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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.
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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