Collectors Club
Collectors meeting 1/6/24
The collectors meeting was very well attended yet again.
This is great to see .
Craig showed and discussed a very tidy Colt Thunderer revolver.
this is a double action short barrel colt revolver in .41 calibre .
This example was made in 1877 and is remarkable condition .The finish was worn but still has a nice even patina .
The revolver was popular with store keepers etc
Craig also showed a Colt .45 1911 made in 1918 .
This pistol was in exceptional original condition with clear markings and serial numbers .
This type of side arm was and still is in service with the US armed forces .
Rhys showed and discussed and Israeli made and issued bayonet for the K98 mauser rifle .
The K98 has an ironic history in Israeli service ..
Israel as a young nation in the 1940s was desperate for arms to defend themselves .
They sent buyers out to buy any surplus arms they could .code name Operation Balek .
Given that ww2 had ended and the world was flooded with surplus arms this was still proving difficult .
Then Joseph Stalin stepped in .
Hoping to gain a political foothold in the middle east he directed The Czech government to release some of their captured K98 rifle to Isreal with millions of rounds of ammunition ,bayonets etc .
These rifles were in the original 8mm .
Later on with the forming of NATO and the adoption of the 7.62 cartridge as as standard ,Israel although not a member of NATO saw it was to their advantage to adopt the ammunition .
The greater percentage of the K98`s were rebarreled in country to 7.62 NATO .
Later on Israel contracted Fabrique National to manufacture new K98`s in 7.62 NATO .
The deal was sealed with a cash only purchase (gold bullion ) .
Interestingly though the bayonets to fit the rifles were slightly modified copies of the original and made by Israel..
Rhys also discussed some inert chinese issue rifle and pistol ammunition .
The rifle ammo was in 5.8 x 42 and very similar to the 5.6 nato .
the pistol ammo was 5.8 x 21 and quite unusual.
A member brought along some inherited and registered “farm guns ” seeking more information on what they were .One of our members answered the call identified what they where .
Also the members supplied tips on the preservation and storage .
Once again showing the depth of knowledge held by our collecting group .
Our next meeting will be at 1pm on the Saturday July 6th .
regards Gary
Collectors meeting held 6/4/24
Meeting was well attended .
Scott displayed his interesting collection of Australian bayonets and knives .
Scott`s collection included rare a Lee Metford bayonet and a hooked quillion Lee Enfield bayonet .
His collection ranges from the 1800`s to the present .
Craig displayed his very rare US navy issue .50 calibre Remington single shot pistol.
the pistol dates from the mid to late 1800`s and is in excellent condition .
Dan displayed his VZ 24 czech marked mauser and bayonet .
the rifle is in near mint condition with stunning metal finish and figured wood .
An excellent example of a mauser used through out the world .
Rhys displayed his much under appreciated Soviet era TOZ .22 rifles .
His rifle are in very good condition with some clean up required .
Toz rifles are becoming rarer in australia .whilst cheap to buy originally the rifle prove to be extremely accurate and robust .
Thank you to members who attended and took the time to show and discuss their collections .
The collectors meeting in MAY is cancelled due AGM.
Next meeting will be on the first Saturday of JUNE at 1pm .
Regards
Gary Hartnett
