This Weekend’s Finds

**MySonsDad** · 10-10-2011, 07:57 PM

The kid and I headed out to a local swap meet and a couple of our favorite antique shops, on Sunday. This is what we drug home with us.

All the uniforms are WWII USN named, all from the same sailor. The lot included his dress blue jumper, pants and neckerchief; his undress blues jumper, pants and neckerchief; 2 pairs of undress whites pants (sadly the jumper top was missing); and a pair of wool shorts.

I have no idea with the Japanese cap is, poked around the internet for several hours last night trying to ID it with no luck. I’m not sure if it is military or civil. I’m going to post another thread for it, with several photos, in hopes that someone has an idea.

The rifle is a Paris-Dunn MKI training rifle, replicated after the 1903 Springfield.

The helmet is a Czech M53. This actually did not come home with us this weekend, it showed up in the mail earlier in the week.

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I haven’t had time yet to look into the history of the sailor who wore these uniforms, will try and get to that tonight. Will poke around and try and ID the Japanese cap again, as well.

Will also be in search of a seaman marked undress white jumper top, to go with the paints. Sadly they wont be named to match. Also will have to find another flat top to go with these uniforms.

**talltom** · 10-10-2011, 08:47 PM

wow you have had some luck there love the training rifle looks brilliant well done

tom

**MySonsDad** · 10-10-2011, 08:53 PM

Thanks Tom. The training rifle was the kids find, I didn't want it (we usually do the 50/50 thing on stuff we both like) so he bellied up and pulled out his wallet. Hope he did OK, he's in to it for 45 bucks, damn near a days work for him and he only works one day a week!

**talltom** · 10-10-2011, 09:32 PM

id say he did alright there

tom

**MySonsDad** · 10-10-2011, 09:55 PM

That's good to hear Tom, I don't know a thing about these training rifles and have never looked in to their value. I'll be educating myself on them in the next week I am sure.

**talltom** · 10-11-2011, 07:25 AM

ill give you a rough estimate :
a british swift training rifle will go for £300 in the uk ive never seen yours for sale before so id say worth more than a swift

tom

**Walkwolf** · 10-11-2011, 07:48 AM

Nice pick-ups, especially the training rifle..........

!

**MySonsDad** · 10-11-2011, 01:18 PM

I'm watching one of the dummy rifles on eBay right now...bid is up to $102 US with 12 hrs left.

We looked it over close last night and discovered that the bolt is incorrect, the original probably broke and someone made something up. That's what I don't like about buying something I am not that familiar with. So, we'll have to start searching for a new bolt, hope we can find one. Other than that, the dummy rifle is in real good shape, for it's age anyway.

I've come up blank on the Chinese (Japanese?) cap....still need to do more searching.

Russ

**gbalke** · 10-11-2011, 02:30 PM

Well done Russ, or should I say "Well Dunn"?

This web site might interest you: training rifles

I recall having one of their Kadet rifles when I was a kid; it was able to shoot corks. Paris Dunn had a Kadet Drill Team program at the time to teach kids drill and ceremony. They sold white web belts and leggings and white plastic helmets. Back then I thought it was a neat idea and I was constantly reading their manual. This link tells more about the company and the drill team:
Parris Manufacturing Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**ford369** · 10-12-2011, 07:35 AM

good to see some details about the training rifle,a large batch of these has been doing the rounds of the large fairs in the uk for the last couple of years,I bought one for £25 at Beltring last year but knew nothing about it
Nigel