Firearms with interesting back stories

[Nestor]

In 1943 the Nazis were ready to overrun Stalingrad. The Soviets were outgunned and outnumbered, barely holding the western slopes of Volga River desperately trying to stop the German advance at all costs. Small arms were priceless. Even though it is not true I have in my mind the picture of the rifle  factory so close to the front line that they firing at the Germans out of the windows right after each of the rifles were made. Anyway, my 1943 Mosin Nagant was visibly rushed through the factory line. I would like to think that it helped to stop the Nazis dead in their tracks. Somehow it has the best bore that I ever have seen on Mosin Nagant rifle. It kicks hard, it’s heavy and long, but the rifle most likely seen things we wouldn’t believe...

[railfancwb]

On 3/6/2020 at 6:36 PM, Valmet said:

Would be easy enough to find out if you have the serial number. 

A lot of older guns, especially 22 rifles, left the factories with no serial number. GCA68 made serial numbers a requirement for guns manufactured or imported on or after October 22, 1968. I see guns on GunBroker once in awhile described as not having a serial number. 

[Valmet]

An older gentleman who is a friend of mine served in Vietnam in 1966-68 and was often a tunnel rat. He didn’t care much for the army-issued 1911 due to its capacity (or lack thereof). His aunt purchased a Browning HP from a gun shop and sent it to him in a box full of popcorn. He inscribed his name and rank on the frame under the grip panel. He traded it off in a bar in Vietnam in 1968 just prior to coming home. 

In the mid-1990s he got a call from a kid who ended up with it and found his name on the frame (his is an uncommon name) and the kid gave it back to him. He told me when he decides to part with it it’s mine. 

[Historian]

On 4/26/2021 at 11:06 PM, Nestor said:

In 1943 the Nazis were ready to overrun Stalingrad. The Soviets were outgunned and outnumbered, barely holding the western slopes of Volga River desperately trying to stop the German advance at all costs.

The more i read about the slopes of the Volga...the more i am convinced it was purely hell.   The stunning ability of the Russians to placed new soldiers from Siberia on those slopes, under the cover of darkness, by rail and raft....is a logistical masterpiece.