From what I've seen on various videos, European gun makers of fine shotguns still have a stable of top-notch engravers. However, many of these positions are held by women.
The Martini Henry is a gun I want to add to my collection one day, along with the Remington Rolling Block, and Springfield Trapdoor Remington Springfield
Black powder breechloaders can be beautiful. My own favorites are the Martini and the Remington, which served side by side in the Sudan in the 1880s.
The Martini Henry and Rolling Block are both very aesthetically pleasing. I Have a huge love for any and all bolt action military rifles, my favorites are the........ Mosin Nagant 1891/30 KAR98 Lee-Enfield No.4 MAS 36 Steyr-Mannlicher 1895
I'd agree, that and the KAR, probably because of that specific models wood furnish, but still a great looking rifle. I also love WW2 era and 50's Semi-auto rifles just as much. M1 Carbine M1 Garand M14 L1A1 SVT-40 SKS Gewehr 43 I forgot to mention the straigh-pull Swiss K-31 that is a beaut as well.....
I shot an M1 Carbine also...I was about 12, I remember thinking this was made for me! Whats the difference between an SKS and an SKK? is one Russian and one Chinese?
Yes the SKK is the Chinese made SKS, they are unfortunately not as good as the Russian made SKS simply because of their magazines that are terrible quality, the Russian SKS's are stripper clip fed.
For late 1940s old-world semi auto battle rifles there's really no alternative to the sleek, sexy FN49. Available in a wide variety of all your favourite calibres including zippy 7x57, thumping 8x57, freedom-flavoured™ .30-06 and even 7.65x53 for all you backwater pillocks south of the equator.
Seriously though, they're fantastic rifles. I'm a bit of a FN-49 fanatic and can't get enough of them. Absolutely top-notch ergonomics, excellent sights (aperture, and a long sight radius), light recoiling, well balanced and a simple, damn reliable design (as you know, the action is extremely similar to that of the "right arm of the free world") . I recently acquired a Luxembourgish contract rifle, leaving just 3 holes in my collection: Colombian contract, Argentine in the original 7.65x53mm and Argentine modified to 7.62NATO with a detachable FAL 20rd mag. The Venezuelan ones (in 7x57) are unique in that they are the only examples with a muzzle device (and as a result take a 16" (?) long bayonet). They also all feature receivers milled for a scope mount.
Hhhmmm... Do all the 7.62 NATO examples take the FAL mags? Since I have a plethora of FAL mags, I might be persuaded to like those more than the 7x57 models. .
Sorry, my mistake. I mis-remembered. The magazines are similar to those of the FN FAL, but are not interchangeable.
I can't believe I forgot about the FN-49, it is absolutely a sexy lookin rifle, but also is as you mentioned reliable and effective.