Friday, July 13, 2007

Boomsticks: Toadstickers.

So there's this guy who sets up at our local gun shows. He always has cool militaria. The good stuff is spread on the table: Long Garand bayonets, a Patton sword, US & German WWII flotsam and jetsam. That's not why I patronize his table, though. I'm there for the three 5-gallon buckets of old bayonets he keeps behind his table, all fairly reasonably priced. Every show, no matter how odd the gun I'd just acquired and needed a toadsticker for, he'd always come through for me:

"Got a reasonably priced WWI German Gewehr 98 bayonet?"

"Arisaka bayonet. WWII vintage. Got one?"

"Do you have a cheap Garand bayonet I can use to cover up the lug until I can afford a good one?"

"How're you fixed for Argentine Mauser bayonets?"

"Bayonet. Azerbaijani M1887 Mauser. How much?"


Okay, I just made that last one up. Still, he was batting 1.000 until this most recent show when I asked "Do you have any bayonets for a Brazilian 1908/34 Mauser?"

*Rummage* *Rummage* *Dig*

"Nope. Not here; I'll bring one next show."

I was floored. Anyhow, I did some digging around on the intarw3bz to get an idea of what I'd be looking at, price-wise. (Don't worry, I'm not going to cheat on him. He said he'd bring one; I'll buy it from him.) While surfing, I came to the site that is the point of this post. ("Point". Ha, ha. Get it? I kill me...)


"ebayonet". That is just too clever for words. Wish I'd thought of it...

11 comments:

  1. Pricey, but nice to find them all in one place.

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  2. Ah, the '08/34. One of my favorite '98s. As common as the rifles were a few years ago, I would've thought bayonets for them would be equally common. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have one.

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  3. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the /34 is the short rifle, in 7mm, produced by Brno, right? I used to have one; wish I still did. And the original '08 is the long rifle built by DWM, also in 7. I almost hate to admit this, but I have a Bubba'd one of those, with the barrel shortened to 24", that I have killed more deer with than any other rifle. A handloaded 154 grain Hornandy from that rifle drops 'em like somebody pulled the rug out from under them.

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  4. Sigh.

    $550. for an original long M1 bayonet and scabbard.

    I need one so badly for my April '43 Garand, yet I'm so cheap I won't spend the kind of money they bring. Lowest I've seen around here is 150 or so.
    Short bayos on a Garand are just so wimpy.

    Bastages.

    Regards,
    Rabbit.

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  5. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the /34 is the short rifle, in 7mm, produced by Brno, right?"

    The 1908/34 is the one that looks like your generic 98k, but is Brazilian-made at Itajuba and chambered in .30-'06.

    MMmmmmm... 98k Mauser in .30-'06. The best rifle chambered for the best cartridge. Could there be anything sweeter?

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  6. Ugh.

    I have to pick up a bayo for a Martini, a Snider Enfield, a half dozen Lee Enfields, including a No1Mk1..

    Why, oh why did you have to remind me?

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  7. Not sure about better, but just as good.

    '98 mauser rechambered in .308 by Steyr. Cost $100 (admittedly that was 10 years ago).

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  8. You're right, the grand '06 in a '98k is very nearly a perfect rifle; but I join the late Finn Aagard and W.D.M Bell in my admiration of the 7x57.

    I guess it was the original 1908 Brazilian that was made by both Brno and DWM. They are both incredibly high-quality rifles.
    Also, I have always read that 7x57 military Mausers require heavier bullets for best stabilization and hence accuracy; but then I read later that Brazil used 139 grain bullets in their military ammo, so that caveat probably doesn't apply to the '08.
    I don't mean to hijack your thread, Tam; but it reminded me of one of my alltime favorite rifles.

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  9. Oh, I loves me some 7x57, I just loves it best served up in handy little engineer's carbines and the like. :)

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  10. Damnit. Another place to leak money towards.

    Lessee. I need pigstickers for:

    Model 1911 Schmidt-Rubin Infantry Rifle

    Model 1896 Dutch Mannlicher Cavalry Carbine

    NoIMkIII* Short Magazine Lee Enfield

    No5Mk1 Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbine

    I see he's got the NoIMkIII bayonets, and also one for my BM-59. Hopefully he's got the others.

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