Collecting old military rifles inevitably leads to trying to research them, learn more about them, place them in an historical context. This is fine if you are collecting, say, U.S. service rifles. The amount of detail known about the M1903 Springfield is downright overwhelming. With one or two reference works, it is possible to decipher the manufacturer and approximate date of origin of nearly every part on the rifle, turning it into a wordless story of the times (and re-arsenallings) it has seen. The resources for the collector of German Mausers or Lee-Enfields are nearly as good, and the recent flurry of interest in the Mosin-Nagant has unlocked most of their mysteries as well.
Not so much for some other rifles, though. Siamese Mausers, for instance. Supposedly some early Siamese Mausers were made at Oberndorf and have one set of defining features, while later ones were made at the Koishikawa Arsenal and have another, but what does it mean when mine has Oberndorf features and Koishikawa markings? I can't seem to find out. Or take the Ross, which was made in three main Marks, and a bewildering variety of sub-types. (The Mark II alone ran from the Mark II and the Mark II* throught the Mark II*****.) Where's the definitive guide to what's what with the Ross? As far as I can tell, there isn't one, and the near total lack of markings on mine isn't helping. It remains a mystery...
Oh, and a bleg: Anyone have a full-length un-bubba'ed Ross Mark II stock they're not using at the moment?
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Tam, see if you can track down a copy of The Ross Rifle Story by Phillips, Dupuis and Chadwick. ISBN 0-9691906-0-3
It's out of print, but it's supposed to be THE book on Rosses.
Whoops, forgot to add: these folks can probably hook you up. Bring money.
http://doublegunshop.com/gunnerman.htm
Yes, I do have one of those, right next to the unicorn horn pile and pile of hen's teeth.
Hee.
email me. Mhardig-at-aol-dot-com I can maybe hook you up.
There's an article on Ross and his rifles in the 1967 Gun Digest. Ross Seyfried wrote an article about them in the January 2000 issue of Rifle Magazine. Holler if you want copies.
Nice find on the Ross. The only one I ever handled or fired was a buddy's rifle about 10 years ago. He had a Ross and a 1871 Mauser. I got to shot both and I've wanted both ever since.
Unfortunately, both those guns and a few others were stolen from his house a few years later.
Speaking of classic guns and classy people:
double-u x3
.charlotte.com/mld/observer/16658541.htm
The Ross Rifle Story by Phillips, Dupuis and Chadwick. ISBN 0-9691906-0-3 has been reprinted - copies come up on Ebay quite often, or you can use abe.books.com. Don't pay too much - there's some out there who appear to think it's a rare first edition, or something, to judge from the prices they ask!
I use a Mk III for service rifle target shooting in the UK - it's a lovely rifle.
Regards
Jeremy Churchill
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