The authorities in the UK have uncovered a cache of illegal German Mauser Steyr-Mannlicher rifles. It seems there was a huge cache of 25,000 rifles smuggled into Belfast in 1914 during something called the “Home-Rule Crisis”.
I haven’t looked into what exactly what that is, but it doesn’t take a rocket-surgeon to figure out it was a break-away from the UK movement.
It also appears that many of these guns have been found over the years. One place mentioned in-particular was church floors! Very interesting.
The news reports about what happened to these weapons is somewhat confusing to a freedom loving American such as myself. On one hand, they made a big deal out of the weapons and ammunition being classified as “antiques” and legal to own? But then another reference was made to the police confiscating the weapons, “deactivating them” and then returning them to the owners for display.
For those new to Mauser rifles, you will notice the age of these weapons by the fact they have straight, as opposed to turned-down, bolt handles. And the magazines are single-stack that use en-bloc clips that drop out of the bottom hole after the last round is stripped from the clip.
Quite the collector’s pieces. It’s just too bad they are located behind enemy lines; in a land that panics at the merest hint of firearms.
Sad.
Marky
www.tacticaltshirts.com
www.john1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
edit: Thanks to reader Max Popenker for correcting our mislabeling these rifles as Mauser actions. They are Steyr-Mannlicher actions. My mistake. –Marky
- EP-335: Legs Tall & Alcohol - April 8, 2024
- EP-334 – Mr. Mirrored Ceiling - March 22, 2024
- POTD – EDC X9 – White Grips - March 17, 2024
