I always wondered how all those old European "Saturday Night Specials" came to be in the US

[Tula47]

I remember not that long ago (5-10 years ago) always seeing cheap European pistols/revolvers at gun shows and antique stores for $50-$100. I'm talking about no name Belgian Webly copies, velo-dogs and the like. I always wondered how all these old pistols, usually manufactured between the 1870s to the early 1900s ended up in the US? During this time the US had plenty of lower end firearms being manufactured at home so I don't think many, at the time, would see the appeal of a cheap but odd/uncommon caliber European pistol. I'm sure that some came in with people immigrating to the US and some as war trophies from both World Wars but this still doesn't explain the quantity that I used to see (my old barber had dozens of them hanging around his shop). Looking through a 1957 issue of Guns magazine I stumbled across an add from HY Hunter of Burbank California advertising "Scottland Yard Guns" and "French Secret Service Guns". It appeared that HY Hunter purchased a large quantity of European police evidence/confiscated guns and imported into the US and sold them basically as grab bag guns for as little as $5 each ($46.64 in 2020). There was also an add for mixed European military revolvers that I forgot to take a picture of. I found this to be a neat little piece of history and thought the INGO crowd might enjoy it as well (plus I wanted to try out posting on the new format).

 

[MrSmitty]

Interesting!! I've wondered that too. Wish I could find an old Webley for those prices!!

 

[IndyDave1776]

I would like to have that 20 round Broomhandle!

 

[maxwelhse]

I never thought about it before, but I'm guessing for the same reasons we do the same thing now: they were cheap.

To frame this in modern terms... 1891/30, SKS, AK, Makarovs, etc, etc are all in the same camp. Serviceable guns, for cheap prices, will still sell well in a market full of superior alternatives.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

1. Who "add"ed what? What does all this "add" stuff mean? Like manufacturers adding different models?

2. I won't use the racist term but cheaper European guns were extremely popular because of the price. Why do such derpomatics such as High Point, Taurus, Charter Arms, the entire KelTec catalog exist? Right, the price. The European guns were full of fail but popular for those that wanted a metal rabbit's foot.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I never thought about it before, but I'm guessing for the same reasons we do the same thing now: they were cheap.

To frame this in modern terms... 1891/30, SKS, AK, Makarovs, etc, etc are all in the same camp. Serviceable guns, for cheap prices, will still sell well in a market full of superior alternatives.

I thought "follow the money" was a standard INGO chant by now?

Look at the endless threads on INGO on "milsurps", *sigh*, the guns are outdated, sometimes silly, but popular for the price (I could have bought 15 Finnish M91/28s for the price of a Colt AR-15, when I bought both guns at the same time in 2004), especially when the ammo was nothing.

 

[maxwelhse]

I thought "follow the money" was a standard INGO chant by now?

Look at the endless threads on INGO on "milsurps", *sigh*, the guns are outdated, sometimes silly, but popular for the price (I could have bought 15 Finnish M91/28s for the price of a Colt AR-15, when I bought both guns at the same time in 2004), especially when the ammo was nothing.

That's not a factor to be considered lightly and is actually the entire reason I own an 1891/30. $200 for a lifetime supply of moose rounds was a hard deal to pass up.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

That's not a factor to be considered lightly and is actually the entire reason I own an 1891/30. $200 for a lifetime supply of moose rounds was a hard deal to pass up.

Precisely. I bought a Swedish Mauser from maybe Cole down in Florida just because I could get the training ammo for less than a nickel a round with my C&R license if I bought 3 or more cases. Could not NOT buy one, lol.

 

[maxwelhse]

When it's legitimately more expensive to throw nuts and bolts at a target...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯​

 

[2A_Tom]

I remember those ads in the back of magazines when I was a kid. I was more interested in the mini mill lathe for f49.99 + shipping.

That is supposedly how a Manlitcher that was used in Texas was purchased and why we cannot buy them that way anymore.

Millions of firearms purchased mail order and one used in a crime, that makes perfect sense to a tyrant.