Today I have some vintage Norma ammunition boxes to showcase.......
When I inherited my M94-14 Swedish Mauser Carbine, I also inherited three boxes of Norma ammunition to go along with it. I believe that these boxes of ammo date to the 1960's and were most likely purchased around the same time the Mauser was purchased.
The three boxes are each a different bullet and load style, all in the classic 6.5 x 55 mm Swedish Mauser caliber.
One interesting thing to note on these boxes is the original price tags and prices. These boxes were purchased at G.I. Joe's and Hank's. I have no idea about the "Hanks" store, but the old G.I. Joe's stores were fantastic!
G.I Joe's was a fantastic military surplus and sporting goods store chain in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. They were based in Wilsonville, Oregon, which is where my Grandfather lived and most likely where this ammo and the original Swedish Mauser Rifle was purchased. G.I Joe's was started in 1952. They went bankrupt and out of business in 2009.
I can remember going into the the old G.I. Joe's stores as a kid, and seeing barrels and bins filled with all kinds of great military surplus, and all of it cheap! Those were the days of the REAL surplus stores! They also had a great firearms department and I'm pretty sure that is where my father purchased the M94-14 Swedish Mauser Carbine. model-1894-swedish-mauser-carbine-restoration
Today's posting is a blast from the past........... Guns Magazine, August 1959, to be exact. I ran across this copy of Guns Magazine in my travels recently, and after thumbing through the pages, I just knew I had to share it with everyone here.......
The most amazing thing about this issue is the advertisements. The full page ads selling surplus military firearms harkens back to the days when the classic wartime rifles and handguns were sold by the truckload and at bargain basement prices! I have a particular soft spot for M94 Swedish Mauser Carbines and Government .45 autos, and these ads do not disappoint................ back in 1959 you could buy a M94 Mauser for $29.95 and a bayonet to go with it for $4.50 !!!!!!! Today the bayonets go for around $100.00 alone! (In fact I'm still looking for one of these M94 bayonets at a price that won't break the bank). A genuine US Military surplus .45 auto for about $35.00.................
Note & Reminder: You can click on the photos to get a larger view.
For those of you who may have missed the previous posting of my M94 Swedish Mauser Carbine, here is a link to that blog page and a more recent page that has a detailed photo album of the carbine:
In addition to the Swedish Mauser and .45 autos, be sure to check out the prices on the Garands, Springfields, Enfields, Lugers, Broomhandle Mausers, and even some old Rolling Block rifles! Gun collectors can only dream of prices and selections like this............ and dream they must, because those good old days are long gone!
Today I've opened up the galley cupboard on our vintage boat, the M/V Bernadine, to pull out a vintage USN Mess Deck cup to showcase. The cup is from the USS Mount Whitney, LCC / JCC 20.
This cup is one of the classic shipboard coffee mugs that are found on the mess decks of our U.S Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships around the world. These cups are very heavy. They hold the heat well and resist sliding and tipping while a ship rolls. They feel great in the hand, especially on a cold marine day, with the sea wind in your face.
The USS Mount Whitney is the flagship for the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet and also the Joint Command and Control ship for the Commander Joint Command Libson and Commander Striking Force NATO.
The USS Mount Whitney is considered by many to be the most sophisticated Command and Control, Intelligence ship ever built. She is the heart of the fleet command. Here are a couple of shots of the actual USS Mount Whitney underway:
With all that said, here are some additional photos of this unique coffee mug......... usually found in the Galley of the M/V Bernadine........
Here are a few shots of our 1931 cruiser, the M/V Bernadine:
Today I'll be showcasing the latest project I just completed. A "Gendarmerie Nationalefrançaiseétui" or, French Gendarmerie Nationale Police holster for the MAC 50 pistol. This will also double as a Colt .45 Euro-Style holster that looks very similar to the old Bundesgrenzschutz holsters.
I have been looking for a Euro-Styled, leather, flap holster, for my Colt .45 auto that had the look of the old Bundesgrenzschutz holsters, I picked up a couple of unissued French Foreign Legion holsters for the MAC 50 pistols that seemed to fit the bill. I made a previous posting on these holsters: http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2011/11/french-army-mac-50-holster-model-1948.html Check out the posting for the full story on these holsters.................
I picked up a bottle of the best leather dye ever made: Lincoln Shoe Dressing, Leather Dye. After one application, the tan French holster was newly transformed!
This is the only dye that I will use if I need to make a permanent and professional dye job on leather. This stuff is industrial! In other words, read the warning label and definitely use it in a well ventilated area! You may have to look around a bit to find this stuff.... try a traditional shoe repair shop. I paid $9.00 for this 3 1/2 fluid ounce bottle. The holster used about 1/2 inch of dye out of the bottle (not much, this stuff goes a long way!).
After the leather is dyed, you should put the piece near a heater or in the sun to help it evaporate the solvents or it will smell up the house for days............... unless you live alone and don't care a bit about marital harmony!
The dye job on the French holster turned out great! Now the holster is an exact copy of a French National Police (National_Gendarmerie) holster, and a very good facsimile of a Bundesgrenzschutz holster. The BGS never used the Colt .45, so this holster is as close as I will get for a duty holster for my pistol. I have paired up the new BGS holster with my Bundeswehr belt to make a pretty impressive Euro-Style holster and belt set up for my Colt. Here's a link to the blog page on the Bundeswehr belt: bundeswehr-koppelschloss
Here is a before shot of the holster, before the dye job:
Here is a shot of an original National Grendarmerie holster. The only difference between the Foreign Legion holsters and the Police holsters is the color.
Here is an album of the holster after the dye:
And to finish things up, here are some historical photos of the original Bundesgrenzschutz holster in use:
This morning I've dug into the toy box of my youth to bring an interesting bit here to the blog. This great little Matchbox Car is a "Saladin 6x6" armored car that was made by Lesney sometime around 1967. I've had it for years and years........... when I got it, it was used, probably back in the late 60's or early 70's. New, this car had a full length barrel, but like many of these little Saladin's, that barrel snapped off pretty quick in little hands and mock battles.
Lesney was the original company that made the original "Matchbox" cars back in 1953. They later went on to change the company name to Matchbox and then sold to Mattel Toys. This little Saladin Armored Car is number 67 out of the original 1-75 numbered car series.
Lesney made a grouping of military vehicles in this original series........... I only have the little Saladin.
Here's the photo album of the little Saladin in my collection:
The original Saladin armored cars first entered service with Brittan in 1958. There are still a few of them in service around world, but not many............ Saladin Armored Car History and Specifications Here are a few historic pictures of the real-deal, the original Saladins:
The Saladin Armored Cars were also used with the Bundesgrenzschutz. There are not many photos of them in BGS service, but I have located a few that are included here:
And here is a copy of the original 1967 Lesney - "Matchbox" catalog:
