The Military Surplus Thread

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peter cornbriar

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What is you most valuable - in $ or otherwise, MilSurp piece of gear, (Or even vehicle)?

Mine is a Swedish Mauser 6.5 x55mm 1894 design bolt action Main Battle Rifle. Got it for peanuts in 1987 after Sweden decided to throw open their warehouse doors full of 6.5x55 rifles to U.S. wholesale buyers. Mine is a "select" piece, paid $10 more for someone to pick a good one... and good one it is, was in near perfect condition with cosmoline still permeating it. Most accurate rifle I ever shot, and that with iron sights. Could easily be put into sniper service. Still have it.
 
Yes…my beloved DD214. I carry it in my wallet. Plus: It got me a $500 discount off the car we recently added.

Then there’s the Randall Combat Dagger carried in Vietnam and gifted to me years later by a close friend. I had a new custom sheath made for it and refurbished the damaged stacked leather handle. These were intentionally soft steel so the blade could be easily sharpened.

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Blackhorse said:
Yes…my beloved DD214. I carry it in my wallet. Plus: It got me a $500 discount off the car we recently added.

Then there’s the Randall Combat Dagger carried in Vietnam and gifted to me years later by a close friend. I had a new custom sheath made for it and refurbished the damaged stacked leather handle. These were intentionally soft steel so the blade could be easily sharpened.

View attachment 22537
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What a beautiful blade and nice job with the new sheath.
 
Blackhorse said:
Yes…my beloved DD214. I carry it in my wallet. Plus: It got me a $500 discount off the car we recently added.

Then there’s the Randall Combat Dagger carried in Vietnam and gifted to me years later by a close friend. I had a new custom sheath made for it and refurbished the damaged stacked leather handle. These were intentionally soft steel so the blade could be easily sharpened.

View attachment 22537
Click to expand...
"Thats not a knife, this is a knife"🐊🤠

My USMC Kbar and yes I do have big hands.

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I've got a small smattering of milsurp but none of it worth all that much.
I have an old Swedish military half tent in the back of my car that my wife and I use as a picnic blanket during the warm months.
I have a Russian Ushanka hat made from very fine wool. I don't appreciate the ideology of the USSR but it's a real nice hat for the bitter cold.
It doesn't count but I visit Camp Sherman pretty often. It used to be pretty important to the Army but you couldn't tell just by looking at it any more. Now it's a campground, a really nice one. I've never found any artifacts from the time the area was populated by the army but I'd bet that somebody with a metal detector would have a party.
 
I have an old US Army wool blanket that I use often. I also have a Swedish military heavy canvas and leather pack with a metal frame. It has a nice green and light colored fleck pattern in the canvas. It is a great chainsaw gear pack for carrying metal wedges, axe, etc. into the woods for sawing. I wouldn't part with either.
 
Swede said:
I have an old US Army wool blanket that I use often. I also have a Swedish military heavy canvas and leather pack with a metal frame. It has a nice green and light colored fleck pattern in the canvas. It is a great chainsaw gear pack for carrying metal wedges, axe, etc. into the woods for sawing. I wouldn't part with either.
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I have a dream...with a 99.5% likeliness that it will remain a dream...of having this (now) very expensive British anorak being patterned and made out of old military blankets. I'd have to find a seamstress who is keen on making patterns without disassembling the garment (who wouldn't charge an arm and a leg). I've called around to the wool mills (a couple years ago now) to get the super heavyweight fabric, and 1) it is no longer made by any of them that I can find and 2) the heaviest I can find, from a couple different mills (Pendleton is one), are blends with nylon and cost a ridiculous amount to buy by the yard. Nobody makes 100% super heavyweight wool fabric anymore. My memory is a little hazy, but I think I could only find 24oz or 26oz. The old stuff I had in mind was closer to 30oz. If I'm going to settle for a blend, I'm not paying exorbitant rates, so I figure why not a couple military blankets for the material? I know some of them weren't made to be washed, but I did find some that were OK with being washed.

dream bubble now popping...
 
@
Zeno Marx said:
I have a dream...with a 99.5% likeliness that it will remain a dream...of having this (now) very expensive British anorak being patterned and made out of old military blankets. I'd have to find a seamstress who is keen on making patterns without disassembling the garment (who wouldn't charge an arm and a leg). I've called around to the wool mills (a couple years ago now) to get the super heavyweight fabric, and 1) it is no longer made by any of them that I can find and 2) the heaviest I can find, from a couple different mills (Pendleton is one), are blends with nylon and cost a ridiculous amount to buy by the yard. Nobody makes 100% super heavyweight wool fabric anymore. My memory is a little hazy, but I think I could only find 24oz or 26oz. The old stuff I had in mind was closer to 30oz. If I'm going to settle for a blend, I'm not paying exorbitant rates, so I figure why not a couple military blankets for the material? I know some of them weren't made to be washed, but I did find some that were OK with being washed.

dream bubble now popping...
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@Zeno Marx probably not what you have in mind, but these people offer a heavy wool anorak. The lady might even sew one to your liking. I have a jacket, and can say they are functional but not immaculatly sewn, i.e., you may find aspects that seem a little rough. I wouldn't give mine up though. The evening stand green is a good camouflage, and I once stood within 20 feet of a whitetail buck until he scented me.

https://asbellwool.com/products/anorak-timber-ghost
 
Swede said:
I have an old US Army wool blanket that I use often. I also have a Swedish military heavy canvas and leather pack with a metal frame. It has a nice green and light colored fleck pattern in the canvas. It is a great chainsaw gear pack for carrying metal wedges, axe, etc. into the woods for sawing. I wouldn't part with either.
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Those blankets are great, I need to get my hands on one before I get out
 
Swede said:
@

@Zeno Marx probably not what you have in mind, but these people offer a heavy wool anorak. The lady might even sew one to your liking. I have a jacket, and can say they are functional but not immaculatly sewn, i.e., you may find aspects that seem a little rough. I wouldn't give mine up though. The evening stand green is a good camouflage, and I once stood within 20 feet of a whitetail buck until he scented me.

https://asbellwool.com/products/anorak-timber-ghost
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Thanks. Never heard of her. That's a pretty fair price, really. More than I would spend on that particular style/piece, but the very few other wool anoraks I've seen are north of $225.
 
Aussiemike said:
I watch a lot of hunting shows made in NewZealand and a lot of guys wear these 100% wool and look cool I mean warm and comfy but not cheap but would last a lifetime I reckon.
https://nznaturalclothingshop.co.nz...bM6LPaIuzV7wgecJfhJ7DxPEF_VlDPaRoCpIUQAvD_BwE
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These are good wool from NZ sheep. There are some cool YT videos of guys in NZ wearing these hunting wild hogs. They are supposed to repel water and do to some extent. I have a vintage Ranger shirt and a jacket both bought used online at a considerable savings. I like the old ones made by Kiwis in NZ. New ones, unfortunately, are made in China.
 
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