Great list and thanks for the price breakdowns and ammo costs
. I know all these rifles, but I have no idea about the fluctuations in prices and the antique market so thats the main reason I'm asking.
Good luck, let us know what you pick up (if anything)! Always remember the two most important rules for gun shows are:
1. Don't be afraid to walk out without buying anything. If you feel pressured to get
something, you're going to make a purchase you regret later.
2.
Never pay the listed price for a gun unless it's outrageously below market value. Vendors inevitably put padding on the ticket price and can always be talked down at least a little.
Anyway, to expand on the previous list, here are some other military surplus rifles that I wouldn't necessarily
expect to see at a typical show, but are worth keeping an eye out for as they do pop up occasionally, and tend to be poorly regarded among collectors so you can sometimes get a bargain:
US M1917 rifles (usually labeled as "Eddystone Rifle" or "American Enfield"). If you've been collecting at all, I'm sure you're aware that any US or German service weapon gets a massively inflated price due to insatiable boomer/fudd demand. However, the US M1917 remains a relatively obscure gun, and because demand is much lower than something like an M1 Garand or M1903, the prices tend to be all over the map - I've seen them as low as $600 and as high as $1200+. I suspect the actual market value is somewhere around $750-800 but keep an eye out for cheaper ones being offered. Things to be aware of with M1917s - many of these guns were leased by the military or national guard to VFW posts as "Parade Rifles" and were used for in some cases
decades shooting corrosive blanks at parades and funerals without being cleaned, CHECK THE BORE CONDITION especially if it has VFW markings stenciled on the side; make sure the "ears" on the rear sight assembly weren't cut down or removed for use as a sporter/hunter; Eddystone manufactured about as many guns as Winchester and Remington combined, and therefore they're the most common/least desirable manufacturer; most of these guns were sold through CMP and some vendors may still have the certificate of authenticity if you ask for it (and you may be able to negotiate price down if they've lost the CMP paperwork). I'm sure you're familiar already with .30-06 ammo.
Krag-Jørgensen sporter conversions. I know, I know. But these can sometimes be seen for as low as $300. A friend of mine bought a relatively unmodified Krag sporter (stock had been sanded down, checkered and reshaped, front sling swivel removed) for around that price, and was able to buy a period appropriate original stock, barrel bands and sling swivel off eBay to assemble a non-matching but all original rifle for under $600. Be SURE you know what you're looking for as far as different Krag models and modifications if you decide to attempt this, as it's quite possible to end up with a sporter so badly butchered that it cannot be restored to original condition, or would cost more to fully restore than just buying an original. In particular I'd avoid anything that has had the barrel cut down, the front sight post modified or removed, or had holes tapped in the receiver or barrel to mount a scope. The .30-40 Krag ammo can be found at most stores but is usually a bit pricey at more than $1 a round.
Swedish M/96 and M/38 rifles (usually labeled as "Swedish Mauser" or "Carl Gustaf Rifle"). Again, these are somewhat uncommon and demand isn't very high, so the prices fluctuate wildly, ranging from $450 to $800 or more. Older M/96s are sometimes seen with neat little fiddly adjustable diopter sights instead of the usual ladder arrangement. Most are in very good condition as they seem to have been used gently and well cared for by troops. Be aware that 6.5mm Swedish is difficult to find so ammunition may become a problem if you don't reload your own. Aside from the ammo and some minor differences to the action they're similar to other export/clone Mauser rifles.
Swedish Ag M/42 (sometimes labeled as "AG-42" or "Ljungman") and (if your interest extends to the postwar period) Egyptian "Hakim" rifles and "Rasheed" carbines. These are cool direct gas impingement semi-auto rifles broadly comparable to the M1 Garand or SKS with detachable 10 round magazines. The Ag M/42 uses the same 6.5mm as the previously discussed Swedish rifles with the associated issues, while the Egyptian license production versions are chambered in 8mm Mauser and seem to be more common. Market price seems to be around $825 for a Hakim, but I've also seen them for sale $200 cheaper and $200 more expensive than that, with Ag M/42s and Rasheeds rare enough that I can't even really estimate a baseline.
Japanese Type I rifles (sometimes labeled as "Japanese Carcano" or "Arisaka Carcano", often mislabeled as just "Carcano" or "Arisaka"). Italy built these for the Imperial Japanese Navy (it's Type I as in Italian, not Type 1), and they have an interesting combination of Arisaka and Carcano features. Because they are weird looking and have almost no markings, they are frequently misidentified by sellers. Italian and Japanese guns are both in relatively low demand by collectors, too, so these can be seen selling for below $400 even when the person selling it knows what it is. Most seem to have sat out the war in warehouses and are frequently in excellent condition, especially compared to other Arisaka types. 6.5mm Arisaka is fairly common in stores or online but seems to be quite expensive, $1.50 or more a round.
French MAS-36 (and if your interest extends to the postwar period) MAS-44, MAS-49 and MAS-49/56 rifles. These used to be quite cheap as there wasn't much interest in "surrender sticks", but price has been creeping up to $600 and above (possibly as a result of Ian from Forgotten Weapons enthusing about them), especially for ones in good condition. There's a date of manufacture printed in a cartouche on the buttstock, and value of pre-1945 MAS-36s greatly exceeds postwar ones (although the postwar ones are usually in much nicer condition). I'd recommend staying away from the first batch of '90s CAI imports which were rechambered in 7.62 NATO as the conversion work was pretty shoddy. The MAS-36 is a very standard bolt action rifle despite being externally kind of weird looking, while the -44, -49 and -49/56 are reliable, accurate military semi-automatics. All of them except the MAS-49 have a neat socket bayonet that slots backwards under the barrel. 7.5mm French ammunition is available surplus or new manufacture and ranges from $0.50 to 1.00 a round. Apparently some new manufactured 7.5mm has more sensitive primers than military surplus and can cause issues with slamfires or burst firing with the original MAS-44, -49 or -49/56 firing pins, and some owners recommend changing the pin out for a lighter aftermarket titanium one before shooting.
French Berthier Mousqueton Mle. 1890 and 1892 carbines and Berthier Fusil Mle. 1907/15 rifles (usually just labeled as "Berthier" or sometimes "Lebel Carbine", and it is not uncommon to see Berthier Mousquetons mislabeled as "Carcano"). Previous commentary about desirability apply here too, but all of these guns are much rarer. Every one I've seen for sale has shown signs of
very heavy wear on both wood and metal parts. Berthier carbines seem to be somewhere between $350-550 depending on condition (and how much the seller knows about what they have), while Berthier rifles are closer to $400-450 and slightly more common. Keep a particular eye out for US-made Remington Berthier rifles, which are occasionally seen (market value probably $1500+ if seller knows what it is) and are marked "RAG Mle. 1907/15" on the receiver behind the rear sight. Both rifle and carbine use the 8mm Lebel which is kind of hard to find other than online but not outrageously expensive, usually a bit under $1.00 a round. Also included in this group is a postwar Turkish carbine-rifle-things usually called the "Turkish Forestry Carbine" or "Orman", a very weird looking rebuilt Berthier Mosqueton action and barrel placed into a full length Steyr rifle stock with Enfield-style front sight protector ears over the barrel front. I have only seen one of these and I regret not buying it, but apparently there are a fair number out there on the US surplus market.
