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[Nyles]

Yeah, I'm single (serious relationship didn't survive the deployment), and my overseas contract doesn't expire until the end of the month - I built up a hell of alot of leave over the past two years! Lest you think I'm completely irresponsible with my money, I also saved a down payment on a house while I was over there - once I get a decent job I'll be buying my folk's house from them (at full market value, unfortunately).

I'm still waiting on the 1898 Krag I bought sometime around Christmas, as the guy I bought it from has been on course since I got back and hasn't been able to send it. And the same guy who had the Schoenauer has one more very interesting rifle I'm gonna try and scoop, but that'll be it for awhile. I already had to pass on a US Navy Remington-Lee 1885, and believe me it was painful!

And if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty jealous of your Colt-buying wife! My ex was not so supportive.

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by Nyles

Yeah, I'm single (serious relationship didn't survive the deployment), and my overseas contract doesn't expire until the end of the month - I built up a hell of alot of leave over the past two years! Lest you think I'm completely irresponsible with my money, I also saved a down payment on a house while I was over there - once I get a decent job I'll be buying my folk's house from them (at full market value, unfortunately).

And if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty jealous of your Colt-buying wife! My ex was not so supportive.

Oh I figured you were responsible. It's only been in the past ten years that I've been able to afford purchasing firearms on a steady basis. For the first eleven years my wife and I were together I literally added two firearms to my collection. A Sig P220 (45acp) in 92 and my Lithgow Lee Enfield Mk III* in 99. That was it. So at the start of my collecting (or accumulating) career in 2000 I owned seven firearms. What's interesting is I still own five of those pieces.

Yes my wife has come a long ways since we started dating in 1988. Back then just being around a firearm would give her the heebie jeebies. The one time she fired my father's Colt Woodsman she started shaking and crying. But that was twenty-two years ago. While she isn't a gun buff she can certainly handle my Colt Detective Special and Browning Buckmark without losing control of her emotions.

I've learned to watch Broadway musicals and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's learned a thing or two about handguns and can even catch the occassional gun goof in a movie now.

It's a marriage.

[Nyles]

Just received this Colt M1917 revolver in remarkable 95% condition, made in1918 and came with a 1917-dated M1909 holster and a dozen moon clips.

[Nyles]

Here's a picture of it compared to my British contract .455 New Service, which came out of commercial production. You can see the rougher finish on the M1917 (the New Service is mirror blued), the wood vs rubber grips, the straight vs stepped barrel, different shaped front sight, and if you look close you can probably see the M1917 has a wider gap in the back of the cylinder to accomodate the moon clip.

[Nyles]

Just received (after a month-long mixup in shipping) this Portugese Mauser-Vergueiro M1904 in 6.5 x 58mm. The Mauser-Vergueiro was an interesting rifle - the Portugese army wanted the Mannlicher-Schoeneuer (see above) but couldn't afford it, so they went with a native design that combined a simplified Mannlicher-style bolt and receiver with a Mauser style magazine and stock. It's very rare to find original M1904s, as almost all were converted to 8mm Mauser and had the barrel shortened in 1939.

What makes this extra special is the DMGLM mark on the stock, which stands for Direçao General Militar de Lorenço Marques, the main military depot in Mozambique when it was a Portugese colony. That makes it one of the approximately 2000 Vergueiros used in the East African Campaign of WW1. As Portugese troops on the Western front carried British equipment, the ones used in East Africa are the only Vergueiros that were ever actually used in combat.

Interestingly, as the Germans in Africa fought what was basically a guerilla campaign after being cut off from Europe, they quickly ran out of ammo for their Mausers and Gewehr 88s and had to use captured arms. Mostly they used long Lee-Enfields taken from the British, but their favorite were captured Vergueiros. I guess because the German Askaris tended to be fairly small and appreciated the lighter recoil.