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Preservation
The Russian Mosin Nagant Page and
Preservation
This site has long been an advocate of preserving the historic integrity
of collectable or historically significant firearms. Over the years this
has not been a popular stance and has somewhat offended the sensitivities
of some visitors. We make no apologies for believing that military surplus
firearms should be preserved in the condition and configuration they were
in upon retirement from active service. There is a clear and quantifiable
trend in several lines of historically significant firearms of being
nearly extinct because they were treated as expendable, cheap commodities
and subjected to an endless amount of modification and eventually cast
aside. We believe that these firearms are in fact historical artifacts
that represent significant periods in the world's history and our support
of maintaining the historical dignity of these firearms is not limited to
just the Mosin rifle.
With that in mind, we are working towards the establishment of a
foundation for the preservation of historically significant military
firearms. This foundation will seek to unite the collecting and shooting
community in efforts to actively preserve these firearms through research,
education and formulation of associations of dealers, distributors and
firearms related organizations. This foundation will seek to gather the
necessary resources to educate the collecting and shooting community on
the history of these firearms and how to properly maintain and use them.
This includes collecting and disseminating material on the proper methods
of preventative maintenance, repair and where appropriate protective
restoration. The foundation will establish a uniform code of ethics that
collectors and shooters alike can follow. Funding for research will be
gathered for non-profit educational research, academic research and
statistical analysis of data related to the numbers of historically
significant military firearms on the market and in the hands of collectors
and shooters. Eventually, funding will be generated for the conduct of
seminars and other outreach programs to educate and inform all groups who
share an interest in these firearms.
The first step in this process is to form a non-profit corporation to
serve as a sponsor of the foundation. This step is slated to be completed
in the first quarter of 2010. A search committee will be formed to seek
out a board to serve as the governing body of the foundation and to direct
its long-term goals. This should be completed by mid-2010. The foundation
will then set the priorities of its mission and a timetable for reaching
those goals. The corporation will seek to include not only this website
but any website or organization that accepts the stated charter of the
corporation and acts to serve the interests of the corporation as a
non-profit entity. This endeavor has been forced to the back burner for
the past few years due to various issues, private and economic.
Hopefully we can make this happen soon.
The next year will be a historic year if these goals can be achieved. I
ask all of you to join this website in this endeavor.
A Case for Historic Firearms Preservation
A Brief History of Collecting Firearms
Firearms collecting never really came into its own until a few years after WWI. Up until that time, there were a handful of collections mostly in the hands of museums. In the late 1800’s, firearms were regarded as simple tools, no different than a plow or a shovel. Nearly every rural household had a
firearm of some type. It wasn’t until after so many men were exposed to military firearms in the First World War, that the idea of collecting became popular. This popularity was on the increase for a couple of reasons. One is that many young men returning from the war brought back firearms as war trophies. The second reason the idea of collecting took off was the enormous stocks of military firearms left over
from the war that were put on the civilian market as “military surplus”. This affordable source of firearms made it easy for the average person to acquire a firearm similar to those used in the war. Another facture that spurred on firearms collecting was the movement in the early years of the twentieth century to introduce legislation to restrict the ownership of certain types of firearms. The National Firearms
Act of 1934 provides for the registration, and the taxing of the transfer, of a class of weapons described as NFA Title 2 weapons (sometimes referred
to as "Class 3 weapons"). These include machine guns, short barreled
rifles, short barreled shotguns, silencers (also known as suppressors)
and also a class of weapons known as "Any Other Weapon" (AOW). An
example of an AOW is, but not limited to, a smooth barreled pistol or
a short barreled combination gun. Prior to the enactment of this law
there was a rush to obtain many of the proscribed firearms in hopes
that the ownership of them would be grandfathered.
After the Second World War, a new generation of gun owners
began collecting firearms for the same reasons their fathers did
following the First World War. Again, military surplus firearms were
plentiful and affordable. In the early years of collecting military
type firearms, many of the dealers involved were antique dealers. This
allowed the hobby of collecting firearms to take on some of the
“rules” for collecting antiques. These rules governed authenticity,
condition, history and the value of the firearms being sold on the
market. Traditional terms for antique furniture collecting transferred
directly to firearms such as “patina”, “sheen”, and “maker’s marks”.
Like antique furniture, collectors expected that firearms would be in
original condition. That is to say that the firearm would not be
restored or altered in any way. These rules strongly held that fading
finish on the wood stocks and worn bluing on the metal actually
preserved or increased the value of a specimen.
At the same time the antiques crowd started becoming involved
in historically significant military firearms, another group of people
took an interest in these firearms as well. In the years between World
War One and World War Two, commercial establishments like import
distributors and catalogue companies saw these firearms as a strong
revenue enhancer. Francis Bannerman VI was a giant in the military
surplus market. He began his career buying and selling surplus
equipment and cast off lots of small arms. Although he died before the
military surplus firearm trade really came into its own, his sons
carried on with his business and were perfectly positioned to
capitalize on the flood of surplus arms following the First World War.
What firearms they failed to sell to other countries, were channeled
into the retail market. Retailers like Sears & Roebuck saw these
firearms as having real potential in the sport shooter and hunting
market for that segment of society that could not afford a high dollar
firearm. Many of the surplus firearms were changed for the civilian
market by having the stocks and barrels shortened, civilian type
sights installed and other changes both cosmetic and practical. Other
importers saw the value of Bannerman’s venture and started importing
large numbers of surplus small arms and channeling them to the retail
market as well.
After the Second World War, the demand for military surplus
firearms was just as great at least initially. However, during the
50’s, the retail chains began to scale down their sales of firearms.
The importers and distributors began searching for a new channel to
dispose of these firearms. They had to settle with supplying specialty
sporting goods stores and smaller retail operations like gun shops.
The firearms that moved this chain were largely unaltered from their
original configuration. This gave firearms collecting a shot in the
arm because a whole new group of would be collectors sprang up.
However, their numbers were relatively small. During the 60’s and
70’s, the average buyer was still the hunter and sport shooter looking
for a bargain rifle. This trend continued into the 80’s and early
90’s. It was during the late 90’s, that a new phenomena helped the
collecting community explode. The distributors and some of the larger
retail channels discovered the internet. At the same time, collectors
also discovered the internet and the confluence of the two brought the
numbers of new collectors up to record levels. Websites began to
appear that featured collecting various types of military surplus
firearms. Information became available to potential collectors at a
record pace. These new collectors learned more than ever before about
these firearms, their history and the laws and regulations governing
their sale. The Bureau of Tobacco Alcohol and Firearms began issuing
the Curios and Relics Federal Firearms License in record numbers. This
license allowed collectors to conduct firearms transactions across
state lines with other collectors and retail establishments. The
firearms covered by this license had to be at least fifty years old
and on an approved list from the BATF.
Now in the early years of the twenty-first century,
collecting historically significant firearms is possibly more popular
than ever. People from all walks of life have discovered the rich
history and tradition that these rifles represent. Unfortunately, the
sport shooter and hunter have also taken advantage of the Curios and
Relics Federal Firearms License. I say unfortunately because many in
this crowd have little regard for the history of these rifles. To
them, they are cheap resources to with which to build a sporting
rifle. They see nothing wrong with permanently altering them to adapt
the rifles to sporting or hunting use. If all things were equal and
the supply of these rifles were endless, that would not be a real
concern. However, I will discuss later in my lecture on firearms
preservation, these rifles are in danger of literally becoming
extinct.
Firearms Preservation
Collecting historically significant military firearms has reached an
unprecedented level. Through the global reach of the internet, people are
introduced to these firearms everyday. As a result, there is some concern
about the future of collecting them. Several factors are falling into
place to endanger this activity, that are as old as collecting itself and
as new as the new global society we find ourselves in. Collecting is
effected by such factors as the supply of available firearms, the laws
governing firearms ownership, the attitudes of the market, and changing
social and political values regarding firearms ownership. As our society
becomes more complex and diverse, we are faced with radical shifts in
social values. Even the economy plays a role in the health of collecting
firearms. I will attempt to address these factors as they apply to the
preservation of historically significant firearms. The first order of
business is to define just what “historically significant” means. By
fleshing out that definition, we can begin to see the importance of
preservation.
Firearms have always been the ultimate tool of national
policy. Throughout history, when negation and diplomacy failed, it was
firearms that were employed to force the matter. The men and women who
carried those firearms were hapless extensions of their nation’s
intentions. None of them made up the policies that were forced and many
were in societies where a vote on the matter was not even considered. They
shouldered their rifle and marched off to battle and fought as bravely as
they could. Now, over 60 years later, the battle fields are silent and
many of those men and women are gone. The map of the globe has changed
many times since some of the rifles we collect were designed and fielded.
The only testimony to the historical events that these rifles were a part
of is the rifles themselves. These firearms serve as reminders of how
precious liberty really is. At least in our nation’s case, the government
that enforced its will through the use of firearms did it with the will of
its people behind it. It was firearms that made that possible when the
colonists faced King George’s finest infantry at Lexington and Concord and
through off the yoke of oppression and founded a nation based on
individual freedoms and liberty. It had been firearms that have preserved
that nation throughout its history by opposing both internal threats as
well as international threats to is peace and unity. Collectors therefore
view the firearms they collect as more than a mute and voiceless tool but
rather an artifact of history. With most surplus military firearms, the
rifle will speak volumes about its country of origin and its place in
history. The quality of its construction and the date of manufacture will
tell you something about the role in history it may have played. Some
firearm types have seen the history of the country in which it was made
change radically during the life of its production and use. The rifle
Mosin was developed in 1891 under Czarist Russia, was part of the
Communist revolution, repelled the Nazi invasion, supplied the Warsaw Pact
during the cold war and saw service in Afghanistan 100 years after its
design. Sadly, it still serves in the hands of the Chechen rebels. Never
the less, the collector of the rifle Mosin can reflect on these events and
appreciate the history behind the rifle. Hence, the term “historically
significant” seems appropriate. So a working definition might be, “The
events; political, societal and economic that are reflected in the
development and deployment of a military firearm from a specific and
unique period of world history”. Simply stated, a historically significant
military firearm is a military firearm, active or retired, that represents
historically significant developments in firearms technology or historic
events that have occurred during the service life of said firearm.
So why is this important to the concept of preservation? As
owners and collectors of these rifles, we become the stewards of the
history that they represent. By obtaining them and leaving them intact to
survive over time, we are also preserving the legacy of the rifle’s
contribution to history, good or bad. Take the example of the rifle Mosin.
One model might remind us of the Imperial Russian Government which some
may view in a positive light or simultaneously, it could remind us of the
Soviet state. It might remind us of victory over Nazi Germany or it could
remind us of the oppression of political dissidents and Jews of Russia.
Some people might argue that it is wrong to respect something that was
part of those events. However, I would answer that the German expression,
“Nie Weider” or “Never Again” was made for such artifacts. They are
physical testaments to both the enlightenment of man through their use for
liberation from tyranny as well as the inhumanity of fear and repression.
We would do well to remember both extremes.
These firearms are a limited resource in the current climate
of restrictive firearms regulations, and economic pressures that makes
them the target for permanent alteration as hunting and sporting rifles.
We jealously protect other resources that exist around us like our clean
water, air and the rest of the habitat that sustains us. We protect
historic resources and symbols such as monuments, buildings and
battlefield sites. We also protect and preserve documents relating to
great historical events-ours and the events of other nations. It only
stands to reason that we should strive to protect historically significant
firearms in the same way. It is the “why” in the concept needs to be
clarified. This is the most difficult issue to address because so many
people see these firearms in different ways. In addition, there are so
many misconceptions about them. I like to break this whole issue down to
some basic elements. Those elements are numbers, value, and utility.
A common misconception is that millions of these firearms
were produced so therefore there must be millions waiting to make it to
our shores. The facts are that millions of these rifles were produced from
1891 to the late 50’s and early 60’s but millions of these rifles did not
survive time. As these firearms evolved, new models were developed and
fielded. With each new model produced, older models were pulled out of
service and either recycled or stored. Parts were salvaged for use in
newer models or in completely different firearms. Rifles built in the 40’s
can be found with parts manufactured 40 years earlier. Also, as these
rifles were fielded during times of conflict, they were damaged and
destroyed in large numbers. Some ended up in tiny fragments or buried in
bomb craters never to be found again. Large numbers of rifles were
destroyed outright when captured and the materials recycled to be used in
weapons built by the victor. Although the cumulative production figures
appear impressive, the actual number of surviving firearms is actually a
fraction of that number. To see this another way, let us consider
something like automobiles. Millions of Chevrolets were produced in the
30’s, 40’s and 50’s. However, they did not survive time. Some were
destroyed in accidents, while others, were driven until they were falling
apart and scrapped. Some survived but were converted to hotrods or field
cars. Of those millions of automobiles made, only a small percentage
remain in existence today in their original form and intact. Of the
billions of historic firearms produced in the last hundred years, many are
now extinct for all intents and purposes. At one time, you could find
pallet loads of Springfield 1903’s, M1 Carbines, pristine examples of WWII
Mausers and Egyptian Hakims. Those pallet loads represented a small
fraction of the actual production. Where are they now?
The question of “where are they now?” leads to the element of
value. The remaining stocks of historically significant military firearms
have a certain value assigned to them. The value is related to both their
cost and their perceived future worth. There is also an intrinsic value
that represents their worth as a historical artifact. Depending on who you
are will determine the balance of those values. If you are a collector,
you are forever mindful of current value as you attempt to acquire these
rifles. Balancing the cost of obtaining a rifle with your collection needs
is a constant challenge. Many collectors are mindful of the intrinsic
value of the firearms they collect. They are often students of history and
have sought to expand their knowledge about the firearms they collect, the
period of history in which the firearms were developed and used and the
historic events behind their use. Predicting future value is nearly
impossible. One can not possibly predict the future value of a firearm
anymore than they can predict the future itself. Over time, laws and
prevailing social beliefs and attitudes can adversely impact the value of
a firearm or conversely, may elevate the value of a firearm. When
assessing the value of a given firearm, a collector needs to understand
the traditional benchmarks and how they may or may not apply to the
specimen in question. The antiques oriented collector might assign less
value to a rifle that has been arsenal refurbished or that has mis-matched
serial numbers when in fact, the refurbishment or lack of matching serial
numbers is correct and consistent with the history of that firearm.
Another level of value is assigned to a firearm in terms of rarity. The
fewer known examples of a given firearm, the higher the value. The sport
shooter or hunter may only consider the utility of a given firearm when
assessing its value. By utility, we mean its usefulness to the person
obtaining it. It makes little difference to a hunter if a given firearm is
rare or all matching. What counts is condition and accuracy as well as the
potential to modify that firearm for sporting use economically. These
criteria, value, numbers and utility, all combine to determine how these
firearms will survive the present and be in existence for future
collectors.
It is with the thought in mind that historically significant
firearms are a limited resource that carries an intrinsic as well as
practical value and a degree of utility that begs us to consider their
preservation. If we believe that these firearms are a historical artifact
that deserves to be appreciated long into the future, we must encourage
others to keep them intact, in original condition and to balance their
consumption with the need to pass them on to future generations.
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