Ciney, Belgium. This is, beyond question, the largest gun and militaria show on earth.
It
takes place in a huge, I mean huge, agricultural show building.
This
is taken from almost the end of one of the hundred lateral rows.
This
is taken from almost the end of one of the hundred lateral rows. Two ranks of tables, each side of each row.
There's apparently some quirk of Belgian law that allows machine guns to be sold without much problem, supposedly easier than our NFA does.
Complete…
Frame
only…
And
dug up.
Yes, dug up. Braver and stupider people metal detect and dig this stuff. I understand the interest, but not to dog on good old American know-how, that TNT is waaaaay less stable than it was when they shipped it out of Chattanooga and fired it at the Hun just up the road.
And Lord knows, Lucas Electrics probably got its start brewing Ammonal in a disused spanner works back in '17.
Lots of military vehicle bits and pieces.
And Lord knows, Lucas Electrics probably got its start brewing Ammonal in a disused spanner works back in '17.
Lots of military vehicle bits and pieces.
And
complete military vehicles.
Two dealers had entire jeeps for sale.
Need a drive sprocket for that Sherman?
Half a wooden prop?
Reichstag desk lamp?
May have minor smoke damage.
20mm Lahti magazine?
Tent
stoves?
The absolutely correct musket ramrod?
Pickelhaube?
Granatenwerfer 16?
Small boat cannon?
Fakes abound. Everything on that black tablecloth is brand new.
What
on earth…
Could be behind the tape?
This
poor man
appears to have had a nose injury when he sat for his portrait.
The
bored girlfriends are a bit more chic.
And the MREs sound tastier.
Something you'll not see in the U. S., good military
bronzes.
Of course, it is a gun show.
Saw
a few things I had never seen in the U. S., for example
Swiss Gew. 1889s.
There
were a couple of dealers selling deactivated modern commercial handguns. Mainly second tier brands- Astra,
CZ, Norinco Tokarevs, FEGs, and FN
or Manufrance pistols from the 1920s – 1970s. The price tags read
about twice what they would on live ones in the U. S, in Euros of
course. For example, two Llama .45
or 9mm 1911 copies at E 350 per.
I
lurked at one table, he was selling at a rate of about one every three minutes, including the
aforementioned pistolas Hispanicos, at full price, no haggling. There were full boxes of guns under the
fully covered table, take the
cash, throw another gun out.
No
identification, no paperwork at all.
The
deact jobs were minimal, mainly just plugged barrels. A new barrel and voila. I almost bought a nice clean third model Colt match target
woodsman for E250, but the drill
that bored out the barrel for the plug had some sort of larger end, and the feed ramp was gone. More trouble than it was worth.
Older
revolvers or oddities changed hands with similar informalities although they
were not deactivated. One could
have bought a trunk full of 1870-
1910 revolvers- S&W top breaks,
Webleys, French, German, or
miscellaneous ordnance revolvers.
IF
you had the money, these were priced in Euros at about twice, sometimes thrice,
the U. S. level. There was a nice
Webley .455 automatic at E1750, closest I saw to a bargain. Well worn lemon squeezers were
E300 up.
Long
guns told a similar tale. NO
working modern semiautos, the K98s
and Springfield I saw were all
plugged. Everything else was ready
to go, again priced at or above U. S. levels, add 30% for Euros.
But
wait, there’s more! Another vast
exhibit hall, larger than any U.
S. venue I have seen. This was
loaded with better things. No picture, it was too dark.
I wonder how this old Evans came across the sea from Maine?
The biggest difference from a U. S. gun show, aside from the lack of modern shooting guns, was the complete and total absence of fireable ammunition. Not a cartridge, not a primer, not a casing.
Just
for you, Roberta...
And Tam,
Since I found everything on your list except Smith PCs and tons of Mosins, here's a new verse...
Tunics and daggers, Devisme revolvers,
machine guns and tank treads dug up from the polders,
bayonets, helmets, and greasy jeep springs...
