8 MILITARY SURPLUS GUNS EVERY SHOOTER SHOULD OWN

Military surplus guns are cheap, fun to shoot and make great additions to any gun collection.
Armies of various different countries adopted these guns because they were rugged, easy to use and well-built. Since most of the military surplus guns on this list are over 50 years old (some individual guns may even be more than 100 years old), they also offer great opportunities to possess a piece of history.Show more

Because millions of these guns were produced, most of them (and their ammunition) are still widely available in the United States for a reasonable price. While they aren't all as affordable as they used to be, there are some good deals on this list.

If you're a serious shooter who wants to own some history, continue reading to see the eight military surplus guns every shooter should own.

Mosin-Nagant
Russian soldiers and communist forces used these rugged, inexpensive and easy-to-use rifles were in dozens of third-world countries during the Cold War.

The Mosin-Nagant is chambered in the potent 7.62x54mmR round, which owns a reputation for its fierce recoil. Additionally, soft- or hollow-point ammunition is available in the United States, which makes this rifle a good choice for a hunter on a budget.

Lee Enfield
The Lee-Enfield rifle is a great military surplus rifle, and it's chambered in the excellent .303 British cartridge. These rifles are very common in countries with a lot of British influence, like Canada, South Africa and Australia. Many deer, bear, moose and kudu have fallen to bullets from Lee-Enfield rifles over the years.

SKS
The SKS is the first semi-automatic rifle on this list of military surplus guns. And, along with the Mosin-Nagant and the Kalashnikov, it's another Russian contribution to conflicts all over the world.

Like the AK-47, the SKS also shoots the 7.62x39mm cartridge. Comparable in power to the .30-30 Winchester, the 7.62x39mm cartridge is wonderful for short-to-moderate-range shots at many species of big game.

M1 Carbine
Millions of M1 Carbines were produced in the United States during World War II. Since then, many of those rifles have made their way into the hands of gun collectors and shooters all over the country. Though it shoots the anemic .30 Carbine cartridge, the M1 Carbine is very popular because it's lightweight, easy to shoot and carry and has mild recoil.

1898 Mauser
Immediately after its introduction, the Mauser 1898 revolutionized the firearms world. Since then, it's been the standard that all bolt-action rifles have been measured against, and many modern sporting bolt-action rifles incorporate a Mauser-style controlled feed system. The Germans used the Mauser 1898, and its subsequent variants (such as the Karabiner 98k), in World War I and and World War II.

Most of the military-surplus Mauser rifles on the market today are chambered in 7.92x57mm, which is a great cartridge for hunting medium-sized game, such a deer, bear and hogs.

1903 Springfield
The 1903 Springfield was the American answer to the Model 1898 Mauser, incorporating many of the features that made the Mauser such a revolutionary rifle.

The 1903 Springfield was a very successful rifle and was widely used by American Soldiers in World War One & Two. Chambered in the ubiquitous .30-06 Springfield cartridge, the Springfield is a very accurate rifle and, with a competent shooter, is capable of hitting targets at long range.

CZ-52
The CZ-52 fires the extremely potent 7.62x25mm Tokarev round. The CZ-52 was replaced by the CZ-82 in the 1980s. As a result of this, thousands of surplus CZ-52 pistols eventually flooded the American market. At one point they were so common that you could purchase a CZ-52 pistol, 2x magazines, and a military issue holster for less than $100.

M1 Garand
George Patton called the M1 Garand “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” He was right: the semi-automatic M1 Garand with its eight-round “en bloc” clip was a quantum leap ahead of the standard bolt action rifles used by the other belligerents in World War II and the Korean War, giving American Soldiers a significant advantage on the battlefield.

What do you think about our choices for the best military surplus guns every shooter needs to own? Did we miss any?

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