Jump to content

Did service men bring home their guns?


Flex
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hey guys, I'm confused on something. From my understanding all us firearms we're government property right? I've seen a few ads on older weapons, such as the krag rifle, eddystone 1917, and listing such as my grandpa used this weapon in ww1. Could there be any truth to these claims? I've seen it more then once. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've heard that in the interwar years, many items including guns were sold off as surplus. my grandad told me once that that the local woolworth's had barrels of M1 Garands for 25$

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my understanding all us firearms we're government property right?

 

Yep and if a soldier took one home that would be a serious crime, but it used to be they could bring home the enemy's rifles and pistols as spoilsof war.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys, I'm confused on something. From my understanding all us firearms we're government property right? I've seen a few ads on older weapons, such as the krag rifle, eddystone 1917, and listing such as my grandpa used this weapon in ww1. Could there be any truth to these claims? I've seen it more then once. Thanks

 

Hi Flex. Are you also asking about the legality of buying a 'US arm' today?

 

Well there's US service weapons and then there are US service weapons. It is actually not automatically illegal to own a "United States Property" marked Colt M1911 or M1911A1 for example, or a Krag or an Eddystone or an M1 rifle, etc. A great many of our members here have legally purchased these things myself included.

 

An M16A4? Well, that's a horse of a completely different prison term.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was a young'un I remember a box/barrel of M1 carbines in the sporting goods department of a local (western N.Y.) department store. That would have been in the mid 60's. I don't remember the price but I'd imagine the were pretty cheap. I'll always wonder whether there was an I-P in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just look a a pre 1968 Guns N Ammo magazine, It will make you cry. The has always been a percentage of GI's that dared to take service weapons home up through the Korean War. One stumbles across the Bar or Thompson stories once in awhile that Grandpa brought home and it was found in the attic after he died enough times to believe them. It appears carbines and 1911's because of there size were a favorite to try to bring home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Salvage Sailor

This is my father's $15 carbine purchased in the early 1950's from a surplus store, along with a .45 auto.

Camera Dump 221a.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is my father's $15 carbine purchased in the early 1950's from a surplus store, along with a .45 auto.

considering how much prices have inflated, it makes me shed a tear...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow that a beautiful carbine -

 

I remember when $1 got you a McDonalds hamburger, fries and a coke

 

 

This is my father's $15 carbine purchased in the early 1950's from a surplus store, along with a .45 auto.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1SG_1st_Cav

My dad brought a German 32 auto pistol home from WWII. He sold it to my uncle for $35 back in the early 1950's. Both are deceased and we have no idea where the pistol went. :unsure::wacko::(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And gas was $.32 a gallon does that tell how old I am. My father sent all the pieces for his(now mine) Remington Rand M1911A1 in his bagage from Vietnam. He hand carried the frame through customs in the folder with his orders. The inspector looked in the folder and handed it back to my father and sent him on his way. I need to take some pics and tell the story.

wow that a beautiful carbine -

 

I remember when $1 got you a McDonalds hamburger, fries and a coke

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was a kid, I had a neighbor who had been in the Marines in WWII. He still had an M-1 carbine and he told me he stole it and brought it home. He jokingly referred to it as part of his severance package lol. Back when my pop was on the state police in the 1970's, they had a family bring in a U.S. PROPERTY marked 1911 because their father was on his deathbed and asked them to turn it in because he was dying and didnt want them getting into trouble for his stealing it. I'm sure back in the day it happened more than we know....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

suwanneetrader

My Dad got a 1911-A1 .45 and a Japanese Nambu sub machine gun, both disassembled in a seabag all the way from Guam (On a hospital ship) until disembarkation in Calif. There a Capt took them Richard :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CNY Militaria

I interviewed a WWII Pacific AAF Officer that got an M-1 Carbine home in his duffel bag and still had it. He said that as they were shipping home, a group of Seabees came by with brand new M-1 carbines and were trading them for bottles of alcohol. He happened to have one to trade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read a couple stories where soldiers shipped their rifles or pistols home piece by piece. As for military firearms being sold to civilians, I found a couple ads for you shiftycat.

 

I wish I lived when a Krag was $15:

vintage+military+surplus+gear+advertisem

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Johnson rifle for under $50! I understand the value of the dollar was different back then but come on!

 

m1-garand-ad.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My father-in-law who was an officer in the Seabees, had a crate made and shipped his carbine and his 1911A1 home.

Ronnie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shawnmt6601

they brought home more than rifles and pistols

 

When my Father was a kid, his uncle had a fragmentation grenade he brought back from WW2

 

Dad said he was visiting. with his Dad, the uncle and Dad got it down off a shelf in the garage and started to play with it. The uncle snatched it away and told him it was dangerous. walked over to the hill side and tossed it way down into the weeds. Terrible idea. who knows who may have found it later. Never entered the guys mind that he should not have left it out anyway,.

 

 

later when Dad was back from Vietnam. He was friends with another old fellow. who lived in an area right out of the local town. He paid Dad and a friend to bury a M1919 browning with 1,000 rounds of belted ammo in cans in his yard. Dad is confident it is still there. How he got it back and away with it would be a heck of a story

 

 

Another friends Dad had his Dad's bring back Thompson. I saw it with my own eyes. Found it after his Dad dies. Had been handed down.

 

 

I have seen several bring back M1 carbines and pistols. not counting the enemy weapons.

 

even saw first hand a bring back M2 carbine.

 

 

 

I always thought of the "bring back " full auto stuff was near a myth. until over the years I have seen enough of them pop up to be shocking really. Not cause I think machine guns are evil. It just boggles my mind how they managed to do it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...