Well, being freshly 18, I decided with a buddy of mine to pick up my first rifle since I always had an interest in rifles. We wanted something old and reliable that would fit the bill, and originally went looking for Mauser's since they are nifty old WW2 'battle rifles'. Well, I found something just as precious:
Looks pretty much like that, cept mine has a nifty soviet strap. As a matter of fact...
The metal parts are missing because I gave them to a gunsmith for some awesome bluing because I failed so badly at bluing... the cold kind that is.
In pieces the gun is pretty simple - how it's built isn't complex which makes it easy to maintain and care for. Plus the bullets are just awesomely huge and powerful... (yes that is really me in the picture)
I took it shooting and it jumps back like a mule. Throws your aiming off, especially with iron sights at 100 yards. The first time I shot it I was worried it would just explode when I pulled the trigger, but it was a satisfying roar with the ecstasy-inducing cling as the bullet-casing is ejected from the chamber and spirals through the air, its brass reflecting the glowing afternoon sun of a Texas afternoon.
Too much, but whatever the case, I'm not sure what my fascination with old rifles is, but I have one. Mine in particular was manufactured in 1945, at the end of the war, so it probably never saw action but I like the joke that it might've been owned by a Russian soldier who smoked Nazi's. Then it'd be a rifle haunted with the souls of dead Nazi's or something, right?
Anyhow, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's fond of old WW2 relics. I still want to get a hold of a K98 Mauser and someday, when I am loaded enough, a Springfield or Garand. Discuss teh gunz of ye old.
