mawkie
C&R Whisperer
I once saw a Springfield Arsenal shipping crate with two sequentially numbered, still in cosmoline Springfield 1903s from the late 20s. It was soooo cool. But this lot of ten MAS 45 training rifles in an upcoming JJ auction takes that to a new level.
I'm skeptical about the auction house claim that there are no import marks. I remember that CIA and other importers would peel back the wax paper from the barrel and stamp them with the old, discreet importer marks as law required. They were wise enough to leave the rest of the wrap intact for the buyer to remove or not at his discretion. Sadly the days of in-the-wrap MAS 36, MAS 45 and No4 MKII "Irish" Enfields is long gone. Recently saw a wrapped No4 sell for nearly $1k. Well above the $250 they cost back in the mid 90s.
I'm skeptical about the auction house claim that there are no import marks. I remember that CIA and other importers would peel back the wax paper from the barrel and stamp them with the old, discreet importer marks as law required. They were wise enough to leave the rest of the wrap intact for the buyer to remove or not at his discretion. Sadly the days of in-the-wrap MAS 36, MAS 45 and No4 MKII "Irish" Enfields is long gone. Recently saw a wrapped No4 sell for nearly $1k. Well above the $250 they cost back in the mid 90s.
