Absolut
Senior Member
Just recently I had been contacted to identify a rifle. I was familiar with the crest, but need to admit that I had to ask another forum member (because I was too lazy to pull my books and he was anyway sending me messages when I was questioned..) to be able to identify it as a Lithanian contract m24L rifle that was made by FN.
What is special about this rifle is not only the absolutely immaculate condition it is in, asides from being all matching numbers. It is the fact that it must had been perfectly and very carefully stashed away after the end of WWII, because when it turned up, it was not only stored in a vintage gun bag from this period, it also came with 34 rounds of 8x57, of which all date to WWII period (well, actually there even is 1935 dating FN rounds in). I think it may had been a rifle pulled from storage and handed to Volkssturm in the last days of WWII?
No idea on the sling - that doesn't really fit the rifle condition, but I think this is anyway the wrong sling for this rifle and maybe just had been at hand. Looks more to be a French sling, but maybe someone else can tell? Oh, and while at accessories: note that it even comes with the original muzzle cover. That muzzle cover itself also has the Lithuanian crest stamped on it, as visible in the very last picture!
All I did was to wipe off some grease. Actually I think it even may be the factory conservation, since when pulling the handguard everything on the inside was thickly in grease itself, only the part where the Liege firing proof stamp is, there was little grease at all (and yes there is one grease spot on the barrel just atop the bayonet lug - noticed it when I had taken the pictures already).
What is special about this rifle is not only the absolutely immaculate condition it is in, asides from being all matching numbers. It is the fact that it must had been perfectly and very carefully stashed away after the end of WWII, because when it turned up, it was not only stored in a vintage gun bag from this period, it also came with 34 rounds of 8x57, of which all date to WWII period (well, actually there even is 1935 dating FN rounds in). I think it may had been a rifle pulled from storage and handed to Volkssturm in the last days of WWII?
No idea on the sling - that doesn't really fit the rifle condition, but I think this is anyway the wrong sling for this rifle and maybe just had been at hand. Looks more to be a French sling, but maybe someone else can tell? Oh, and while at accessories: note that it even comes with the original muzzle cover. That muzzle cover itself also has the Lithuanian crest stamped on it, as visible in the very last picture!
All I did was to wipe off some grease. Actually I think it even may be the factory conservation, since when pulling the handguard everything on the inside was thickly in grease itself, only the part where the Liege firing proof stamp is, there was little grease at all (and yes there is one grease spot on the barrel just atop the bayonet lug - noticed it when I had taken the pictures already).
tolle Sammlung!
