
I have a hungarian 1953 m44 from the Budapest arsenal so there is a fair bet that when the 1956 revolt happened it was pulled out.
Well I'd say airisakas have a decent chance while dont get me wrong hundreds and hundreds were captured at the end of the war
Wait are you telling me the k31 I bought wasn't on both fronts and didn't go on into service during the American civil war afterwards?
Nope, it was actually used in Korea by the North Koreans
@@mhaugen692 Ah, yes. The Kim 31. Nasty rifle.
If ya read Ian's book on French rifles, Lebels would have a higher percentage of combat seen due to rotations in the French army. I think the book says that most French soldiers were physically at Verdun at some point during the battle, though the points still stand on men participating in combat
Yes, like 80% of the French army served in Verdun
I'm just glad most of us like the history, design and engineering that goes into our firearms and collect on that
Amen, gun Jesus bless
The only thing my M1 Garand killed was my wallet
You mean to say that a semi-auto 30-06 rifle was a bad fiscal choice? Now you tell me....
Well I mean if it’s beat to hell and looks like it was dragged through a sewer... first impressions easily lead to the myth. Good video Mike! Always very informative.
My guess on any Mosin Nagant or K98K is that it was surrendered to the opposing power and then sat in a warehouse for 50+ years.
I want that M39
What you do is you hire one of those psychics to do a reading on it's history 😂
That awkward moment when you blindfold her, get her to read your Tec-9 without having seen it, and she says, "I see children... playing hide and seek..."
“Used in the war” is a better term than “saw combat”. What I’m saying is that it could’ve been involved in the war but didn’t see direct frontline combat I. E. Backup troops who never made it to the front or cooks or mechanics or whatever you’d like to believe. Just my tidbit
There’s only 1 gun that I really 100% believe saw combat that I own and it’s a 1917 dated Enfield that looks like it was dragged behind a tractor twice then soaked in mud for a month
@@robertadam7182 The fact that you would call an M1917 an "Enfield" leads me to believe you don't actually know what you're talking about....
Mike b it’s a lee enfield, I just said enfield though, a 1917 dated enfield made SMLE
Very interesting and true. I don't really see that with guns but saw it a lot on AK related stuff. There was a dude selling a Romanian md.65 front handguard saying "it has death notches on the dong omglolol $100". Apparently, he didn't know that Socialist Romania was never in a huge war and that those notches were literally due to the underfolding stock resting against it when folded.
My Garand has 49’ and 53’ dated parts on it. I doubt it was in Korea. Most likely sat in a National Guard armory. Could’ve been used in the 60’s during riots maybe. No CMP Markings on it probably doesn’t mean anything though.
Bro!! I seen Enemy at the Gates like 2 times, I saw my Mosin! 😂 thanks for keeping it real Mike
That means its used and I'll need it half off now
not coming at us from mommas basement today, maybe he finally moved out?
My very first rifle was at the time a recently imported early SKS. I purchased it out of a barrel at a gun shop in 1988. It was covered in massive amounts of cosmoline. Once I was able to clean all of the gunk off, I found a repaired 30 caliber bullet hole through the stock just ahead of the magazine. It was fixed with some weird orange epoxy stuff and sanded smooth. I never even gave it a thought until recently. I imagine the gun was damaged in combat, recovered and repaired in the field or at an armory.
I think you are right for the most part, and many collectors just assume their rifles has seen combat - which it may or may not have. However, there are instances where rifles have without a doubt seen combat. Those with capture papers or capture statements, presentation trophy plaques, or carvings like Boer rifles. Then there are also rifles with a high probability such as Arisaka's with mums or rifles with soldiers names on them etc.
Great video Mike. I have k 98 that was picked up by a GI that wanted one really bad. He was in combat and saw action and they took over a luftwaffe air base that was abandoned and he picked up my rifle from a pile that were taken as war trophies. He told me all the rifles were in pretty much used but very good condition.
Uuuuuuggggghhhhhhh, the guys who push this B.S. drive me bonkers. It's especially bad when this effects the price.
POS rifle gets a 30% up charge by a fudd for time in CoMbAt 0_o
I'm not saying my Mosin was in battle, but i wonder if the fact that it was refurbished with better parts was a factor before selling them off?
Bought a post war/cold war era P38. Gun store owner tried telling me a luftwaffe pilot landed his plane at a US base and surrendered it. Lol yeah okay Lou
I'm going out on a limb and stating that my Arisaka type 99 PROBABLY saw combat or at least was in the "rear with the gear" but was captured anyways in a combat situation. I'm saying this because the chrysanthemum is still intact.
yeah there are some of those arisakas with bullet holes through the stock, yeah those probably did.
The only confirmation of killing gun i know of in my family was my grandpa’ uncles m1 that he used on midway but it was stolen from his safe in the 50s so idk where the hell it is
Let's be clear: "I just know this gun was in combat!"
Maybe not Finn M39’s, but I’d bet most of the Finn Captured 91/30’s saw some action.
Some Finn captures have a marking showing they were actually issued during the continuation war.
“ Shut the fuck up “ ....that’s great advice for many people.
Well, you also have to think a lot of the rifles that actually did see combat how many were destroyed in combat, and the soldiers were issued with new ones.
I feel like Russian capture k98 have a higher chance than most as well. But probably still low low low chance. Nice video. New sub here.
You see all of this blood?!, points at residual cosmolien...
Spell it right and I may think about getting a chuckle...
"This probably killed somebody" is such an erroneous statement to begin with because it's the person that fired the rifle that killed them, and if you really have to attribute the kill to an object, it's the bullet that hit the person, not the rifle.
EDIT: You addressed this at the end of the video.
I have a mossin rifle that was stamped 1940. Was still in cosmoline, looks like it was never fired. To me it is more interesting that this thing sat in a crate the whole war.
Not necessarily. The extreme vast majority were sent to armories after the war and refurbished, including a new dip in bluing and everything. Your gun may have been in rough shape and had all worn parts replaced, including the stock. You can look up refurbish marks on a few websites and find them stamped on the gun usually on the barrel shank and/or the stock amd find out where it was performed.
I recently got a surplus Tokarev pistol from (i think) the 50's and it's in such good shape, I'm guessing it almost never left the arms room. I personally love that I recieved it in great condition. But I can also understand the fascination with wanting your surplus gun to have seen some action. For the sake of it having an interesting story or just being a conversation piece I guess. Realistically though, there's no way to know that kind of stuff.
My roommate got a Kai shek mauser that was beat to shit and looks like it was used as a club. With how bad the Chinese civil war was I assume it was used in combat
So you, among many others, haven't taken anything from this video.............
@@MikeB128 I get it. But I believe you left out some exceptions. There's plenty of guns that are easy to tell were in combat. The gun store near me specializes in military surplus and they've got Arisakas that are riddled with bullet holes and another one where the gun is completely burned on one side except for the outlines of the person's hands. I can't guarantee that they've killed someone but given the evidence that was provided I would say they've seen combat.
we could also argue that, since the rifles don't touch directly their target, it's the bullet that does the kill (more precisely, the bullet's projectile, the part that is, generally, a consumable, one use only)
so, the only kind of weapons where the potential wound/kills made through it would change anything are technically the melee weapons.
Literally said that in the video.....
@@MikeB128 i did not Heard... i probably did not paid enough attention.
Then, since you explained this point first--> i do agree
My great grandfather was shot 9 times most don’t die in wars granted those where not from when he was in Korea it was when he was mp for the air force
Of my 4 military surplus rifles i think the only rifle that may have seen combat is my US model of 1917 and that’s a big maybe, the red paint on the forend let’s me know it least when over to the UK
I seem to recall reading some post-war analysis ... WW2 ... suggesting that there would be ONE enemy casualty for every 1000 small-arms rounds expended in a battle.
Theres a british guy with a channel called Lindy Beige and he talks about WW2 alot, and the actual reports that were recorded by different armies, on things such as artillery effect on enemy psychology and moral, the average weight of artillery munitions expended per enemy killed, number of small arms rounds fired per enemy killed, etc... pretty interesting stuff, and if I remember correctly, overall the average number of rounds fired per enemy killed was WELL OVER 1000, I'm thinking it was close to 5x that, but I cant remember for sure. Go check him out, and he'll give you the exact numbers!
My father in law was drafted into Vietnam but somehow managed to end up in Germany instead. But he still likes to say he was a killer for the government. So yeah wars are not all what they seem in some cases.
In my opinion the idea a weapon had the chance to have been used like in that regard is a somber reminder of what humanity is capable of, I prefer the idea my collection were used for training or a rear guard unit
So you are saying my SMLE no4 mk1 didnt see any combat in the American Revolutionary War??
Well, not entirely, that's a pretty likely scenario to be honest.
1939 Kar98 receiver with mismatched parts had to be used somewhere at some point, then it made its way to Ethiopia lol.
And then theres Ian's Arisaka that 100% was in combat because you can see where it was being held when the unfortunate owner met a M2 Flamethrower
Always have to look for the ONE exception....................And I'm sure you were there and watched exactly what happened with that thing.....
My Colt 1911 was used in the Spanish American War.
@Kjs definitely a joke.
I believe the wartime production of Finnish M/39s was around 150,000 :)
Around 115,000. Most of them were actually put together with extra parts post war. There are some m39s made in in late '60s and early '70s. Looking at a shit ton of SA-kuva photos, m39s were not used often in combat.
If you have a Mosin Nagant with a barrel that wasn't counter bored more than likely it didn't see combat. And @Mike B the Finnish M91/24's a small portion were pre Winter war Aquisitions while the majority were captured in combat during the Winter war and Continuation war So yeah they saw action.
Welp. I saw trench art of tally marks on a m1917 stock. They are just tally marks sooooooooooooo... I think that guy killed 7 people or he wanted to show off to his trench buddies.
Seen an M1 with 7 notches on the comb of the stock, spookey stuff.
Yeah, I did that with the milsurps I hunted with too.........
This is by far my favourite series of yours
If it can actually be proven that it was in a battle, it would probably be a hell of a lot more expensive than just regular milsurps
Why?
@@MikeB128 because people. Hell I don't know. But check out how much this thing went for.
www.oldwestevents.com/highlights/2016/12/20/exceptionally-rare-indian-used-custer-battlefield-1874-sharps-rifle
I totally agree. Oh, but all my rifles were used in combat.
And even if you have a rifle that saw combat it is much more likely that the guy who had it was killed rather than that he killed someone with it.
I believe certain rifles used in certain wars yield a much higher percentage of use during combat best example is Winchester model 1895 Russian contract everyone I’ve ever seen looks like it’s been to hell and back.
For sure, and you have to think too of all the possible conflicts that a weapon like that could have been in during that time. An 1895 wouldn't have been a training rifle and could have been in WW1, Russian Revolution, any number of the Soviet conflicts in the interwar...
Dude my glock 17 was used in ww2 i know that because i heard it from a buddy and hes a veteren
Sounds legit.
My great grandfather brought back an actual war used arisaka, he found it in a ditch and took it off the dead Japanese soldier he also took a katana that he found a few feet away I’m pretty sure he said that he actually shot Japanese soldiers with it but my memory could be going and there’s no way to tell because he passed
@Kjs no he actually found one in a ditch in the Philippines during WW2 (edit: a type 98 officer’s sword)
Most time there's no way to guarantee it saw combat.
Oh lovely. Look forward to watching this after work
My P99 was used by a British guy to kill world villians.
Got a Lend-Lease Smith&Wesson Pre Model 10 that may or may not have been used somewhere overseas before it came back and the chambers were reamed out to .38 special.
An Enfield No4Mk1 that likely went somewhere during the WW2 years, but hard to say.
A 91/30 Mosin from 1943 with a counter-bored muzzle from rearsenal (as well as some stock repairs) that could have been from shooting a bunch or from some green soldier who wasn't using a cleaning road correctly.
Have a Waffen-marked P38 from mid-war that may or may not have seen action (the finish isn't too bad nor is the patina so who can say?)
The only one of mine that likely did some nefarious deed (and it's hard to even get info on this since the records were destroyed during the liberation of Paris) is a sterile MAS-36 I picked up a while back-literally ONE serial number on the barrel shank, a 5-and the date of 1940 under the wood). Depending on who you asked, it could have been thrown together by the Germans after the invasion and given to the Vichy French Allies on the Atlantic Wall, it could have been used by French Resistance Fighters (rumors and rumblings exist of them finishing firearms they liberated from factories or stole from the Germans, and of course they didn't take the time to serialize them), or I've also heard that these things were cobbled together from leftover parts post war and meant for display purposes only. I've shot this one a fair bit, as did the previous owner whose father had it for a long time before he passed away and his son sold it. No import marks so it may have been picked up somewhere (or just imported before the 1964 laws that required it.
If these pieces could only talk...
It funny because I have all three of those rifles pictures and my Lebel hand guard is chipped in the corner in the EXACT same spot
Congrats.
Olny gun i have im about 90% sure was in combat was a well used worn finish vet bringback carcano
Sadly i am one of these guys. I was anyway. Im pretty sure now that my enfield was just a training rifle.
That`s the way I figure my Savage 720 but most all were for training or use in off time at the officers hut.
Forgive me for being vague but I have a 1944 mosin thats a tula or izhevsk. I like to think it did a tour in Stalingrad.
Har dee har....
Hell yeah more gun myths, was wondering when we'd get a new episode
I would disagree on the eastern front. The M91/30 probably saw more combat than most others. The reason is due to the arms shortage. The red army was even pulling out old berdan rifles for rear guard duty. Now that said you do bring up valid points on many others.
One job in the Army. Everything else is support. Sums it up
I really hope you read this. It will make your day.
I got the opportunity to buy a chinese type 56 sks. Never owned a rifle and I wanted to. Was told by a /k/ommando to get it and stop thinking about it. $600 including the cosmoline cleanup. I have learned so much about communist bloc weaponry and military strategies now and have spent tens of hours learning all I can about their history.
Ive seen so many bubba sks's it makes me sad. She is so fascinating. I only added a spring assist firing pin because I know I am lazy and I got worried about slamfires -(no she never once slamfired. Am just 100% guaranteeing the impossibility of it since I wanna use it for LARPing by myself like the happy tard I am)-
I told my family about the history of the rifle as a whole, specifically vietnam. I just assumed mine sat in a depot for 50 years and I was the first sucker to get it. Gun noobs will constantly say "oh so she saw combat?" -just logical thinking told me 'no she probably just say as a "just in case shtf rifle" and wound up finally being sold for surplus, but the sks as a rifle and a whole has def. Seen combat.'
I thought that was common knowledge. I cant believe people would actually try to claim that one rifle saw combat wtf.
I had a 1939 Mosin 91/30 Finn capture that I believe was haunted. I bought it back around 2012. My wife said she didn't like it when I showed her. A few days later she told me that when she woke up she saw a man in a helmet standing by our bed. She said she closed her eyes and opened them a moment later and he was gone. A few days after that we were sleeping in bed and we heard a crashing by our door. We woke up startled, the dogs at the end of our bed started growling. I saw something cross in front of our bedroom door, it was kind of like a mist or a dark fog, don't really know how to describe it. I thought our house was being broken into. I ran into the living room and the dogs followed me. They immediately ran into the corner of the room and started barking at something I couldn't see. I didn't know what to think and went back into our room. The dogs wouldn't stop shaking for an hour. I asked my wife and she saw the same thing I did. This rifle most definitely was picked up off a dead soldier's body as those men in the winter war were shot down, not taken prisoner. One of the strangest things that's ever happened to us. I traded the rifle for some other gear and didn't have anything odd happen after that.
Very interesting
soldier was probably drunk when he died and kept falling over
Did you happen to ask the next owner about any strange shit happening later?
If someone wanted a rifle that likely saw service in a historical conflict anything from Spain that was built before the Spanish Civil War is a good bet. The thing is ALOT of guns that fit that era are beat to hell and were Spanish made, ironically making them worth less on the collector or shooter market. Think the 1916 Mausers that J & G had a few years back, rode hard and put away wet and were selling for less than $200, they were some of the most likely surplus to see combat as they look the part of a used up gun and Spain was torn up in that war and almost anything that could chamber a live round was used. The thing is many surplus guns are historical and connected to an important moment in history in that they were built during or before a conflict and that should, hopefully, be a major factor in why they are interesting. I guess what I'm saying is buy the history, not some crazy ass story about a specific gun.
Production of Finnish M/39 was about 105 000 (105 thousand). During the war, Finnish field army was about 300 000 (300 thousand). The active fighting force at its highest was about 155 000 (155 thousand). This means, that if your M/39 is stamped between 1941-43, it most probably has seen "action". If it is stamped 1944, it is still possible that it has seen action. If it stamped later, it is a peace time weapon.
My neighbor has a Type 56 SKS that he claims one of his family members killed a soldier and shipped the SKS pieces at a time. What runs through my head is this video at 9:10
I know my ‘43 Izzy Mosin was a sniper at one point. The bore and crown is flawless so I doubt is was actually used, but who knows.
I've got a numbers matching '43 Tula sniper that's finish is pretty rough. Wood looks like hell and there is some serious pitting on the scope mount, turret caps, buttplate, and receiver...could be chocked up to wet environment or being forgotten about for the last eighty years.
There are some fake snipers out there though if you do a lot of research you can spot the fakes.
@@thomasreimnitz9849 Most mosins (like 95% or more) were refurbished after the war and completely disassembled prior to re bluing. No effort was made to keep all parts original to the gun and so the armory force-matched the numbers sometimes with electric pen or other times sanding the old numbers and re stamping. Very very rare to have a true matching gun not that they don't exist.
My mk3 has stamping from both world wars and a black and white photo of someone's family hidden in the tool kit, my yugo m59/66a1 had a bullet hole and blood soaked into the stock right at the rubber shoulder peice which I had to replace.
38 people just bought General Custer's Remington off of Ebay
it pains me to see mauser sling be laid down like on the table AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Then get a fucking grip. If a video on UA-cam triggers you that bad, you should re-evaluate your fucking life. It's a repro sling.......Good God...
The only way you can get a 100% combat used weapon is if you go metal detecting in the former battlefield and find it yourself...
I have a couple Mosin Nagant rifles. They may not have been in combat. But the scratches, on the stocks, make me wonder how did they get there.
Keep up the informative videos
How do you know they never saw combat? Just as questionable as knowing they did see combat use.
I never thought when people say combat use they meant it killed an enemy soldier. I just thought they meant it was on the front lines. Like enemy at the gates all those mosins on the ground that haven't even been fired.
Have you ever read “On Killing” by Col. Dave Grossman? The information presented with in will probably lower your estimates up through Korea, but then raise them from Vietnam on. It’s a really good read if you’re into that sort of thing
Not saying you’re wrong about the guns, but not just combat arms see combat
I'm well aware....On average though combat arms sees the "most" in any given war......
Out of the 2 military surplus rifles maybe my gewehr 98 might have seen combat maybe.most likely just used in training.my mas 36 was in such good condition when I got it I'm fairly certain it was never used in actual combat.
I have a Russian Mosin that is a Finnish capture. So there is a possibility it saw action, at least it's more likely than the other 91/30 I have. However I don't know and I don't care too much. I just bought it because it was the only Mosin I could find under $200 where I live, and at the time I had spent two years trying to find a sub $300 Mosin. CA life, am I right?
I have an m1 carbine I know was at Omaha Beach, and I know it killed some people, it helps that it belonged to my great grandfather
I love your videos mike keep up with the good work. And do you think a g3 would work as a good semi atomatic sniper rifle
Think of it this way, the PSG1 was manufactured specifically because the germans found a normal G3 couldn't be relied on after the olympics debacle.
The Germans and probably many others use the G3 in that role, I'd say probably.
ua-cam.com/video/aFlcLCnr0XQ/v-deo.html
I asked a 10th mountain div Veteran once about combat. He carried a Carbine. I asked him if he killed any Germans and his reply was “I don’t know, I always had my eyes shut when firing...”
Stupid fucking question to ask a vet.....just saying......
Mike B I was like 9 years old. He was very gracious about it.
I prefer a numbers matching, unissued, non wore out rifle myself
I feel like you know that something was on even on the front lines is if someone had something like an EARLY pps43 chances are it was issued to defend Leningrad
And that is just ISSUED but it is literally impossible to know if anyone was shot by that firearm
Funny one Beretta after the war was making M1 and M1 A1 for a long time 90% of Italian serviceman used them and more as national service was compulsory so you gonna get a 1950s made ww2 gun very well worn used by scores of soldiers but never seen combat or any daylight outside the guard hut
I have blood pitting on my 43 mosin bolt so I assume a Soviet soldier had a bad fall in combat XD
I’ve never claimed it more than just as a fun anecdote with friends. I do know they killed a lot of deer.
If a gun kills someone, it’s a good gun, it knows where to shoot
I have a few yugo rifles, my yugo sks is in mint condition, never saw use sat in a Slovenian armory for years until it was imported. My m48A rifle has most likely been carried, it is heavily graffitied probably by a Bosnian with the Islamic crest, a name and other tid bits. Has anyone been killed with it? Idk. Is it more than your average m48 in the US? Most definitely.