Reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies...Unforgiven...when the one armed deputy was asked why he had so many guns.."I don't wanna be killed for a lack of shooting back". Great pic!!
One of the things I tell people is that any gun used in a gunfight is public property. Everyone involved has the right to take it away from you if they can.
If if is an FG42 (I can't say for sure), and if it was a registered transferable weapon, it would be worth more than all the others combined. I bought a transferable MP 40 back in 1994. I thought I was crazy when I paid $2,000.00 plus the $200.00 for the tax stamp for it. Knowing what I know today, I'd have bought every transferable submachinegun/machinegun I could've afforded that was for sale at a decent price. As a side note: 98k bolt action WW2 German rifles are through the roof. I would have never expected that. It is hard to find a Russian capture/import marked for less than a thousand bucks. The first two I bought, I paid $79 each (included my FFLL's fee, shipping, and taxes).
My Uncle told me that after VE Day he embarked onto the troop ship to bring him home from Port Lyautey, North Africa that they were going to inspect every one's bags when they disembarked in the US, and any one caught with German firearms would be put up on charges, so he ditched a barracks bag full of automatic weapons over the side. And he said he wasn't the only one then as they were disembarking, they didn't check their bags,, not a one.
My granddaddy told me that when the war was over and they were leaving England that his unit was formed up and everyone had to "dump" the contents of their duffle bags. He had six pistols and six daggers. MPs came by with a wheelbarrows and loaded up everything. They eventually threw the contents of the wheelbarrows into dump trucks. He said he saw three dump trucks full of weaponry as they were waiting to board the ship.
I worked with a guy who was an MP in desert storm..he was the guy who searched soldiers for guns and such, bit no one was searching HIM..so e brought some stuff back. he had a 1930's browning HP he wanted a few hundred for..which is an amazing price...and I told him I was interested. then he said "hey, if you're looking for stuff, I have these grenades..." I stopped him, told him to go fishing with the grenades and let me know when he did because only then would I be interested in the browning.
a few years back my uncle died..he was a "red ball" driver in europe. well there was a locked crate marked with a german afrika corps symbol on it, along with all this other guns.
no one wanted it, or any of the guns, so I took it home. the whole drive home I'm thinking "come on MG34!"..well I got it home and cut the padlock off it..and inside is a Marlin 10 Gauge bolt action goose gun. damn thing is as long as I am tall...from everything I've been able to find on the gun the barrel is custom and a full 12 inches longer than stock. what my uncle did with the hing I'll never know..he didn't own any other bird guns. maybe he won it in a poker came or something.
That is a good story Allen. Do you still have the box?
There is a story that one of my CW reenacting friends told me a about twenty-five years ago. He said he was in a gun store that he frequented and where he was good friends with the owner (long gone now). He said the owner told him a young man of about eighteen years old walked in one day and had a MP40 slung across each shoulder. each had an empty magazine stuck in the mag well. He went on to say the guns were in immaculate condition. The young man was trying to find out what they were worth. The owner asked him where he got them and he told him his granddaddy, who was a WW2 veteran, had recently passed away. He found them upstairs in the attic, each one hanging on a nail and thickly covered with "grease". He asked the young man if his grandfather had registered them in the the 1968 amnesty or did he have any paperwork, etc. because if he had not, the guns would be considered contraband. The young man had no idea what he was talking about, but said he would go back and ask other relatives. He walked out and the owner never saw him again.
I sold the box years ago to a guy who had a legal MG34..I knew how rare it was and got a good price. if I had a good story from my uncle, maybe I would have kept it. but we didn't have any stories.
Got himself some quality steel. Even a couple of those nazi assault rifles. Could retire now on what they're worth.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies...Unforgiven...when the one armed deputy was asked why he had so many guns.."I don't wanna be killed for a lack of shooting back". Great pic!!
ReplyDeleteThat face you make when you find your favorite axe. Carry on old spirit, carry on. Ohio Guy
ReplyDeleteLast MP40 Machine gun sold at Rock Island Auction in 2020 for $28,750. Guy's got a small fortune in his hands.
ReplyDeleteWe could have saved a lot of American lives if we could have just sent a platoon of counselors to Germany.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I tell people is that any gun used in a gunfight is public property. Everyone involved has the right to take it away from you if they can.
ReplyDeleteThat is a hell of a haul. Looks like 3 MP40’s and 2 MG 42’s. He already has an M1? Sweet.
ReplyDeleteThat Wyoming guy
That is a hell of a haul. Looks like 3 MP40’s and 2 MG 42’s. He already has an M1? Sweet.
ReplyDeleteThat Wyoming guy
Think I'd rather have one of those MG34's he's got slung on the other side...
ReplyDeleteLooks like the Reich was having a fire sale on the two FG-42's in his left hand too.
ReplyDeleteMore like a going out of business sale.
DeleteIf if is an FG42 (I can't say for sure), and if it was a registered transferable weapon, it would be worth more than all the others combined. I bought a transferable MP 40 back in 1994. I thought I was crazy when I paid $2,000.00 plus the $200.00 for the tax stamp for it. Knowing what I know today, I'd have bought every transferable submachinegun/machinegun I could've afforded that was for sale at a decent price.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note: 98k bolt action WW2 German rifles are through the roof. I would have never expected that. It is hard to find a Russian capture/import marked for less than a thousand bucks. The first two I bought, I paid $79 each (included my FFLL's fee, shipping, and taxes).
They might be in some persons garage or basement now.
ReplyDeleteDoesn’t upset me.
I hope they are, I would be upset if they met with captain crunch
DeleteThe NFA of 1934 needs to end as it is an infringement to the Second Amendment.
ReplyDeleteand Combat vets should get to keep "war souvenirs"
My Uncle told me that after VE Day he embarked onto the troop ship to bring him home from Port Lyautey, North Africa that they were going to inspect every one's bags when they disembarked in the US, and any one caught with German firearms would be put up on charges, so he ditched a barracks bag full of automatic weapons over the side. And he said he wasn't the only one
ReplyDeletethen as they were disembarking, they didn't check their bags,, not a one.
My granddaddy told me that when the war was over and they were leaving England that his unit was formed up and everyone had to "dump" the contents of their duffle bags. He had six pistols and six daggers. MPs came by with a wheelbarrows and loaded up everything. They eventually threw the contents of the wheelbarrows into dump trucks. He said he saw three dump trucks full of weaponry as they were waiting to board the ship.
DeleteI worked with a guy who was an MP in desert storm..he was the guy who searched soldiers for guns and such, bit no one was searching HIM..so e brought some stuff back. he had a 1930's browning HP he wanted a few hundred for..which is an amazing price...and I told him I was interested. then he said "hey, if you're looking for stuff, I have these grenades..." I stopped him, told him to go fishing with the grenades and let me know when he did because only then would I be interested in the browning.
Deletenever heard back from him...
a few years back my uncle died..he was a "red ball" driver in europe. well there was a locked crate marked with a german afrika corps symbol on it, along with all this other guns.
ReplyDeleteno one wanted it, or any of the guns, so I took it home. the whole drive home I'm thinking "come on MG34!"..well I got it home and cut the padlock off it..and inside is a Marlin 10 Gauge bolt action goose gun. damn thing is as long as I am tall...from everything I've been able to find on the gun the barrel is custom and a full 12 inches longer than stock. what my uncle did with the hing I'll never know..he didn't own any other bird guns. maybe he won it in a poker came or something.
That is a good story Allen. Do you still have the box?
DeleteThere is a story that one of my CW reenacting friends told me a about twenty-five years ago. He said he was in a gun store that he frequented and where he was good friends with the owner (long gone now). He said the owner told him a young man of about eighteen years old walked in one day and had a MP40 slung across each shoulder. each had an empty magazine stuck in the mag well. He went on to say the guns were in immaculate condition. The young man was trying to find out what they were worth. The owner asked him where he got them and he told him his granddaddy, who was a WW2 veteran, had recently passed away. He found them upstairs in the attic, each one hanging on a nail and thickly covered with "grease". He asked the young man if his grandfather had registered them in the the 1968 amnesty or did he have any paperwork, etc. because if he had not, the guns would be considered contraband. The young man had no idea what he was talking about, but said he would go back and ask other relatives. He walked out and the owner never saw him again.
I sold the box years ago to a guy who had a legal MG34..I knew how rare it was and got a good price. if I had a good story from my uncle, maybe I would have kept it. but we didn't have any stories.
DeleteGood for you. I know some of those WW2 German boxes are worth big bucks today.
Delete