My First Mauser - Yugo 24/47

I was first introduced to the wonderful world of Mausers because I was discussing the purchase of my first Mosin Nagant with a friend in a college class several years ago. Another fellow student overheard the conversation and asked if I was interested in Mausers. I didn't know anything about Mausers at the time, but of course, I knew what they were. This guy said he had one for sale, the first number he threw at me was $250. I told him I was interested even though I had yet to lay my eyes on the rifle.

Several days later, he invited me to his house to come take a look at the rifle. It had quite a bit of rust on all the metal part but the stock looked good, save for a few minor knocks and dings. The seller let me take the rifle for a few days to have a good look at it before I decided. My first move was to take the rifle to a local gun shop to have it appraised and inspected. The gunsmith was less than impressed with the condition of the Mauser, which I also learned was a Yugo 24/47. I asked how much it was worth, and the gunsmith replied that given the condition it was in and the amount of cleaning it required, that an offer of $50 was fair. Mind you, the barrel was in fine shape, this Mauser had just been sitting in a closet not getting the care and attention it needed. So, I sent the seller a text message and offered $50.

A few minutes later I received a text back from the seller saying he could just clean it up himself, thanks but no thanks on the offer. I figured I'd lost the negotiation and was about to up my offer when we sent me another text caving in. "Fine, you can have it for $50. I don't have the time to clean it up".

SCORE!

To be honest, it was a real joy spending time with my first Mauser, learning to disassemble, cleaning her up and getting the metal back into nice condition. You sort of bond with your rifles that way.

It took me about 4 hours of cleaning to get her in to shooting condition. I plan to spend more time cleaning the metal when I get back from this deployment.

Below is a before photo, you can clearly see the rust. Most of the metal parts were covered with the same amount of rust. I used fine steel wool to scrub it off.

And here is the "after" photo of that same exact part. The difference is plain to see. She cleaned up real nice.

And here are a few more after photos...

Taking her out to shoot was a real pleasure. She packs one hell of a kick. I found that I really enjoy the simple act of cycling the bolt action for each shot. Something about the sound and feel that's just so awesome!

I was hooked on Mausers. Now I justify every Mauser I purchase by telling myself, "Well, I only paid 50$ for my first Mauser, so I can afford to pay a little extra for this next one...".

As a result I now own a total of 4 Mausers including another Yugo 24/47 which will be delivered to me after I return to the states in late June. I also have a 1946 Spanish "La Coruna" and a 1938 Czech vz24, both of which I have yet to shoot. I'm going to put a new stock on the vz24 and it's missing a front band spring as well, for which I have already purchased a replacement.

I guess now is as good a time as any to show you some photos of the Spanish and vz24...

First the 1946 Spanish "La Coruna", as you can see it's in excellent condition.

Here's the vz24. Two things to take note of: first the stock is made for a bent bolt, but this rifle has a straight bolt and secondly, the missing front barrel band spring. I have purchased replacements for both. I'll be documenting my restoration of this rifle on video and it'll probably be the first video for my "My Gun Diary" YouTube channel.

Although my Mauser collection is now at 4, what I don't have is a German/Nazi Mauser k98, but believe me, it's tops on my current wish list and I will have one before too long.

Stay tuned for more Mauser news and updates.

Why Didn't I Think of This? - Armed America Photo Book

Kyle Cassidy traveled across the United States, over 15,000 miles and took photos of Americans in their homes with their guns. Very cool actually, I'd buy it. Over 208 pages!

http://www.armedamerica.org/

Here are a few samples...

Oh How We Love It - Weekly Girls with Guns Photo Gallery

Tune in next week for another installment. Life is good when you have girls with guns to help pass the time.

Man shoots himself and wife -- at gun safety class

Seriously? You cant make this stuff up. (Hey that's a Smith and Wesson 5906 in the photo! I just bought one of those!)

http://now.msn.com/now/0424-gun-safety-class-shooting.aspx

Current Armory Inventory

A modest collection compared to some, but not bad for an amateur. I'll be applying for my FFL next year, big plans! Perhaps a possible part-time business? Wait and see...

* Asterisk indicates that the firearm has been purchased but I won't take possession until after I return from deployment.

Rifles

Ruger 10/22 .22LR
DPMS AR15 Carbine .223
Romanian WASR AK47 7.62x39
* Polish AK47 Underfold 7.62x39
Yugo Mauser 24/47 8mm
* Yugo Mauser 24/47 8mm
1946 Spanish Mauser Fabrica De Armas 8mm
1938 Czech vz.24 Mauser 8mm
1943 Mosin Nagant 91/30 Izhevsk 7.62x54r
1943 Mosin Nagant 91/30 M38 Izhevsk 7.62x54r
* 1939 Mosin Nagant 91/30 Tula "XO-46" unknown marking 7.62x54r

Pistols

Sig Sauer P232 .380
Kimber Pro Carry II 9mm
Smith and Wesson M & P 9mm
Smith and Wesson 3913 9mm
* Smith and Wesson 5906 9mm
* Sig Sauer P226 LE 9mm
Springfield XDM .40
Springfield 1911-A1 .45
* Sig Sauer STX 1911 .45

I'm Addicted (to Mosin Nagants) to Guns

Near the top of my "must have" wish list are a few rifles from the famous Tula Arms Factory in Russia. My list includes a SKS and a Mosin Nagant. I was browsing www.GunBroker.com yesterday and spotted a gorgeous 1939 91/30 from Tula with a very rare "XO-46" marking on the receiver. This orgin/meaning of this unique marking is unkown! I've scoured the internet and flipped through my Mosin Nagant reference book and can't find what this marking represents. I've seen mention of the "MO" marking, which indicates use of the Mosin Nagant by the "Ministry of Defense" but no indication of what the "XO" marking night mean.

In any case, I've always wanted a Tula 91/30 so I went ahead and put a bid on this fine Mosin Nagant. The seller listed a Buy Now price of $250, but I took my chances with a low bid and much to my pleasure I won the auction and am now the proud owner of this superb 1939 Tula Mosin Nagant with the rare "XO" marking!

My Mosin Nagant collection now includes:

1943 Izhevsk 91/30
1943 Izhevsk M38 Carbine
1939 Tula 91/30 "XO-46"

Feel free to leave some comments if you have any thoughts on the marking...

Deal Alert! - Sig Sauer P220 (Police Trade-in)

I'll be sharing Deal Alerts whenever I am out of money to buy these guns for myself, then and only then will I share the information with the rest of all y'all. Here's one that's too good to pass up, a police trade-in Sig Sauer P220 in 45ACP with 3 magazines for only $529! 

The guns may show minimal wear from holstering and the night sights might not have their original brightness but for the price, you can't beat it.

Buds is known for having the most competitive prices on firearms on the entire internet and here's another good example as to why they have so many loyal customers. Check it out.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/910/products_id/411548668/Used+Guns/Police+Trade+Ins/USED%20SIG%20SAUER%20P220%20POLICE%20TRADE%20w/%203%20MAGS/

It's About That Time - Weekly Girls with Guns Photo Gallery

Back-to-back nights of no sleep due to training exercise. I plan to sleep all weekend and catch up on my sleepy dreamy time.

This should hold you over...

Enjoy!

Oops, I did it again, bought another gun. Smith and Wesson 5906 (and the 3913).

I should seriously consider avoiding gun web sites for the remainder of my deployment. It seems like every time I go to my favorite gun web sites, there's a deal that's too good to pass up. I went to BudsPoliceSupply.com today and sure enough, there was a gun I've been wanting for a price that was, how shall I put it? Tasty! The Smith and Wesson 5906, stainless 9mm.

The 5906 is sort of the big brother to my other Smith and Wesson stainless, the 3913, which is simply a compact version of the 5906. I've wanted a 3913 and a 5906 ever since I bought a Lady Smith 3913 for my crazy ex-girlfriend back in Arizona (actually we split the cost 50/50). The Lady Smith (pictured below) is a smooth, sleek and sexy compact, all stainless hand gun. The only difference between the Lady Smith and the regular 3913 is that the Lady Smith has the name "Lady Smith" engraved on the slide and it has a grey grip instead of a black grip.

I gave the crazy ex an ultimatum when we broke up, she could either keep the gun or one of our three chihuahuas, Roxie (my favorite), I never saw that gun again and Roxie now lives with my dad down near Ensenada, Mexico. I've been wanting a 3913 ever since. Much like the way I felt about my crazy ex, I just couldn't get past it's good looks. I really didn't care that it had "Lady Smith" engraved on the slide, I'm comfortable enough in my masculinity that I could proudly shoot it at the gun range without fear of getting strange looks from the other shooters. As it turns out, I discovered the original 3913 came without the "Lady Smith" engraving, I also settled for black grips instead of grey. My local gun shop had a nice used one for a good price, so I picked it up about a month before I went on this deployment to Kuwait. Below are the actual photos. It's in great shape, only a couple cosmetic blemishes from regular holster wear.

You can plainly see just how similar the two pistols are, the 5906 features a double stacked magazine that holds 15 rounds as opposed to the more compact, single stacked 3913 which holds 8 rounds, and my crazy ex never owned a 5906.

Both pistols have been featured in numerous movies:

First, the 5906:

Hot Fuzz

Tom Cruise in Collateral

Resident Evil

Complete list of movies the 5906 is featured in - click here. 

And the 3913:

The Professional (One of my all-time favorite movies)

Beverly Hills Cop 3

Face Off

Complete list of movies the 3913 is featured in - click here.

I plan to add Hogue grips to each of these pistols, a slip-on grip with finger grooves on the 3913 and rubber replacement grips for the 5906. Additional magazines are pricey, around 30-40 dollars a piece, I'd like to get two extra for both. 

Sale price on the used 5906 - $329, delivered. Told you it was too good to pass up.

Why I Love Guns

I realize that lately it seems the majority of my posts have been my "Girls with Guns" photos galleries, and well, that's true. I figured after my two weeks away on emergency leave, I ought to get back to adding some posts with a little substance and what better way to start than with a lovely post about why I love guns?

For starters, it's just plain fun to shoot guns. I'm not a hunter and have no desire to ever shoot a gun at a living creature, except for maybe an ugly, unfriendly varmint or big snake. I simply enjoy the singularly unique experience of shooting all types of guns in the safe confines of a shooting range. There's something about the experience a whole, from loading up my range bag to the smell of gun powder in the air, it's really quite addictive. I won't say that shooting is my only vice, but it sure is my favorite.

There's a sort of kinship, a built-in rapport at the range between shooters, a camaraderie if you will. It's not unusual for shooters to invite someone they've just met for the first time, to shoot some of their guns and the gesture is usually reciprocated. I like spending a day at the range, it's a fun way to waste the day away in gunfire bliss.

As for personal and home defense, let me just say, that I'm not paranoid by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a sobering reality that the world has plenty of criminals who have bad intentions. Just look at this recent story of an attempted home invasion near my current hometown...

Puyallup homeowner shoots and kills attempted burglar

And another similar story which took place in my current home state... Click Here.

And there are countless other stories of robberies, kidnappings, rape etc. I love that I have the right to defend my life and property with a firearm. I hope I'll never have to, but thank god we live in a country that gives us the right to do so should the need ever arise.

I am grateful to live in a state which makes it extremely convenient to obtain a concealed carry permit. Thank you Washington (and thank god I don't live in Washington DC!). All I had to do was take a copy of my orders down to city hall, fill out the application, pay the reasonable fee of 55 dollars, have my fingerprints taken and that's it! I got my permit in the mail a couple weeks later, it was even laminated!

I almost always carry a concealed handgun when I go out. I love that I have the right to do that.

I also appreciate guns as mechanical works of art. Take that Sig Sauer STX 1911 in .45 ACP pictured at the top of this posting. That is one beautiful hand gun. I've become an amateur collector of curios and relic rifles from the World War II era, specifically Mausers and Mosin Nagants and boy are those beautiful works of art as well.

As further proof of how much I love guns, just look at the following series of photos, take note at the big, shit-eating-grin smile on my face in each of the pictures...

I submit to you a few photos of firearms from my personal collection, each one a master piece of mechanical design.

Sig Sauer P226 9mm (Limited Edition) w/ Diamond Plate Engraving

Smith and Wesson 3913 9mm

Romanian WASR AK47

Yugo Mauser 24/47 8mm

It's hard to believe that just 7 years ago I didn't own a single gun, then I moved to Arizona and that changed everything. Look at me now, 17 guns later, and I'm loving every minute of it!